Weight loss group 2012

[boboff]

I managed to put on just 1/2 lb in the 10 days I have been incapacitated..... Back on it today, I am STARVIN'.

[prison break fan]

We are not doing very well, are we!!!! I am using the cold weather as my excuse! Need hot food, and look ridiculous trying to power walk with coat hat and scarf and gloves on! I did buy lots of salad this week, but need chips to go with it. Oh dear, never mind there is always next week! pbf.

[Green Aura]

I've lost 6lb in 3 weeks!!!!

Sorry, I know I'm not in the group but I'm rather chuffed.

[Marmalady]

I've lost 6lb in 3 weeks!!!!

Sorry, I know I'm not in the group but I'm rather chuffed.

Congratulations!!

and as to "not in the group" -- i think you are now!!

There's no membership requirement -- just that you are wanting to lose weight and in need of support & encouragement

as you can see, looks like you are the "winner" for this week!

[prison break fan]

Green Aura, you must tell us how you did it! pbf.

[Green Aura]

I have a similar need to lose weight as Susie but I think the similarity ends there.

I've been overweight for years and I am your archetypal yo-yo dieter - lose half a stone, put 3/4 back on. I've followed every diet known to mankind from calorie counting to the Cambridge Diet (which made me really ill). I've been looking for a way of changing my eating habits, not going on a diet.

Anyway, over the last few years I've been tinkering with recipes etc from a book called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and my weight (although still in the morbidly obese category!) has remained stable. I love this style of eating, it makes perfect sense to me - lots of fermented foods, lowish carb and is really delicious but is fairly heavy on meat and fish of course. So when our gal moved back in with us we started eating a lot more carbs and vegan meals and although my weight only altered slightly my cholesterol crept up and my fasting blood sugars where distinctly dodgy!

Anyway the gal's now gone and OH and I have got our home (and diet) back on track. I invested in another book by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig called Eat fat, lose fat. I'd avoided buying yet another diet book, having got rid of a load before moving up here and swearing never to follow another one. We haven't been following many of the recipes, just carrying on with our normal (NT) diet, but we've been drinking the coconut oil before each meal and using it a lot in cooking.

I know that sounds completely bizarre but neither of us feel like we're on a "diet" yet although our calorie intake probably hasn't dropped much (but I don't think it was particularly high anyway), we're eating much smaller portions and we haven't snacked at all! On top of that I seem to have a lot more energy and have been much more active. The post-prandial drowsiness seems to have gone too and my weight has steadily dropped 2lb each week. I only weighed myself because I just couldn't believe that increasing fats would help me lose weight.

I haven't been back to the Dr yet for repeat bloods but I'm feeling so much better I'm sure they must have improved, the blood sugar for certain. In addition to that, my mother has been eating the same as us (without the pre-meal tea) and I swear she's perkier too!

Sorry if I sound like an advert but I am truly chuffed.

[boboff]

Wow, Two really important new faces in one day!

Both your approaches sound really interesting, as is the long term nature of your plan.

I have learnt recently that eating porridge and playing squash isn't all it's cracked up to be!

Out of interest Maggie what do you eat on the eat more fat get less fat thing?

[Green Aura]

Like most things it can be as simple (or not) as you like to make it. But the basic premiss is that animal fats aren't bad for you, many vegetable oils are already rancid (but have been deodorised, bleached and recoloured) by the time you get them and grains and pulses are really difficult for humans to digest unless they've been pre-soaked, overnight, in water and a little whey or lemon juice. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir etc are also important for healthy gut flora. Raw milk and cheese is preferred over pasteurised but only UHT and ultra pasteurised/processed dairy products are totally discouraged. Oh, and eating butter on your greens helps to digest them better too, in fact you can eat butter or olive oil on just about anything it seems Nothing is a low-fat version - you only eat whole unprocessed milk, cheese, brown rice etc.

That's Nourishing Traditions in a nutshell! Except the book's about 700 pages You can see why I like it.

Anyway, the eat fat lose fat book continues with this theme. Basically you eat according to the NT principles, cutting out more of the carbs. And you have a tablespoonful of coconut oil in a cup of herby tea 20 minutes before eating. I read all the explanations about how it worked with a sceptic's eye but as I had a jar of said oil sitting unused I thought I'd give it a go. Oh, and a lot of the butter used in cooking etc is replaced by something called "Mary's blend" which is basically equal quantities of olive oil, coconut oil (warmed gently to melt) and sesame oil, which is very tasty. No snacking and eat three meals a day.

I'm afraid I'm not very good at doing as I'm told - given the amount of weight I ought to be looking to lose, the book says I should have I should have 2 tbsps x 3 daily but find this just too much and I confess to having a tsp of honey (natural sweeteners are allowed but not any form of refined sugar) in it. And we still have the carbs - spuds, rice, sourdough bread (that's the only bread where the flour is pre-soaked) but in much smaller quantities.

I'm still a little sceptical about the way it's supposed to work but the tea definitely seems to start the "feeling sated" process so I'm happily eating much smaller portions and it also gives me a little sweet fix so I'm not craving chocolate/cakes etc. And I'm definitely starting to feel better, physically and mentally, in only 3 weeks.

So finally, to answer your question, after that long preamble, you can eat pretty much anything if you follow the guidelines. A typical weekday would be muesli (homemade and I can give you the recipe if you're interested) for breakfast, soaked overnight and served with milk, yoghurt or kefir; lunch might be a piece of cheese or pate, sourdough bread and pickles (sauerkraut or whatever - and I'm still using up some homemade vinegar-based pickles) and a piece of fruit; dinner - well the last couple of days we've had a dish called Scottiglia (look it up) on Sunday we had some of the meat from it accompanied by neeps and tatties and broccoli and yesterday we had the rest with roast potatoes and carrots. There's enough liquid left to make enough soup for lunch today and probably freeze some for another day. The Scottiglia isn't in the NT book but definitely would fit in with their way of eating.

The only downside is that the coconut oil isn't cheap but to be honest I can see it paying for itself through the savings I've been making on other things. And a bit of forethought is needed to pre-soak things. But as part of our New Year plan to get a grip on our eating habits I'd started doing a menu plan anyway so that helps.



Another long-winded diatribe

[boboff]

Wow, thank you.
I can see the benefits in simply cutting out processed foods.
It sounds like it's a proper diet, i.e. what you eat, not something you punnish yourself with.
The main thing that I eat that I would like to eat less is probably Pasta, as although I know it's not high in fat it is megga processed.
Keep us in the loop of how you are getting on, brilliant!

[demi]

hi everyone and welcome new commers!

todays weight: 61kg

we've had no internet for the past week because thats us finally moved into our own house! yeay! and were not connected yet.

i got my scales too, but my digital ones have ran out of batteries so i have to relay on my back up energancy non digital ones which are not so acutate which im getting a bit OCD about. but anyways, iv put on weight just as i had suspected as i have been eating absolutly everything in site. and iv been doing a lot of somthing else which i will not directly mention but that allways makes me eat the kitchen so i shouldn really cut down on that too.


so i will try to start afresh again tomorrow, just like i do everyday. if i cant get a grip of this soon i may have to resort to more drastic measures, which will envolve hiding from the OH which is never something i feel confertable doing but its a must if im to avoid a bollocking

good luck everyone for next week!

[boboff]

Well I weighed in at 17st 13lb today! Thats 5 1/2 lb down this last week which I am pleased about, 11 1/2 lbs in 4 weeks, with a poorly knee!

[Marmalady]

Congrats Bob! Keep up the good work :)

I am down a pound this week -- not nearly as much as I put on over the previous stressfull fortnight but at least its started downwards again :)

Demi -- don't be so hard on yourself -- and if you mean what I think you mean about "hiding from the OH" -- please don't. It will not be good for you long term (tho i think you already know this)
To keep track of your weight properly you need to be using the same set of scales every time -- so some of your "weight gain" is probably just the different scales you have used to weigh yourself this time.
You have had a busy/stressfull few weeks -- and this makes the body go into panic mode and conserve energy. Now you are in your own place, and can get back to a proper routine of preparing healthy food you will get back into a proper weight loss regime. Please don't do anything drastic -- we are all here to support you - just dont set yourself unreasonable goals and then be upset when you dont meet them

[Marmalady]

Yayy

Another pound down this week :)

[boboff]

Stayed the same last week. Must try harder this week, homemade Pizza on Saturday with Cheese and choritzo and Salami, so so nice, but maybe a few too many calories. Still I went to the Gym twice, with a bad knee, and feel my fitness levels are improving, I am going to also say thay I have maybe put on a bit of muscle which weighs heavier than fat! There Fat friends, those are my excuses for last week ( oh and you skinny friends as well, and those friends who are just happy with the way they are, but mainly my Fat Friends... feel my pain Brother!)

[boboff]

Well I weighed in this morning, and I was a happy Fat Man, now 17st 6.8lb, down from 18st 10.4lb, 6lb down in the last week, which after a flat week last week is great. The reason? Well I did more, and I ate less, the eating less thing really I think made it happen, I have been eating healthily, but a big bowl of fruit salad and yoghurt at 8 in the evening is still 400 or so calories when I don't need it, I even had a bit of a day off yesterday and had a couple of pints by the river after flying kites with the kids, and read the paper, it was glorious. I am going to try really hard this week and try and get under 17st! May take two weeks I think. Still I have to move allot of fruit around this week, so will be out in the garden exercising!