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akman akman is offline
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Posts: 55
1-1/2 Year Update
Posted by akman
Posted Wed, Jun-27-12
Male 5'11
Plan: General Low Carb
Stats: 240/175/190
BF:
Progress: 130%
Default 1-1/2 Year Update

Hello, All;

I used to post here quite regularly when I started my low-carb journey back in 2010. I just wanted to drop back in and give an update.

I retired from the US Air Force in 2004, somewhat overweight at 210lbs. (I'm a man, 5'11, 46yo). Within 2 years, I was up to 250 lbs and had high bp, high trigs, gout, fatty liver disease, pre-diabetes, hypothyroid, sleep apnea, and heart palpitations.

In 2006, with the news that I needed diabetes medicine, I re-doubled my efforts to get my weight under control. Every new medicine they gave me was supposed to help halt the metabolic trainwreck I was in. The CPAP machine was supposed to be the answer. Eat whole grains and no red meat they said. Do aerobics everyday for at least an hour they said.

For 5 years, I lost and regained 20 lbs over and over. In Sept 2010, I vowed to go on the strictest diet and exercise regime ever...eat only 1500 calories, only whole grain, no red meat. Did the treadmill and elliptical every night wearing a heart rate monitor--kept in 'the zone' for 60 minutes a day. I started this program at 220lbs, 3 months later--210lbs. Felt terrible, hungry and grumpy.

I searched around on the web for a better way to lose weight and found the Active Low Carber Forums. I asked a bunch of dumb n00b questions, got good answers, and liked what I was seeing.

Started a low carb journey in Dec 2010 at 210lbs, my goal was 'under 200'. I hit that in about 1 month, reset my goal to 180lbs. After several months and a few stalls later, I hit 180. New goal: 170lbs--a weight I hadn't seen since high school. I hit 170 in Sep 2011, 9 months into it. For the past 10 months, I have maintained between 164 and 170. I'm off all meds, labwork is nearly perfect, sleep apnea cured, no gout in this time.

Here are the 'secrets' I learned along the way:
- Be in it for the long haul
- Limit to the best of your ability refined sugar, refined grain, and vegetable oils.
- Strength train religiously; I do pushups, pullups, squats, and sprints--haven't set foot in a gym in 2 years.
- Intermittant Fasting works! I eat dinner at 6pm, then nothing until noon the next day.
- I work out in a fasted state most days.
- Sometimes, I fast for 40 hours. Every couple weeks, I skip a whole day of eating. Eat supper, then nothing until noon 2 days later. This has huge benefits other than just calorie restriction.
- My normal calorie range is 1500-3000 calories, I quit counting 1 year ago.
- I keep carbs under 50 g most days, but sometimes go way over with things like melon, bananas, berries, rice, or potatoes...never bread or sugary snack crap.
- I weigh myself daily; I don't take action on the scale, though, it's just for peace-of-mind.
- I measure my belly every couple weeks. I have a measuring tape that I cut off every time I hit a new low. As long as I'm within an inch of that low, I don't worry. More than an inch and I'll change something up.
- I don't sweat what I'm eating as long as it is very close to it's natural state, ie. meat with attached fat, fish, veggies, berries, olive oil&vinegar salad dressing.
- I eat in limited amounts: cured meats (bacon, lunchmeat, sausage), sugary fruit, potatoes, rice, legumes, nut butters, 100% dark chocolate, cheese.
- I strictly avoid: vegetable/seed oil, grain/seeds, esp. wheat products, refined sugars, low-carb flour or look-a-like products.
- I embrace the cold. Turn down thermostat, drive with window open in winter, wear just enough clothing to prevent hypothermia. Take cold showers. This builds brown adipose tissue (BAT), a fat-burning substance in the body that is activated by cold. This is the easiest way to effect "calories in-calories out" on the calories out side. It fixes broken hormones, speeds up the metabolism, and aids in muscle recovery.
- I supplement sparsely: I take Vit D3 5000iu/day, 3 kelp pills (for iodine), and 1 Omega 3 Krill Oil pill. I eat 2-3 brazil nuts a day for Selenium.

I will edit later if I think of anything I missed, hope this helps someone!
Tim
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  #2  
by RuthannP on Wed, Jun-27-12, 22:37
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What a wonderful success story of restoring your body to good health! Thanks for sharing your tips!
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