I'll lose 100 lbs in 1 year, said 42 year old

[Exogenesis]

Nice progress mate, I admire your dedication.

[VanIslander]

Nice progress mate, I admire your dedication.

I am dedicated to the food consumption guidelines I set for myself. it's easy to 'not do" things... it's a passive process. Just saying 'no' is easier than actually doing things. The hardest part is the diligent shopping and food prep, washing and cutting all those vegetables!  Fresh onions, fresh garlic, fresh hot green peppers, fresh hot red peppers, fresh green onion, fresh broccoli, fresh paprika peppers of various colors, fresh spinach (takes a bloody long time to clean their leaves), fresh swiss chard, fresh mushrooms. All those daily!! Bloody expensive too, adds up. And when I can find available - or at least once or twice a week - fresh celery, fresh asparagus, fresh red cabbage. It's quicker and easier to fry salmon than it is to prep the accompanying veggies! But since I have a hardfast 'no' to any significant sugar sources (hi-carb foods like grains incl.) I am motivated to prep the food out of simple hunger at times when I'm otherwise preoccupied. I have tons of energy these days but time is hard to find some days.

The exercise regime has been the part I've come up short on.  That's probably why my weight has plateau'd the last couple of months, just a few kilos short of my goal! The colder winter months has discouraged me from my long walks, especially up frigid Halla mountain and along icy windy coastsides of Jeju. The warmest place to walk is here in Seogwipo, and my walks are shorter and easier as a result. It's 6-9 C in the afternoons here but freezing up the mountain or with those seas winds. So, my daily walks are shorter than they should be. But a plateau doesn't make me panic. March is around the corner and if the last few years are any indication, March brings warmer temps to Jeju to allow for nonfreezing longer hikes.

I will have lost 100 pounds in less than a year. I am close enough and committed enough for that. No one quits a marathon on the last two or three kilometers, do they?

My weight is occilating between 3 to 5 kg of my goal. I will kick my butt when the temps get 10+ C. That is no more than a month away! Until then, healthy eating of freshly prepared foods, laying the consistent foundation for a better way of eating long term.

[RachelTibai]

Sounds like you are doing great! I really respect all the research you did for your weight loss venture (reading it all reminded me of Nutrition class back in College). You could look into indoor exercise options so that you can keep yourself active even if it is too cold to go outside. Download some exercise videos or buy some small workout equipment that you can keep in your apartment. Good luck! Can't wait to see the before and after pics.

[Harpoinseoul]

VanIslander- How much water do you drink in a given day? Been reading this one guy who says that we shouldn't overdo it with the H2O. Any thoughts on that?

[VanIslander]

VanIslander- How much water do you drink in a given day? Been reading this one guy who says that we shouldn't overdo it with the H2O. Any thoughts on that?

1. I have been reading a lot of scientific journal research over the last year and am convinced that disease processes are largely facilitated threefold: oxidation (hence anti-oxidants so important), inflammation (of blood vessels and joints) and dehydration (of cells and organs). I've never heard of anyone packaging those three together like I have, but those are the trio I keep coming across in my journeys through the science lit.

2. I have been drinking a 2 L Samdasoo bottle of water per day this winter, twice that on some days when I remember to have the fresh lemon squeezed over ice, something I went 4+ L a day through easily in the summer when I lost so much weight. In fact, the plateau I'm on I believe is due in part to my water reduction in winter (I just haven't felt as hot, so less motivated to drink ice lemon water; haven't added enough herbal tea cups a day to compensate), in part due to my body's homeostatic adaptation to what I eat and do.

3. I have cut back on the added salt, don't eat out much these days, avoid most caffeinated beverages and use individually packaged spices rather than sodium-rich packaged sauces,... so with less salt consumption comes less need for water, though I still think I don't drink enough water daily.

4. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is as common to massive weight loss experiences as increased water consumption. Last May I read every blog and first hand experience I could from people who actually lost 100 pounds to see what kind of habits and lifestyle changes they made. There was a huge variety of things that varied, but the one thing that kept popping up was 'drinking more water'. So, last summer I did drink more, as well as the food changes I made.

5. Spring is just around the corner. Starting March 1st I'm kicking into gear "The Final Sprint" as I call it. I have been living wnderful lifestyle changes, especially regarding what I eat and when, bu the fact is my weight loss has stalled. So, to lose those last few kilograms, and perhaps a few extra before the year is finished, I've decided to make March and April special short-term project months. I will be exercising, eating and drinking differently for short term loss, a more extreme athlete-training style way that is NOT sustainable long term I think, and it'll include a glass of water before each of my minimeals plus before and after each of my multiple daily exercise sessions. So I expect to easily go through 4 L a day the next two months. Then, when my year is officially over May 1st, I'll ditch 'the final sprint' tactics and instead go back to continuing the healthy sustainable practices I have built up over the last 10 months.

[Harpoinseoul]

Sounds awesome!! Good on you!! I've been going to the sauna fairly often. Sweating helps to detox the body. Most of our fat is made to protect our major organs from toxic material, therefore fat wraps itself around the toxic material. People are trying to detox by sweating in the sauna. Very helpful!

I would recommend taking organic seasalt. It helps if we are drinking a lot of water. It has lots of trace minerals. I've been also taking stevia, instead of sugar. Lots of vitamin D3 as well. Keep it up!

[bosun]

VanIslander, I just want to wish you all the best with the last push.

I didn't know it was you until recently. Just a fella named Louis.

Good stuff!

[Harpoinseoul]

Keep it up! I've been drinking water with cayene pepper mixed in while in the sauna. They say it's good for the liver.

[VanIslander]

33 days to go and just 2 bloody kg left!

This month I've done two hours of exercise a day, cut out the cheese entirely and have continued the sugar-free, low-carb veggie-focussed eating ways I've had such success with.

Only, my dang body HAS PLATEAU'D AGAIN. It has adapted to my new regime. I need to vary my routine more, trick the body. I would try calorie cycling, but I have already cut out the alcohol and carbohydrates that are not needed for health, and if I cut down on the protein and fats then I'll be undernourishing my body I fear, something I don't want, as I wanted to lose weight a healthy way. I cannot add a third hour a day, but I guess I could add intensity, maybe by trying to skip rope, tackling steeper parts of Halla mountain and maybe even try running (though an old injury has prevented that each time I've tried over the last decade, though I haven't tried in the last couple of years).

It was so easy to lose the first huge portion of the 45 kg (100 pound) weight loss goal simply by changing what I ate. Then I broke through plateaus by becoming less sedentary. Now I am in full exercise mode down this home stretch.

I absolutely must reach my goal! I really need to be able to say to myself I did it, I lost 100 pounds. NOT: I lost nearly 100 pounds, I lost 95 pounds. Impressive as that still is, the psychological need to finish is akin to an athlete's need to finish a marathon. You don't go all this way not to reach the end before the race ends! BTW, I have done two marathons in my youth but I lost my gallbladder in my late twenties and it seems the doctor messed up the surgery because I have been unable to run since due to an intense sharp pain from the liver region where the gallbladder was, probably due to muscle or tendon healing in an awkward way. I used to love running. Maybe I can try again. I fear the return of that sharp pain though. It was scary, seemed dangerously painful, like life threatening. But maybe, just maybe, time and my weight loss have combined to improve the situation. I might try a light jog to see. Too bad I only have a CD player these days. My old tape player was good for jogging, and the new media players people use don't skip because they're digital. And running without music is so much less fun. I guess I need to buy myself an ipod or the like. But first a light jog to see how it goes. My legs are strong from all the hiking and skating I have been doing. Today or tomorrow I shall try.

2 kg !!

[Yu_Bumsuk]

Take a laxative and weigh yourself first thing the next morning. You should be 2kg lighter.

[VanIslander]

Take a laxative and weigh yourself first thing the next morning. You should be 2kg lighter.

I eat a lot of fiber from all the vegetables and so my bowels are cleaned out naturally these days by midmorning anyways, after two hours of exercise.

Besides, I wanted to lose weight in a healthy way, not by cheating. I want to be at a sustainable weight not a temporarily induced lower weight.

[Yu_Bumsuk]

If you're 225lbs your bodyweight may fluctuate by almost five pounds in a 24-hour period. One psychological trick you could try is to weigh yourself after dinner fully dressed for a few weeks. Then, one morning after you've had a dump but before breakfast and coffee, weigh yourself in your undies. You may notice a five-pound drop. In any event, 95 pounds in 11 months is still a remarkable achievement.

[Skusa]

It looks like you do a lot of LISS (low intense steady state) cardio, or long periods of cardio.  I personally hate cardio, so where I can I cut it down.  I use HIIT (high intense interval training) during my weight training to keep up the intensity and also cuts my cardio down a lot.  Instead of running for say... an hr I'll do HIIT for maybe 30min(or less depending) and get the same results.  I combined this with various other things and cut down ~2% body fat in 2weeks from 6.6 down to 4.4. I still do LISS though a couple times a week.  If you want some more information just hit me up in a PM. 

[Rusty Shackleford]

I'm with Skusa. The low intensity cardio is probably hindering your progress more than anything. Do as she said and hit up the high intensity interval training, or better yet push some weights around.

[Jrong]

Best of luck to you. We certainly are different people. I would never have the patience to make losing weight into a long-term goal -- let alone wait for a year to see any results. If you are getting impatient and want to look your best by next month you could always start upping protein intake and decreasing carbs, eating many small meals a day (every 2.5 hours to keep your metabolism running), running hard in the mornings at intervals and making sure during the day that you don't sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time (jump up out of your desk and run around the room once every ten minutes to keep your metabolism up), drinking tons of water and not eating 4 hours before sleeping. You will lose weight a lot, lot, lot, lot faster.  After you lose weight work on building lots of muscle. The muscle will rev your metabolism up like crazy and as long as you maintain it (by eating protein every 2.5 hrs) you won't need to worry about gaining any fat. Any fat you gain will be gone in a day. Gaining muscle (after you lose that fat) will make staying thin "easily sustainable".

[gtrain83]

Amazing thread! Congrats on your progress.  Def start to look into doing HIIT for that last push.

I think eating every 2.5 hrs or so is a bit of a myth, though. (I always hear of conflicting reports on it so doing that certainly won't be a bad idea) Just make sure to hit your calorie goals for the day. Do you weigh your food out (sorry I didn't see if you said that or not) If you don't, get a food scale and weigh everything. This will give you the most accurate calorie intake data. Will also allow you to mess around with your macros and that will help you dial it in even more.  Also, redo your BMR and maybe lower your calorie intake a little bit. Since you weigh less you need less calories everyday to sustain yourself.

Either way the commitment that you have shown is amazing. Most people can not do that. Many, many props to you!

[Jrong]

It's not a myth. Eating smaller high-protein meals more frequently is guaranteed to raise your metabolism and help you lose fat (by maintaining muscle and keeping blood sugar levels even). The more muscle you keep on your body the faster your burn fat. When you eat small meals frequently you don't get the drops in blood sugar or cravings and are less grumpy when losing weight. This is about losing weight in a healthy way that includes maintaining your sanity (mental health).

[Rusty Shackleford]

It's not a myth. Eating smaller high-protein meals more frequently is guaranteed to raise your metabolism and help you lose fat

Should be easy to prove, just post some research.

[Jrong]

There's no consensus on it. Here's something interesting, though, about eating often and blood sugar levels: http://foodandhealth.com/cpecourses/snack.php.

And if he wants to maintain muscle: http://www.nutritionexpress.com/article+index/diet+weight+loss/low+carb+diets/showarticle.aspx?id=858

Maintaining muscle means he'll burn a little more (not substantially) of calories http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/metabolism/WT00006

[Harpoinseoul]

Something to consider: muscle is heavier than fat. Maybe the number on the scale isn't as important as your waist number and how you are feeling.
A few other ideas: The cold thermogenesis protocol has been used by Dr. Jack Kruse. Very interesting article here.

http://jackkruse.com/the-holy-trinity-ct-4/

Both you and Jack Kruse are a real inspiration. Keep it up!!
http://jackkruse.com/