Dieting and what works for a FOB

[coach_izzy]

Congrats on the weight loss! Your approach would be considered extrememe by the common medical community, but it's one that's been in practice for centuries, and quite effective. There are several methods of fasting, all effective, and yes, people do report feeling better after completing them. I know of a person whose skin resembled pepperoni pizza and after fasting, she looked 10 years younger. I'm glad you targeted the true source of the problem (the refined carbs and sugar) and dismissed the archaic food pyramid that has been the source of more problems than solutions.

Now comes the most challenging part, keeping the weight off. If you keep your food clean (vegetables, lean meats, fruits, whole grains etc) and your exercise routine, this should not be a problem. The statistics do not look promising you if you read them, but in your case, they do no apply to you since you did not return to the typical "food pyramid" after your fast. That, along with lack of physical activity, are the main causes of the weight problem in the U.S.

Keep your exercises routines varied and better yet, pick a physical sport upon which you want to improve to make your training sessions more focussed and far more interesting. You could take martial arts, yoga, competitive racing, or any other sport of your choice, that'll give you the drive to stick to your exercise routine and never get bored. Don't make the mistake on relying mostly in the erroneously called "cardio" workouts. Proper resistance training will keep that metabolism on fire and take care of maintenance. Congrats again and good luck!

 

[coach_izzy]

Don't eat until you are bloated. Instead eat until your stomach feels full. The brain will tell you to continue to eat, but listen to your body instead.

More important than anything is to try to eat SLOWLY. It takes about about 20 minutes for the brain to activate the satiety centers after taking the first bite of food, after the food has been broken down and glucose levels normalized. Feeling "full" usually is a sign of eating too much. That's why people eating on the run, can engorge massive amounts of calories before realizing they over did it. If people need to eat on the run, they should eat a small meal. If after 40 minutes they still feel hungry, they should add a good snack (this applies only if you're not suffering of Type I diabetes, or metabolic disorders) Keep up the good work

 

[OE2X]

Coach,
Excellent advice. Thank you for your input. I think your ideas on physical conditioning are right on target and judging by your experience in this arena, we have much to learn from you. Please feel free to add as much as you want here.

I'm not sure that I have done this regiment in the best fashion or that it is advisable for anyone to embark on this path. From my laymans perspective, reducing carbs, fat, sugar, portion size, and as Coach Izzy pointed out extending your dining process all contribute toward the goal.

Excercise is a key component along with staying hydrated. Perhaps Coach Izzy can elaborate, but it seems to me that one can very temporarily reduce the pounds on the scale, by minimizing the intake of fluids. This can be a very dangerous and ultimately undesirable technique. If your weight loss is based on this you can do serious and irrepairable damage to both your kidney's and liver. When you rehydrate you will gain most of those pounds back. If you are diving while dehydrated, you run increased risks of DCS.

Last week I had my cholesterol levels checked. My overall level is now 151 which is down 20 points from a year prior.

The benefits are huge: my energy level is very high, activity is up, endurance is strong and I don't seem as susceptable to common colds.

Making the mental commitment to go through with and stick to the plan was the hardest aspect of the whole process.

 

[Sirelroka]

You mentioned that you do some strength exercises for your lower back. Are they something one can do at home with no equipment? Used to use the weight machine at the gym specifically for the lower back, but right now I don't have access to a gym and I'm feeling the need to do something for my lumbar region. Any suggestions?

 

[OE2X]

The one that I do w/o a machine is:
Put yourself in a push up position.
Instead of having your elbows locked and all the weight on your wrists/hands drop down so that your elbows are on the floor.
Your forearms will now be flat on the floor as well and arms are bent at a right angles.
Now straighten your back.
Drop your butt so that it is flat and in line with your back - having someone check your posture at this point is very wise.

The goal:
Hold this position for 3 minutes, rest 1 minute, resume position for 3 minutes, rest 1 minute, final set for 3 minutes.
I've been doing it for a bit and I'm close to get all three reps down. I spend more than 1 minute of relaxation between sets though.

What you want to feel:
You should feel the muscles tighten in both your abs and lower back. At the end of each rep, you will want to your body to be shaking. If only one or the other sets of muscles is feeling it, then it means your butt is either too high or too low.
This exercise is excellent for the lower back and abs!

 

[PaulChristenson]

Well not because of losing the weight. I keep having a variety of issues with with my CF200.
I've had to add more thermal protection. No more whale fat. Because of this I had to add weight to my belt - about 4 lbs.

Obviously this is a plot by the clothing industry...to force you personally to support our economy by buying all new stuff

Paul in VT

 

[papps953]

I too am overweight, but not near to the extent you were. I should weigh around 180 lbs. I have been 205 at the max. I've decided I need to do something because the weight has been slowly creeping onto me for several years. In the past I could just cut back on my calories and the weight would drop off. In the last few years though, it has been difficult to lose the weight.

Here is what works for me: First off I have to lift weights. I've found for me the best thing to do is to grow more muscle. Having the extra muscle speeds my metabolism and burns more calories. I cut the sugars and refined carbs out of my diet. I only eat whole grains and breads made from whole grain. I limit my calories to around 2500 to 2600 per day.

Exercise wise I lift five days a week. Monday - arms, Tuesday - legs, Wednesday - chest, Thursday - back, Friday - arms again. I run 1.5 miles before I lift in 13:32. One day a week I would eat as much of anything I wanted. (I've gotten to the point where I can have one day to totally pig out, and a second day to still eat over the 2600 calorie limit.

This last week I lost 1/2 a pound of fat, and gained 1 pound of muscle. Two things to remember while trying to lose weight is: having more muscle makes it easier to lose fat, and you can't gain muscle while you lose fat. Body builders will eat high calories to build their muscle during the off season, then cut back on their calories just before a competition to lose the fat.

Bill B.

 

[papps953]

Something else to add: I've started eating four times a day. Mornings I have oatmeal. I'll add a banana for flavor. Later I'll have a sandwich with turkey, ham, or roast beef. I go for the flavor and add a slice of swiss cheese, mayo, mustard, and lettuce. In the afternoon I'll eat some fruit; maybe another banana, an orange, or some grapes. (I didn't normally eat fruit much and think I'm better for doing so.) In the evening I usually have a bowl of grape-nuts cereal.

While I'm working out I drink two liters of water. I've stopped drinking soda pop. Instead I drink ice tea and Kool-aid. I use stevia and Splenda to sweeten the Kool-aid.

Bill

 

[coach_izzy]

and you can't gain muscle while you lose fat. Body builders will eat high calories to build their muscle during the off season, then cut back on their calories just before a competition to lose the fat.

Bill B.

Since when?? Power endurance athletes (Boxers, wrestlers, all athletes in combat sports in general, track and field athletes, etc. DO IT all the time!!) You're separating the musculo-skeletal system and the energy systems in two entirely different components when they're not. The energy source used by the working body depends on the demands imposed on the nervous system, so what is exactly the mechanism that prevents hypertrophy during fat loss? If that were the case, then saying that building muscle to speed up metabolism and lose fat would not hold true now, would it?

Bodybuilding training is NOT conditioning training. The objective of bodybuilding is more focused on aesthetics plain and simple. You cannot compare competitive bodybuilders to the general population because No. 1 Very few people have the true genetic potential for above average hypertrophy, and No. 2 ALL profesional NPC bodybuilders enhance their genetic gifts with drugs.

Besides, the modern bodybuilders stay within a 5-8% bodyfat ratio, gone are the days of the "bulk up" season and "lean-down" season. The extra definition they get is mostly the result of water loss, a lot of times with the help of diuretics. I'm not judging them on the drugs aspects since they need to do it at that level to stay competitive, but my point is that you cannot compare the regular population to people whose biochemistry and metabolism have been altered by steroids.

 

[Rick Inman]

Did you have to buy a new drysuit?