The Fat Guy David Crowell :: Losing Weight

I’ve been doing a lot of research to guide my diet.  Everyone knows that too much sugar will cause weight gain.  It’s worse than that.

The video below outlines how fructose (from high-fructose corn syrup and plain old table sugar) really destroys the human metabolic process with chronic usage.

Glucose, a simpler sugar, can cause weight gain, but without as much other damage.  How do you get glucose?  By eating starchy carbs.  So, a piece of bread, which I generally avoid, is still better than a comparable number of calories of sugar.

You don’t believe it?  Watch the video below.  It’s 90 minutes, but is completely worth it.

My “paleodiet” avoids the issue neatly by avoiding most carbs, including sugar and HFCS.

The biggest change you can make with the smallest effort is give up all drinks except milk and water (and unsweetened tea or coffee).  This means no fruit juice too folks.

No, I’m not hungry.  Quite the opposite actually.  My weight has been trending downward recently, and I’ve been poised to drop under 200 lbs again.  I weighed in this morning at exactly 200.  I figured tomorrow would be the day.

I had a large-ish lunch of salad, steak, and steamed broccoli, but totally within my diet.  It was dinner that was totally out of line.  I took my daughter and one of her friends out for pizza.  I had entirely too much, and a couple of good beers.  Pizza and beer really doesn’t belong in my diet, except in small amounts.

I ate so much that I was uncomfortable and had to lay down when I got home.  My stomach has been rumbling and gurgling trying to handle all this crap floating around.

So, tomorrow will not be a sub-200 lb day.  Maybe in a couple more days.  Why do I do this to myself?

I fasted for 24 hours, from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon.  I figured I would “break my fast” in grand fashion.

I had read about meatza, a paleodiet-friendly pizza with meat instead of crust.  I used the general idea from here, with my own changes.

My “crust” was ground beef and eggs mixed together like meatloaf.  I fried some sausage as a topping.  I sauteed onions, green peppers, and red bell peppers for more toppings.  I mixed tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepper, and oregano for sauce.  I made the meatza from these ingredients, and broiled it until it was done.

I had mixed some olive oil, dried red pepper, and parmesan cheese as a thick sauce to add after the meal was cooked.

It turned out delicious!  It is filling so I have leftovers.  I didn’t take any pictures of it, or measure anything, so I don’t have a true recipe, but I’m going to do it a little different next time.

I had a (mostly) paleo dinner last night, and it was good enough that my daughter liked it.

I cooked mashed potatoes with the skins still on, covered them with onion and green pepper sauteed in butter.  I then had two pan-fried pork-chops with red pepper served on a bed of fresh spinach.  I had a large glass of water with it.

It was an easy meal to prepare.  Although the potatoes provide some carbs, I’m mostly just giving up sugar and grains.  I’ve found a way of life that is more sustainable in the long-term.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my new eating habits are based upon the paleodiet.  Although it took some initial getting used to, I now feel pretty good, and the weight loss has continued.  My weight this morning was 205.0 lbs.  That’s the lowest since August.

The advantages of this diet:

• No counting calories or restricting myself
• Better for long-term health (supposedly)
• I can have a juicy hamburger, without the bread, or big piece of meat

The disadvantages:

• Finding a restaurant to eat at is difficult
• Cooking is required much more often (rather than convenience foods)
• Initially I had a lack of energy and carb cravings; that has passed
• It can be more expensive to eat this way
• There is a long list of items that shouldn’t be consumed, including beer.

Once my lack of energy subsided, I was able to ride my bike to work and back again.  I rode the full way on Monday, the full way there (but got a ride home) on Tuesday.  Wednesday I drove.  Thursday I rode a partial-commute each way.  Today, I’m driving because of weather.

I haven’t left the house yet this weekend.  I will later today for some grocery shopping, but I’m driving rather than taking the bike.  I have a lot to buy.

I’m also spending much of the weekend doing this that I’ve been putting off too long.  The house is a mess.  I have a lot to do.

I plan on commuting to work by bike as much as possible this next week.  Not only does it help me lose weight, but it clears my head.  I may have to take a day off to drive to my brother’s funeral, but that’s not been completely decided yet.

I am working on learning, and eating, the paleodiet that I mentioned before.  I think I’m going to end up doing a modified version of it, getting a few carbs here and there from potatoes.  I’m avoiding nearly all grain products.  The worst part is that I’ve given up beer.  Not to say I won’t have one beer on a rare occasion, but it’s no longer a regular thing for me.

One of the advantages of this diet, is that I don’t have to measure and track calories.  I have found that I occasionally binge on too much meat, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.  Most people who follow the paleodiet don’t eat dairy products.  I still haven’t given up on my cheese though. 

My weight is slowly trending downward again.  It could take me a while to get below 200 lbs again though.  This time, I don’t ever want to get back above 200 lbs.  I need to be healthier.  I need to eat better.  I need to exercise more.

When I lost most of my weight is was with a low-calorie diet.  I had to track everything I ate.  I’ve had more problems doing that now with much more going on in my life.  I’m busier, and more likely to “grab and go” rather than think, eat, and write it down.  This has led to some weight gain.

I did some reading and found the paleodiet.  It certainly sounds good.  It would mean I don’t need to track calories.  I can eat a lot of good food.  This diet may actually work, but apparently not for me.

My problem is carb-cravings.  I’ll do well for a few days then I’ll binge on high-carb food.  One of the main points of the paleodiet is to avoid the carbs.  I seem to have issues doing so.

So now I’m faced with a new decision.  Do I:

1. Work harder on the paleodiet, and control my eating?
2. Start tracking everything I eat and control my eating?

Either way, it appears I need more self control.  Self control isn’t fun.  Why can’t it be easy?

Blah.

Oh, it isn’t about exercise.  I get a lot of exercise these days.  I’m a bit bummed out that I’m not riding my bike to work tomorrow, but I really don’t want to get stuck there with snow on the ground.  My wife is out of town until at least the end of March, so she can’t pick me up if weather gets bad.