44 Days of Hell

I lost 35 pounds and 1 girlfriend. It was a good trade.




I aggressively applied the Atkins diet on Jul 18 to my 290 lb frame. When I say "aggressively" I am talking 30 carbs or less per day, every day. No creamer, no orange juice, no booze, no breath mints. The only carbs I would take in came from vegetables.

Coconut oil. On a tip from a commenter, I started using coconut oil. Three big globs in my three cups of coffee in the morning, I also used it to saute' vegetables at night. Costco has virgin, organic oil in 5 pound containers. I am a believer. My energy levels shot up almost immediately. After my coffee, I would drink one low carb protein drink, swallow my supplements, ( I am a huge believer in turmeric) and headed out for the gym.

I run/walk 5k every day which took me about 34 mins. I can usually make 4 days in a row before I have to take a day off. As my weight came off, my times improved and my knees hurt less.

I am an over pronator with flat feet. My heel strikes the ground first- so I bought a couple pairs of running shoes made for over pronators from 6 PM. com. I bought an inexpensive pair of Nikes just to walk around in. I bought an expensive pair of Sauconys to run in. I am a big Brooks fan but I find that those shoes break down on me after a month or so.

For lunch, it was usually salad to go- 4.51 cents at Pizza Pie Cafe or chicken. Dinner was usually a big chunk of meat, steak, hamburger, ribs, with sauteed vegetables.

I finally broke down and bought a scale and then I did something really sadistic. When my weight would refuse to go down for three days- I would crank up the exercise to 5 miles and fast on the same day. All I would consume was coffee, 1 protein drink in the morning, and water the rest of the day.

I lost a total of 8 pounds on the 3 days I fasted. Eating nothing and burning 1250 calories forces your body to burn fat. It's not just the 1250 calories you burn exercising on those days- it's all of the other calories you burn during a normal day and while sleeping.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I lost a girlfriend. We made a deal, at least I thought we had, to stick this diet thing out. She tapped out at the two week mark and that as they say, was that. I kind of take a que sera view to women and dating. I just haven't found anyone I can't live without. I know that sounds horrible but dating at my age is a different animal than when I was young. At my age people are through raising kids, everyone has had their career and most of us are financially secure. Men and women have leaned how to live without asking permission. So people date for different reasons at this age. Mostly it's companionship. It's not easy finding a good companion- or harder yet- finding someone you want to make some sort of longer term commitment with. That's been my experience thus far.

A friend of mine told me recently that the reason I was single was because I was an asshole. That may be true I thought- while silently noting that she too was single and at least two divorces ahead of me. Maybe she just has bad luck...

So what's the long term prognosis? Can I keep gaining weight every two years and then put myself through 6 weeks of hell? I don't think I wanna be pushing 60 and doing this again. I have a friend who eats properly 6 days a week and then on Saturdays- he eats nothing but garbage. I think I might give this a try- this one day a week junk food binge. My big fear here is that my shitty eating habits will spill over into other days.

Atkins works. It's just hard to stick with it although I did it once for 10 weeks and lost 82 pounds. The key I think is finding low carb foods you can tolerate and then combining it with as much exercise as you can. Just walking works well.

I have noticed that this diet gets harder and harder as I get older. The other day I was in the grocery store and looking in people's carts. My gawd we eat an unbelievable amount of pure shit in this country. It almost makes you wonder if the corporate oligarchy, big pharma, big insurance and healthcare, and corporate fast food- do this on purpose.

They keep winning and their customers- keep losing. The rest of us have to find a way out of the matrix. No wonder every parking lot has 20 handicapped spaces. They knew.





  





Comments

Gary said…
Moderation is the key.

I have coffee at McDonalds and later a banana for breakfast, turkey sandwich with mustard for lunch and canned chicken noodle soup for dinner. For in-between snacking have have a container of green and kidney beans. Non fat Kraft Italian dressing to jazz it up.

The key is not snacking at night in front of the TV.

Binge weekend eating??? I don't think so at least until you have reached your goal.

This is a long term change in eating habits that have been put in place for decades.

Good luck

I dropped twenty pounds this summer so far.. I avoid the garbage because for me it's a horrible and immediate headache that lasts a day or more.. I can't even touch a bowl of ice cream anymore.. Oh well..

This is interesting..

https://youtu.be/BQeA9ZzSAXo
Unknown said…
Hi Brian!!
Huge Congratulations!!! Love it Man!!!
Stick to your guns!! Realize what you want and stick to it! Dr Mercola recommends a Ketogenic diet of fats which recommends 70% fat from pure organic oils which he is now banned from the Google search engine! Proteins, fats and carbs all metabolize at different rates in your body. When I ate strictly organic the weight flew off. 30 lbs in a month. Expensive though. Jumping on a mini trampoline every other day for 30 min. in front of a TV did wonders! Exercises every muscle and cell in your body! Eat after 8 (PM) u gain weight! Label read bigtime! Soy converts to estrogen in the male body which is why most men have boobs now and rumour has it smaller penises and are more feminine . It is in everything Brian! Wheat and soy are everywhere in products mostly genetically modified garbage and filler!!! Bought cashews the other day got home and the second ingredient was soy! I thought I bought Cashews!!! A Candida 30 day cleanse would rid you of any intestinal fungus left. Research Candida. Simple organic apple cider vinegar 1/2 ounce after a meal would do the trick. Be aware it burns like hell for a couple days then it's smooth sailing. I start my morning with a glass of water then costco ( organic blueberries half cup, organic Chia seeds tablespoon, ounce of organic avocado oil, organic vanilla protein powder) and a cup of silk coconut milk. I make a huge salad for lunch mostly organic from costco with the dressing I make. Then for dinner I am a little lax now. I like to drink triple leaf herbal lax and triple leaf detox tea when I have eaten something greasy. It sells at most Chinese grocery stores. Be careful with it but it's a great cleanse if you do it once or for weeks! Add a piece of cinnamon stick and organic honey (costco). You will find your tolerances and control your weight easily once you've figured it out through sticking it out. I am not near as strict as I once was but know how to easily correct my indulgences!
Huge Congratulations Brian!!!
Coop.
Wheat Belly is another good book!
All the Best Man!
Unknown said…
Hi Brian,
Your body recognizes proteins by themself. It recognizes carbs by themself. It recognizes fats by themself. When you mix them all together it messes up how fast your body can break them down. Gluten free is best. Learn what's gluten free without the label (ex. Rice pastas). Another tip is for every pound of muscle you gain your body burns 50 calories a day more! 5-10lb weights. Curls, shoulder press, any small amount of exercise with weight is huge! 1 for 50! Great odds. Wall squats with a medicine ball. Legs are huge muscles easy to gain calories there. Start with 10 squats. These are all just tips. The key is simple... Not crazy! I am recently divorced and the ex never looked better!!! Lol! Funny because this whole food journey started when I met her and she had dizzy spells falling down hitting her head! Loved her diet Pop! She worked as a nurse and every test she had done said everything was fine. Quit diet pop and it all disappeared! I read as much as I can now which is probably why I am here now!
Keep up the Good Work!
Coop
Unknown said…
Hi Brian,
Just trying to remember all the stuff I have read. Hence the post after post. Please remember all the toxins, chemicals, poisons and processed foods you ate are stored in your fat cells and now limiting your diet it has to be used as fuel. It will mess with you emotionally and mentally while you burn it. All the good stuff you put in will make it easier or help clean that fuel! It's the price we pay for what we do. No Matter How Life Hits You Man Keep Moving Forward!!! You've been here before! don't go back!
All the Best!
Coop

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