9/8/2017 Update

It's been a very busy summer so I apologize for not posting for more than 2 months. The good news is I have not only stayed on plan, I have discovered some amazing new ideas that have made this way of eating so much simpler. As I mentioned in my last post I have switched to a keto lifestyle which has more of an emphasis on healthy fats, moderate protein and low carbs. It was a subtle shift, but I like the way If feel and although slow, my weight loss is steady. I am losing about 3 pounds a month right now. That isn't sexy, it isn't going to set any records or win the Biggest loser competition, but it is working. I have been doing a lot of research on the keto way of eating and finding so many other health benefits to this over and above losing weight.

Keto has been shown to reduce the effects of dementia in Alzheimers and pre-Alzheimer's patients. The following is taken from a larger article found here about Keto and Alzheimers Ketosis for Mental Decline Although research is still needed on the subject of ketosis and mental decline, there have been a number of small studies done in around the last decade showing how a state of ketosis can provide value for patients who are cognitively impaired: A study with 20 people who had Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment were given a placebo or medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). After 90 minutes, ketone levels were increased in those given the MCT. The higher amounts of ketone levels correlated with greater improvements in memory [1]. Five years later, another longer and larger study was done with 152 patients who had mild Alzheimer’s. Those taking a ketogenic compound showed improvements in cognition 45 days later [2]. We also know that ketones themselves have been shown to be neuroprotective [3], which is a good sign when it comes to prevention of mental deterioration over time. In addition, inflammation, diabetes, high cholesterol, and other poor health signs are all major risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s. These are all conditions that can addressed with a balanced, well-planned high-fat and low-carb ketogenic diet.

In addition to mental disorders, Ketogenic diets have been proven to reduce and even reverse type 2 diabetes, lower risks for heart disease, starve out some forms of cancer and reduce inflammation of the arteries. Cardiologists are now admitting that the low-fat guidelines published in 1977 are killing us. Look what has happened since those guidelines were published. An obesity epidemic, type 2 diabetes spreading like a plague across America and an increase in heart disease, inflammation, and Alzheimers despite years of low fat foods, low cholesterol products and food pyramids preaching the gospel of high carb, low fats diets as the healthy approach to eating. This is also despite the fact that cholesterol levels can be lowered through statins today to almost any level we want. Yet those lower cholesterol numbers have not lowered the incidence of heart disease or people dying from heart attack at all. In fact, those numbers have increased as fat consumption and cholesterol numbers have come down.

So what does all of this mean? It means that science is not always right. Science knows what it know for now. What I can tell you is that I feel better than I have in years. I feel full, satisfied, energetic and, oh did I mention? I am now down 80 pounds since I started this journey! I know this is the way to eat for the rest of my life. Cutting out sugar and processed foods has made me healthier, happier and more healthy than ever before. I now feel like I can live well into my 80's and 90's with a quick mind and a body that can sustain me. This way of eating is not only saving my life, it is presenting me with a better quality of life for the years I have left. What a blessing to have found it!

Weight - 287 lbs, started 367 lbs

Chest - 50 Inches, started 60 inches

Stomach - 52.0 inches, started 64 inches

Waist - 42 inches, started 54 inches

Mid Thigh - 22 inches, started 25 inches

Total pounds lost - 80 lbs, Total inches lost - 37 inches

Goal weight - 195, Pounds to go 92 pounds

6/27/2017 Update

My one year mark has come and gone and I am going strong. In fact, stronger than ever. My weight loss had stalled for quite some time but I stuck with it, wondering if I had reached the point where I just couldn't lose any more with Atkins. I began looking into modifications of the low-carb lifestyle and found a better way. Since my last update several things have happened. First, on a bad note I realized my scale was malfunctioning. I thought I was losing but I wasn't. When I finally got a digital scale to replace my broken one I realized it was off by more than 18 pounds. I was very discouraged to have to start back up at such a high number again and get down to what I thought I already achieved. The thing that kept me from giving up though, was how good I continue to feel. I feel so much better than I did a year ago. I look at that picture right next to this post and remember the 3 hour naps after lunch and waking up feeling like I needed another nap. None of my clothes fit. Tying my shoes was an ordeal. I sweated for no reason and the thought of climbing the stairs was torture. My back hurt, my knees hurt. No thank you on ever returning to that again. So I put on my big boy pants, (which are 5 sizes smaller now) and got to work. I began researching a keto approach to eating which has more of an emphasis on good healthy fats, not as much protein and simple ingredients. I can't say the results came right away, the weight loss was slow, but it did come. But as of this morning, 15 of those pounds I thought I lost but hadn't are really gone now. I weighed in this morning at 293. This week I have been cutting back on my dinner time portions and including a fat bomb or two at dinner to make sure I have plenty of healthy fat for the evening. Boy has it worked! I've lost 4 pounds in the last 5 days! I don't expect that kind of progress going forward, but I'll take it as long as I can get it. I've set a goal to lose another 26 pounds by the end of the year. That would mean I've lost a hundred pounds since I started. At that point I would still want to lose nearly 75 more, but I will be well on my way. Right now I am down 74 pounds since I began. I have lost the equivalent of my ten year-old daughter in a little over a year. Pretty amazing stuff, especially considering I haven't even begun to exercise at all yet.

Weight - 293 lbs, started 367 lbs

Chest - 51 Inches, started 60 inches

Stomach - 54.0 inches, started 64 inches

Waist - 44 inches, started 54 inches

Mid Thigh - 23 inches, started 25 inches

Total pounds lost - 74 lbs, Total inches lost - 31 inches

Goal weight - 195, Pounds to go 98 pounds

4/24/2017 Update

2 more weeks gone and I'm down another 7 pounds! The weight is melting off right now and I wish I could put a finger on exactly what I'm doing. All I can say is, I feel terrific. I have no inclination to cheat or eat off plan for even one day. And every time I step on the scale it is good news. Right now I am losing a pound every other day. I don't know how long this will continue, so I am taking advantage for as long as I can. I still have a long way to go to get to my goal, but the goal gets smaller by the week. When I started out I had a daunting 172 pounds to lose. now I have 95 to go. It's so nice to say I have less than a hundred pounds to lose. On the other hand it is hard having come so far to still look ahead of me and think I am not even half way there yet. this process is nearly 99% mental. For example, this weekend in my household we had 3 birthdays, which meant 3 cakes and so much garbage food everywhere I looked there were cookies and candy bars and ice cream and cheetos and you name it. We had a funeral of a sweet lady from church this week and they even had extra cake from the funeral they decided to drop off as well. It's like the entire world wanted to send me cake. I didn't touch any of it, but there were moments this weekend that I realized that the me of just a few months ago would have caved. I have thought long and hard about how a person can survive all of the pitfalls of this process to finally get to the mindset needed to get where I'm at. I'll be giving this more thought as I move forward. I have been kicking around the idea for a book if I can get this weight off so I can help others do what I am doing. At this point though, I need to concentrate on ensuring my own success. But if I can get there, and help others in the process, then this whole journey will have been worth it.

Yesterday on Facebook there was a video of my daughter's wedding day since this was her 1 year anniversary. In the video I am there hugging her at the biggest weight I've ever been. It was so hard to concentrate on my daughter when all I could see was my huge self bursting at every seam. That was 77 pounds ago. It's hard to believe I ever let myself get that bad. If I ever feel weak again I just need to dig up that video and watch it over and over again. I will say this. Once I said say no to eating off plan on those special occasions that were derailing me before, it becomes easier and easier. I look at food in a much more healthy way. I don't see chocolate double fudge cake as fun, I see it as poison that will taste good for a few fleeting moments and then will make me sick. With all of the substitutes I have found, If I really need cake I am sure there is a low carb substitute anyway. Before I close this post I will repeat that the most important component of this lifestyle is the mentality. You have to go from the place where you say, "I can't have that," to a place where you say, "I don't want that!" Until you get there you have to hang on by your fingernails every day and get a good support system in place. Someday I hope to be a part of that support system for people. But for now, I just hope anyone reading this and struggling as I have knows, you can do it!"

Weight - 290 lbs, started 367lbs

Chest - 51 Inches, started 60 inches

Stomach - 51.0 inches, started 64 inches

Waist - 44 inches, started 54 inches

Mid Thigh - 23 inches, started 25 inches

Total pounds lost - 77 lbs, Total inches lost - 34 inches

Goal weight - 195, Pounds to go 97 pounds

4/10/2017 Update

It's been a few weeks since my last update and things are really going well. I lost 7 pounds since my last update! That puts me into some fun territory. First, I am now down below 300 pounds for the first time this decade! How cool is that? Second, I have now lost 70 pounds! I keep looking down at my belly and it is getting smaller and smaller. I love this feeling. The smaller I get, the more motivated it makes me. I continue to find wonderful new foods to add to my growing buffet of available low carb options. I can't believe all of the things I can eat now. I have this amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe that is so good, I really can't believe it's legal. This week we made egg fritatta's in muffin pans for breakfast and they were so good we made them three more times. I even froze a few to see how they would survive, and they were perfect after just 2 minutes in the microwave. Several of my non low carbers in the house had them and wanted more. We also found a wonderful chocolate zucchini brownie recipe with frosting as well as a cinnamon roll recipe. Keep in mind, all of those treats were during a two week period where I lost 7 pounds! How is that for dieting? As always it is so important to understand this is not a diet. I am not doing this to lose weight so I can return to eating 'normal' at the end. This is my new lifestyle. I am now eating this way for the rest of my life and I am excited about that. I hate the way I feel when I eat off the plan. And I'm not just talking about the extra pounds that fly back onto my waist. I hate the lethargic, drugged feeling I get when I am loaded down with carbs. The food industry is poisoning the American people with processed grains and sugars. I am wearing that poison around my waist to this day. But 7 more pounds of it is gone now!

Weight - 297 lbs, started 367lbs

Chest - 51 Inches, started 60 inches

Stomach - 52.0 inches, started 64 inches

Waist - 46 inches, started 54 inches

Mid Thigh - 23 inches, started 25 inches

Total pounds lost - 70 lbs, Total inches lost - 31 inches

Goal weight - 195, Pounds to go 102 pounds

I have some fun numbers coming up. First, once I lose 3 more pounds I will have less than a hundred pounds to go! Of course I want to lose 30 more pounds and be down 100 total. Then it's on to other marks. My 1 year mark will be June 6th. I'll see where I am then and make a new set of goals at that time. My initial goal was to lose 100 pounds my first year. I don't think I will get all the way there but I am pushing to lose as much as I can and get as close as possible. Right now my immediate goal is never to go above 300 again. I thought it would be fun to do a before and after picture this week to see how far I've come after reaching this milestone. Let me know what you think in the comments.

3/29/2017 Update

It's been almost a month since my last update so I thought I would get on here and type this thing out. It has been a very busy month for me so taking the few moments to do this has been tough to find. I finished the first draft of the my third book, which has been my all consuming project the last 6 weeks. I haven't gotten in much exercise during that time, but it still has been a good month. I have stayed on plan for the most part. I had a nasty sickness over a weekend and ate off plan for two days because I simply didn't have the energy to cook for myself, but other than that things are good and the weight is coming off. I can see it now, as well as feel it. I usually like to look at my before picture next to my after picture to see the difference. Now, I just see it in my current pictures. I am smaller and looking better. I can't wait to get another 30 or 40 pounds off to see what I look and feel like then. I continue to find many new and exciting recipes that I really enjoy, especially as substitutes so old favorites. I made another pan of zucchini lasagna this week. My wife made me some amazing low carb chocolate chip cookies. There just isn't anything you can't have if you are creative and look for replacements. I am down 5 pounds since my last post a month ago, which includes my cheat weekend where I ballooned up 5 pounds when I went off plan, then lost those 5 and another 5. I didn't measure this morning but hopefully I can post again next week and give measurements then. I do feel I am smaller. I am so close to seeing a 2 in front of my number on the scale. Hopefully the next 4 weeks will see that goal reached. Considering I eventually want to see a 1, I still have a long way to go. But for right now, I am thrilled to be getting so close to my first big goal. I am down a total of 63 pounds now since I started last June. I think losing another 17 pounds before my 1 year mark is doable. That would mean 80 pounds down my first year, or close to half of my total goal. That will be my focus between now and June 6th, which is my 1 year mark. If I can stay away from any cheat days, I know I can make it!

Weight - 304 lbs, started 367lbs

Chest - 51 Inches, started 60 inches

Stomach - 53.0 inches, started 64 inches

Waist - 46 inches, started 54 inches

Mid Thigh - 23 inches, started 25 inches

Total pounds lost - 63 lbs, Total inches lost - 30 inches

Goal weight - 195, Pounds to go 109 pounds

2/27/2017 Update

It's weigh in day and the results are in. I loved my scale this morning. I am now in a new decade, or at least that's what I call it. I weighed in at 309 pounds this morning. Very exciting to see the needle on a new spot. I stepped on and off and moved the scale all over the floor just to make sure it wasn't kidding. This keeps happening though, so I shouldn't be surprised. I go for days without losing, then whoosh, 3 or 4 pounds come off in 1 day. I love having my frozen lasagna and frozen Italian chicken in the freezer for those times when I just don't feel like preparing a meal. I have my stand-by's that I have settled into as well. Spaghetti with squash, pizza with low carb crust, flautas with low carb tortillas. I found a great low carb bread recipe this week and did pretty well with it for my first try. I coated it in eggs and had french toast the next morning. That was yummy as well. At work we had a celebration day and they bought donuts they took around the office. Everyone but me had a cheat day. I simply didn't want any. I could have had some, I just didn't want them. Big difference. So here are the numbers:

Weight - 309 lbs, started 367lbs

Chest - 51 Inches, started 60 inches

Stomach - 53.0 inches, started 64 inches

Waist - 46 inches, started 54 inches

Mid Thigh - 23 inches, started 25 inches

Total pounds lost - 58 lbs, Total inches lost - 30 inches

Goal weight - 195, Pounds to go 114 pounds

I have now lost 30 inches off this body! I am down several sizes and feel so much better. I can't believe when I look at my before picture how big I was. I can't wait to look back at my pictures of right now and say the same thing!

February 13, 2017 Update

I have crossed into my 8th month on Atkins and I continue to feel terrific every day about the way I eat, what I eat, and my progress going forward. It was a weird week for weight loss. I basically sat still for the whole week until this morning, then stepped on the scale and I'd lost 3 pounds. That seems to be how it goes for me. My weight comes off in whooshes. I've documented the whoosh effect in other posts. You can also google it. I tried a new strategy this week in food preparation. I made a large batch of two of my favorite meals, one was lasagna with zucchini instead of noodles, the other Italian chicken over shredded zucchini. I then portioned it out and froze them for later use. I now have about 20 meals in my freezer for those days when I just don't feel like cooking.

I continue to find wonderful substitutes for my favorite meals and this week was no different. I did a yummy meat loaf with crushed pork rinds as the bread substitute and low carb ketchup. I wasn't as pleased with it hot out of the oven, but when I let it sit a day in the fridge, then cut a slice and crisped it up on my griddle, it was really good. In fact, that's what I'm having for lunch today and I can't wait. I haven't been taking my measurements of late but I will on next week's weigh in. I'm excited to see what my progress is. I have to believe my numbers have improved, considering the weight I've lost.

Weight - 313 lbs, started 367lbs

Chest - 51 Inches, started 60 inches

Stomach - 54.0 inches, started 64 inches

Waist - 48 inches, started 54 inches

Mid Thigh - 24 inches, started 25 inches

Total pounds lost - 54 lbs, Total inches lost - 26 inches

Goal weight - 195, Pounds to go 118 pounds