Yes, weight loss did occur... but not enough to be visible (284 pounds, remember? I won't look even slightly different until I hit 260, and even then, I have no illusions about how I'll look at that weight). The loss came out to about seven pounds which, all things considered, is less than par. Most people lose 8-10 pounds during the first week of their diet-- most of that is, as it's known colloquially, "water weight." It's only when you get beyond the first ten pounds that you can begin-- maybe-- to start ticking off the meaningful loss. In my case, the shame lies in the fact that, along with dieting, I'm exercising.
I can say nothing in my defense. Last week, I broke diet to go on base with my buddy Tom and a mutual friend of ours, and we dug in at the buffet. I don't blame the buffet; I allowed my appetite almost free rein.
What follows are pics of two things in particular: an Italian salad made with homemade pesto sauce and balsamic vinegar, plus a belated Passover indulgence: charoset made by yours truly and eaten only by the tiny cupful. Yes, yes-- many Jews slather charoset on matzoh, but a Jewish coworker of mine-- the guy who introduced me to several varieties of charoset-- made no bones about eating it by the bowlful. Charoset is mighty addictive, and it comes in all shapes and sizes. I made mine without traditional Passover wine, opting instead for honey and some water. I also added a wee bit of paprika to simulate one of my favorite spicy charosets.
Above: pesto ingredients. Below: two salads I made this past week.
Below: weight loss. More to come.
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3.2kg is a lot. As far as I know doctors recommend losing no more than 1kg per week.
ReplyDeleteHey, 7 pounds in a week, a pound a day, ain't bad - especially when you pigged out the day before the weigh-in.
ReplyDeleteIt's also a misleading number. Since you've been exercising, there's a chance - depending on what your up to in that regard - that you've actually added some lean mass. Thus, your actual fat loss may exceed 7 pounds.
A more useful measure is a combination of pure loss figures and a calculation of the relative amounts of fat and lean body mass. See if Smoo has one of the body composition measurement machines in the fitness room or the clinic and get yourself measured up once a month.
Letting yourself go once a week also isn't a bad idea, especially in the beginning; it helps to ease you away from the bad habits, as long as you don't go over the top, and (assuming you've cut way back on carbs the rest of the week) provides a needed carb boost.. That's what I've been doing, and now I'm at the stage that I no longer have any carb cravings (except when I have any of the glycemically-loaded ones with my weekly fix - and then it's pretty easily controllable); I'm even thinking about trying out one of the ketogenic protocols for awhile to see if I can stampede the last few percentages of body fat I need to lose to get below 10% by practically eliminating carbs altogether.
Do yourself a favor and stop blogging about food and blog about dieting/exercise instead.
Hey man 3.2 is a great start!!!! Keep up the good work. I agree with the above poster. Let yourself go once a week is the best thing for you and it keeps you sane!q
ReplyDeleteIt took me 3.5 weeks of calorie restriction and intense exercise to lose 10 lbs – you’re off to a good start.
ReplyDeleteAs Sperwer notes, you may have added muscle. I'll say you probably have - in the legs. If you've got a way, you may want to take measurements or use calipers on legs, etc., to keep track of changes there.
In the first salad are the white bits feta cheese, tofu, or potter's clay?
ReplyDeleteLooks good none the less.
Incidentally, I will be turning the 'What not to cook' into a book for a uni assessment. I'm interested in talking to you about your self-publishing experiences.
Sperwer,
ReplyDeleteThe pig-out was actually this past Wednesday, not the Sunday before the weigh-in. Unless you're counting salad and charoset as a pig-out-- the charoset all by itself certainly qualifies as such.
The rest of you gents,
Thanks for the advice and encouragement.
Rory (just saw your comment; I don't mean to separate you from the other gents)--
Yeah, man, let's talk. I'm not selling books hand over fist, but I think I've got a decent market for what I have, and am hoping I will indeed have sold at least 200 copies by this time next year.
Shoot me an email:
bighominid [at] gmail [dot] com.
I think the cookbook idea is awesome, and I'd gladly buy a copy or two, but I'm banging my head against the wall because I think you could be making a ton of money with your music. You're damn good.
By the way, you CAN sell music on CafePress, though it might be more profitable to market first through YouTube and then sell song-by-song via iTunes. Fewer and fewer people are buying CDs these days.
Case in point: did you read about the British chick who's made it big through iTunes? Kate Walsh. Recorded music in her friend's apartment, named her "album" after that same apartment, and is now doing concert tours. Christ, life moves fast.
Kevin
By the way, the white stuff in those salad pictures is real mozzarella cheese. Not that rubbery stuff we put on pizza.
ReplyDeleteKevin