Post by: Mayo on February 06, 2009, 01:49:37 PM
I started at 197 and I am now 156. At 5'10" my BMI (Body Mass Index) is 22.4; it was originally 28.3, which was getting pretty darn close to being obese rather than just "overweight."
I'm not posting this to brag.... I just want to provide a glimmer of hope to my fellow 50-somethings out there who might be considering losing a little weight. It can be done, and rather painlessly too... My wife and friends tell me that I look 20 years younger.
The only downside is that the pants that I am wearing are now too big... and these are pants that were three inches or so too small when I began my dietary changes. There was no way I could even get close to buttoning them!
Post by: gunug on February 06, 2009, 03:48:01 PM
Post by: Paddy on February 06, 2009, 04:52:27 PM
So - what did you do and how long did it take?
Post by: Xairbusdriver on February 06, 2009, 05:37:26 PM
And, please do let us know how you did it and how your program is being monitored, medically. Judy and I are dieting, she more seriously than me. But I have seen a distinct decrease in my waist size, much more comfortable in the same pants!! 
Still not getting enough exercise...no way to that by sitting in front of this screen...
Post by: Mayo on February 06, 2009, 05:46:02 PM
My wife came upon the diet in a check-out aisle at Albertson's grocery, of all places... It was one of those little $4 booklets in a rack next to the horoscope books and tabloids. For some reason it intrigued her so she bought it. Then she bought the main book and recipe book, and we were hooked. The recipes are really very good and they were like the food we were already eating. There is also a relatively inexpensive support system available through the Web site, including being able to communicate with a registered nutritionist. If I remember correctly it costs around $4/week. We used the service for about three months.
I estimate that I now eat approximately half the amount of food that I did before I began the diet. I have no food cravings and unhealthy food has no attraction to me at all. During the recent holidays and all the parties and sweets at the hospital I ate two tiny chocolate chip cookies and one rum ball. And my wife and I made and hand-rolled over twenty batches of our "signature" rum balls... I continued to lose weight during November and December. (I should note here that in Ayurvedic medicine the late fall and winter months are notable as being very difficult times to lose weight, so it is generally not advisable to attempt to do so. While I continued to lose weight the process did slow down noticeably...)
I modified the diet a little by slightly increasing the amount of carbs even at the beginning... I'm one of those people that require sufficient carbs to stay healthy and regular. When I tried the "South Beach Diet" I developed terrible lower G.I. problems because of the lack of carbs and fiber. I stayed on the "Atkins Diet" for less than a week... You name a diet, my wife and I have tried it.
We don't eat junk food or drink soft drinks, we drink a minimal amount of alcohol and we always eat freshly-prepared meals of whole grains and organic meat, dairy and produce. (In my Younger Years I was a vegan for seven years; I was my leanest and healthiest during that time... until now.)The only concession we make regarding convenience food-wise is that we will prepare sufficient food so we can freeze the "left-overs" and eat them on the days when we cannot cook for one reason or another. Our two weak spots are that we are relatively sedentary and we love to eat.
The other major component was to get my hormones balanced using bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. A little over two years ago I developed a disabling hormonal imbalance that was an unusually severe form of what most men experience as they get older. (Developing a "gut" and finding it difficult, if not virtually impossible to get rid of is one of the symptoms of a lack of sufficient testosterone. And excess fat in a man generally leads to the production of excess estrogen, which is definitely Not A Good Thing in a male!) Until I got the hormones balanced I was unable to lose weight no matter what I tried.
If folks are interested in that part of the formula I’d be happy to post some links to various books and articles on the subject. (You can also PM me.) I have been interested in hormones for over thirty years and I have been seriously researching the subject for two years. (There may be a book in me yet!) As of this writing I have around 180 medical studies, articles and books indexed in DEVONthink. While my primary focus has become male HRT, my initial research included female HRT because it has been going on for years, while it is safe to say that male HRT is on the cutting-edge of medicine.
Post by: kimmer on February 06, 2009, 09:04:03 PM
Post by: krissel on February 06, 2009, 10:04:35 PM
Exercise is important as well. It doesn't have to be an all encompassing, heavy duty workout. Just keep moving and find something you enjoy doing that's physical (uh, well, you know what I mean).
You may not recognize it fully now but you probably added a few years to your life.
Post by: Mayo on February 07, 2009, 11:10:43 AM
QUOTE
The hardest part is those around you who ridicule your food choices or try to get you to break your regimen.
Fortunately, this is not a problem... My wife is doing the same program and my friends know better than to try that stuff with me! Most are simply amazed and want to know my "secret."
QUOTE
Once you do change your lifestyle it becomes a part of you and gets easier.
I chose the slow and steady weight loss so it would be easier to stick with it and gradually change my eating habits. Trying to lose weight quickly by restricting carbs, etc. doesn't seem to "stick" with most folks. This diet was not very difficult to undertake.
QUOTE
You may not recognize it fully now but you probably added a few years to your life.
That goal was a prime motivator for me... I intend to be healthy until the day I croak.
Post by: jcarter on February 08, 2009, 10:16:29 AM
My brother has just lost about 60 pounds, his doctor told him that he better get serious.
Plus the other incentive, was that he would have to buy 2 seats on the Hawaiian helicopter ride unless he got under a target weight. He did it.
Though I am within a sensible weight for my height, I decided to lose some too. But I didnt go with any particular diet, what I did was to cut down on amounts, eat less fat and dairy products, and more veggies and salads which we love anyway.
Lost about 25, but due to this horrid icy winter, Ive gained 7 back.
Also Ive been doing some fun cooking, and the stuff is just too darn good, and we pig out.
My husband and our kids are all tall and thin(athletic).
So now after reading this, Im going back on my diet and get rid of those 7 pounds, might hang my bathing suit up somewhere that I can see it.
Jane
Post by: Xairbusdriver on February 08, 2009, 03:30:14 PM
QUOTE
due to this horrid icy winter, Ive gained [weight]
Whoa! Just another good reason to south of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 line and certainly the Mason-Dixon!!! 
Post by: jcarter on February 08, 2009, 03:38:37 PM
We really miss our annual tropical vacation, used to go to Costa Rica and Belize every year.
But our kids and families are either off to Singapore for a month, or Florida, so we stay home and take care of our grand-pets.
Our littlest grandson is here a lot if his parents are busy working.
But maybe there will be an opening in March? Sure hope so, but who is going to take care of Lilly?
And she has come up from 71 to 74 pounds and we have to cut back on her food a bit.
Though it was pretty nice here on Cape Cod today with temps in the low 50s, and she chased seagulls at dead low tide way out onto the clam flats for about an hour. Sound asleep on the sofa now after a bath.
Jane
Post by: krissel on February 08, 2009, 11:57:15 PM
I have to wear rash guards if I want to stay in that water for more than a half hour. Brrr. I usually head for the warmer pool and hope it has an open lane. Most of the people in that one are 'older', me included.
As to food cravings, the cold makes turning down carbohydrates a lot harder. Most winters I put on about 5-7 pounds which I have to lose in the spring but so far this winter I've held pretty steady. I think it's the swimming.
Post by: Highmac on February 09, 2009, 01:28:38 AM
Boss (who was grateful I'd made the effort) took one look at me and told me to get a drink before I did anything else
Oh, and typically, the buses WERE running on my route. Two overtook me during my walk... halfway between stops.
So I took the bus home....
Post by: jcarter on February 09, 2009, 06:36:37 AM
I really should.
Yes, getting cold in even fairly warm water is difficult for my husband, he is 6 ft 4 and built like a basketball player, no fat. So always wears his shorty wet suit if we are snorkeling even in 80 degree water. We do tend to stay in too long. Ive got a longer sleeve Lycra rash guard which seems to do it for me, its dark blue and absorbs the heat.
It will be June before we can start swimming outdoors here, but we will be kayaking, biking, and doing a lot of walking with Lilly soon as we warm up a little.
Jane
Post by: Mayo on February 09, 2009, 05:16:18 PM
Post by: Mayo on June 12, 2009, 11:07:38 AM
That's 50 pounds lost since April 18, 2008. We haven't done any measurements but I can now easily fit in pants with a 32 waist...
Now my biggest problem is figuring out how much I should add to my daily caloric intake while maintaining my Girlish Figure. Now THAT'S a problem I don't mind having!
Maybe I can have one beer with a meal instead of the six ounces I had been occasionally allowing myself...
Post by: Xairbusdriver on June 12, 2009, 12:43:01 PM
Post by: beacher on June 12, 2009, 08:46:28 PM
Post by: krissel on June 13, 2009, 01:33:36 AM
For me, the fight has been since birth with a major success about 25 years ago when I changed my diet. But now that I've found swimming, the struggle is much easier. I'm now rather underweight for my height, but it feels good.
Having a treat now and then makes it bearable.
Post by: Mayo on June 13, 2009, 03:42:32 PM
I think that when it comes to dieting that slow and steady wins the race... People tend to place too much emphasis on losing excess weight fast and that is very, very difficult for most people to accomplish, And more than a few studies show that most people who do lose wait quickly gain it all back... and then some.
I think that a main reason I have been successful so far is that I modified the Sonoma Diet a bit so that it worked better for me. (Mainly adding a few more carbs... and I prefer ale to wine!) By taking over a year I have slowly developed new eating and exercising habits that I think will make it possible for me to maintain my new weight. I simply have Zero Interest in returning to my Old Ways.
I've also been receiving a lot of positive support from the various women in my life; in recent weeks I have been referred to as "hunky," "buff," "thin," and simply "lean machine" (something I never imagined hearing in a thousand years...) along with a good bit more hugging and squeezing than I recall experiencing in the past... My wife is also enjoying sleeping with a slim, younger man; she's the lady that is really getting to enjoy the fruits of my dieting labors... A guy would have to be crazy to choose French fries over that!
Post by: kcourt on June 14, 2009, 05:11:03 PM
You are an inspiration. My weight has gradually risen in the past two years and I am having a terrible time getting started trying to lose.
Kathy
Post by: krissel on June 16, 2009, 02:39:25 AM
YUP, I did misread your post. Much better for you in the long run that you did it slowly. That is more healthy and more likely to be maintained since you obviously changed your total eating habits to something you could sustain over time. Bravo!
And you are so right about food not being as important as the compliments, physical improvement and psychological uplift that comes with weight loss.
Post by: sandbox on June 17, 2009, 04:06:23 AM
We enjoy the Food channel and learn a lot about technique from watching how others prepare food. We eat lunches out quite often, business seems be be about meeting people for lunch these days. It's great to find new exotic places with interesting menus. Our latest new evening favorite is a Brazilian Barbecue spot. We have many restaurants here and great pizzas. if I have one weakness it's a thin crust pizza and a Sam Adams Winter stock beer...and I can have it delivered!!
Post by: Mayo on June 23, 2009, 02:05:17 PM
This morning I was 144 pounds. The lightest I remember weighing in my adult life was 143 pounds thirty years ago when I was vegan... (Fat vegans do not exist...)
I don't think that I am too skinny...yet. My body seems to be achieving its ideal weight without input from me...
I thought that drinking up to one ale a day (I don't drink every day...) would be enough to maintain my weight. But it looks like I need to add more carbs...
What A Shame! my wife says to me. (Me thinks that she is a tad jealous...)
Post by: kimmer on June 23, 2009, 04:21:21 PM
QUOTE(Mayo @ Jun 23 2009, 11:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm having trouble maintaining my weight... I keep losing it!
Enjoy the added carbs.
QUOTE
(Fat vegans do not exist...)
Not so. My friend is one of these ...
Post by: Mayo on June 23, 2009, 10:04:48 PM
This reminds me of a conversation that I had with my father almost fifty years ago. He had a friend who owned one of the fancier restaurants in Monterey, California. (I think that it was called Gallatin's, but don't quote me on that... The fellow was a vegetarian, which in the 50s and early 60s was considered by many (glad I didn't neglect to qualify my statement!) to be a terribly eccentric lifestyle choice.
Well, my father's friend died when he was around 62 years old, so that seemed to prove that being a vegetarian led to an early death, or something along those lines... HAHAHA. I've noticed that people who like to indulge in junk food and the like seem predisposed to disparage others who make an effort to live a healthier lifestyle... Even when those who put-down vegetarians are suffering from health issues that are the result of their unhealthy lifestyle choices, my father being an excellent example.
At any rate, if your friend's weight problem is not caused by a physical condition then your friend has to really work at it! Not having high-saturated fat foods in your diet like meat and dairy products means you have to eat a lot of high-calorie vegetable fats and/or carbs to get enough calories to become obese.
Post by: sandbox on June 23, 2009, 11:41:49 PM
When you get where you want to be experiment. Eat everything that you want and move proportionately to your consumption. It makes life so much more fun. Try the Apple/Nikki challenge and use an ipod/iphone with music and a good pair of running shoes to work off the Pleasure Food. It works for me! ...except I wear New Balance sneakers.
Think about it... you get to eat everything the Cliff House can serve on a plate and never gain another unwanted pound. It's not how much food your willing to sacrifice, it's how much activity your willing to expend to keep in balance.
Post by: Mayo on June 24, 2009, 02:02:40 PM
Post by: Xairbusdriver on June 24, 2009, 05:23:57 PM
I know I never get in trouble since I always think about that rule! 
Post by: krissel on June 25, 2009, 04:13:08 AM
Works for me.
Post by: Mayo on July 10, 2009, 11:02:20 PM
The 32 waist-size pants that I bought a couple of months ago and that were a bit too tight now have .5-1 inch to spare.
Me Thinks that I am done with this diet. Now that my back in on the mend I can get back to pumping some rubber!
Post by: sandbox on July 11, 2009, 09:27:30 PM
Post by: beacher on July 12, 2009, 11:44:24 AM