Anyone lost a lot of weight, and kept it off?

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Andrew69
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by Andrew69

synchronicity wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:12 am
I might look up a sugar substitute too
Stevia is your friend here
Natural sweetener that is 250 times sweeter than sugar and because you use so little of it, its essentially calorie and carb free
Try to get the pure stevia extract rather than the stevia that is "sugar equivalent" which has the same sweetness as sugar as this has fillers (usually maltodextrin so not bad) so has more calories and some carbs

You will be able to buy it at your local supermarket
Remember, evey little bit counts and it all adds up fast!

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AJS914
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by AJS914

Allulose is the first zero calorie sugar substitute that I like.

I do have to say that cutting out one extra teaspoon of sugar in your coffee (16 calories) isn't going to change the big picture with regards to weight loss. It's the 1000 calorie pint of ice cream that will do you in.

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synchronicity
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by synchronicity

Oh.

I was just at the supermarket, oh well, I tend to go every few days so I will look up this stevia stuff. Good to know the difference with the extract vs sugar equivalent (with fillers). Thanks.

What I did get was some honey (to try to ween myself off sugar). Although I have to say that skim milk + honey + instant coffee is not all that enjoyable anymore. That's probably a plus.

I already ordered some xylitol from ebay. Worth a shot I feel.
All of a sudden sugar is worse than cocaine (not that I ever did that, just sayin')
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synchronicity
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by synchronicity

AJS914 wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 6:10 am
Allulose is the first zero calorie sugar substitute that I like.

I do have to say that cutting out one extra teaspoon of sugar in your coffee (16 calories) isn't going to change the big picture with regards to weight loss. It's the 1000 calorie pint of ice cream that will do you in.
Noted. Although I don't regularly eat icecream. I don't eat (hardly) any frozen foods, so I can walk right past that aisle, and I don't eat chips either. Cakes, not so much either. It's more some chocolate and pepsi that I could do without. It's a sugar addiction. :x
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Andrew69
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by Andrew69

AJS914 wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 6:10 am
I do have to say that cutting out one extra teaspoon of sugar in your coffee (16 calories) isn't going to change the big picture with regards to weight loss. It's the 1000 calorie pint of ice cream that will do you in.
While that is true, if youve been a fatty all your life (like me, I was a fat kid) then its very hard to make big changes and stick with it, so I feel the little things do make a difference
1 teapoon of sugar here, extra few fries there, it all adds up pretty quickly because processed foods are so calorie dense

Baby steps in changing your lifestyle is still better than no steps at all, and they are also sustainable for the long term which is very important

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by Andrew69

synchronicity wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 6:23 am
It's more some chocolate and pepsi that I could do without. It's a sugar addiction. :x
Vanilla coke and kitkats are my vice :mrgreen:

Keep telling the wife not to buy that crap when she goes shopping, but she quite likes chocolate too....although she is 50 and has a 6 pack....bitch
Healthy eating 95% of the time allows you to eat the crap from time to time and not suffer from it

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synchronicity
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by synchronicity

Andrew69 wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 6:47 am
synchronicity wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 6:23 am
It's more some chocolate and pepsi that I could do without. It's a sugar addiction. :x
Vanilla coke and kitkats are my vice :mrgreen:
For me it's pepsi with loads of ice. Frozen kit kats are also rather nice.😋

But, I think it's all a matter of priorities. I'm trying to prioritise weight loss and healthy lifestyle over over-induldgement of food.

Baby steps will help me, yes. Otherwise it all seems too difficult.
Last edited by synchronicity on Sat Mar 20, 2021 8:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Sacke
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by Sacke

I'll say straight off the bat that I didn't read the whole thread, so what my experience is, could have been mentioned over and over again.

I have tried intermittent fasting, avoiding certain macronutrients, etc, but I can't bring myself to make it too complicated without getting tired of it. Work, kids, and other obligations mean cycling is for fun. It's meant to be a break from the rest.

I am pretty competitive with myself and my friends, so keeping weight down and power up still important.

:arrow: My sustainable weight loss plan?

Getting enough sleep (making it a priority) + having thresholds in weight that set how often I allow myself the beer/chocolate/chips/cookies/junk food.

If I am more than 3kg above my normal weight, then full abstinence from the things above is self-inflicted until the weight drops again.

Simple enough. If the scale says more than 4kg above my target weight, it's total abstinence from those until I am back where I want.

At 40, it still seems to work. Getting slower every year to get rid of kilos though... so periods of abstinence especially after the winter become longer.

In terms of training hours, I am happy with 3 x 1,5h in regular weeks. More whenever it is practically possible.

AJS914
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by AJS914

>>>What I did get was some honey (to try to ween myself off sugar).

Honey is just another form of sugar, maybe a bit more "natural". The best way to get off sugar is to just tough it out cold turkey. After 2-3 weeks the cravings go away. They mostly stay away as long as you don't try to eat just a little. A little leads to a lot.

I combat my 'want to eat after dinner' cravings with a bowl of plain greek yogurt.

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by joejack951

synchronicity wrote:
Sat Mar 20, 2021 8:52 am
For me it's pepsi with loads of ice.
I used to really enjoy a Coke with dinner, and back in my early 20s drank it all day. I now haven’t had a soda of any sort in years ever since I got really committed to keeping my weight down. I’ve replaced it with flavored seltzer (0 calories, not the kinda with artificial sweetener either). Works well for me.

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synchronicity
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by synchronicity

I took the time to read through all 17 pages of this thread. :shock: It took a while. A few days. It contains generally good advice which I'm going to tailor to suit my needs/priorities/likes. I find it inspirational... to see that other middle aged men have gone through something similar and struggled with their weight (especially when they go on to say that they never struggled in their twenties).

:idea: I think this thread would be slightly easier to follow if people uploaded a personal avatar. :arrow:

After reading this thread, and the gut bacteria catalyst program thing that someone posted much earlier, what I'm going to do, is not to diet (verb), but to watch my diet (noun). I don't like the term 'to diet' (verb) because it implies the changes are temporary, and also that exercise is not part of the weight-loss equation.

What I've decided to do is make some more or less permanent changes as suggested previously [somewhere]. First off I'm going to eat more wholesome foods, less white bread, more food from high fibre type grains (rye). I'm going to add bran to my cereal. I've already swapped to skim milk.

Next, I'm going to cut out sugar. I've already bought several sugar replacements and they seem to do the job okay (there is no horrible chemical aftertaste like there used to be with saccharin, but they are expensive). I am able to walk straight past the 'tempting' aisles of food (pepsi/chocolate). All I have to do is simply... not buy it. I know I'll probably crave it in a few days but I am going to soldier on through that. In the past I have gone many many years without softdrinks, so I know I can do it. It's just a question of willpower. Looking at how many kilojoules is in a 500ml serve is rather enlightening. I'm going to replace pepsi with ice with water and ice.

I'm going to read more about insulin response with certain foods. Too late now, @853guy I already bought two or three artificial sweeteners. :lol: Oh well, perhaps I will just have physically smaller coffees like they do in Spain and Italy? Sounds good. :thumbup:

Speaking about calories, I'm not going to "count" calories as some people do (intake vs outtake). What I am going to do is to look closer/more at the nutritional information and decide for myself. Comparing energy density or whatever it's called (kJ/100gram).

For example I discovered that these delicious macadamia nut & honey bars I used to eat also contain 7% sugar. :| Not good, so they're out. Today I thought I would buy myself some 'light' spreadable cheese to have with ryvita (rye crispbread) and smoked salmon. It supposedly has "25% less fat". The packaging is all white and silver and it does look very, how should I say, "light", just to look at it. Honestky the amount of graphic design that goes into food packaging is insane. Anyway I looked at the ingredients/nutrition and it is still 22% fat! :shock: Which came as a bit of a shock, as I was expecting it to be 5% fat or something, but no. So I had to spread that rather thinly.

I'm going to have to cut out my beloved pizza shapes, no two ways about it. :( If I have to choose between a skinnier frame and the enjoyment of eating pizza shapes for 5 or 10 minutes, I'm now going to choose the former. They're not worth it. Eating is temporary, the fat gut remains all day long.

The funny thing was that when I stopped eating salami for a few months, my cholesterol level went UP even further! :noidea:
Not sure what happened there, but I think it's too easy for me to eat too much salami, so forget it. It has to go.

I'm not going to go vegan, sod it, no. I will try to eat more beans though. :lol:
I'll eat more carrots too.

Smaller portions. I'm going to take my time, chew my food well instead of wolfing it down. No one has mentioned that yet. :smartass:

I'm going to continue to do the mediterranean thing and essentially to skip breakfast. Because that's what I'm used to and I don't feel hungry until several hours after waking up. I have a feeling that as I lose weight I'll have to skip the midnight snacking! :oops:

Above all, I'm going to exercise a lot more. That's what's been missing in my life due to a severe foot injury. Due to my body clock, this time happens to be in the afternoon. :mrgreen:

On the bike I'm going to ignore the low intensity "fat burning zone" and just ride at a harder aerobic pace like I've always done.
I'm going to invest in a set of rollers for those overcast & rainy days. Even a 20 minute session is better than nothing.

I was wondering how you all cope with bad weather? Do you ride in bad weather regardless, or do you train indoors? The last time I went out when the clouds were threatening, I got stuck in the middle of a hailstorm and ended up getting pelted with hail, causing massive welts on my arms. It felt like torture. I may ask this elsewhere in the training section.
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Gwcman
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by Gwcman

Hi all,

I haven't taken the time to read the whole thread however I have read the past number of posts & have done plenty of reading & research over the past several years with regards to nutrition and eating properly.

I made a big change several years ago & decided to eat healthier, less pop, less beer, and less processsed foods - really cutting carbs and added sugars. I wasn't much of a pop drinker anyway. I wasn't over weight but being in my early 40's I wasn't getting any younger, I'm 5'10" and was 180-185 pounds.

I essentially made the switch to Keto using fat for fuel and introduced intermittent fasting by eating 2 meals/day using an 16/8 schedule; a big brunch around noon then be finished my supperby 7pm then no eating or snacking. I cut out beer completely during the week and only allowed myself 1 drink each evening on the weekend and I made the switch away from beer to White Claws as beer always left me wanting more. The body is amazing and adapts very quickly and fats are much more satiating & keep you full longer than carbs. Before I knew it I was down to 155lbs and felt great. Now, I've transitioned to carnivore and have been for over the past year.

Then I got in to cycling and everywhere I turned it's carbs carbs carbs for fuel, did lots of research and reading as I didn't NOT want to get back on the carb train. That's when I discovered Prof. Tim Noakes and Dr. Dan Plews, if you haven't heard of them look them up, you'll learn lots specifically the body doesn't have 1 single requirement for fibre or carbs, additionally Dr. Dan Plews is an Excercist Physiologist who is also a 2018 World Record Ironman holder & Olympic Coach who focuses on FAT for fuel and has the proof to back it up. Sure you can fuel on carbs but years of years of fueling & binging on carbs for fuel you'll end up metabolically unhealthy or with Type 2 diabetes; the 3 white devils of nutrition are sugar, milk & wheat - https://www.thecookandthecoach.com/blog ... -nutrition

Here's a few links -

Dr. Dan Plews - https://www.endureiq.com/about-us

Interview with Dr. Dan Plews - https://youtu.be/U1IinSlO_S0

Dr. Dan Plews & Low Carbohydrate endurance - https://youtu.be/m4ZmyvxOpz0

Prof Tim Noakes: Low Carb Hight Fat for Elite Athletes - https://youtu.be/6WVLrQmnnAY

Prof Tim Noakes: Don't need carbs or even veggies - https://youtu.be/Eg0OpnHY3nI

Prof Tim Noakes: High Fat low carb & athletes - https://youtu.be/ok3gWBb1l4M

Plus there much more out there!

To summarize since being carnivore & adding cycling to the mix my body composition is there, I have abs and am quite toned and sitting around 12-13% body fat, weighing between 146-148# on average. I don't race but I'm an avid rider & since I'm fat adapted I can outride my friends who are fueling off carbs, the thing is you have to give yourself some time for your body to make the transition.

This is a huge topic but hoepfully this gives you some insight and some knowledge on where to look. The food industry is not looking out for your best interest and neither is your Govt, a healthy person is a lost client/patient!!!! There's just too much $$$$$$ at stake.

I still don't understand with all the science why there's still such a big push for sugar & carbs in the endurance sports world I'm just blown away.

Cheers,

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Sacke
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by Sacke

Gwcman wrote:
Tue Mar 23, 2021 2:28 pm

The food industry is not looking out for your best interest and neither is your Govt, a healthy person is a lost client/patient!!!! There's just too much $$$$$$ at stake.

Cheers,
I know I am focusing on the one thing that is unrelated to the subject at hand, but the quote above is not universally accurate.

When the hospitals are public, the economic equation is quite different. I am not saying that big pharma or big FMCG companies do not benefit from bad habits, but it’s not all doom and gloom. 🙂

I see my kids being much more aware of healthy eating habits than I was at their age. There is hope that new generations would learn from our mistakes. 🌱

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Mr.Gib
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by Mr.Gib

Gwcman wrote:
Tue Mar 23, 2021 2:28 pm
The food industry is not looking out for your best interest and neither is your Govt, a healthy person is a lost client/patient!!!! There's just too much $$$$$$ at stake.
Cheers,
The food industry is profit driven. like with all thing consumers need to be educated or educate themselves. A large part of the food industry now competes to be the most "healthy" so there is lots of good news as well.

as for the Government? What country are you living in? Sick people cost money, hurt productivity, and damage the economy. That will not get you re-elected. So either you live in a very messed up place, or just don't understand this issue.
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iheartbianchi
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by iheartbianchi

I'm sorry but are people seriously promoting less carbs and more protein? Or saying that too much carbs somehow promotes body fat?

Kenyan marathoners' diet is like 75-80% carbohydrates with little or no meat, with less than 5% body fat. They also do little to no weight training (no access to gym equipment). And their body composition and lean muscle would make most of the World Tour peleton fee obese (my theory is they would dominate cycling if given access to same opportunities and training but we will never know).

Someone earlier mentioned something about "burning out" on a diet of carbs. He earlier said he tried to exercise less, but when he does with more intensity. Well, there is the source of your burnout, which is also typical of first-world amateur athletes (low frequency high intensity pattern of exercise). Hence big builds, more mass, always hungry, bodies relying too much on muscle glycogen for fuel and not enough on fat because they are working out too hard and the body needs quick and cheap energy.

It should make you think when the skinniest countries in the world (not skinny fat, actually just skinny) eat a heavy carb and grain diet with a small portion of meats and fat. Not saying there's something wrong with vegan or keto or other diets, but the diet indursret trying to tie carbs to obesity or body fat is disingenuous and smells like trying to blame something other than people's lack of self control for their obesity, because that would be body shaming and not OK. Poor agricultural countries that eat a lot of meats - fat. Poor agricultural countries that eat a lot of rice and grains - skinny. Interesting isn't it.
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