Badger's Sett

[CronicBadger]

I figured some sort of on-line record may be useful, so in this thread I'll post the occasional observation and mention any milestones attained. It should be interesting to go back and read these post s 12 months from now.

Since my introductory post about a month ago I've lost a mere two Kgs and for the past three weeks my weight has hovered around 103 Kgs. This is probably a plateau, so I've tried changing things around by eating a bit more, trying different foods with different levels of fat, fibre and protein. My daily fruit consumption was also cut back to no more than two servings per day since it had crept up to between two to five servings - probably too much.

This month has seen a definite improvement in physical aspects - fat level has definitely fallen, muscles have grown (which may be the reason why my weight-loss halted) and am finding exercise much easier. A weekend 11 Km walk (plus some jogging) barely changed my breathing rate. The couple of 5 Km walks I do each week are now too easy and feel like no work is being done. Maybe I should start carrying around weights in a backpack or something.

My sister arrived back from a year in the USA yesterday and her first words to me were "Holy S--t Marc! What happened?!?" Yep, I weighed 23 Kg more the last time she'd seen me. The expensive (and no doubt delicious) gift of aged Scotch whiskey she'd brought back from a duty free shop for me will have to be imbibed in small amounts as I've practically given up alcohol. That was sis's second shock (she pretend-fainted when I explained to her that as part of my new lifestyle I'd given up the habit of regularly drinking alcohol).

My immediate goal is to get below the 100 Kg mark and be able to walk/jog 11 Km in less than two hours. Hopefully that will happen sometime in July.

Weighing myself is something that occurs every morning. I've acclimatised myself in understanding that the weight goes up and down daily by up to 1 Kg and not to be disappointed. As long as the weekly average doesn't rise then I'm happy enough.

Diet-wise, I'm feeling quite proud of my self-restraint. Last night when offered a take-away pizza I declined and went scavenging instead. About 100 grammes of my favourite rye bread remained, and some frozen home-made chicken soup in the freezer. There was a big temptation to go for the pizza since I knew I could stop at two or three slices, but I realised that the only reason I wanted it was to avoid having to spend time preparing the alternative meal. Grrrr, I was hungry! But the frozen soup went into the microwave and was finally ready, along with the hunk of rye bread. It was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS with thick chunky veges and chicken pieces (it was more of a stew than soup) and I'm so glad I did not have the pizza.

Little incidents like the above underline that for me at least, weight loss is also about losing bad habits and wrong beliefs, not just fat.

[CronicBadger]

I went in the Sydney "City To Surf" race on Sunday. Walked all the way with all the other back-of-the-pack'ers. Next year I'll run. I did quite well - no huffing and puffing or muscle issues thanks to a good level of fitness and plenty of training.

Weight has hovered around the 100Kg mark for the last few weeks despite eating more bread and junk (pizza and takeaway) than usual. Only once did I go over the 9000Kj "panic line", but that was my "free day".

I've discovered the yumminess of Sanitarian vegetarian foods. It's easy to throw half a can of TVP mince, canned beans and corn, diced tomato and vindaloo paste into a bowl and microwave it for a quick healthy but filling lunch of about 1600Kj.

It looks like the latest plateau has been overcome and I'm hoping to hit the 95Kg mark by mid September.

[CronicBadger]

I had to visit the local doctor's surgery yesterday to pick up a few things, and decided to try out the scales there. It's one of those big professional units, with sliding weights and stuff, and was serviced just last week. The previous weigh-in in mid February was 118 and I was interested in how I was going "officially".

96.5 Kg!

But my home scales tell me 101kg.

Apparently my home scales (cheap analog ones) are fairly innacurate. They seem to do well with relative weights (although I suspect the error is not linear) so I will continue to use them for day-to-day comparison. But from now on only the doctor's scales will be used to record my actual weight.

So in 6 months I've lost around 20Kg. That's a bit over 3Kg per month average.

I haven't been knocking myself out with exercise, just a 10Km walk on weekends, and one or two 5Km walks on weeknights plus another 5Km of incidental walking during lunchtimes.

Foodwise, I certainly haven't been starving myself. Last night I made a curry dish featuring lentils and tofu which was utterly delicious (yes, honestly!) and today according to my diary I ate:
6700Kj comprising
BREAKFAST
2 sl bread (700)
banana (350)

LUNCH
Subway Roast Chicken Wrap (1200)

TEA
Vege Schnitzel (1200)
Chips (800)

SNACKS
Pear (300)
Kiwifruit (300)
Banana (350)
2 limes (200)
cup low-fat low-sugar icecream (500)
Beer (500)

DRINKS
3 cups soy milk (1300)

It's a typical daily intake, although a bit more than usual - the extra 1500Kj of icecream, beer and third cup of soy milk were a treat. I try to mix in good sources of protein (mostly plant-based such as Sanitarian nutmeat and TVP) and lots of taste (spices and curries).

So it was a bit of a mystery to me how I managed to lose so much weight without feeling like I'd given up food. But after a bit of thought I suspect that although I've removed the junk foods from my normal diet , the hole was filled by a range of interesting and, to me, unusual foods that were less energy-dense but more tasty and filling. As a result I never felt as if I'd given up anything or was missing out on anything.

I was at a meeting last night at which the food consisted of plates full of yummy buttery popcorn one of our club members had brought in. I ate about six pieces in total. As plates piled with the stuff were pressed into my hands I found it quite easy to say "No thanks, I don't eat it". Six months ago I'd have devoured an entire bowl of the stuff, but now... *meh* I can live without delicious light fluffy buttery popcorn. *sigh*

[EvilWombatQueen]

Well done on your weight loss, CronicBadger! Obviously you've found something that works really well for you to have lost so much weight without feeling deprived. Yay you!

[CronicBadger]

Another weigh-in! 94.6Kg according to the Doctor's scales - that's another two kilos lost in the past four weeks. My blood cholesterol was "3", which is the low end of the scale, according to the doc. BMI around 30. He reckons the next 20Kg will be increasingly difficult to shift, but it's for the best, as the rolls of fat around my belly are a health hazard.

At the beginning of March my weight was a little over 118Kg, so that's about 3.5Kg per month lost on average.

The food diary is definitely working. Earlier this month I slipped up and had been eating a bit extra that several times tipped me over my daily allowance for a run of 3 or 4 days. Upon examining the diary it was apparent that I'd gradually increased my bread and (fat free) soy milk intake so it added between 2000Kj - 3000Kj daily. In response I've stopped eating bread for a few weeks and restricted soy milk to morning and night. During the day it's back to herbal infusions and plain water instead of tea and coffee!

On the weekend before last I went cycling. 20Km, with about 4 km a steady incline that required constant pedalling. I did quite well - no muscle cramps or aches, and not once collapsing in a gasping heap on the side of the track. It was the first time I'd been on a bicycle in at least 15 years (more like 20, come to think) so I was pleasantly surprised.

All in all, a combination of eating healthy whole foods and moderate exercise (plus a fair amount of behaviour modification) seems to be working well for me. I'll post some Before and After photographs soon - should be interesting.

[BlueRaven]

I will be very interested to see your photos! Congratulations on your weight loss and your inspirational new healthy lifestyle

[CronicBadger]

This morning I did an 11Km walk in 1hr 45mins. That plus being under 100Kg means I've met initial set of the goals I set myself way back there in the first post of this thread.

Dietwise, I've not missed the bread nor the extra soy milk. One welcome addition over the past few weeks has been the Quorn mycoprotein foods. I buy them from the frozen prepared food section at Coles, and the favourites are the cottage pie and dippers. The dippers are especially awesome - they look and taste like big chunky chicken nuggets but have very little fat. And, of course, they're not made from meat, so my conscience feels better because I haven't unnecessarily eaten some poor chook.

A quick food update:
My breakfast consisted of a porridge of three equal parts rolled oats, wheat bran and quinoa flakes, with some fat-free soy milk and a cup of coffee (totalling 1350Kj). Quinoa is a South American grain that has an odd taste, a bit like potato, but isn't unpleasant. Lunch was a stew of Quorn strips, chilli and curry mix, beans and lentils, and 100g low fat oven chips and 2 cups of chickory coffee with soy milk ( 1950Kj). Tea tonight will be three tomatoes, a half cauliflower and a carrot I found in the bottom of the fridge boiled up together, plus a basa fish fillet I'll buy later when I go shopping. Basa is great microwaved on a plate for 5 minutes then topped with pepper and lemon juice. Dessert? Yep, I'll have some tonight for a change - I've just put a bowl of light port jelly (no sugar) in the fridge, and will add some chopped up fruit to it.

[CronicBadger]

I've been pretty good the past few weeks (eating within my means, exercising regularly) and so decided to give myself a treat today.

The treat was another official weigh-in for my patient records at the doctor's surgery. Ah, the sweet taste of success is a much nicer and longer lasting reward than even the most expensive European chocolate!

90.7 Kg
BMI: 29
And, finally, no longer am I medically classified as "obese"! You may refer to me as "overweight". Ta.

If I had to name one thing that's kept me on track up to this point it is my Food Diary. I cannot cheat on myself when it's all down there in my own handwriting.

[Butterfly_Dawn]

Congrats on making it to overweight badger! Wow, there's a sentence the doctors would be confused by!

Keep it up!!

[CronicBadger]

It started a month or so ago - I'd be sitting down, absently place a hand on my thigh and get startled! I'd think, "that feels odd, is that me?" It was a thin though, my hand wrapped around the top feeling muscle and bone underneath, not slabs of fat.

Or I'd be lying on my side and scratch the top side of my leg, and feel the hip socket instead of a huge flabby mound of fat. Or run my fingers over prominent ribs instead of a thick roll of fat that used to stretch all around under my chest.

And now something new: I got confused a few minutes ago when I was sitting at the computer and hunched my shoulder and scratched below my neck - my fingers sunk deeply on either side of my collarbone! The thick layer of fat that had been there seems to have fallen away and all I can feel around my neck and shoulders is bone. It's actually freaking me out a bit since it feels so damned odd. It's an almost "naked" feeling due to the loss of layers of insulating fat which now seems to be rapidly dropping away from my upper trunk and thighs while still clinging desperately to my belly and hips.

[Butterfly_Dawn]

Wow... very poetically written!

It is odd, isn't it, if you've not been anything near skinny for a long time to see something in the mirror that hints at having a skeletal structure. I'm sure you'll get used to it.

[miss_viva]

Hi Badger,

I just read through your progress thread, congratulations on everything you've achieved so far! You're doing really well

[CronicBadger]

Another official weigh-in on the 27th.

90Kg.

700 grammes in 22 days. Not much, but I suspect the 90.7 on Oct 5 was a big dip from the previous weigh-in due to loss of water.

I was 94.6 kilos on September 20, which means an average weekly loss of just under a kilo, which makes sense when checked against my food diary's kilojoule estimates.

[CronicBadger]

I frightened myself last night as I stared back at the face in the bathroom mirror. It wasn't me, but a yawning, zombie-like characticure. Hollow cheeks accompanied a gaunt, sour expression.

I guess it was a combination of tiredness and the dim light, that made it seem so surreal, but it got me thinking -

Perhaps I've lost weight too fast. The bony bits are expanding like weeds across my once-luxuriously flabby expanse, and clothes that once strained at their leash of buttons and zips now hang like curtains from shoulders and hips. Not that I'm thin though, I'm 90Kg and still have a large roll of fat around my lower trunk, but perhaps my daily food intake of between 5000KJ to 6000KJ is less than is wise.

Starvation mode? I'm wondering if I'm borderline. I don't really like the idea of my internal organs suffering due to a miscalculation. Besides, I've proved beyond doubt that I actually DO have the willpower to eat less than I used to (I was a guts!) and eat a far healthier diet as well. I've changed both the way I eat and the way I treat the concept of food, and I don't think I'll go back to the bad old habits.

So over the next month I'll increase my average daily intake to between 6000KJ and 7000KJ as well as slightly increase the amount of exercise I do.

I'm still at work now, but when I eventually get home I'll post some before and after photos to illustrate my point.

[CronicBadger]

Here are a few pics of my face. My weight rose from 88Kg in 2005 to 128Kg in mid 2009. I denied I had a problem at the time. Fortunately I snapped out of it and am now on the path to better health.

July 2009. 128 Kg.


December 2009. About 120-124Kg.


A few days ago, November 2010. Just under 90 Kg.


The pictures each have different angles lighting properties but you can still get a sense of the bulk in the face and chest area and how much has gone.