Are you dieting now?

[aztecan]

Well, I am still at 175 pounds,  well, 175.1 pounds. Don't you just love digital scales!

I am still aiming at 10 more pounds, but even five would not make me unhappy. I think, at 5'11'' , I can probably carry 170 pounds pretty well.

Mediterranean diet, anyone?

HUGS,

Mark

[Queen Tokelove]

I am still working out. I lost a few pounds and my BMI showed it as well. I am down to 146. I am noticing that it doesn't take much to fill me up. I just found a measuring tape with this sewing kit I forgot I had. I will take my measurements later. Just wanted to update is all.

[red_Dragon888]

Yes, I did read Atkins -- and I tried his diet.  The day I realized that I had eaten too many vegetables and couldn't eat any more, but COULD consume more bacon or eggs, I decided that this wasn't for me.  
I don't argue this approaches ability to succeed in removing weight, but from a nutritional standpoint, limiting vegetables and avoiding fruit in favor of meat seems a little off-kilter.

Again -- I wish you success.

Mike

Yeah, you read Atkins with the eyes behind your head.  

Sorry for being a bit flippant, but I agree that I would not consume what Atkins infers, which I thinks was a slight exaggeration of his diet plan, but I would eat my choice of foods if my cholesterol was within a safe limit.  Besides, as the old saying goes, "too much of anything is bad for you."  lol  

So you are on the Jenny Craig diet and you have found that more to your liking.  Good for you, although I do not see the difference is either diet.  In my case, less equals more, however, you must agree that from my point of view it works because of my particular biochemistry.    

How do you explain insulin process in the human body?  Do you agree that insulin causes the body to produce fat tissue?

The Red Dargon....

[red_Dragon888]

I am still working out. I lost a few pounds and my BMI showed it as well. I am down to 146. I am noticing that it doesn't take much to fill me up. I just found a measuring tape with this sewing kit I forgot I had. I will take my measurements later. Just wanted to update is all.

I have change workout programs and it looks like it will help me get that muscular body I am seeking.  My legs are no longer cottage cheese, or American cheese, but cream cheese and I think they are the last to go in my weight lost study.  When I can fit in my skinny pants then I know that I am at my weight goal, which happen the last time I had lost weight.  I just kept wearing smaller pants until I was at my skinnest.

My stomach has shrunk also, so small meals are a necessary part of my diet plan.  And I notice that my pouch and my ass is getting smaller every week which makes me very happy.  It still looks like by mid to end of September I will be 160lbs or there abouts, but most definitely by November.  Just two months and then a lifetime of keeping fit. 

Red

[bocker3]

Yeah, you read Atkins with the eyes behind your head.  

Sorry for being a bit flippant, but I agree that I would not consume what Atkins infers, which I thinks was a slight exaggeration of his diet plan, but I would eat my choice of foods if my cholesterol was within a safe limit.  Besides, as the old saying goes, "too much of anything is bad for you."  lol  

So you are on the Jenny Craig diet and you have found that more to your liking.  Good for you, although I do not see the difference is either diet.  In my case, less equals more, however, you must agree that from my point of view it works because of my particular biochemistry.    

How do you explain insulin process in the human body?  Do you agree that insulin causes the body to produce fat tissue?

The Red Dargon....

No, I'm doing Weight Watchers, not Jenny Craig.  I can eat whatever food I please -- so long as I stay within my point range (you get so many points per day based on things like weight, sex, age and work (less for sit down jobs, more for construction worker)).  Points are based on calories, fat and fiber.  Just as my diet, your diet is being successful because you are burning more calories than you are taking in -- your biochemistry is not likely any different from mine -- unless you have some metabolic issue.  I keep saying it -- less in, more burned will equal weight loss, no matter what you are eating.  Good nutrition is a different story -- one should strive for good nutrition, but even if non-nutritious food makes up your entire diet, you will lose weight if you eat less of it than you burn.

No I do not agree that insulin causes the body to produce fat tissue.  That is simply incorrect.  Insulin helps the body metabolize glucose.  It's takes the glucose and stores it as glycogen.  The only connection to fat is that in the absence of glycogen as a fuel source, your body turns to burning fat.  One of the reason one sees a large bit of weight loss in the first week or two of a diet is that you are storing less glycogen, due to less food being eaten.  Glycogen causes muscles to retain water, ergo -- less glycogen equals less water which equals less weight.  Additionally, less glycogen means more use of fat as fuel.

The science is quite simple and Atkins can say all he wants, but the body works, basically the same way for all.

Mike

[red_Dragon888]

No, I'm doing Weight Watchers, not Jenny Craig.  I can eat whatever food I please -- so long as I stay within my point range (you get so many points per day based on things like weight, sex, age and work (less for sit down jobs, more for construction worker)).  Points are based on calories, fat and fiber.  Just as my diet, your diet is being successful because you are burning more calories than you are taking in -- your biochemistry is not likely any different from mine -- unless you have some metabolic issue.  I keep saying it -- less in, more burned will equal weight loss, no matter what you are eating.  Good nutrition is a different story -- one should strive for good nutrition, but even if non-nutritious food makes up your entire diet, you will lose weight if you eat less of it than you burn.

No I do not agree that insulin causes the body to produce fat tissue.  That is simply incorrect.  Insulin helps the body metabolize glucose.  It's takes the glucose and stores it as glycogen.  The only connection to fat is that in the absence of glycogen as a fuel source, your body turns to burning fat.  One of the reason one sees a large bit of weight loss in the first week or two of a diet is that you are storing less glycogen, due to less food being eaten.  Glycogen causes muscles to retain water, ergo -- less glycogen equals less water which equals less weight.  Additionally, less glycogen means more use of fat as fuel.

The science is quite simple and Atkins can say all he wants, but the body works, basically the same way for all.

Mike

Sorry kiddo, but I disagree that the body works the same way for all for if it did I would have the same size as my brothers bodies growing up.  I grew up fat and they slim and we ate the same thing at the breakfast, lunch, snacks and the dinner table.  So there must be something going on with my body.  Yes, the process is the same but there is something different in each individual person.  

Are you inferring that I am having a less than nutritious diet for I eat well and take vitamins.  In addition, I am burning the calories, but maybe you are just emphasizing a point of weight loss.  In a way the Atkins helped me to eat less and therefore lose the weight.  

[Grinch]

The body does work the same for everyone.  Some bodies are a bit more or less efficient at specific functions, but in the end a normal human body functions in a very specific manner that does not vary.
Red_Dragon your weight loss is admirable however the rate of loss is beyond what is considered healthy.
No matter what diet plan one chooses the single over riding factor remains the same.  Calories in vs calories out.

If you use more than you consume you lose weight. Period.  There is no other way.
Can you change your body composition somewhat by adjusting macros?  Absolutely.  You must however look at the big picture.  A high protein / low carb diet certainly works for muscular hypertrophy, but the rest of the equation is you must have resistance training. A typical muscle gain diet is 20% carb, 20% fat, 60% protein. That is the macro I mentioned.

 A pure weight loss macro may be different but you must get adequate nutrients.  Cutting all carbs is proven repeatedly to cause an initial weight loss that can not be maintained.

If you want to lose weight that's wonderful, but consider adding a bit of muscle.  Muscle uses much more energy (calories) than fat. That muscle weighs more so the number on the scale may not change a lot. The number on your waist size however will change significantly.  In the course of the last 4 months I've gained 2 lbs but lost 2 more inches off my waist.  I'm now at a 32 waist at 190 lbs.

There is no magic 'eat this and lose weight and look good' plan out there that has shown long term results. Not Atkins, not southbeach, not the beer and women diet, not the grapefruit diet.
Keep up the hard work but don't get so concerned with justifying your choice to go with Atkins that you look beyond other more conventional thinking.  Consider a whole body and lifestyle plan that entails good and complete nutrition as well as exercise.
A year ago I consulted 2 trainers and an MD, all gave me essentially the same advice.  I've lost 40 lbs, nearly 8 inches off my waist and am now able to play competitive hockey and last 6 rounds in the boxing ring.  I couldn't walk 5 flights of stairs when I started.
Eat clean, work hard, enjoy the results.

[red_Dragon888]

The body does work the same for everyone.  Some bodies are a bit more or less efficient at specific functions, but in the end a normal human body functions in a very specific manner that does not vary.
Red_Dragon your weight loss is admirable however the rate of loss is beyond what is considered healthy.
No matter what diet plan one chooses the single over riding factor remains the same.  Calories in vs calories out.

If you use more than you consume you lose weight. Period.  There is no other way.
Can you change your body composition somewhat by adjusting macros?  Absolutely.  You must however look at the big picture.  A high protein / low carb diet certainly works for muscular hypertrophy, but the rest of the equation is you must have resistance training. A typical muscle gain diet is 20% carb, 20% fat, 60% protein. That is the macro I mentioned.

 A pure weight loss macro may be different but you must get adequate nutrients.  Cutting all carbs is proven repeatedly to cause an initial weight loss that can not be maintained.

If you want to lose weight that's wonderful, but consider adding a bit of muscle.  Muscle uses much more energy (calories) than fat. That muscle weighs more so the number on the scale may not change a lot. The number on your waist size however will change significantly.  In the course of the last 4 months I've gained 2 lbs but lost 2 more inches off my waist.  I'm now at a 32 waist at 190 lbs.

There is no magic 'eat this and lose weight and look good' plan out there that has shown long term results. Not Atkins, not southbeach, not the beer and women diet, not the grapefruit diet.
Keep up the hard work but don't get so concerned with justifying your choice to go with Atkins that you look beyond other more conventional thinking.  Consider a whole body and lifestyle plan that entails good and complete nutrition as well as exercise.
A year ago I consulted 2 trainers and an MD, all gave me essentially the same advice.  I've lost 40 lbs, nearly 8 inches off my waist and am now able to play competitive hockey and last 6 rounds in the boxing ring.  I couldn't walk 5 flights of stairs when I started.
Eat clean, work hard, enjoy the results.

Whatever dude, I am happy that I am down to 182 pounds and no matter what the professionals say, I am feeling good and healthy.  My only consistant problem is my hips that are still painful at times because of either arthritis or pulled groin.  I am cheating a little on Atkins but I guess that makes it a Weight Watchers or Jenny Craigs diet now.  Oh sorry, Atkins did say that once you are on his diet you can adjust to what you want to eat. Since I am losing weight I can slow its progress with a Atkins bar or a sweet salad dressing.  I still watch my sugar intake so I am not worried about that.  Sorry, I did not count the points. 

I seems to be on the defensive all the time, when I just want to encourage people and let them know that being fat is not a permanent situation.  I guess I ran into Atkins haters here.  I just happen to use Atkins and it works for me. 

Which diet are you on and how do you feel about it?  That is all I want to know and have you encourage people about weight loss and not be a hater.

[bocker3]

I seems to be on the defensive all the time, when I just want to encourage people and let them know that being fat is not a permanent situation.  I guess I ran into Atkins haters here.  I just happen to use Atkins and it works for me. 

If that is all you wanted to do, then you should have stuck to it.  Instead you have been spewing incorrect statements as if they are truths.  That is the reason I and others have been on here and THAT is why you have found yourself on the defensive.

So, continued good luck to you in your weight loss journey, I know it's not an easy thing.  And, as you approach your goal weight, I wish you all the luck in maintaining, for that is the hardest part of all -- again, I speak from experience.

Mike

[red_Dragon888]

If that is all you wanted to do, then you should have stuck to it.  Instead you have been spewing incorrect statements as if they are truths.  That is the reason I and others have been on here and THAT is why you have found yourself on the defensive.

So, continued good luck to you in your weight loss journey, I know it's not an easy thing.  And, as you approach your goal weight, I wish you all the luck in maintaining, for that is the hardest part of all -- again, I speak from experience.

Mike

take a long walk on a short peir.

[bocker3]

take a long walk on a short peir.

You really do have some witty ways to buttress your argument, now don't you.  I have science (and math) on my side, which is why I have not turned catty.

Weight loss has a simple solution (but can be extremely difficult to achieve) -- eat less, burn more. 

I will now withdraw from this thread.  Best of luck to you -- I wish you continued success in your weight loss journey.

Mike

[David_CA]

You really do have some witty ways to buttress your argument, now don't you.  I have science (and math) on my side, which is why I have not turned catty.

Weight loss has a simple solution (but can be extremely difficult to achieve) -- eat less, burn more. 

I will now withdraw from this thread.  Best of luck to you -- I wish you continued success in your weight loss journey.

Mike

Well said, Mike.  This is why I choose eating slightly less overall, more 'less' for specific food types, and more exercise.  Personally, I enjoy food more than I enjoy being lethargic / lazy (not pointing fingers at anybody).  It's a bit like money and one's personal budget.  If there's not enough cash, there are two choices - earn more or spend less.  It really is that simple.

[red_Dragon888]

You really do have some witty ways to buttress your argument, now don't you.  I have science (and math) on my side, which is why I have not turned catty.

Weight loss has a simple solution (but can be extremely difficult to achieve) -- eat less, burn more. 

I will now withdraw from this thread.  Best of luck to you -- I wish you continued success in your weight loss journey.

Mike

Sticks and stones baby.  lol  It's just I am happy to be this size and you seem to want to kill my buzz.  Or do I have it wrong.  Are you over weight and found happiness in your program?  That's I am asking.  I am hardly putting down your program but you insist to knock mines.  My weight loss is obviously "simple" and yet it was a struggle to get there.  So pardon me if I am happy to be at 181lbs and it was this diet, yeah "eat less, burn more," the Atkins way.

The only difference my diet and yours is that I avoid sugar, other than that we are the same. 

[red_Dragon888]

Well said, Mike.  This is why I choose eating slightly less overall, more 'less' for specific food types, and more exercise.  Personally, I enjoy food more than I enjoy being lethargic / lazy (not pointing fingers at anybody).  It's a bit like money and one's personal budget.  If there's not enough cash, there are two choices - earn more or spend less.  It really is that simple.

It is like a budget, but I just go crazy if i eat sugary foods like cakes and ice creams.  And it doesn't help that it just increase my hungry even more.  Now without the sugar, I have less hungry and more energy.  I wish I was different but history always repeats itself.  Now I am determine to avoid sugar until I reach my weight goal and then just have it on the weekends if my body can handle it.

[red_Dragon888]

Looking at the scale this morning I was surprise to see that I now weight 180 lbs.  Now I have just twenty pounds to go and it may take a couple of months.  I look great and feel good.  Yesterday I brought some Atkins bars, for the the occasional snack break.  It is my only sugar I allow myself to eat when I have a craving for sweets.  I guess I would eat four a week if I wish.

There was a book that had a man's diary with pictures of his weight loss over a one year period.  I wonder if anyone know the name of this book?  It's premise is of a overweight man who weight about 230lbs and showed over the months losing weight and charted his progress with pictures.  He worked with body builders and loss his excess fat to a slim bodybuilders body.  All I remember is that he was bald or balding.

[red_Dragon888]

Well, well, well...  I have reached 176lbs and I am feeling good, except for allergies and the ache in my legs muscles, I am well.  I am hungry now so I will keep this short and eat some chicken and a salad.  My stomach is looking smooth and my legs are getting thinner.  I think I am at that point when it seems to come in fast.  I am so close to my goal that I can taste it.  I hope you all are having the same luck with your diet plan.

Red.

[red_Dragon888]

http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/us_med_waist_size_mortality

Battle of the buldge

[red_Dragon888]

Great news today for I have reached 168 pounds.  I am shocked and surprised, for I see a little six pack developing and my legs are slimmer.  If I reach 160 lbs, will I be able to maintain it.  Time will tell. 
bye bye...

[Nestor]

You've lost nine pounds in a week, and fourteen pounds in twelve days?  Wow, I'm impressed! 

[red_Dragon888]

You've lost nine pounds in a week, and fourteen pounds in twelve days?  Wow, I'm impressed! 

Thanks.  I do body-building five to six days a week for over a hour and I eat very healthy.  Now if my legs were better I would also run, but I hope to in a month or so.

[red_Dragon888]

I have met a goal of fitting into my thin pants, also I am down to 165 pounds.  I am shocked and happy.  Unfortunately, I think I could lose some fat on my thighs, which I hope to turn into or replace with muscle. 

I am at that point where I am getting to look thin and it is again new to me.  I am eating regular meals and I do, as usual, exercise with weights.  It just that I hoped that there was more muscle on me than fat and now I see that I was mostly fat or mostly thin without the fat.  I am now approximately 30%  drop of weight since March from 230 lbs, which I think is just good.  I do not want to be a muscleman, although that would be nice for a minute, I just want to look fit and slim. 

I hope all of you are having good luck with your diets.  Take care and have a good day.

[red_Dragon888]

Well, it had started as a bad day but it ended up being a good day.  First off, some guy, let us call him A-Hole, gave me attitude at the gym.  I think he has an anger problem, probably needs medical attention or something, but I spent most of the day pissed off and dreaming of ways of kicking his butt.  He is bigger than I am physically, so I just ignored him and finished my workout.  I still hate his stupid butt.  

After that episode, I ended up at the GMHC in New York City, Manhattan, for I am taking computer class for the last couple of days so to get a good paying job.  They promise that it will be worth it and it is free.  I like free education for it give me a warm feeling inside.    While there, I rekindled some old friendships from art class and they were so surprise that I had lost 60 lbs in 90 days.  They remembered that I use to use a cane to get around but I also worked on getting my legs better by band aiding the legs, exercise and stretching.  

Now my legs are much improved and I maybe able to run someday.  That information I got from the internet under “pulled groin.”  Can you believe that my doctor wanted me to get hip surgery, even after she could see that I can walk properly without the cane?  Doctors, they have to be right especially when it cost them money.  To continue, even people I did not know well could tell that I lost weight and they said I had looked great.  My old friends hugged me and smiled a lot and I told them my method of losing weight.  

This was all unexpected and I am happy that they think I look better.  I do fear of the dreaded “wasting away disease,” for the last time I’d lost that much weight I look gaunt in the face, but I will keep tabs on the weight lost and make sure that I don’t go overboard.  That is my other fear, anorexia.  However, I do not have a distorted image of myself.  I just think that I will be skinnier than I have ever imagined.  Take care and good luck with your diet.

Yours truly,

Red_Dragon


p.s.  I amy end up being 140 lbs, but I may stay at 160 lbs.

[red_Dragon888]

Great news everyone for I have gotten under the 165 mark to 163 pounds,  My legs, stomack and chest still needs to lose some fat, but my face may lose fat and that I don't want to happen.   Funny how my face changes when it gets slimmer.  I still could lose two inches on the waist and bulid up some muscle actually everywhere.  I just love the fact that I can finally fit into my slim suits.  It like Christmas when that happens.  I hope you all are doing as well.  Take care and have a good day.

[red_Dragon888]

Bad news everyone.   The slim suit I use to fit on me is now too big. The jacket I float in as well as the pants. Dam I like that suit. It's a very nice, dressy grey suit. Yeah, I know it's really good news, but that was my favorite suits until I tried I float like a boat in it. It's like playing dress up as a kid with your fathers clothes. Sorry, I only tried on Mom's girdle and you know why?

I find it amazing that my skin is so elastic and is getting reshaped with very little sagging. My stomach stills needs work and I hope to see muscles by end of next month or thirty days. My thighs also could lose a couple of inches, which ideally I would like my waist to be 29" from 35" and my thighs 23" from 25". I am keeping to my diet mainly expect I drink beer with dinner.  I need the beer for relaxation from a "Hard Day of Work," and it's the only way I can be assured that I will sleep at night for I drink coffee during the day. You see I am highly sensitive to caffeine and if it wasn't for the beer, I would be up most of the night.  I just drink one 22 oz beer and stay up till 11 pm. Last night, to used up time, I just put things away, ironed shirts and put things in order best I could.  OMG, I'm a neat freak!!

I go to the Gay Pier, "Christopher Street Pier" in NYC where all types of people and characters go to bath under the sun.  I do allot of guy watching and imagine what I would look like if I was thin like the skinny guys.   They look nice and healthy but I will get there.  It is only a matter of time with good dieting and exercise.  Good luck with your pursuits, have a Happy dieting and have a great day.

yours,

(skinny)red_Dragon888

[red_Dragon888]

My legs are becoming less fatty around the thighs with a slight curve developing as the fat is reducing.  I am amazed with this and I feel like a high school experiment gone awry.  My body shape is changing weekly and what a difference.

BTW, did anyone see that actress Sara Rue weight lost on "Jenny Craig.'"  Last I heard she lost 50lbs and the change is noticeable and dramatic.  Was she ever that thin before or was she always heavy? Here's the website for Jenny Craig:  http://www.jennycraig.com/?dfa=1 

In addition, here are other people talking about their weight loss.  http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=weight+watchers+before+and+after&aq=1

[red_Dragon888]

The Incredible Shrinking Man Speaks.

I am getting used to this shape and I can go further.  My thighs are still fatty, as my back, waist and stomach and maybe by October end, I will see outlines of muscles.  God, a six pack on my bod “is a good thing." It's a miracle.  My legs still hurt from the pulled groin so running is not an option but one day I hope to do a marathon.   Maybe I will try for the New York Marathon.  What a dream come true that would be. 

Now my favorite clothes are my thin ones and I can see immediately if I can fit into them or not.  From looking at the waist length I can judge if it will be a tight fit or some what bit.  In addition, my old big clothes looks like clown clothes.  I float like a boat in them and they are now put away to be give to goodwill or the trash. 

I have just tried on my black, old (and I mean at least ten years), never been worn outside, looking new, Cain Klein jeans and they are a tight fit.  The jeans are a size 30 and I can wear them but I can wait till my waist losses another two inches.  After that, it maybe the only jeans I can wear for they are the smallest I own.  The rest are at least size 32.

I also have been shopping like mad for new dress shirts and casual jerseys and now I can fit in a size small, which is still big on me.  Oh, the problems of being thin.  I would like to rename my profile to "the incredible shrinking man," for every month I get thinner and thinner to the point that I may be look like a swimsuit model.  lol    

Good luck to all whom are also trying to reach a certain weight goal. 

Yours, red_Dragon888 

[red_Dragon888]

Something that might interests you...

NATAP: Veggies+Low Carb Diet Reduce Mortality, study reports

NATAP http://natap.org/
_______________________________________________

Low-Carb Diet is Better When Rich in Veggies
MedPage Today
Published: September 06, 2010
"low-carb diets with a higher intake of vegetables were associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.85, P≤0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.87, P<0.001)."
Action Points 
    * Point out that the editorialists who commented on this study caution that causality cannot be proven and that they note that given the current state of evidence, "no one can legitimately claim that a low-carbohydrate diet is either harmful or safe.

    * Point out that the editorialists also noted that "each of the reported hazard ratios are in the lower range of clinical importance."

Eating a low-carbohydrate diet in which more fat and protein sources come from plants than animals may be protective against death, researchers say.

In a pooled analysis, a higher-vegetable low-carbohydrate diet was associated with a 20% lower risk of death (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.85, P≤0.001), Teresa Fung, ScD, of Simmons College in Boston, and colleagues reported in the Sept. 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Conversely, a low-carb diet full of meat tended to be associated with a 23% increased risk of death, although the finding was of borderline significance (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.37, P=0.051).

"These results suggest that the health effects of a low-carbohydrate diet may depend on the type of protein and fat, and a diet that includes mostly vegetable sources of protein and fat is preferable to a diet with mostly animal sources of protein and fat," they wrote.

Low-carbohydrate diets have been claimed to promote weight loss and improve blood cholesterol levels. However, effects on blood lipid profiles for the diets have been mixed, and, in general, data on the long-term association between low-carb diets and mortality are sparse.

So the researchers looked at data from two prospective cohort studies: the Nurses Health Study and Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study.

There were a total of 85,168 women ages 34 to 59 and 44,548 men ages 40 to 75 without heart disease, cancer, or diabetes at baseline, with a total of 26 years of follow-up in women and 20 years in men.

Diet was assessed via food-frequency questionnaire.

By the end of the studies, there were a total of 12,555 deaths in women (including 2,458 cardiovascular-related deaths and 5,780 cancer-related deaths) and 8,678 deaths in men (including 2,746 cardiovascular-related deaths and 2,960 cancer-related deaths).


In a pooled analysis, the researchers found a modest increase in overall mortality for the general low-carb diet when comparing the most extreme deciles, although the finding wasn't statistically significant (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.24, P=0.136).


In further analyses, they found that low-carbohydrate diets with more meat tended to be associated with higher all-cause mortality, although significance was borderline (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.37, P=0.051).


There was also an association between the higher-meat diet and cardiovascular death (HR 1.14 95% CI 1.01 to 1.29, P=0.029).


The researchers said this is probably due to the established benefit of unsaturated fats, dietary fiber, micronutrients and other vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that meat-based diets may be lacking.

Cancer mortality risk also tended to be increased, albeit not significantly.

In contrast, low-carb diets with a higher intake of vegetables were associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.85, P≤0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.87, P<0.001).




The researchers noted that low-carbohydrate diets can vary in the amounts of plant or animal fat that is consumed, which may explain why this kind of diet has shown mixed results regarding lipid profiles.




The study was limited because diet and lifestyle characteristics were assessed with some degree of error, the researchers said.




In an accompanying editorial, William S. Yancy, Jr., MD, of Duke University, and colleagues expressed caution about the interpretation of this observational study.




In this study, even the upper limits of the confidence intervals are in the "lower range of clinical importance," they wrote, and it didn't show a "clear dose-response relationship in that there was not a clear progression of risk moving up or down the diet deciles."




They said the study "addresses a critical, unresolved public health question of diet but cannot satisfy us with a definitive answer," and called for a large-scale clinical trial "to provide a more definitive answer to the largest public health crisis in the U.S.: the effect of diet on obesity, chronic disease, and mortality."




"The current state of the evidence," they wrote, "is such that no one can legitimately claim that a low-carbohydrate diet is either harmful or safe with any degree of certainty until a large-scale, randomized study with meaningful clinical endpoints is done."




The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.




Neither the researchers nor the editorialists reported any conflicts of interest.




Primary source: Annals of Internal Medicine

Source reference:

Fung TT, et al "Low-carbohydrate diets and all-cause and cause-specific mortality" Ann Intern Med 2010; 153: 289-298.




Additional source: Annals of Internal Medicine

Source reference:

Yancy WS, et al "Animal, vegetable, or ... clinical trial?" Ann Intern Med 2010; 153: 337-339.

[red_Dragon888]

Correction: In my one of my post, it Calvin Klein not Cain Klein

Well, it has been 112 numbers of days, or approximately four months, and I am happy to report that my weight loss was a success, but I am also looking into the future that I must not rebound back to my former state.  

In truth, I was skeptical that it would work at all for I had assumed in the past that I was fat and I must get used to my heavy self.  I am glad that I had found a way to change that mind set and used a method to change my body from unfit to fit or from fat to slim.  

My legs can still be thinner for they look like they have ten pounds each of fat on them, which means that if I did lose twenty pounds, then I would weight 140lbs. (by my scale or 150 by the nutritionist scale)   That is within the danger zone of being anorexic looking.  My face is not shallow and I still have fluff on the stomach which I also want to lose.  However, my upper body looks great in the mirror.  By this I mean that my chest and shoulders has the appearance of being very muscular. “I’m too sexy for my cat…”  lol

Another point is that I am now wearing my slim clothes (small to medium shirts and 30 to 32 inch pants) and my old clothes prior to June 2nd 2010 are just too big to wear.  I wonder is this is how the “Biggest Losers” felt when they lost the weight and found the clothes no long are tight but way too loose?  

Like I mentioned before I had lost the weight a couple of times.  One was on Atkins diet, but I wasn’t taking medicine for HIV and my weight loss may have been a function of the disease for I was too thin and my face did look shallow after a while.  The other times was using unhealthy methods that did not last long while one method was starving the body by not eating.  

Now I know it is a matter of input/output, meaning burning what food one eats and making sure not to overeat otherwise weight gain will be the result.  However, for me eating sugary foods like cakes, ice creams, soda pops, or starches like potato chips, corn chips, rice and pasta leads to weight gain in the highest proportions.  (I eat too much of that stuff and it gives me a glucose high)  That and I a food addict, which means that I am addicted to sugar and starches and I can easily eat too much in one sitting without really trying.  

Fortunately, I am not hungry all the time and what I eat is very healthy, although I wish I could be less carnivorous and more vegetarian.   Maybe in one of my lives I was a Lion.   I had some high carbs now and then, but not in the quantity or as often like I use to.  Now if I have starches or sugar I can regulate the amount and cut them out if I observe weight gain.  I also eat them on rare occasions like having lunch with a friend, which is only once every two weeks to once a month.  

It is September, and maybe by January I will be at the shape and size I want.  I just have to keep on track and not get off it.  I hope those of you who are also trying to lose weight will have the same success.  You don’t have to follow my way of dieting but there are “Jenny Craigs,” and “Weight Watchers” which I hear have great success in helping people to lose weight.  
Good luck to you all and have a nice day.

Yours truly,

red_Dragon888

[red_Dragon888]

OMG!!! My scale is broken and I have to buy a new one for my weekly weight-in.  Not that much of an emergency really, but it is an inconvience. 

Llike I have mentioned before, my nutritionist scale marked me as 170lbs (you do the math for conversion to stones) and my scale marked me as 160lbs.  Now that my scale has gone bye bye, I must face the truth and say that I am now 170lbs. 

No matter, I am still very healthy and looking very good at present.  My only vice, sugar vice, to date is that I would have a spoon full of yogurt for breakfast and dinner.  However, it seems that I am latose intolerance and must give that up.  Oh what a silver lining that is.  lol...

Still it is amazing how much weight that was lost in the past 118 days and the results are very satisfying.  Now if I can fly around the world, have a million dollar home, meet new people and drive in my own Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati ...  Life would be grand indeed.  "I want to be a billionaire so freaking bad..."  But first things first.  Get the life together and then get to the rest. 

I hope others are having as good a time as I am.  Have fun and be safe...

red_Dragon888

[red_Dragon888]

Another amazing week of keeping to my diet has past while I still wait to lose the extra mass on my legs.  It must be shrinking slowly as the muscle is increasing for it has not lost an inch for weeks all the while workouts are done at least three to five times a week. The chest area is looking fantastic while the stomach area, although reduced, has sagging skin which hopefully will dissipate in a few months to leave a tight six pack. 

The current worry to date is the underwear is getting larger.  Never truly imagine that the Calvin’s are in need for a change due to oversize issues, but what can else is new.  They are a size small, but they had been stretched so it maybe about time for new ones.   Even my suits need tailoring so to fit closer and have a slim look.

By the way, the scale is broken but not due to wear and tear.  It seems that the body is too light and the scale just can not measure any weight under 165lbs. (74.8 kilo) Now the plan is to shop for a new scale.  Also, a full length mirror is on the list of things to buy.  Oh the tragedy of slimming down goes on and on.  

Now for the data:  On May, the weight lost equaled 18 lbs. (8.16 kilo), June equaled 22 lbs. (9.98 kilo), July equaled 13 lbs. (5.90 kilo), August equaled 18 lbs. (8.16 kilo), and September equaled 8 lbs. (3.63 kilo) as of today.  The waist size went from 42” (106.7 cm) to 33” (83.8 cm).  The total weight lost is 230 lbs. – 155 lbs. = 75 lbs. or 104.33 k – 70.31 kilo = 34.02 kilo, plus or minus 10 lbs. or 4.54 kilo since the home scale did not concur with the nutritionist’s scale.  The new weight goal has changed from 160 lbs. to 140 lbs. 

There were a few moments when there was a hunger for cake and bread, but the mind knows that if the body reverts back to old eating habits, it will revert back to the old size if not bigger. Not to go back to the old eating habits and size is the main concern; however, it was only a fleeting moment of weakness. Besides for breaks one can eat Atkins bars or drink which is very satisfying and only has 1 gram of sugar in each portion as compared to a regular candy bar which can have from 32 grams to 47 grams of sugar.

Now for some dish… The new news is that Jennifer Hudson has lost some pounds or kilos on Weight Watchers.  She looks fantastic and cheerful.  Here is the site: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/04/01/jennifer-hudson-weight-watchers-woman/

Even Mo'Nique, African American Comedian lost some lbs.  http://www.theinsider.com/news/2244469_Mo_Nique_Lost_40_lbs

The hope is that they are happier and healthier and that they can stay that way.

Well, it’s “back to the grind” of having fun.  Take care and stay healthy.

From your Friendly

red_Dragon888

[red_Dragon888]

Yesterday, talking with the nutritionist, she gave said that the body is within normal limits of age and weight category.  The body, as her BMI equipment recorded, weight/mass is 154 lbs. and the body weight at the time of measure was 175 lbs.  She also mention that the body now weight .3 % less than in it did in summer of 2007, so there was no huge difference except for the fact that the body did weight about 200 lbs. or gained 25 lbs. a few months later. 

Now the question is whether to stay at this weight or go lower.  She advised not to lose too much more but the legs and abdomen still could lose two more inches or the body could lose twenty more pounds.  The goal is to see ripples on the stomach and legs.  The upper part of the body looks great so that is not a problem. 

Soon, in a week or so, the main doctor will tell if the blood test is showing any abnormalities or are the results normal.  It was a very comprehensive test of nearly every test done for the ophthalmologist found white blood cells blobs between the iris and the lens. Apparently, the body my have been fighting off some kind of infection or the arthritis in the hip is effecting the eye tissue.  The eyes are not in bad condition, it just that a little flash of blurred light just to the outside of the eyes happens once in a while.  Besides that, everything looks good.  The ophthalmologist prescribed medication that has reduced the blob.

From the recorded data, the percentage lost goes like this.  The waist lost 23.43%, next the stomach lost 19.51 %, and the buttock and calf both lost approximately 20 % in size, with a total of 32.61 % lost in weight at 133 days.

Losing more weight or fat is not advised for the body needs some fat for emergencies; however, the current diet has stabilized for the last week and losing weight is not an issue.  The next goal is to gain muscle and lose the fat to have a slim muscular form. This goal may take another couple of months but there is neither hurry nor desire to look like a runway model as of yet.  It would be nice to have that shape.

The body is still addicted to sugar for when it tastes it, the body craves more to eat. Everything tastes better and then the appetite is increased ten fold.   Hence, avoiding sugar is important if this body is to stay on the diet to lose more weight.  Even sugar substitutes increase the palate.

Well, measurements are tomorrow.  Take care.

[red_Dragon888]

Salutations and good day.  There was no real difference in size and the scale is still unreliable, so it is presumed that the weight is the same.  Lately, there has been a great desire to eat more, with the cold coming in and all, but with will power and memory of what the body may look like if things get out of hand, there is no worry of losing control of the diet. 

Actually, it is not a diet but a new way of eating.  Now that my habits is set, I hope, this will be my main action in trying to stay slim and healthy.  I hope others are doing just as well. 

Take care and stay healthy.

Yours,
Spiderman...

Whoops... I mean red_Dragon888

[red_Dragon888]

A quick note, I had a dream that my body was disappearing and it didn't hurt, but I couldn't stop it.  It was kind of scary and not at the same time.  I was surprisingly calm in the dream but at the simultaneously trying to rationalize why I was dissolving into thin air.  After waking up I realize that dream was reflecting a reality that I am reaching a body type that I had never reach before. (and I mean ever reached before)  I am in the 10% body fat zone and my mind, soul and body is realizing this fact and is finding it hard to adjust.  In the mornings, just before I get up, I find myself feeling around my arms, stomach, chest, buttock and legs to find that the giant layer of fat that was once there is gone.  It is replace with skin and bone which is a funny feeling.  No ass, no belly, no thighs.  It is like being born again or having a new body all together.  Also, this is my lowest weight to date of, by my scale 150lbs., or most possibly 160 lbs. for the scale is off by 10 lbs.  In addition, I still have 10 lbs. to lose.  This Thursday I will see my doctor and get the results of my blood test which will tell if there is any abnormalities in the system.  I remember my Ex dying and losing a lot of weight before he died of testicle cancer and I am little afraid that is what is happening to me now, but it maybe unjustified fear.  Well, have a good day and be good or very very bad.


red_Dragon888

[red_Dragon888]

My Doctor's checkup on Thursday went well and my T-Cells and Viral load are in very good range and got the flu shot.  I made sure to ask the doc if losing this much weight so quickly is a problem, and she said "it good that you have lost the weight, just don't lose any more."  My reply was, "I don't think I can help that."  But I can and I have been snacking on protein bars with 1 gram of sugar so to keep me at 160 lbs for a few weeks.  

I still plan to work out at the gym and start swimming to build and tone muscles.  The Docs scale that day read 163 lbs. and the one I have at home read 150 lbs.  (I wont buy a new scale, so I will just add 10 lbs to the data record.)  The goal is still to have a six pack by summer and model for Calvin Klein.  Well, at least the first one is reachable for now.  The muscles are tight but I see no ripples yet.  I may have to get down to 150 lbs to see definition and that is uncharted territory for me.  I don't think I weight that much at birth, (percentage Wise) which would mean near 2 % fat.   But I want to get the ripples and strengthen the legs.  Wish me luck.
  
While at the doctors I got the weight info from each visit.  Here they are:

Encounter Weight time 01/18/07   173   10:23 AM 04/04/08   192   9:08 AM 07/21/08   215   9:48 AM 11/05/08   222   12:52 PM 01/22/09   218   9:47 AM 02/19/09   217   8:58 AM 03/25/09   217   5:52 AM 05/04/09   210   11:24 AM 05/07/09   210   9:27 AM 08/20/09   213   10:23 AM 12/10/09   228   8:52 AM 03/25/10   223   8:54 AM 07/08/10   190   10:06 AM 10/07/10   163   11:00 AM

The most I had gain was 50 lbs at a weight of 228 lbs. and since then I have gone under my lowest weight since 2007.  I am so glad they kept my weight record.  Now I can see the progression of the ups and downs of my old diet or eating habits.

Well, have a great week end and be good or be very very bad...

red_Dragon888 or is that 666...  

[Hellraiser]

If you hit 2% body fat you better be working out like crazy or you're just gonna look like an escapee from Auschwitz.

[Grinch]

I wasn't going to post in this thread again because you seem determined to ignore those with training and knowledge about the subject, including your own MD, however I'll give you this little tidbit.

You seem to get the concept of calories in vs calories out, now you are discussing adding muscle. 
Adding muscle means you must increase calories.  Professional body builders use a cut / bulk phased approach. This means cutting down weight and fat by reducing calories and continuing resistance training, too much calorie deficit has the unwanted effect of losing muscle. Thus we lose at ~ 2 lbs per week. 
Once body fat has dropped a bulk phase begins.  This includes increasing calories to a surplus while dramatically increasing resistance training.
Protein intake becomes key here.

2% body fat is frankly an absurd goal for someone not trying to compete in body building.  Even then professional BB's cut to that level only during the week preceding a contest.

It sounds like you have achieved what BB's and fitness models refer to as skinny fat. The simple solution to this is increased caloric intake with a good nutritional macro, limited cardio, and a good resistance training program that includes leg workouts like squats, core work such as dead lifting, and upper body work.  Don't be that guy that does 12 types of curls and 4 types of bench press while ignoring the rest.

That elusive 6 pack will show up along with lats and obliques to give a good tapered appearance.

[red_Dragon888]

I wasn't going to post in this thread again because you seem determined to ignore those with training and knowledge about the subject, including your own MD, however I'll give you this little tidbit.

You seem to get the concept of calories in vs calories out, now you are discussing adding muscle. 
Adding muscle means you must increase calories.  Professional body builders use a cut / bulk phased approach. This means cutting down weight and fat by reducing calories and continuing resistance training, too much calorie deficit has the unwanted effect of losing muscle. Thus we lose at ~ 2 lbs per week. 
Once body fat has dropped a bulk phase begins.  This includes increasing calories to a surplus while dramatically increasing resistance training.
Protein intake becomes key here.

2% body fat is frankly an absurd goal for someone not trying to compete in body building.  Even then professional BB's cut to that level only during the week preceding a contest.

It sounds like you have achieved what BB's and fitness models refer to as skinny fat. The simple solution to this is increased caloric intake with a good nutritional macro, limited cardio, and a good resistance training program that includes leg workouts like squats, core work such as dead lifting, and upper body work.  Don't be that guy that does 12 types of curls and 4 types of bench press while ignoring the rest.

That elusive 6 pack will show up along with lats and obliques to give a good tapered appearance.

Thanks for the reply.  Actually, I was just thinking off the top of my head and overlooked that my nutritionist list my “desired weight’ as 154 lbs. and I mistook that as body weight without fat.  So, in my mind, I guess getting to the “desired weight” is like being super thin, while in fact it is probably just a healthy weight for my body.  Sorry for the mix up. 

I do not get the point that I did not listen to my doctor, unless you mean when she said not to lose anymore weight.  It is just that I can pinch an inch on my stomach and my legs and I would like to see definition.  My meals have been mostly meat and veggies like chicken, steak, pork, cucumbers, cheese, eggs, fish and tofu literally.  In very healthy portions so not to feel hungry between meals.  Also, I have added the protein bars when cooking is not convenient or I just feel hungry and want a quick fix. 

As for work outs, I follow a “whole body” approach when weight training.  On Monday’s and Thursday’s I do three sets of chest, arms and shoulders weight training exercises, and on Tuesday’s and Friday’s three sets of weight training exercises for the back and legs.  I try to do the core or mid-section like crunches and stretching everyday.  My legs are the weakest because of the pulled groin or the arthritis but I hope in time they will become strong and flexible again. Hell, before I had lost the weight I was a hunched back old man with a cane.  Now I am slimmer younger man walking tall hoping to continue on this path.

It seemed so hard, back then, trying to lose the weight and eat healthy, but now it seems easy almost effortless.   I still marvel that I can spread my hand over my stomach and not feel the bulge that use to be there.  But here I am counting me blessing and that is not always a good thing, or is it?  I am just glad to be finally “Healthy, Wealthy and Wise.” 

Sorry again for the mix up in thought and terminology but I defer to the experts to correct me when I am wrong. 

Take care and be good.

[red_Dragon888]

Good morning and salutations.    It has been another glorious week and my body has stabilized for the time being.  I am still on a somewhat Atkins diet, but I have to admit that I had cheated or took a break, whichever you deem best describe the situations, and had Gordon’s breaded shrimp and fish for dinner.  I had finished the packaged by next day.  But I am allowed to skip the diet once in a while, just as long as I monitor my weight and don’t go over board. 

I am still touching myself, not in that way silly, in the mornings and it still amazes me that I am so thin.  Again, I feel ribs and stomach and thinner thighs and even my face is thin.  Is this a dream or am I in someone else’s body.  If it is a dream, I don’t want to wake up. 

This Monday, the Nutritionist will run the BMI test to check to see if there have been any changes since the last time, which there has been at least a loss of approximately ten pounds since the last visit.  That would have been 175 lbs. and now I am according to the gym scale, 163 lbs.  So on sometime during next week, I will let you know the results of her test.

Well, on impulse and great desire, I brought an Inversion Table to help with the blood circulation in the hip area.  What I do is hang upside down for a minute each day and try to loosen the joints all over the body.  I also started pounding the painful areas of the hip with my fist while walking for this seems to alleviate the pain which is almost unbearable at times.  Now it, the hip pain, is going away and I can walk longer distances.  I plan to walk for at least an hour today to see if the hip area can take the stress.  Then I plan to start running again.  Imagine, my doctor and the sport doctor want me to have hip surgery, but I said, “Sorry Sha Nai Nai, I ain’t getting any more surgeries to this lifetime.”   They can go to hell, especially when I saw on YouTube a surgeon cutting up a patient’s joints like chicken parts.  They must be “FUCKING CRAZY” to think that I would let them do that to me. 

Associates that I meet tell me that it is not a problem…and they had it or their friends had it done so what’s the big deal?  The Big deal is if there is a way to keep my body healthy while at the same time avoiding surgery, much less medication, Hell yeah I will take that approach before anything else. 

The goal is the same or different, to get down to 154 lbs. to have a bitching bod.  I already got guys looking at me, but I ain’t in no hurry to “hook-up” with anyone.  Let me get the high paying job, the mansion along the riverside, the Mercedes, the Benz, the Jag and the Lombardi in the garage and then we can talk or a Thousand Years of Solitude.  Which ever comes first. 

Take care and I hope you are reaching your health goals.

As always, until we meet again.

red_Dragon888

[Assurbanipal]

I'm really enjoying this thread and your posts.  You sound so happy and as if you feel an unexpected (?) sense of control.

Congratulations.  Keep it up.

A

[red_Dragon888]

I'm really enjoying this thread and your posts.  You sound so happy and as if you feel an unexpected (?) sense of control.

Congratulations.  Keep it up.

A

Thanks

[red_Dragon888]

Well, let's start with a Good Morning and Greetings to all. 

Yesterday, me weighting in at 160 lbs., my Nutritionist has given me the low down on my diet and said that if I go down to 154.00 lbs. that would be perfect for my body type.  She did add that I already look great right now (like I don't already know), and asked “How much more weight do you want to lose?”  Where I had replied, “I want to see the ripples on my stomach, and then I will be happy, but no big deal.  I am great the way I am right now.”   She smiled, I smiled and she was happy that I am not going crazy to lose the weight gun-ho style.  She did warn that the Atkins protein bars, which are my snacks, are mostly chemicals and that I should eat more fruit and veggies, which I am happy to comply with. 

I must admit, I feel my eating habits resemble the old space-age commercials where in the future, people will be eating bars of food.   Of course it was the chemical companies’ great vision to get us off the food from the ground to the food they conjured up in their labs.  Those Atkins bar has become my secret desire (obsession really) and hell I get them cheap, but I should eat a bowl of oatmeal with walnuts or apple slices once in a while.  I did eat a persimmon fruit Sunday and it wasn’t dreadfully sweet, which I like, and it tasted good.  Anyhow, I think those bars give me bad gas which is definitely not on the list of things I want in my life right now. 

A friend of mine told me of her thin boyfriend problem of being thin, in that he hates it, but I have become a thin person and it is a whole new world for me.  I still have problems finding or remembering where in the heck is my “center of gravity,” for way back when, it was located by my knees.  I had no problem standing still on the train or bus in the post diet days.  Now it seems that it has shifted around the waist, and I find myself falling to the wayside because I have to re-remember to balance myself.  Oh, the agony of not being firmly planted on the earth. 

Anywho, yesterday was my second five minutes walk/run on the treadmill.  This is a grand thing for usually my hips would use to scream in horrid pain at the thought of such an action, much less actually go through it.  Now, with the exercises, lost in weight, and stretching, I have confidence that I may one day run around the park, which is approximately four miles, while laughing at all the doctors suggestion that I need my hips replace.   HELL FUCKING NO BITCHES!!!   

There is a good book entitled, “Heal your Hips,” ISBN 0-471-24997-1, that’s has good ideas on how to keep the hips healthy.  It is not very long, good pictures, and may be helpful for those who hips are painful. 

To add, I guess I could have lost the weight through the “Jenny Craig” or “Weight Watchers,” but it all the same to me.  The only difference is that in the Atkins diet, I went cold turkey to give up the sweets for I feel I am also a “sugar addict.”  To eat the sugary stuff again is a risk in going insane for the sweets and I must stay steadfast in not falling back into bad eating habits. 

Besides, I got the book from the library and merely read it and followed it suggestions.  Although, I was tempted to go on that “meals delivery” diet thing or system where some company prepares a day’s meals for you and all you have to do is pick up, warm up and eat, but I love to cook for myself, minus the protein bars, and money is tight anyway. 

Hope this been helpful and to Assurbanipal, I do feel like it is a whole new experience for me because I have been heavy ever since I could remember.  My parents had a thing for me to be fat (since they lost my sister through illness...  Tears to Beverly)  ....., and I guess they figured that a fat child was a healthy child.  Yes, there were times when I dropped down to this current weight, but it was through bad dieting or maybe sickness.  Now I feel more confident and empowered that I can stay at my current weight and not fear that somehow I well revert to bad habits and put on the pounds again. 

I have been eyeing a Halloween’s cupcake, but nowadays, sweets seem too sweet.  I will just have to bob for a naked man or an apple for the holiday and make due with that.

I don’t know.  Me thinks Bobbing for a Hot looking Naked Man in a pool of sparkling water, champagne no less, on Halloween should be an everyday occasion and a festive thing to do during the holidays. 

Cheers and a great day to all.

red_dragon888


 

[red_Dragon888]

Day 155

Good morning and greetings to all. 

Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of York;
And all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

In a way, this is the “winter of my discontent,” for I am allowing myself to eat bread once again.  I am at that stage of Atkins diet where I am introducing foods that I once felt were bad for me, but since I have lost the weight, maybe relearning how to eat proper potions of these foods would be a great idea.  As for the bread, I plan to eat about a half a slice to slice a day with butter (no trans fats) and only in the mornings where my energy expenditures are the neediest and the greatest.

I had already eaten an orange yesterday evening in hope to stabilize the weight and have new sources of nutrients other than vitamins and protein bars.  In addition, I have my coffee with sugar for lunch only instead of the sugar substitute like I usually do.   I was also testing to see if I would go crazy for sugar again and fall back into bad habits.  At this point it is all baby steps for now.  I do not plan to have cake or ice cream for a long time but I may have one half a cup cake just to be festive.  To tell the truth, I went out to lunch with a friend a couple or weeks ago and afterwards, we stopped at a Coffee Shoppe and had coffee and we shared a pumpkin cup cake and the world did not go in a tail spin.

It is amazing to me that I have to consciously think this way because before, I would eat and eat and eat and think the body or appetite knows best.  I guess this diet has given me something I did not have before which is discipline and the ability to control my weight lost or gain.  I am glad of that at least for my plan now is to stay around 160 lbs. or if possible, 155 lbs. for I look great at this point. 

Funny, I met a new friend at the GMHC (Gay Men Health Center) and he was afraid of the dreaded “wasting away” syndrome.  I told him, for reassurance, that it does happen but not to everyone and that he should not worry about it.  That was my biggest fear when I had started losing weight so to be heavy at the time was far more desirable that to be way too thin. Also, in my mind, thinnest means close to death, this does not help one mental state when one is trying to lose the weight.  Either way, I have proven to myself that I can be at this wanted weight and not die as a result. I guess I got HIV on the mind. 

Well, I have gained an inch on the waist and stomach but I am not panicking yet.  Winter is coming after all and a little fat is useful as an added blanket of warmth.  I have been in winter and too thin and it ain’t fun.  I remember freezing in a train car with no heating and my coat was just not enough, but I will be sure to wear long johns this season. 

I also realize that I won’t get that six pack, which is alright, but I will fit into my slim clothes which I am happy with.  I could get the six pack if I lost the water weight, but I want me water weight for it is what keeps me alive. 

So another glorious week went by and I am still within my normal limits of weight.  All the better I say and I hope you are having a glorious week also.  Ta for now.

red_Dragon888

[red_Dragon888]

Good morning again and salutations on this first day of the rest of your life.  I must say that I am so glad today for it is getting deep into fall suddenly and this is usually the time I quite working out.  Maybe there is something in the water, or the air or the blinking stars are in perfect freaking alignment for me.  Whatever it is, I am taking full advantage of it for I look great, feel great and want to continue being happy.

Now back to my body’s activity, now I am more off the Atkins diet than before.  As a matter for fact, last night I had two cookies and my body did not explode, the world did not go into a tail spin, and more importantly, my sugar addiction did not phase me one bit.  It was as if this was how it was suppose to be.  I can eat as long as I don’t over eat or over do it, I can keep my swimmer body shape.  Who knew that at this point of the adventure, I would feel so confident about staying slim and being happy.  Funny, but even though my body has changed, I still feel the same.  I know that I heard this before, but I thought I would be some kind of inner change.  The only change I have was less fat and an appreciation of   how important it is to maintain a positive attitude on life, the universe and everything.  Sorry, I went off track and was thinking or the meaning of life at the same time I was thinking how happy I am to be happy.  Either way, my body did lose a little on the stomach and the thigh I am happy to say.  Everything else stayed the same which is great.  No six pack, but like I had mention before, I could get but why hurt my body at this point.  If I can maintain this shape for another nine months or till summer, I won’t be unhappy.  Hell, if possible, I will go to Florida, Miami of course, for the winter and sun bath nude while watching the hot guys in the area.  Life is grand indeed. 

That’s it for now and I hope you all are also making the best out of your lives and smelling the roses whenever you get the chance.  Life is too short to be unhappy not to try to enjoy it.  Take care, all my love and best wishes.

red_Dragon888
You have the Power.

[red_Dragon888]

This is an early edition but I had to let you all know that since I kind of started eating fruits, breads, cakes, cookies again, I found that I was ever so slowly gaining weight in size really.  Now i am resolved to the idea that I must stay on the Atkins Diet and realize that my body easily turns carbs to fat and I had almost conviced myself that it was not a problem. Luckily I stopped myself in time.

Have a good day.

Red

[Hellraiser]

This is an early edition but I had to let you all know that since I kind of started eating fruits, breads, cakes, cookies again, I found that I was ever so slowly gaining weight in size really.  Now i am resolved to the idea that I must stay on the Atkins Diet and realize that my body easily turns carbs to fat and I had almost conviced myself that it was not a problem. Luckily I stopped myself in time.

Have a good day.

Red

If you swap to a more appropriate diet involving everything, but build muscle which will in turn increase your caloric needs daily you will be able to broaden your diet to include some of the things you enjoy eating, but in moderation.

[red_Dragon888]

If you swap to a more appropriate diet involving everything, but build muscle which will in turn increase your caloric needs daily you will be able to broaden your diet to include some of the things you enjoy eating, but in moderation.

You, others and I would normally think so, but that is not the way my body operates.

[red_Dragon888]

If I eat a little, it will lead to eating a lot.  Always has been, and always will be.







mod. to add last sentence.

[red_Dragon888]

Hi all and I hoe you are having a good day.  

Well, my weight has stabilized to 158 lbs. for the past couple of days and before that it was around 155 lbs., but I have hopes to drop down to 154 lbs.  I still work out to five times a week, with a running routine on a running machine for aerobic exercise.  Today I used the, well I do not know what the call it but it is an exercise machine that you stand on it and peddle like a bicycle without sitting down.  At times I was at a speed of 14 mph  so I worked out for half an hour and went to the weight room to work on the back and legs muscles today.  
My new discovery for today is that I feel that caffeine is the reason for my severe fatigue.  I am taking Navigil, a fatigue fighter as part of a study, but yesterday I quit both the Navigil and caffeine and so far today I am feeling less stressed and less anxious which is good.  It may turn out that my fatigue was a caffeine addiction and withdrawal problem, for I would drink coffee during the day but not after one in the afternoon and that is when my fatigue would trouble me the most.

I still feel that the introduction of the old foods, (cakes, cookies, pies, ice creams, etc.) into my diet would just lead to the old bad habits of over eating and that is not on the program.  Thanks Giving, Christmas, New Years, birthday and the Fourth of July is my only exceptions.  I have not gotten that six-pack stomach but I am getting use to the new me.  I tell you I just never thought I would feel my own ribs on me ever.  (the only ribs I ever felt were barbequed or on some other guys body) I thought that was the way I was built, back then, and that was that.  Now that I can feel chest muscles, stomach muscles, ribs, a smaller ass and thinner legs, it is like I am in someone else’s body except it is my body.  I do feel the same but I feel different body shape wise.  I guess I have to give myself some time to get used to the new me and not fall into the habit of over eating.  

That is another point I want to make which is I can’t let myself get fat again for it was not easy to get in the mind set of the Atkins Diet and it took years to get really ready to stop the sugars, the starches and the other carbohydrates.  I know that there are those who feel that the Atkins diet is problematic and not good but I feel that as long as I eat right, take my vitamins and stay away from high carbohydrates, I will be fine.  I would consider becoming a vegetarian but that diet is basically high carbohydrates, but I could make it more like an Atkins diet, but I can’t see myself as a vegetarian yet.  

Well let me tell you of my meals.  For breakfast I usually have chicken thigh or leg with a salad, although today I had a tofu salad because I ran out of chicken.  For lunch I had fish, tuna or salmon salad and green beans.  Lastly, for dinner I had for the last few days’ pork chops or chicken thigh or leg with sautéed garlic and onions and a salad.  I mean to imply that I am eating well and not starving myself except I am starving myself from high carbohydrates.  My only vice is Atkins protein bars and something called Think Tnin protein bars which for the Atkins bar it has eight grams of protein,  two grams of sugar and three grams of net carbohydrates, while the Think Thin bar has zero grams of sugar and 20 grams of protein.  Of course they both have artificial sweetening and chemicals like any other candy bar but it a vice I can live with.  There is no guilt when I am hungry and snack on a protein bar that will not add pounds to my body for I eat about four a day.  

I am also being careful about my cholesterol intake and that is why I am giving up red meats on the week days, but if there is no change in my next medical report then I will give up red meat entirely.  

Well, that is my report and I hope you all enjoyed it.  I also hope that if you are on some kind of diet that you are working with your doctors to make sure that you are not hurting your body and that your T-cells are up and that your viral load is down.  Have a great an Spectacular Spiderman weekend.  

Love,

red_Dragon888

[red_Dragon888]

This is a special note that I have stopped taking Navigil and caffeine since Friday for I have adjusted to the daily routine without needing to feel super charged all the time.  The coffee makes me a "go getter" but I get a severe sugar low and then I feel physically depressed.  The Navigil also makes me feel super but I don't need to feel that super.  What I am trying to do is just feel normal with some down time that feels just good during the day.  I guess before I would want to feel charged up all day long even into the night, but I have forgotten that I also need to let my body feel tired when it is tired.  I guess in the back of my head, when I started Atripla, I thought that it was taking all my energy from me an that I was more tired that usual.  That still maybe true, but I have to fine a balance of my normal highs and lows during the day and not create artificial ones.  Well, that all. 

Take care,

red_Dragon***  ---  Dragon Heart, Dragon Spirit and Dragon Soul

[red_Dragon888]

Well, good morning and salutations to all, and I must say that I am feeling very good about my situation for I am more proactive than I ever been in my life.  I should write a book on how to live life to the fullest and not be bogged down with the negative side of things. 

My weight is stable at 158 lbs., my blood pressure is 110/80, I am eating right and I am trying to work out at the gym five times a week for I really need to maintain my muscle strength and tone.  I also need to stretch my legs for since I have flare ups of arthritis in my hips, they have gotten tighter and need to get them back to some state where I can walk and run better.  Now I can run up a flight of stairs with no pain.  So far, I have found that if I use the weights to stretch, I get more flexible.  The problem is I need to do it most of the week and I guess this week will be the beginning week for that. 

I have decided to cheat a little once a month with a treat, but I will not go as far as once a week.  That would upset the balance I already have and I need to keep trim and fit.  I have also been able to use the treadmill to walk/run half and hour a day for five days a week.  I love to get a good sweat in just before the weight training.   I would still like to lose the extra fat on the legs but I am not in any hurry to get down to 154 lbs.  As long as I am eating right, exercising and keeping a positive mental attitude, I feel that things will come to me in time.  It is like that saying, “I am having my cake and eating it too.”

I am also taking K-PAX, which is a protein and vitamin supplement for nutrition.  It has sugar in, 9 grams in two scoops, it but I will let that go until it becomes a problem as in sudden weight gain.   Well, have a good day and stay healthy.

yours,

red_Dragon888