Random Thoughts 3: A Little Bit of This, and a Little Bit of That...

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I'm actually investing in some containers and bullion cubes soon. Going to make soup in bulk and freeze it.

just.. why? buy some onions, carrots, taters and root vegetables and put them in water. it's that easy. bullion is littered with salt/msg/stabilizers and loads of other things your body doesn't care for. I'm all for making stock in bulk, I literally collect vegetable trimmings, leftovers, skins and all that good stuff in ziplock bags instead of throwing it out, and after a week or two it's enough to make a pot of stock for free. only requirement is you eating a lot of fresh produce.
 
@Synsensa

Right now I'm really trying to lose weight, because I was in hospital for 12 days and gained a lot of it due to "sleep/lay in bed 14+ hours, drink pills, read books" regime. I'm at 36 inch waist and have to get back to 32 inch waist at least.

I'm surprised that you don't mention what excercises and physical activities you are doing.

I'm fasting right now and the things that help:

a) Drinking water/ tea a lot
b) No sugars except a tiny amount in mornings when I need energy to study
c) Walk home from job/University each day, that's like 2 miles per day of walking minimum
d) While doing stuff at home, do some sit ups every hour
 
Reducing the amount of calories eaten is a good start, but (like @Ryika hinted) losing weight happens most effectively if the amount of calories burnt can be increased as well.

I know you're not in great shape medically, but how mobile are you? Because if you could manage it, setting aside 5-10 minutes (ideally 2-3 times a day) for some gentle physical activity, would also likely be useful. Doesn't really matter what kind of exercise you do, although it would be best to choose something that you think you'd be able to stick at.

I mean, I'm not suggesting you take up jogging or high-intensity aerobics or anything similarly sweaty :cringe: :ack: — but even something as simple as going for a short walk, maybe just around your building, or around your block, would provide some benefit. Or if joint-pains/impacts are an issue (or it's raining again!), maybe something even lower-impact than that (and indoors), like yoga/ Pilates/ t'ai chi (there's plenty of workout videos available on YouTube), or some time on the lowest resistance setting of an exercise-bike or rowing-machine (if you already have one).

(Swimming is also great exercise for people with limited mobility — and being immersed in cool water stimulates the body to mobilise/burn additional calories for warmth — but obviously requires someone to have the ability/ time/ funds/ inclination to get to a pool in the first place.)

Don't get me wrong, exercise is probably one of the best things you can do for your overall health and you should totally do it if you can. It just sucks as a weight loss strategy.

Doing high intensity cardio I can burn ~500 calories in half an hour. And by high intensity I mean my clothes are drenched in sweat, I can barely talk I am breathing so hard, omg I have to lie down right now kind of high intensity. On the other hand eating 500 calories is basically 1 largish chocolate chip cookie which I can eat in a minute while watching TV in my underwear.
 
I used to burn two or three thousand calories a night at swim practice. Man, those were the days. Was looking at some pictures of me from back then last week, it made me all wistful.
 
I never had to deal with having to lose a great amount of weight, so I can't really say I know the process, but it seems to me that using weight goals as milestones isn't really that useful. After all, while losing weight is the goal, saying that "I want to have lost this amount of weight at this date." does not dictate behavior. I've had quite a bit of success with setting goals that actually directly address behavior. I guess in terms of diet that would probably things like eating healthy meals X amount of time within a week, or exercising X amount of times a week, or maybe just upholding a regular eating pattern. Or maybe those are just stereotypes, but you probably know what I mean.

Maybe even smaller things like "Don't do other things while eating"/"Eat Slowly"/"Drink 2 glasses of water during a meal"? Don't even know whether those work in real life, that's stuff my mother always told me when I was a child. :D

But anyway, milestones should address the behavior that you need to change to achieve the goal.

I've been there. all your advice is sound and solid, to that I would add:

1) massively decreasing portion size, plate size, even using tiny cutlery. has a huge psychological effect. you are way less likely to eat three small servings than one big serving, even if it is the same amount of food.
2) focus on food that has very low calorie density but fills your stomach up easily. salads are not good for losing weight, imo. vegetables high in fiber are where it's at.
3) identify carbohydrates and eliminate them from your diet systematically. not all of them, but especially the refined ones like white bread, white rice et cetera
4) there are, in fact, cheats. they're called complex carbohydrates. I know most people hate healthy cereal, but they literally clog you for hours when you eat them for breakfast. there are also other cheats like flaxseed and similiar items. they increase massively in size after being eaten and give you a feeling of being full even if you are way below your daily calory threshhold.

with this strategy I've managed to lose ~80 pounds in a few months, with zero side effects. No skin flaps, almost no muscle loss (another thing that sucks about losing weight.. if you're doing it wrong) and most of my cravings went away, too.

but, really, the most fundamental thing about losing weight is that it ******** sucks. it's suffering. breaking any habit is suffering, but losing weight/changing ones diet even more so. if you're not mentally prepared to feel like **** for a few days/weeks then don't bother. changing ones diet is perhaps one of the most significant lifestyle changes and will completely alter the way you feel, sleep, act, think.. we sometimes forget what dramatic effects poor or exceptional nutrition has on human beings.

Don't get me wrong, exercise is probably one of the best things you can do for your overall health and you should totally do it if you can. It just sucks as a weight loss strategy.

Doing high intensity cardio I can burn ~500 calories in half an hour. And by high intensity I mean my clothes are drenched in sweat, I can barely talk I am breathing so hard, omg I have to lie down right now kind of high intensity. On the other hand eating 500 calories is basically 1 largish chocolate chip cookie which I can eat in a minute while watching TV in my underwear.

This is true. Exercising is important for your health, it's sucky as a weight loss strategy. It helps with losing weight, though and should be done alongside a proper diet revamp. In the end though, losing weight comes down to (not literally) starving yourself, depraving yourself. Eating significantly less calories than you're used to will make you feel as if you are lacking.
 
I know you're not in great shape medically, but how mobile are you? Because if you could manage it, setting aside 5-10 minutes (ideally 2-3 times a day) for some gentle physical activity, would also likely be useful. Doesn't really matter what kind of exercise you do, although it would be best to choose something that you think you'd be able to stick at.

I mean, I'm not suggesting you take up jogging or high-intensity aerobics or anything similarly sweaty :cringe: :ack: — but even something as simple as going for a short walk, maybe just around your building, or around your block, would provide some benefit. Or if joint-pains/impacts are an issue (or it's raining again!), maybe something even lower-impact than that (and indoors), like yoga/ Pilates/ t'ai chi (there's plenty of workout videos available on YouTube), or some time on the lowest resistance setting of an exercise-bike or rowing-machine (if you already have one).

It's pretty trash right now. For a long time I was put on a GET (Gradual Exercise Therapy) regimen but it became more and more difficult instead of easier. At this stage I am not 100% certain where my max limit lays in comparison to what I'm physically fit enough to do, and in comparison to my weight. I'm at least confident that my weight didn't make me worse in that regard (I reached this level of mobility issues before the weight gain), but I'm very aware that it's an obstacle in doing anything about it.

Between 2014 and 2016 I went on a daily 40-50 minute walk that had an incline portion. This became more difficult as time went on, eventually getting to the point that I had to cut out the incline portion and then from there to reducing the length of time. It used to be that I could (reasonably) head outdoors for a couple hours and I wouldn't be in bad shape by the time I got home. Nowadays, the moment I step outdoors it's a ticking time bomb on when it'll start having long-term impacts. My walks now are absurdly short at 10 to 15 minutes; this limit prevents long-term effects. Usually any type of outing to, say, the doctor will result in me ending up in bed several hours earlier that day and I'll also likely feel worse for a couple days afterwards.

Eventually they released a study that GET is actually kind of bad for you for people like me. Instead it's recommended that you find a type of exercise that you're more "comfortable" with and then focus on that instead of adhering to a general physical fitness program. Problem here is that I don't know what that entails and the discovery process is very expensive. I got an exercise bike for my birthday in anticipation of this process and also because the summer usually traps me indoors (my heat comfort is at around 12 C with the sun shining, so the 30+ C months are... unenjoyable).

The results of that have not been great, I don't think. I max out at a mile (which is better than what I can do on foot) and I don't have any long-term impacts if I do it slow enough that I complete it in over 8 minutes. But that's not a great speed and it also didn't get easier. My innate frustration and impatience spurred me on to try and get faster and I did reach a 4-minute mile a couple times but this resulted in some pretty bad knee pain and a body that was very unhappy with the ordeal for five days afterwards. Since then I've been sticking to half-mile cycles but I don't have anything to show for it after three months.

I'm considering a switch over to stretches and self-body exercises (like squats). Or, well, I was back in late July. Then August happened and knocked me on my butt for a few weeks. :lol: My squat limit is outrageously low at something like 3 squats per day, largely because of my left knee. But I did notice that doing squats reduced the pain in the long-term, so even if I don't switch it may be worth incorporating squats anyways since there's a noticeable positive impact (something I can't say for honestly most of the things I try).

Huh. This was a long reply. Sorry.

(Swimming is also great exercise for people with limited mobility — and being immersed in cool water stimulates the body to mobilise/burn additional calories for warmth — but obviously requires someone to have the ability/ time/ funds/ inclination to get to a pool in the first place.)

I would love to go swimming. Per the recommendation above, I hold a belief that it would be the best chance of finding an exercise that I would enjoy. I adored swimming when I was younger. I could swim for hours by myself contently. But as you mention, the overhead in swimming is pretty extensive. There is a pool somewhat close to me but it's very crowded (it's the one they used in the Olympics, I believe) and from what I can tell there are no disability groups in the city that rent out portions of a pool for people who don't want to, or can't, deal with flailing limbs and hundreds of splashing bodies in close proximity. I'm not really sure what's going to happen on this front but it is a vague goal for the future.

just.. why? buy some onions, carrots, taters and root vegetables and put them in water. it's that easy. bullion is littered with salt/msg/stabilizers and loads of other things your body doesn't care for. I'm all for making stock in bulk, I literally collect vegetable trimmings, leftovers, skins and all that good stuff in ziplock bags instead of throwing it out, and after a week or two it's enough to make a pot of stock for free. only requirement is you eating a lot of fresh produce.

That requirement is something I can't do and I'm on a high sodium diet anyways. :dunno:
 
Cook pasta twice. For some reason, that inhibits the release of fats within the pasta.
 
For the absolute first time in my life I am starting to think about weightloss. My main problem has always been gaining weight, not losing it. But over the last few years some of my trousers have done a bit of "shrinking" in the waist line and there's a potential for some belly-fat accumulation going on. I've heard rumours that these things happen when you start your thirties but I didn't think much of it. I'll need to start to become more aware of daily calorie intake and stuff. Now I'm still a lean fecker but the trend is clear, overall body fat percentage is slowly on the rise. I do work out when I've got the energy but it's not nearly enough to warrant a very high calorie consumption. Luckily I love healthy foods but I also love snacking (mmmh.. snaaaacks..) and I'll need to seriously start to think about cutting back on the latter.

edit: also this was written as I had a cup of coffee and a chocolate bar. lol?
 
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As they say, middle age is when your broad mind and narrow waist swap places.
 
This reminds me again that I actually need to check if my suit still fits me.
Gained like 10 kg since I bought it, but no clue how they distribute over my body.

Doing high intensity cardio I can burn ~500 calories in half an hour. And by high intensity I mean my clothes are drenched in sweat, I can barely talk I am breathing so hard, omg I have to lie down right now kind of high intensity. On the other hand eating 500 calories is basically 1 largish chocolate chip cookie which I can eat in a minute while watching TV in my underwear.

Yeah, these calculations are always really depressing :(.
 
You practically made my day.
Yes, this, a thousand times this. There's plenty of evidence linking obesity to diets high in (refined) sugar, never mind what it does to your teeth.

(I know you'll disagree, but soda is even worse than Oreos in this respect ;) ).
I thought we weren't going to make Oreo jokes.
Marketing, marketing, and above all marketing. :deal:
Hey, you sound like a successful writer. :p
 
Eek weight, doesn't it just suck so much for all of us? I've gained 30 pounds in six months, I'm up to 150 and I'd love to get back to 120 where I was for years. It's totally my fault, I haven't gone to my gym for such a very long time, and while I don't have bad eating habits I'm afraid I have quite a weakness for wine and I'm just drinking waaay too much.
 
The gym is boring. The one I belonged to was just a place to hook up or buy drugs. I gave it up for martial arts and I'm in the best shape of my life. And I'm learning useful skills.

Being healthy can be fun too.
 
Eek weight, doesn't it just suck so much for all of us? I've gained 30 pounds in six months, I'm up to 150 and I'd love to get back to 120 where I was for years. It's totally my fault, I haven't gone to my gym for such a very long time, and while I don't have bad eating habits I'm afraid I have quite a weakness for wine and I'm just drinking waaay too much.
It's doable. The sooner you start, the better. You might have to cut down on the ‘no bra, no shoes’ rule a bit (at the very least the latter, when going outside).
 
(my heat comfort is at around 12 C with the sun shining, so the 30+ C months are... unenjoyable).
Sounds like you might be more comfortable living in the Territories. But the flip side is that everything is more expensive and medical care beyond the basics is much harder to access.

Even I prefer temperatures a bit higher than 12C, though that's absurdly warm here when we have chinooks. Everyone's out in their shirt sleeves when that happens.

For that matter, even -12C seems warm after 2-3 weeks of -30 to -40. I remember one time when I didn't even bother putting on a jacket to take the garbage out. I met someone from one of the neighboring buildings who wasn't wearing a jacket either, and we agreed that it was a "nice warm day".
 
Eek weight, doesn't it just suck so much for all of us? I've gained 30 pounds in six months, I'm up to 150 and I'd love to get back to 120 where I was for years. It's totally my fault, I haven't gone to my gym for such a very long time, and while I don't have bad eating habits I'm afraid I have quite a weakness for wine and I'm just drinking waaay too much.

I'm sure it won't help to know that the fats in alcohol are persistent buggers and like to stick around, even after exercise.
 
The gym is boring. The one I belonged to was just a place to hook up or buy drugs. I gave it up for martial arts and I'm in the best shape of my life. And I'm learning useful skills.

Being healthy can be fun too.
Ooooh thank you for such a lovely idea! I also feel going to my gym is so incredibly boring, even listening to music, but finding some kind of martial arts class seems marvelous and would be so much more exciting. And I've been feeling I need some sort of self defense class anyway, and another thing about my gym is I'm pretty much forced to wear socks (oh how I hate them) and from what I understand that shouldn't be an issue for me. Thank you! I'm going to start looking around today and maybe cancel my gym membership.

I'm sure it won't help to know that the fats in alcohol are persistent buggers and like to stick around, even after exercise.
Eek oh please tell me this isn't true! <cries>
 
The gym is boring. The one I belonged to was just a place to hook up or buy drugs. I gave it up for martial arts and I'm in the best shape of my life. And I'm learning useful skills.

I'm jealous, I worked at a gym for a while during college and no one ever tried to hook up with me :(
 
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