I have lost 10% of my body weight. I started with 143 days to lose 85 pounds, trying to get from 250 down to 165. I've lost 25 lbs in three weeks, so I need to lose 60 lbs in the next 122 days.
If you had told me three weeks ago that I would be 25 lbs lighter by now, I wouldn't have believed you. Here I am, though, 225 lbs, healthier, exercising, happier — even my severe allergies probably have disappeared! Of course, I'm not a doctor, so I'm only guessing that I'm healthier because I feel healthier. I'm only guessing that the severe allergy symptoms which recently developed as I gained more weight and then disappeared as I lost it were related. It could be a total coincidence, but I don't think so.
I was chatting with my mother, an experienced low-carb dieter (87 lbs lost), and she mentioned that most people see a "plateau" around day ten, and that the third week is the slowest of all. This checks out perfectly with my own experience — day ten was my first no-progress day, with two more in week three — and it sure would have been nice to know before I encountered them. As a result of this, and just for my own sanity, I've decided to end my daily weigh-ins. I'll only be checking my weight on Tuesdays, which will give me room to include my weekly menu.
Word Is Spreading
One doesn't lose 10% in three weeks without people noticing. I've had a number of people ask me what I've been doing, and some express skepticism that a diet could have such dramatic results. Surely I must have taken up crystal methamphetamines, they suggest when I'm not around, or I had some sort of surgery. They know better, because they see me at least weekly, but they struggle to explain how some people can spend their entire lives dieting and make little or no progress, while I can drop so much weight so quickly. I've thought some of the same thoughts, as I've been on diets before, but never one like this.
Some of it is the time limit. A person who is just a few pounds overweight can simply adjust their diet and physical activity levels to lose those pounds, but when you're 85 pounds overweight, the idea of losing one or two pounds a week is unappealing. It would take over a year, assuming no slip-ups! It's essentially an open-ended commitment, which I'm just not strong enough to make. By setting a short time period, I've got something on which to focus. If I don't reach my goal by November 2, I'll wait a bit, and then set another start date and stop date. Even if I do, I expect I'll gain a bit of weight on my trip to Central Asia, and perhaps over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays (though I'm going to work very hard on sensible portions and physical activity), so one way or another, I plan to restart the special diet on January 1, 2008, which is another Tuesday, and with a deadline fewer than 143 days away that time. If I had more weight to lose, and no international travel to act as a natural deadline, I would still split things up into roughly six-month blocks, though I might stack them pretty close together. Instead of waiting until January 1 to restart, I'd restart one week after finishing the first block.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Eric Berlin
Phillip - this is incredible man, congratulations! I'm sure that a great many people have cautioned about losing weight too quickly so I won't pile on, just hope that you're cognizent.
Have you checked out the whole "fat blogging" meme floating around the blogosphere? I think the deal is that you tag your posts "fat blogging" (or maybe "fatblogging," not sure) and then basically post your weight and activity/progress. It's actually pretty inspiring to see people talking about their weight and activity.
And guess who needs to exercise tonight after falling off the wagon mid-week? (That would be roughly me!) I usually start the week well and then fall off a cliff in the Wednesday-Thursday region.
2 - bliffle
Great! Keep it up!
3 - Phillip Winn
Thanks, guys! Yes, Eric, a few people have mentioned that. None of them can explain why, just that "it can't be healthy." A nurse friend of mine was surprised, but didn't offer the same advice. She was only concerned that I should know this pace wouldn't keep up, which obviously I do.
I took a three-mile walk last night to get to 10,000 steps, and I still haven't hit it every week, but I'm doing a lot better with exercise. I avoided over-eating on the 4th, which was somewhat of a personal triumph for me.
4 - Nathaniel Winn
The Hacker's Diet has some cool Excel charts where you enter a daily figure and it calculates a trend, smoothing out the curve of daily fluctuations. It's pretty cool.
5 - Di Heap
Hi Phillip
Remember me from the Vibration Training blogs?
All the best on your weight loss program. You weren't huge at the start, compared with many other people, and you know what? Vibration Training would have and still can help you!
Your blogs say you are starting some gentle exercise so I'll suggest walking, which you have mentioned plus Whole Body Vibration. As previously stated, Vibration Training alone wont give weightloss but together with some cardio (that's the walking of course) and balanced diet, it works. Of course if you prefer to lift weights or some other sort of resistance training, then go for it but please don't let your prejudice get in the way of anything that can help.
Personally, I think extra low carb diets are scary and dangerous. I know you will reintroduce carbs later but while they are basically all but removed from your diet, you are burning large amounts of ketones and this can give headaches, muscle breakdown, kidney problems, brain function disorders, and even risks for your arteries and heart if you ingest large quantities of fats, which I have noted that your current diet is not doing. Please make sure you drink lots of fresh water to help your liver and kidneys!
6 - Di Heap
I forgot to say
The reason your weightloss slows after 10days is because you gave broken down muscle(muscle atrophy) and so your BMR is less..that means you'll burn fewer calories each day. Do you have to reduce your special diet even more to account for this or is this the stage at which you start exercising?
Beware reducing carbs too much and so reducing your insulin levels.. activity is better for this. Make sure you arenow eating fruit and veges a 10-12 per day. Can I suggest you google DASH Eating Plan (American Heart Fdn) as an alternative or replacement to your severe diet.
7 - Lloyd Shaw
Philip is embarking on a new a new diet , which is good. But is important to note it is based on "engineering and management principles' not long term scientific studies of its effects.
The reason I bring this up is Phillip Winn stated without exeption earlier in another blog about Vibration Training ( at which I am a designer ) he would never try something "new" without such long term evidence.
There is in contrast plenty of evidence to suggest dropping large amounts of weight in a short period of time can actually be bad for your BMR.
This man called me a "Liar" and Di Heap that also wrote into the blog " Simple Minded " because of our persistance that the technology I develop can help people without such dramatic changes to diet or lifestyle .
His veiw was peoples experiences amounted to nothing , so following his own rule his and his mothers experience surrounding this diet should be taken in the same vain.
Just hearsay.
8 - Phillip Winn
Hey Di, Lloyd? Go away. Your continued pushing of magic jiggly machines is not welcome here. Your characterizations of me are wrong, as you'd know if you'd read these articles with any eye to understanding rather than looking for a way to attack me and push your nonsense.
I'd say a 25-year history of low-carb dieting, combined with stacks of research on the effect of ketosis, is more than you've described it to be. Your understanding of the process is inadequate, as demonstrated by your assertion that I've lost muscle. I can see my body, and I assure you that, in line with the research and the predictions, I haven't lost muscle. I have more muscle in my legs, and no change anywhere else.
Keep your jiggle-boards, and leave me alone.
9 - Lloyd Shaw
Maybe if you practiced what you preached we could take you more seriously.
But the fact is you are on a "fad diet".
Very laughable considering your past behaviour.
10 - Lloyd Shaw
You called me a liar and Di simple minded. I dont care if you mother didn't teach you some manners along with her diets , there is no excuse for that type of behaviour.
So we will be back.
11 - REMF
"...understanding rather than looking for a way to attack me and push your..."
Did I miss something? How is Di Heap attacking you?
12 - Phillip Winn
REMF, you share an IP address with a well-known commenter on this site. Own up or be ignored. You already post anonymously, the double-layer of anonymity is unnecessary.
13 - troll
(Phillip - MCH was outfront about bringing a new character onto the boards over on some politics thread a while back)
14 - Christopher Rose
Phillip, I can verify that MCH has indeed decided to call himself REMF. He's also explained the acronym, although I have a different one!
15 - REMF
"Own up or be ignored."
No reason to "own up," since I was up-front when I made the chops change over two weeks ago, and have since posted over 60 comments with my new handle. You had less of a reaction when Dave Nalle was having a conversation with HIMSELF as Vox Populi.
And I still don't see where Di "attacked" you.
16 - Jet in Columbus
Maybe I'll go back to calling myself Noesis?
17 - Di Heap
Prejudice: Noun - a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation.
Phillip, All I did was point our your refusal to accept that a method of exercise (Vibration Training) along with some Cardio (Walking) and sensible diet, gives the same end result as the strict diet you have embarked apon. I never said one way was better than the other. I never criticized your diet plan but said I thought it was scary and dangerous, in the hope that you would find out as much as you can about the possible side-effects and be able to deal with them if necessary.
It's highly unlikely that any of the contributors to this blog read the one where you completely slammed the product that has helped me so much and called me "simple minded" and that you weren't sure if I was a liar or not. So, yes, there was a touch of sarcasm in my post but not enough that readers would notice. I stand by my comments, in this thread and in the other one. Whole Body Vibration works for health and fitness benefits and as an aid to weightloss, because it is a type of resistance exercise and because of it's specialty at that (it's like lifting weights at 40-50reps a second and so having your body respond to that in a controlled safe manner) it increases BMR (your basal metabolic rate of expending energy while at rest in a temperate environment and a far better indicator of than the previously used BMI).
It's worked so well for me that I contributed to a previous thread that was against it and you replied with comments about regular exercise being the only way to go and more! My comments and the touch of sarcasm are 110% fair considering the slamming you've given me. Like you, I'm not selling anything just promoting what's working for me. Congratulations on your weightloss and I hope it will continue. You'll get to your goal weight a lot faster than I will and that's the choices we make. I will be watching and I do wish you all the best. Please do look up DASH eating plan. I worded my comments about that poorly. It would be a good continuation after you've "starved" yourself thin or if you find you can't continue the plan you're on. It's an anti-high bp eating plan but also works well as a sensible weight reduction plan.(and it's all American too, not promoting something from my own country or others such as a high force giggle board ;-) )
I definitely understand ketosis. We have hospital grade machines that measure your body fat % along with lean muscle mass, bone mass, weight etc so there's no guessing by simply looking at your leg muscles. My own muscle mass is 110% of normal even though I racewalk and run. My bodyfat% is too high though. I know exactly what needs attention.
To others reading this: I've slightly explained a product in this blog, not to promote and I haven't mentioned brand names but simply that readers understand my previous post. In my country as in U.S. obesity is a major contributor to poor health and early, preventable death. Any diet or exercise /fitness equipment that addresses this problem and helps reverse the trend towards killing ourselves with food and inactivity is worth discussing!
18 - Di Heap
Are there moderators on here that remove unwanted posts??? I guess that's one way to kill off opponents and I shouldn't be surprised!
19 - Lloyd Shaw
Phillip...
For someone who has spent the best part of 10yrs behind a computer contributing to chat rooms your netiquette is almost non existant.
Two points.
(1) Calling people childish names and threatening people with being ignored on a public forum ?
(2) Repeatedly blogging on subjects you have admited to having no personal experience with or interest in. In effect wasting readers time.
I call for something new. A boycott of every Phillip Winn post we come across. If you agree just put up your name with the sentence...
Phillip Winn post boycott due to bad Netiquette
20 - zingzing
lloyd, you're a silly man.
21 - Di Heap
Phillip Winn post boycott due to bad Netiquette
Lloyd's right on this!!!
After seeing a post REMOVED when all the poster (REMF) said was
quoting from my post above:
"It's highly unlikely that any of the contributors to this blog read the one where you completely slammed the product that has helped me so much and called me "simple minded" and that you weren't sure if I was a liar or not."
Then said, they hadn't seen that blog but that they weren't surprised at the response to me.
I've even read the other blog you take part in Phillip, "theboarsheadtavern". You see we have spiritual beliefs in common BUT I just can't be bothered with you anymore. You attack based on prejudice that comes from ignorance and no knowledge or experience of what you are attacking yet you want people to follow your starvation diet blog and encourage you.. Nope, no way! I started off nicely but removing an inoffensive post from this blog has left me angry.
22 - Phillip Winn
I don't feed trolls, even when they post misinformation about me, but I will state this: I've removed no comments. We do have a comments editor who edits personal attacks, but anyone thinking I've removed comments critical of me is leaping to a false conclusion. I think my statements speak for themselves and stand up to scrutiny.
23 - Christopher Rose
I am the Comments Editor for the site and removed the comment posted by REMF as it added nothing to the debate. I have also deleted a comment from Lloyd Shaw that was similarly irrelevant.
I' mot willing to accept having a bunch of people making insulting remarks to or trading childishness with each other. You can all debate the topic under debate as much as you like but pointless squabbling will be deleted.
24 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Temple,
I wish you the very best of luck with your project of losing weight. The real test will come when you have reached that target and must maintain your goal, so for your sake, I hope you lose as little weight as possible at a time, shrinking your stomach (and hopefully your appetite as well) as you do... This method worked for my sister many years ago, and she has maintained her weight (or had until 1996, when I saw her last).
I have not been a lucky or as disciplined as either you or her, and I have reason to lose weight... I'm around 95 kilos now (about 210 lbs.) which is far too heavy for a guy with a heart condition...
25 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
I'm really in bad shape. My comments should be addressed to Phillip Winn, not Temple Stark... My apologies, both of you...