Weight Loss Challenge

[Black wallnut]

MFP seems to be working for me. I am down.

[Rslaugh]

So as not to further hijack this thread I quoted and replied to Mark in this thread:

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...898#post527898

[Black wallnut]

Sorry, i shouldn't have even started down this path as there is a lot of very conflicting data on both sides. Things we take for granted as facts have just been repeated so often we come to believe them.

True about conflicting data! Each of us are unique and that makes noting for certain. What works for some can hurt others.

An interesting read, one that I happen to agree with. Most of my research also agrees with this article.

[Rslaugh]

Sorry, i shouldn't have even started down this path as there is a lot of very conflicting data on both sides. Things we take for granted as facts have just been repeated so often we come to believe them.

[woodturner]

the hardest thing for me to get by was the calories in = calories out way of thinking. Its too simplistic and our bodies just don't work that way. Oak doesn't burn the same way as pine and protein and fat do not burn the same as carbs. Even that is too simplistic. It's in the way your body decides to store and eventually process different foods.

Have to disagree with both the "low sodium is bad" and "calorie in does not equal calories out" viewpoints. The research has consistently shown that it really is "calories in=calories out", and that high sodium raises blood pressure and causes a host of other health problems.

Researchers have been looking for a difference in the way calories are processed by the body literally for decades, and no one has found any evidence of anything contrary to "calories in=calories out". This makes sense, because the body breaks food down into it's constituent components, and doesn't differentiate by source of those components.

Bottom line, a balanced diet that is lower in fat, lower in protein, and higher in unprocessed complex carbs is the healthiest diet for most people. Slight "starvation" is shown to increase lifespan, but may not help you lose weight, as it can cause reduced metabolism.

[Rslaugh]

the hardest thing for me to get by was the calories in = calories out way of thinking. Its too simplistic and our bodies just don't work that way. Oak doesn't burn the same way as pine and protein and fat do not burn the same as carbs. Even that is too simplistic. It's in the way your body decides to store and eventually process different foods.

[Rslaugh]

I went to the vampire on Monday so they could draw blood for my quarterly visit with the doc next week. The results were posted in the patient portal by wednesday night. My A1C (90 day average of blood glucose) was down from 7.2 to 6.5. Below 6 is where they want it. It was around 9 a few years ago so i'm feeling ok with that. My weight is the same which i also actually feel good about. After seeing my numbers on Wednesday i was less than good the rest of the week.

My cholesterol was also down but not enough to get Doctor Mindy off my back. My hdl is fine but my ldl (supposedly bad cholesterol) isn't down enough. The fact is, and the doc agrees, ldl is a calculated number (unless you pay for some expensive tests your insurance probably doesnt cover) and it is notoriously wrong in diabetics. Additionally extensive testing shows that people on a low carb, high fat diet predominately make large particle ldl which is actually good. Small particle ldl attracts free radicals which is what makes it bad for you. She agrees with all this stuff and then says "but i have to go by the guidelines."

She really wants me to take a statin drug for the cholesterol and I have and will continue to steadfastly refuse. I think this is a choice everyone needs to make for themselves - obviously. The things that i've read show that these are way over prescribed and are probably more dangerous than we realize. The kicker is that statistically there is absolutely no difference in the mortality rate between those who take statins and those who supposedly should but don't.

Mark - salt really is a factor. Just like the "low fat" craze is totally off base low sodium generally is as well. If you follow a low carb diet you absolutely need to find ways to get more salt.

[Black wallnut]

I think Bill is onto something with the salt. My weight went up last weekend then right back down by Wednesday after eating homemade pizza last Friday and Saturday. Pepperoni and anchovy, not exactly low in salt or calories. However a pound is roughly equal to 3500 Calories and I neither starved nor exercised that much. Water retention due to more salt is very believable.

[woodturner]

Possibly increase in salt intake? That will have you retain some extra water in the short term - and 3 lbs of water isn't much.

Hadn't thought about that, makes sense. Commercial food typically has more salt than we use at home, and my bp was elevated, too. When I weighed myself this morning, I am back in the expected range, which further suggests this cause. Thanks!

[Bill in Buena Park]

Apparently I enjoyed my conference over the weekend a little too much. Three pounds should be 10,500 calories, and I don't see how I could have eaten an extra 10,500 calories in two days.

Hopefully it is just a fluctuation and I can get back on-track by next week.

Possibly increase in salt intake? That will have you retain some extra water in the short term - and 3 lbs of water isn't much.

[Knottscott]

I really haven't gotten started yet. A couple of weeks ago I got some sort of infection in my lungs that I'm still recovering from, so in general I just felt lousy and really couldn't excercise. Dieting without exercise is a little beyond my discipline level at this point....hopefully better weather, and better health will prompt me to commit shortly.

[Black wallnut]

Woohoo midweek bliss! Down to 237.4 this morning.

[woodturner]

Apparently I enjoyed my conference over the weekend a little too much. Three pounds should be 10,500 calories, and I don't see how I could have eaten an extra 10,500 calories in two days.

Hopefully it is just a fluctuation and I can get back on-track by next week.

[Black wallnut]

Hey Rick join in! Sorry to read of your health issues. Being diagnosed type 2 myself and then having it get worse after some weight gain is what got me on the road I'm on now. I'm down over 50 pounds but like you have plateaued. Hence the using MyFitnessPal cal tracking software/app now.

[Rslaugh]

I'm in

I have been working for 2 years to lose weight. I've gone from a 46 pants to hovering just over 38, 280 to 242 lbs. I've hit a plateau, though part of it is that i'm exercising on a regular basis and building muscle. The weight is not moving much but the pants are looser. I'll take it.

I'm type 2 diabetic and need to get my glucose levels down more. My A1C has gone from 9.2 to 7.2. It needs to get below 6. I went to the docs today for the vampire to draw some blood for my checkup next week. I've been fairly ruthless about the carbs so it will be interesting to see where the numbers end up.

Good luck everyone.