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2019 Body Transformation Thread

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Robin Masters

Robin Masters 122

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About to jump in on this. Like most I lack motivation and know if I had tried in the last year I would have quit after a week or two. My wifes phone was getting sluggish. 3gb free out of 128gb. I just backed up and deleted 6 months worth of baby pics and now it has lots of free space and is snappy again. This is how my brain has been for a while. Too many things going on, unable to give any of them enough attention. Lately though I'm starting to wrap up a lot of loose ends. Another week and I should have a huge project done. With that freed up space in my brain I'm going to tackle my disgusting fatbody.
My history.
I'm a man ahead of and behind my time. In the 1990s I started my own business. I didn't have time for meals. I usually ate one big meal at dinner. Everyone told me how unhealthy this was but I was in decent shape and didn't gain weight from it. In the early 2000s when I was up to 225 and wanted to get to 180 I did the Keto of the times, Atkins. Grilled peppers with sausage. Back wrapped, cheese covered everything, pork skins about 50 different ways, etc. I would throw in a fasting day now and then, nothing but water. Everyone told me how unhealthy this was but it worked and I felt great after the first couple of weeks. The big problem I had at the time was I liked to bicycle but low carb just killed my energy. Rides that I averaged 18mph on I was struggling to do at 14mph. I quickly got to 200, got to traveling a lot and fell off the wagon. Still I stayed low for many years, then it started going up slow and steady.

Late 2000's I was 240 and joined a gym, had a personal trainer, tried eating their zillion tiny meals a day and I didn't lose weight, and started almost blacking out at the gym. Orange juice would bring me right back so it was a blood sugar thing. I solved it by quitting the gym.
2011 I did a 2000 mile bicycle trip. I weighed 260 when I started, 260 when I ended even though I was burning tons of extra calories each day. 
Now I'm 280+. I can tell myself you need to get it together because your wife is 15 years younger(humble brag), nope doesn't work. You need to get it together because you have two young boys and you don't want them being those weird kids that's dad died when they were young. Nope, doesn't work. All that is working is looking in the mirror and seeing what looks like me after some hollywood makeup artist put a fat mask on me. I recently renewed my drivers license and holy fuck, what the hell is that under your chin, a goiter?
So enough. The question is how hard to go. I've been reading about the "snake diet." The mainstream consensus is it's dangerous, stupid, and won't work. Which makes me really want to try it. It's basically eat a big keto meal, then fast for a day or two, repeat. However during the fast you drink snake juice. Water with some different electrolytes dissolved in it. That way you're not pissing out all your electrolytes.
I kind of like the idea of a few months of suck and then switch to a mostly keto lifestyle forever. Bread and sweets I can do without.  Potato is my weakness and will be my  occasional cheat. At the very least I will 16-8 or better intermittent fast and low carb.
Exercise wise, I hate to even walk right now. My feet hurt when I get out of bed in the morning. I have a recumbent exercise bike I am going to start on. For a goal once I get below 250 I will feel safe once again on my road bike. I really don't want to snap a seat post and have the broken part up my ass. Sub 200 I want to ride a century. I want to pull my boys behind me in a trailer on some smaller rides.
So give me another week to get my meals planned out, groceries bought, project done and it will be go time.
I have declared it on Surly, that's as written in stone as it gets.

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pearlandhorn
pearlandhorn

April 5, 2018: 316.6 pounds April 5, 2019: 203.4 pounds Happy birthday to me. Yessssss. One year: 113.2 pounds lost.

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Back in June, my doctor told me I needed to completely change my diet and start exercising because I was very very boarderline diabetic. He suggested I try Keto, not for weight loss, but to improve my

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I weighed in today at 308, down 62 pounds since Nov 12th. 8 more lbs to go to hit a major milestone. I'm hoping to hit that in the 2nd week of April.

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Robin Masters

Robin Masters 122

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As far as gut bacteria I have followed this since 2009ish. I had a bad bout of food poisoning while traveling overseas. Took a cipro to quickly deal with it. A few days later I felt horrible. This persisted for months. Brain fog, occasional heart racing, indigestion, vision problems, twitching in my legs. I went to two different Mayo clinics. They basically had no idea at the time that anything tied the gut and the brain/neuro stuff together. I had tons of tests, all negative.
I read tons of stuff online and kept seeing other people having similiar problems. Eventually this lead me to gut bacteria health. A very fringe idea at the time. What helped me the most was probiotics. Maybe a "duh" thing now but back then it was voodoo.  I started eating yogurt and taking a couple of different probiotics that were recommended on the hippy dippy alternative medicine blogs of the day.

Looking back now I'm pretty sure the cipro wiped out the good bacteria in my stomach along with the bad. I ate a simple carb rich diet for a few days which helped bad bacteria flourish in my stomach. It's known now that these bacteria can travel the vagus nerve to the brain and influence all kinds of stuff. I also think my stomach being screwed up caused me to have border line low b12. My numbers weren't below the cutoff that most doctors say is low, but they were close, and some people are symptomatic at those levels. I was at those low levels while taking b12 pills. Now I get a b12 shot when the brain fog starts and the twitching gets out of hand in my legs. I also take under the tongue drops. Stomach problems mean you do not absorb the b12 in your stomach, so sublingual is the next best to a shot.

If you're interested in this stuff have a look here

https://hackyourgut.com/

The guy also has a private facebook group. You get some weirdos in there, but good info to. To me it's just staggering how little modern medicine knew about the stomach, and how many different things they are figuring out it controls, or is tied to. 

And one final word of advice, to all. Sleep. This is part of my problem right now. We have a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old. You can do a lot of things right with diet and exercise, but if you don't get enough quality sleep you will struggle. 

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Bernard

Bernard 879

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Sitting in Salata on West Gray right now eating an Elaine Benes approved big salad, my first meal in 13 days. Had two snacks (beef jerky and bacon jerky) during that time.

Scale says I’m down 19 pounds since Monday before last. 

New fast starts as soon as this bowl is empty. 

Bernard

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4th&Five

4th&Five 41725

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On 1/19/2019 at 2:13 PM, Bernard said:

Sitting in Salata on West Gray right now eating an Elaine Benes approved big salad, my first meal in 13 days. Had two snacks (beef jerky and bacon jerky) during that time.

Scale says I’m down 19 pounds since Monday before last. 

New fast starts as soon as this bowl is empty. 

Bernard

How is there no salata in South Austin yet?

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troph

troph 24929

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As far as gut bacteria I have followed this since 2009ish. I had a bad bout of food poisoning while traveling overseas. Took a cipro to quickly deal with it. A few days later I felt horrible. This persisted for months. Brain fog, occasional heart racing, indigestion, vision problems, twitching in my legs. I went to two different Mayo clinics. They basically had no idea at the time that anything tied the gut and the brain/neuro stuff together. I had tons of tests, all negative.

I read tons of stuff online and kept seeing other people having similiar problems. Eventually this lead me to gut bacteria health. A very fringe idea at the time. What helped me the most was probiotics. Maybe a "duh" thing now but back then it was voodoo.  I started eating yogurt and taking a couple of different probiotics that were recommended on the hippy dippy alternative medicine blogs of the day.

Looking back now I'm pretty sure the cipro wiped out the good bacteria in my stomach along with the bad. I ate a simple carb rich diet for a few days which helped bad bacteria flourish in my stomach. It's known now that these bacteria can travel the vagus nerve to the brain and influence all kinds of stuff. I also think my stomach being screwed up caused me to have border line low b12. My numbers weren't below the cutoff that most doctors say is low, but they were close, and some people are symptomatic at those levels. I was at those low levels while taking b12 pills. Now I get a b12 shot when the brain fog starts and the twitching gets out of hand in my legs. I also take under the tongue drops. Stomach problems mean you do not absorb the b12 in your stomach, so sublingual is the next best to a shot.

If you're interested in this stuff have a look here

https://hackyourgut.com/

The guy also has a private facebook group. You get some weirdos in there, but good info to. To me it's just staggering how little modern medicine knew about the stomach, and how many different things they are figuring out it controls, or is tied to. 

And one final word of advice, to all. Sleep. This is part of my problem right now. We have a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old. You can do a lot of things right with diet and exercise, but if you don't get enough quality sleep you will struggle. 

Thanks for sharing. I eat live culture yogurt daily and have 2-3 kombuchas a week. I think avoiding antibiotics is big and i think the carbs are too. I’m not going whacko anytime soon but I’m starting to think whole body - hydration (gotta drink a lot of water), sleep, gut health, hormones, exercise, sex, stay away from sugars and processed carbs, etc is all required to feel good. Any one of these off and it can feel like it’s all off. My biggest problem is indulging after a work out. I might burn 1300 calories and then I think I can eat a double cheeseburger and fries. Calories maybe but the carbs kill.

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troph

troph 24929

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What is a kombucha?

Fermented tea with live cultures. Also suppresses bad bacteria and has antioxidants. Generally considered a healthy drink though I’m sure some are better than others. Not keto friendly it has some sugar and some brands and recipes probably have more than others. Often fruit flavored. Minimal alcohol even though it’s fermented. H-E-B has them stocked when they are open. I enjoy them as an alternative to beer and soda but I only have 2-3 a week.

 

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Storm the Field

Storm the Field 5308

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Down 7 lbs from 201 on 1/2 to 194 this morning. A little more than halfway to initial target of 188. Final goal is to hit 183 or below by the time I turn 35 in early March.

Not doing anything near as drastic as a lot of you:

1. Majorly throttling back on carbs, but stopping shy of going full keto. 

2. Trying to make sure to  get some form of low-impact exercise each day. Do 30 minutes or so on the eliptical each day during the work week. Go for long bike rides and dog walks on the weekend.

3. Booze only when more or less unavoidable. Have drank once so far this month, though #2 will be this Thursday accompanying bosses out to dinner and drinks with clients.

After Dry-ish January is over, and wife and I are "free" to drink again, hoping to (as much as feasible) keep it a weekends only thing and pretty much stick to exactly the routine I've  been on Sunday-Thursday.

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Knoxtnhorn

Knoxtnhorn 6179

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Apologies.  My last post wasn't an intent to broadcast will power.  What's been weird about the past 8 days is that I really haven't had any cravings.  I honestly don't even think that much about food.  I did read that loss of appetite could be a byproduct of keto, but I didn't believe it.  The popcorn moment was just the first time all week that I smelled or saw a food and actually thought it might taste good.  Trust me, I'm a huge proponent of instant gratification, which is why anything else I've ever tried hasn't worked.

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Lobwedgephil

Lobwedgephil 1146

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12 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Apologies.  My last post wasn't an intent to broadcast will power.  What's been weird about the past 8 days is that I really haven't had any cravings.  I honestly don't even think that much about food.  I did read that loss of appetite could be a byproduct of keto, but I didn't believe it.  The popcorn moment was just the first time all week that I smelled or saw a food and actually thought it might taste good.  Trust me, I'm a huge proponent of instant gratification, which is why anything else I've ever tried hasn't worked.

Don't forget your 40 carb pop tart. 

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Longhorn Al

Longhorn Al 440

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I'm 41.5 hours into a fast after my bbq gorging on Saturday.  I ate around 2+ lbs of food that evening.  I've lost .4 lbs since that meal.  It's like it never happened.

I checked my blood levels about an hour and a half after waking up today.

Ketones: 1.6

Blood Sugar: 90

Best combined results I've had since restarting on Jan 1.

I've lost 19 lbs in January.  But still need to lose another 24 to get back to my low of last September when I fell off the wagon.  When I lose 31 more lbs, I'll have lost 100 since 1/8/2018.

Edited by Longhorn Al
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BigBenBamboozle

BigBenBamboozle 1957

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Everyone should be tracking of the ever-evolving research on our gut microbiomes.  A lot of cutting edge nutrition and wellness specialists have gotten on the fermented foods bandwagon.  The wife and I try to eat a little fermented foods 1-2 times a day with our meals.  This is either sauerkraut, kimchi (our favorite), fermented veggies like okra or cucumbers, kefir or kombucha. The gut-brain connection is really just being fully explored, and I've noticed a massive improvement since pairing this with a balanced diet, exercise and daily meditation. 

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troph

troph 24929

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Beer is actually on the lists of gut friendly, wine too. But I’m certain moderation is an absolute must. I’m guessing in smallest amounts are good and anything over one serving starts to present problems. Then I’m sure it’s some are better than others.

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El Diablo

El Diablo 4232

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1 hour ago, troph said:

Beer is actually on the lists of gut friendly, wine too. But I’m certain moderation is an absolute must. I’m guessing in smallest amounts are good and anything over one serving starts to present problems. Then I’m sure it’s some are better than others.

I was under the impression that most commercial beer in the US was no longer actively fermenting. I guess there's some grain component that could be considered beneficial. I know nada about wine.

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Chips O'Toole

Chips O'Toole 1345

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2 hours ago, El Diablo said:

I was under the impression that most commercial beer in the US was no longer actively fermenting. I guess there's some grain component that could be considered beneficial. I know nada about wine.

I would assume this is referring to the yeast cultures which are still living but are typically filtered out of most lagers and ales.  A hazy IPA would have a lot of live yeast, but I am skeptical that there would be any benefits from ingesting that yeast.

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ztejas

ztejas 43777

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On 1/20/2019 at 8:46 PM, troph said:

I’m not going whacko anytime soon but I’m starting to think whole body - hydration (gotta drink a lot of water), sleep, gut health, hormones, exercise, sex, stay away from sugars and processed carbs, etc is all required to feel good.

If you can successfully do all of those things you're a better man than I am. 

I've gotten into taking probiotics (just the pill form - the highest strength available) and they definitely make a marked difference. I would always recommend that as a first step esp for anyone that struggles with diets or keeping tabs on what they eat (yours truly - not that I struggle with weight, but I def eat a lot of bullshit). 

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ztejas

ztejas 43777

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On 1/20/2019 at 3:45 PM, Knoxtnhorn said:

What about Diet Coke with Splenda?  I'm allergic to aspartame/Nutrasweet, so I drink a couple of these every day.  No carbs.

This comment makes no sense. Did you mean sparkling water with splenda? Diet Coke has aspartame in it...

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Knoxtnhorn

Knoxtnhorn 6179

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Down 7.2 pounds in 10 days. 

I'm a tad sick of eating some of the same foods over and over; however, unlike the last time I tried this, I'm adding more variety.  I grilled some cauliflower using olive oil and a bunch of spices, added blue cheese at the end.  Pretty dang tasty.

 The real test will come this weekend.  Soccer scrimmage.  I have a built in excuse to leave early when I inevitably bonk 30 mins in.

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troph

troph 24929

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I would assume this is referring to the yeast cultures which are still living but are typically filtered out of most lagers and ales.  A hazy IPA would have a lot of live yeast, but I am skeptical that there would be any benefits from ingesting that yeast.

Yeah I wonder which beers but beer is on the list. No way most mass produced American beers are.
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troph

troph 24929

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If you can successfully do all of those things you're a better man than I am.  I've gotten into taking probiotics (just the pill form - the highest strength available) and they definitely make a marked difference. I would always recommend that as a first step esp for anyone that struggles with diets or keeping tabs on what they eat (yours truly - not that I struggle with weight, but I def eat a lot of bullshit).  

 

Carbs are my main struggle. I’m at 10-12 hours of athletic training level work outs per week now. All high intensity with competitive tennis as the basis and reason. For whatever reason after I started slow it gained momentum and now being a middle aged athlete has triggered all of it coming together. But damn I love a cheeseburger after working out. Ugh. 

For me though the work out means hydration and sleep are a must. And let’s just say I’ve got my hormones as priority number 1. Gut is my next one. Carbs will be a hard one but I’ll get there - I avoided the cheeseburger tonight after that work out so that’s good. That leaky gut stuff will make you walk away from bread wow. I need to read that twice a day.

 

And a year ago I was flabby and out of shape, winded going up a flight of stairs and sore after a 90 minute hike/walk.

 

I agree diet journaling can be good. I think water consumption is another easy one. So is sleep. I eat so much better if my water intake and sleep are good. Unfortunately alcohol intake and exercise impact sleep quite a bit so it’s not as easy as just laying down at the right time but a lot of us stay up to late too. Myself included.

 

 

 

 

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10962

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12 hours ago, troph said:

Carbs are my main struggle. I’m at 10-12 hours of athletic training level work outs per week now. All high intensity with competitive tennis as the basis and reason. For whatever reason after I started slow it gained momentum and now being a middle aged athlete has triggered all of it coming together. But damn I love a cheeseburger after working out. Ugh. 

For me though the work out means hydration and sleep are a must. And let’s just say I’ve got my hormones as priority number 1. Gut is my next one. Carbs will be a hard one but I’ll get there - I avoided the cheeseburger tonight after that work out so that’s good. That leaky gut stuff will make you walk away from bread wow. I need to read that twice a day.

 

And a year ago I was flabby and out of shape, winded going up a flight of stairs and sore after a 90 minute hike/walk.

 

I agree diet journaling can be good. I think water consumption is another easy one. So is sleep. I eat so much better if my water intake and sleep are good. Unfortunately alcohol intake and exercise impact sleep quite a bit so it’s not as easy as just laying down at the right time but a lot of us stay up to late too. Myself included.

 

 

 

 

I find a triple meat and cheese with no buns to work perfectly for the cheeseburger cravings.

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Soldierhorn

Soldierhorn 206

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Due to military disabilities and being on the computer WAY too much, I ballooned up to 260 lbs.  I then had what the doctors said was  a massive heart attack and had two stints put in.  I didnt think my diet was that bad but something needed to change. 

I made several major changes to my diet:

1) I cut night shade plants including beans out of my diet almost completely, however, having fries once a week at a restaurant isnt going to hurt much. This sucks because I really like mexican/TXmex food.  LOL  I also love roasted peanuts in a shell - gone

2) Cut out almost all white plants and grains, white flour from grains, white rice, etc.

3) I'm trying to cut out ALL products that have soy in it and, believe it or not, that is hard to do; it's in virtually everything that is packaged.  

4) Went out and bought quite a few different healthy drink alternatives such as: super greens, super beats, Atkins protein shakes that I cut w/almond milk, etc.  I also substituted Almond milk for cow milk unless it is raw milk but I dont have the opportunity to get raw milk on a regular basis. I found that as long as I have something with flavor, I dont crave diet Dr Pepper (the aspartame gives me a headache anyway). I'm also finding that these drinks are ways to add nutrients that men over age 35 should supplement such as creatine

Anyway, my goal is to get down to 200 lbs and this morning I weighed in at 228 and I'm not hungry one bit

Edited by Soldierhorn
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