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Posted

 

 

I recently had a medical health check up and my cholesterol level was high along with my blood pressure . The doctor who looked at the health check up report said that I should change my diet and start taking more excerise  , which should reduce the cholesterol level along with lowering my BP without the need for medication.

 

So I purchased a motorized treadmill and home BP monitor .

 

For the last month I have been religiously sticking to a new diet and using the treadmill for one hour a day , seven days a week .

 

For the new diet , out went  the biscuits , cakes and sweets , ice creme .  gone are the crisps , chips and junk food , good bye to red meat and fatty week end home cooked lamb joints , no more bottles of sugary pop or cans of coke , or packet processed foods , white rice  plus no beer and wine ,

 

Out went un healthy cooking oils , in are extra virgin olive oil , rice bran oil .

 

In came fresh skinless chicken , fresh fish and salmon , along with fresh steamed vegetables , broccoli , carrots , green beans , asparagus .

 

In came brown rice , brown wholewheat  bread and breakfast rolled oats , low fat yoghurt and low fat milk ,  only cups of tea and water at meal times.

 

So now after one month of a new diet and daily treadmill exercise , my weight has gone from 82 Kg to 80 Kg and my blood pressure is down to normal.

 

I now look forward to getting on my treadmill every day , and I do generally feel a lot better and strangely not so tired during the day time as I use to feel.


After one month and the 2Kg weight loss it has spurred me on to keep going , but in the back of my mind there's this nagging thought that after a full month of my new life style , I should have lost more weight than just 2Kg , I have never ever before really attempted to loose weight , ( may be only in my mind when making a new years resolution ) , but I keep thinking that after one month of daily treadmill wok outs and the vast change in my diet , 2Kg is not really a lot to loose for the work / effort involved ( putting aside the obvious health benefits ).

 

The other thing that's now becoming apparent is the choice of foods in my diet , I’m becoming a bit bored with the same range of meals ,  and miss the verity of my past un healthy diet.

 

I could google ‘’ diets to reduce cholesterol ‘’  and weight loss , but I thought I would ask here to see what others are eating and enjoying in their diet plans , any recommendations or any ideas of ways to improve / reduce the boredom factor of my current diet , and any ideas on that nagging thought that 2Kg is not very much to loose in one month .

 

Any comments / suggestions or advice please

 

 

  • Like 1
Posted

You have got to treat it all as a lifestyle change. I would throw the scales away and get out of the idea of being on a diet. If it's too boring and feels restrictive you won't keep it up. You've already made a great start and the benefits are already showing. Give yourself a day off once a week to eat what you want.
I'd try to mix things up a bit. Weight training has as many benefits as aerobic training, including muscle and bone strength and mental functioning. I can't stomach steamed veggies but I love some Indian recipes using chickpeas, lentils, curries, dahl, etc. - go well with your brown rice.
Just a couple of my ideas.


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  • Like 1
Posted

2 kg a month sounds perfect to me, it can go faster next months but just keep on going like you do. 2kg is much if you were like 80-90 kg but not that much if you were 180kg...it doesn't really matter though as long as you keep on doing this.

 

Invest in quality food, vegy and fruit and fillet meat or no meat at all but cashew nuts. The money you extra spend on good food will be saved on loosing weight but first you have to get a normal weight. Sportswear, treadmill plus the time you loose on exercising all cost money but that's fine.

 

Better is to go sporting in a team or with a partner so it's also fun and you have somebody to share it with.  Or go walking the dog of the neighbour who's too lazy to do that himself ,is also fun and you'll meet many new people.

 

In Sizzlers you can eat from the saladbar only, so no steaks....is also good and easy. You can also take a salad home from them.

 

Drink much water, no sugary drinks. Avocado, durian, are also nice and fat but it's the good fat. Eat fish, seafood, chickenfillet...much better than fat meat.

 

 

  • Like 2
Posted

It doesn't matter how much weight you lost especially coz you weight fluctuates wildly on a daily basis depending on water intake carb intake hormone levels etc............. 

Looking at the stuff you used to eat, if you continue with that, you won't be sticking around for too long on this planet. 

Considering what you switched to, if you keep up the good work, that's a sound diet and it will keep you healthy and strong especially if you exercise. 

What matters is the man you see in the mirror, not the numbers on the scale. 

  • Like 2
Posted
2 kg a month sounds perfect to me, it can go faster next months but just keep on going like you do. 2kg is much if you were like 80-90 kg but not that much if you were 180kg...it doesn't really matter though as long as you keep on doing this.

 

Invest in quality food, vegy and fruit and fillet meat or no meat at all but cashew nuts. The money you extra spend on good food will be saved on loosing weight but first you have to get a normal weight. Sportswear, treadmill plus the time you loose on exercising all cost money but that's fine.

 

Better is to go sporting in a team or with a partner so it's also fun and you have somebody to share it with.  Or go walking the dog of the neighbour who's too lazy to do that himself ,is also fun and you'll meet many new people.

 

In Sizzlers you can eat from the saladbar only, so no steaks....is also good and easy. You can also take a salad home from them.

 

Drink much water, no sugary drinks. Avocado, durian, are also nice and fat but it's the good fat. Eat fish, seafood, chickenfillet...much better than fat meat.

 

 

That's silly you can lose 2kg having a dump and just day to day on the scales without doing a thing. Anyone seriously wanting to lose weight would give up, just like the OP who is frustrated.

What's needed is a huge loss first month and then focus on 2kg after that. Again google ketosis, eat nothing but protein and fat. It won't kill anyone for a few months..

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  • Like 1
Posted
 

If you loose 20kg in a month your skin will hang on your knee's....good luck with that.

No way, that's nothing.. Maybe a 100kg.. I think your math is way out. Think about it. Fat guy weighs 150 kg and drops 20kg now 130k g his still freaking fat! No loose skin yet lol

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  • Like 1
Posted
No way, that's nothing.. Maybe a 100kg.. I think your math is way out. Think about it. Fat guy weighs 150 kg and drops 20kg now 130k g his still freaking fat! No loose skin yet lol
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Yeah but the OP only weighs 80kg, and you want him at 60kg after a month.


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  • Like 1
Posted

Thanks to every one for your comments and advice :smile:

 

 

 

My primary reason to start out on my life style changes was brought on by getting the cholesterol readings and the doctors advice.

 

 

The idea of treating my new diet and daily exercise schedule as a lifestyle change is certainly upper most in my mind , I’m not thinking that my current change to a better more healthy life style will be abandoned once I reach a point where I’m happy with my weight and any future health check up results.  I am planning to continue at some level for the foreseeable future.

 

The thought of breaking up the daily diet routine by taking a one day break once a week and eating within reason what you want , is some thing I’m going to think about.

 

I am going to look at some other foods to add to my existing list , that hopefully will offer more choice .


Just taking a quick look at the subject of the Keto diet , at first glance it does seem to be saying that I could in fact eat many things that I now avoid like the plague , and still reduce my weight at at the same time. .

 

 

Keto.jpg

 

I would love to hear from any one who is using / has tried the Keto diet .

 

 

 

 

 

Posted

I'm not fully compliant, but I managed to get my cholesterol down from high enough that the doctor prescribed a statin a few years ago, to now extremely low (her words).  Now she prescribes half the dose.  Once they get you on the pills, they don't seem to want to get rid of them altogether, so it's best you don't go on them in the first place.

 

Lowering hypertension is still a work in progress.  The MD recently dropped one of my two prescriptions for high blood pressure, so it seems I'm getting a little better at that too.

 

Whatever you decide to do OP, it has to be a way that you can stick with for a lifetime.  If you go back to your old habits, the health problems you had will just return.  All the best.

 

  • Like 2
Posted

I've been on two medications that (dramatically in one case) lost me a lot of weigh - 15% of my body weight in the first case. I've lost almost 5% in 6 weeks on the second one. Both of them had as a side effect getting rid of excess fluid. The second one I'm on both makes me want to drink more and pee more, presumably to flush the system. However as Taggart says, it's a lifetime of dedication once you start

  • Like 2
Posted

@McFish I'd never heard of this keto diet before but after your posts I've been researching it and I'm starting the keto diet tomorrow. Did a big shop at TOPS today. I'm in early 50's and 25-30kg overweight. I've always kept reasonably fit and usually eat a pretty healthy diet but put on this extra weight slowly from about 30 and never been able to shift it. Just maybe this lo-carb hi-fat diet will work for me.


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  • Like 1
Posted
@McFish I'd never heard of this keto diet before but after your posts I've been researching it and I'm starting the keto diet tomorrow. Did a big shop at TOPS today. I'm in early 50's and 25-30kg overweight. I've always kept reasonably fit and usually eat a pretty healthy diet but put on this extra weight slowly from about 30 and never been able to shift it. Just maybe this lo-carb hi-fat diet will work for me.


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It's the only scientifically proven diet. You can buy ketone strip's at the chemist and when your in ketosis they will change color.

Join a few of the low carb forums and be active, starting a food journal is vital, it's the only true way to be accountable. Good luck :-)

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  • Like 2
Posted

Don't be concerned with the numbers,

 

What was your level of physical activity prior to yourself purchasing the motorised treadmill? Chances are if it was nil then you may have developed some muscle weight that would offset the net kg loss. You could have lost 4kg fat and gained 2 kg muscle weight. Measuring your bicep, waist, gut and thigh and combining the numbers and depicting a decrease is a better indicator of fat loss. At 82 kg without knowing your height, i'd say your probably not chronically obese although the foods you were eating in later life won't sustain good health.

 

With lower cholesterol and no need for statin drugs your laughing.

 

Question is, how do you feel? 

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

I tried the Atkins diet and couldn't get it to start working at all. I also found it very inconvenient to eat the things that I was supposed to, and to avoid the things that I was supposed to.

 

So I started the 5:2 diet and that seems to work well and is easy to follow. I'm losing between 1 and 2kg per month which is fine for me. I now weigh 103kg (down from 106kg) and ideally should lose about 5-10kg more. So in a few months I should get there.

 

If I lost 20kg in a month I would probably be in intensive care.

 

Edited by KittenKong
Posted

I think the OP has it right. Loosing weight at the rate he probably put it on.

The strict "no carbs" diets result in rapid weight loss, but as soon as you reintroduce cards, it usually comes straight back.

 

Posted
1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

I think the OP has it right. Loosing weight at the rate he probably put it on.

 

Yeah, going good there.

 

Quote

The strict "no carbs" diets result in rapid weight loss, but as soon as you reintroduce cards, it usually comes straight back.

 

Nobody advocates any "no carb" diet.  That's a common distortion. OK, Breatharians; but the OP isn't a Breatharian and does include carbs in his diet, as he should: the right carbs.

 

Obviously, dieting of any sort, losing weight, then stopping the diet and going back to old habits will result in renewed weight gain. I'd be surprised if anyone on the planet doesn't realize that.

Posted
On 11/4/2016 at 9:58 PM, Once Bitten said:

I would love to hear from any one who is using / has tried the Keto diet .

Hi @OnceBitten. I started the ketogenic diet 12 days ago after reading @McFish's post right here on this thread.

 

Basically it is a very low carbohydrate, high fat diet. No bread, rice, pasta, potatoes BUT lots of bacon, eggs, sausages, butter, cream, nuts etc.

 

I gave up traditional low-fat dieting a long time ago as it never worked for me. I always try to keep fit but I just forget about my weight. I am a typical case of metabolic syndrome with pre-diabetes, high blood pressure and fat guts.

 

I have lost 5kg already and not been hungry for a second. In fact it's amazing to eat all this fatty food and still lose weight. Only 25kg to go.

 

WARNING: It is not a diet that will suit every one, and I would seek medical supervision and advice if you suffer diabetes or other health problems. Basically you are turning your body from a carb-burner into a fat-burner, so it's quite a big shift. In fact it is very important to keep an eye on your blood readings of sugars and fats/lipids over the course of the diet as some people do react badly.

 

But at the same time it can cure diabetes 2 and even reverse diabetes long term side effect. 

 

The first week was a little bit tough. I had what they call keto-flu for the first few days, and a fast heart rate for a couple of days early this week. >90bpm. Usually <70bpm. But now running smoothly again.

 

Insulin is the big bad guy in this story. If you can lower your insulin you can lose weight easily, and the only way to lower your insulin is to cut dietary carbohydrates, and keep your protein normal. Dietary fats do not impact insulin: that's why this diet works. This diet is still controversial to many in the medical world but the science is compelling. Remember stomach ulcers? When he suggested they are caused by bacterial infection they all told him he was mad. Same here. Traditional dietary advice is all kaput!! 

 

WARNING 2: You should do your own research before attempting this diet

 

But it works for me so a great big THANKS to @McFish. 

 

 

Posted

I lost 12 pounds on peppermint schnapps one night.

 

But I don't recommend that particular diet.

 

It was years before I could stomach brushing my teeth with peppermint toothpaste.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Well another month gone by so I thought I would update my progress .

 

Spurred on by comments here I continued my new same eating habits and daily treadmill routine  in hopeful anticipation of seeing some more weight reduction results that would at least keep my spirits up and show me that my continuing efforts and sacrifices are having the desired results.

 

Well to day the 1st of a new month I did my once a month weight check ( at the same early morning time as last month ) .

 

As I stepped on to the digital bathroom scales  I looked straight ahead avoiding looking down at the digital readout , with a happy smile on my face in anticipation of improved results after another month , I then asked my wife standing next to me how many Kilos had I lost .:smile:

 

As soon as she said , your doing ok  ,  I knew by her tone of voice that the results were not what I was hoping for .

 

Start of new diet and exercise plan - Weight 82.1 kg

 

1st month on the new diet and exercise plan - weight 80.5 kg

 

One month later on the new diet and exercise plan - weight 79.7 kg

 

May be its still early days , but not very encouraging :sad:

 

 

 

 

Posted
10 hours ago, Once Bitten said:

May be its still early days , but not very encouraging :sad:

 

You do plateau sometimes when dieting and everyone finds it discouraging. If you really want to speed things, up try 5:2. Thread here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/935814-has-anyone-ever-tried-the-5-2-intermittent-fast-diet/. Or some other form of intermittent fasting, several varieties. Many find the "eating window" variety easier. 

 

Couple of things to look out for. First, dieters often cheat while deluding themselves that they're not cheating. Second, you aren't low-carb enough: brown rice , brown wholewheat  bread and breakfast rolled oats , low fat yoghurt and low fat milk. You need to cut out all the rice, bread, oats, potatoes, and pasta. (You can create "rice" from cauliflower, pasta from zucchini BTW.) One of our "dieting" members who even worked up to marathon running, yet refused to cut the starches, succeeded in losing 2.5 kilos in 4 years! Simply eat more veggies. I bet you're eating fruits: cut out all those except berries (buy frozen cheap). Some veggies aren't so great, like carrots. Honey? Don't. Use artificial sweeteners if you must, but some act a bit like sugar. Equal makes the best Stevia mix; Foodland and Lotus sell it. Low fat yoghurt typically contains sugar. Full fat Greek yoghurt, and full fat milk, are much better.

 

After you've achieved your weight loss goal you can add carbs back in and see how much you can really eat without gaining weight again, which ain't much.

 

Good luck.

  • Like 2
Posted
3 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

You do plateau sometimes when dieting and everyone finds it discouraging. If you really want to speed things, up try 5:2. Thread here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/935814-has-anyone-ever-tried-the-5-2-intermittent-fast-diet/. Or some other form of intermittent fasting, several varieties. Many find the "eating window" variety easier. 

 

Couple of things to look out for. First, dieters often cheat while deluding themselves that they're not cheating. Second, you aren't low-carb enough: brown rice , brown wholewheat  bread and breakfast rolled oats , low fat yoghurt and low fat milk. You need to cut out all the rice, bread, oats, potatoes, and pasta. (You can create "rice" from cauliflower, pasta from zucchini BTW.) One of our "dieting" members who even worked up to marathon running, yet refused to cut the starches, succeeded in losing 2.5 kilos in 4 years! Simply eat more veggies. I bet you're eating fruits: cut out all those except berries (buy frozen cheap). Some veggies aren't so great, like carrots. Honey? Don't. Use artificial sweeteners if you must, but some act a bit like sugar. Equal makes the best Stevia mix; Foodland and Lotus sell it. Low fat yoghurt typically contains sugar. Full fat Greek yoghurt, and full fat milk, are much better.

 

After you've achieved your weight loss goal you can add carbs back in and see how much you can really eat without gaining weight again, which ain't much.

 

Good luck.

 

Hi and thanks for the advice , information  and encouragement

 

 

As some one who has never ever really thought about eating healthily or exercising in the past , changing my current lifestyle by altering my diet and adding my new daily treadmill routine , has been a bit of a shock to my system. Having said that I can all ready feel the physical benefits like not feeling so tired during the day , with more energy and vitality .

 

So am I deluding my self in some diet related way , well possibly where I have had the odd biscuit  when my craving for sweet things takes hold once again  ( pre diet a Kit Kat and big biscuit fan ) .

 

As for the  ‘’ You need to cut out all the rice, bread, oats, potatoes, and pasta ‘’ ,  that's a good point that I’m going to now fix .

 

So for  ‘’ I bet you're eating fruits ‘’  , yes I’m guilt of still eating the following -


1. Apples
2. Bananas
3. Papaya

 

Another current favorite I eat a lot of is  ,  carrots , but I’m not keen on honey .


My go to when I’m craving for some thing extra sweet is yogurts ( 0% fat ) on average 4 a day .


I still have several mug’s of tea throughout the day , with low fat milk .


I have in the past briefly looked at the 5:2 diet , but I’m now going to look into it again .


I can tolerate and in some cases really enjoy some of my current diet foods , but one area that I am looking for some thing more , is a replacement for my past un healthy sweet snacks , at the moments I can only think of yogurts , so some thing else that will help my cravings for a sweet snack , but that's going to fit in with my current diet plan would be nice.


Ive got this far for the first time in my life , and I’m not about to give up now.

 

 

Posted
22 hours ago, Once Bitten said:

 

Hi and thanks for the advice , information  and encouragement

 

 

As some one who has never ever really thought about eating healthily or exercising in the past , changing my current lifestyle by altering my diet and adding my new daily treadmill routine , has been a bit of a shock to my system. Having said that I can all ready feel the physical benefits like not feeling so tired during the day , with more energy and vitality .

 

So am I deluding my self in some diet related way , well possibly where I have had the odd biscuit  when my craving for sweet things takes hold once again  ( pre diet a Kit Kat and big biscuit fan ) .

 

As for the  ‘’ You need to cut out all the rice, bread, oats, potatoes, and pasta ‘’ ,  that's a good point that I’m going to now fix .

 

So for  ‘’ I bet you're eating fruits ‘’  , yes I’m guilt of still eating the following -


1. Apples
2. Bananas
3. Papaya

 

Another current favorite I eat a lot of is  ,  carrots , but I’m not keen on honey .


My go to when I’m craving for some thing extra sweet is yogurts ( 0% fat ) on average 4 a day .


I still have several mug’s of tea throughout the day , with low fat milk .


I have in the past briefly looked at the 5:2 diet , but I’m now going to look into it again .


I can tolerate and in some cases really enjoy some of my current diet foods , but one area that I am looking for some thing more , is a replacement for my past un healthy sweet snacks , at the moments I can only think of yogurts , so some thing else that will help my cravings for a sweet snack , but that's going to fit in with my current diet plan would be nice.


Ive got this far for the first time in my life , and I’m not about to give up now.

 

 

 

Better research low-carb and Atkins more. Eating more fat & protein satisfies a lot of craving. So you put full fat milk in the tea--and no sugar of course.

 

That yogurt is a problem. 4 a day blows your diet right there. No wonder you didn't lose much last month. As I suggested, get yourself some Equal Stevia and mix that in some natural, unsweetened full-fat Greek yoghurt. Natural Hershey's cocoa (Foodland) is quite low calorie & good for you, so you can make cocoa or mix it in yoghurt. You can also throw in some berries (strawberry, blueberry) into that yogurt or into a smoothie w/ milk & veggies.

 

The treadmill is a very good thing in a lot ways, though it won't have much effect on the weight loss. Keep that up but don't overdo it esp. while you're overweight. Review the running sites (even if you're only doing fast walking) about stretching & avoiding injuries. Injury avoidance must be taken quite seriously as the likelihood of injury slowly builds up over time.

 

  • Like 1
Posted
23 hours ago, Once Bitten said:

 

My go to when I’m craving for some thing extra sweet is yogurts ( 0% fat ) on average 4 a day .

 

 

Most low fat yogurts have at least 3 tsp of sugar, some as much as 5 tsp. Eating four a day is easily the equivalent of a can of Coke.

 

 

  • Like 2
Posted
2 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

Better research low-carb and Atkins more. Eating more fat & protein satisfies a lot of craving. So you put full fat milk in the tea--and no sugar of course.

 

That yogurt is a problem. 4 a day blows your diet right there. No wonder you didn't lose much last month. As I suggested, get yourself some Equal Stevia and mix that in some natural, unsweetened full-fat Greek yoghurt. Natural Hershey's cocoa (Foodland) is quite low calorie & good for you, so you can make cocoa or mix it in yoghurt. You can also throw in some berries (strawberry, blueberry) into that yogurt or into a smoothie w/ milk & veggies.

 

The treadmill is a very good thing in a lot ways, though it won't have much effect on the weight loss. Keep that up but don't overdo it esp. while you're overweight. Review the running sites (even if you're only doing fast walking) about stretching & avoiding injuries. Injury avoidance must be taken quite seriously as the likelihood of injury slowly builds up over time.

 

 

2 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

Better research low-carb and Atkins more. Eating more fat & protein satisfies a lot of craving. So you put full fat milk in the tea--and no sugar of course.

 

That yogurt is a problem. 4 a day blows your diet right there. No wonder you didn't lose much last month. As I suggested, get yourself some Equal Stevia and mix that in some natural, unsweetened full-fat Greek yoghurt. Natural Hershey's cocoa (Foodland) is quite low calorie & good for you, so you can make cocoa or mix it in yoghurt. You can also throw in some berries (strawberry, blueberry) into that yogurt or into a smoothie w/ milk & veggies.

 

The treadmill is a very good thing in a lot ways, though it won't have much effect on the weight loss. Keep that up but don't overdo it esp. while you're overweight. Review the running sites (even if you're only doing fast walking) about stretching & avoiding injuries. Injury avoidance must be taken quite seriously as the likelihood of injury slowly builds up over time.

 

 

 

Thanks JSixpack for the comments and ideas .

 

 

The low fat yogurts is some thing I’m now going to think about .

 
Now here’s what I’m now wondering about .......:smile:

 

 

Before I started my current diet my regular daily food consumption included (  in no particular order  ) ....


potato crisps  
packet sweets
pizza
chocolates
biscuits
normal sweet yogurts
bacon
pasta
assorted fired foods
white rice
cakes  
sugary pop
cans of normal coke
red wine
beer
cheddar cheese
blue cheese
mayonnaise
ice creme
fried chips
Kellogg frosties cornflakes
Indian  curries
KFC takeaway
McDonalds burgers
white bread
mango fruit
toast & jam
chicken fried rice  
mashed potato
fried eggs
cheese omelets

 

 

 

From day one of my new diet plan '' all ''  of the above food / drink  items were completely omitted ,  so in my simplistic mind surely just not eating all of theses above foods / drinks , alone should have even without the daily one hour treadmill routine , produced better weight loss results .

 

Its not like that ive omitted all the above foods / drinks and replaced them with alternative items that are similar . ( apart from now removing the low fat yogurts ).

 

Also ive reduced my meals to smaller portions , and I don’t eat after 6 pm.

 

what am I missing :sad:

 

 

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