I'm on a low fat, low carb, low calorie, uh, eating lifestyle :)

[Droopy]

They told me at the clinic that they do not teach you how to diet. They teach you how to eat. Well, let me tell you, this sure as hell feels like a diet. :) But it's working and we'll see if I can hang in there over the long haul.

I've lost 12 pounds in two weeks, but man could I go for some chicken wings and beer right now topped off with some cheese cake for desert. I'm also not allowed to have any alcohol, sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, white flour, and white rice. A typical day's consumption looks like this:

Breakfast

4 oz. turkey sausage
1/2 cup oatmeal (dry amount) cooked in water
1/4 cup skim milk in the oatmeal

Lunch

4 oz. lean beef with 1/2 cup of mushrooms
1.5 cups of green beans
or
1 cup green beans and a salad with 1 tbsp. fat free dressing
1 slice whole grain bread
or
1/2 cup of corn

Supper

Same type of stuff as lunch. Basically 4 oz. of any kind of lean meat. One cup non-starchy vegetables. If you have a salad it can only have leafy green vegetables, radish, and maybe some mushrooms. One slice of bread or 1/2 cup starchy vegetables.

Two snacks are allowed

Each snack must have a low fat protein and an unrefined carbohydrate. My favorite is 1/2 cup non-fat, plain yogurt and Triscuits.

I started this deal with about 100 pounds to lose. It's with a local weight loss company. They are also going to show me how to keep the weight off once I reach my goal. I've had to learn how to cook. I've been eating at restaurants for most of the last 12 years. I did some blood work before I started the diet program and, amazingly, my cholesterol was only slightly elevated and my fasting blood sugar was 73. They say at the weight loss clinic that my cholesterol level will be down in the healthy range just through changing my diet and losing the weight. I will do blood work again after I have reached my goal.

[auntAgonist]

1. This sounds like

very healthy eating! Good for you. You'll feel so much better as the pounds slip away. It probably won't be a walk in the park, it never is, but with the right guidance and encouragement you can do it.

Please have your bloodwork checked again before you reach goal just to be sure you're getting the proper nutrition. 6 months would be a good timeframe.

We're all here for you. Keep us updated as best you can.

I hope things are good otherwise?


kesha
:hug:

[Droopy]

3. Everything's fine, aA

We had a snow storm move through here a couple of days ago that's been kicking my ass at work, but I have survived and I think things are going to be better tomorrow.

A weird thing has happened to me since I've started this new weight loss plan. My mind has calmed down.

[Catshrink]

2. No alcohol or caffeine? And you're paying for that?

Sheesh. Sounds too regimented for me.

[Droopy]

4. It is very structured

And that's excactly what I needed. I tried weight watchers. I lost weight with that plan, but in the end I put it back on.

If alcohol and caffeine are that important to you then this program is definitely not for you. I've got them to compromise on the caffeine because I work nights as a trucker and sometimes I need a jolt to keep me alert. They said it's okay as long as I use it only when I need it for my job. But alcohol? I'd all but given that up to begin with. I gave up smoking last April and stopped drinking because drinking makes me want to smoke. I got to the point where I could handle alcohol without smoking, but I drank so little that I don't miss it.

[The empressof all]

5. I've been following a similar diet since April

I've lost 50 pounds so far. My weight loss is slow due to other medical issues and not being able to exercise below my waist. I'm moving in the right direction though and have been able to keep to my plan pretty well. My plan is less regimented than yours and I eat 6 to 8 small meals a day. My blood sugar issues have been pretty much resolved. I still have moments of weakness but for the most part sticking to the plan really hasn't been that hard because I'm able to eat so frequently.

One of my current favorite veggies right now is butternut squash. I'm lazy and buy the frozen kind most of the time which is already cut into chunks. I lay some aluminum foil on a cookie sheet give it a hit of Olive Oil Spray and roast the squash until it's just starting to brown and crisp up. I also use some light salt on it. An entire bag is 50 calories and it cures any cravings I have for french fries. Yummy!

[Droopy]

6. Congrats on losing that 50 pounds

:thumbsup:

[Droopy]

7. A few pics to view the progress

I will post these and my weight from time to time to show the progress. Right now the best I can do is face pics, but I will see about full body pics in the future.

Here I am in November of 2008 at about 290. Chunkalicious. :)




Here I am today, 2/23/09, at about 260- a svelte ladys' man. :)

[supernova]

9. Looking' Good Droopy!

Keep up the great work!

:woohoo:

[supernova]

8. This is my eating plan

:thumbsup:

It's what I've come to by trial and error over the years and just finally giving up foods that don't serve me well, grains and dairy, mainly. I also have cut way back on sweets and now use agave syrup for sweetner occasionally. If I feel like candy, I get a dark chocolate bar with nuts.

And like everyone else, I've found myself to be very satisfied. I don't get the "hungries" eating this way. I obssess about food way less than I used to. That's a really good thing.

[Droopy]

10. 3/15/09 40 pounds down

249. I just wish something could be done about that double chin. :) It's not as noticeable when I'm not smiling.

[flvegan]

11. 40 lbs in right around 3 months? Is that right?

Congrats, Droopy. I'm happy to see this working for you.

[Droopy]

13. It's actually less than that. 40 pounds in 10 weeks

I asked them about the rapid weight loss and they said that was normal for men on their program. I've got about 60 pounds to go. They are going to show me how to keep the weight off once I reach my goal. That has always been the problem for me. I've been able to lose the weight in the past, just not keep it off. What has to happen is that I need to totally change the way I eat....forever, not just a few months. And I also need to maintain an active lifestyle. I unload a semi trailer by hand every night so I'm good with that part for now. I might need to mix in some walking in the future.

[Systematic Chaos]

12. Congrats, Droopy! I'm so happy for you!

It's taken me over a year to drop my first 40 lbs. but every little bit makes a difference.

Keep up the good work, my friend. :)

[Droopy]

14. Thanks man

I love that Dream Theater tune "The Dark Eternal Night" off of their new album. I catch it on the metal channel on Sirius. Is the whole album that good? Is it that heavy?

[Systematic Chaos]

15. The whole album is great from start to finish, but not all of it is that heavy.

Repentance is a slower song, but personally it really gets to me because of what it's about (Mike Portnoy's struggle with alcoholism and progressing through the Twelve Steps of AA).

Constant Motion and Forsaken are awesome tracks, and In the Presence of Enemies is another great epic track. I would strongly suggest trying to get the whole album. :)

[Droopy]

16. Sounds good

I'll pick it up next trip to the record store. I really got into "Words and Images" when it came out. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before and I'm still enthralled by Metropolis. I have that disc in my music collection, but I never thought to buy any of their subsequent albums for some reason.