At the end of October I was diagnosed with a diffusely fatty liver termed non-alcoholic fatty liver syndrome. I was subsequently recommended to lose weight.
My weight on 27 October 2010 was 83.5 kg, with a height of 169.8 cm. I was recommended to reduce this to 63 kg for a total loss of 20.5 kg over 2 years.
I am currently 68 kg.
EDIT: Didn't stay at 68kg, weekly average is 69kg which is where it seems to be staying about. It varies by +/- 1kg daily.
EDIT: Waist size was 97cm and has dropped to 89.5cm.
Obstacles:
I am on medication where weight gain is common and something called metabolic syndrome is sometimes talked about on the internet.
I also have what appears to be a cyclic pattern of symptoms that more recently have found to relate to changes in my BMR although determining cause and effect is difficult. Do the symptoms cause the BMR change or does the BMR change cause the symptoms?
Either way, I am using what I call these BMR spikes to assist in weight loss. They seem to be predictable at 3 weeks BMR down, 2 weeks BMR up. With differences of about 1,200 to 1,300 kcal per day between a down week and an up week.
Inconvenient if not allowed for as they can mean the difference between a good 500 kcal and 1000 kcal daily deficit and a not so good 1,700 to 2,300 kcal daily deficit which might explain some of the symptoms during an up week (such as nausea and tiredness from not eating enough due to not noticing the spike fast enough).
Lifestyle Changes:
I have started weighing all the food I consume, recording these in a journal, along with my exercise times, calories burnt, distances traveled, repetitions, and speeds. I also record my weight each morning and weekly I measure my waist. In addition, I record injuries and any unusual symptoms. I am curious as to how strongly related they are to changes in my estimated BMR.
These are put into a spreadsheet I designed to record my daily calorie deficits and estimate weight losses for the week. More recently, the spreadsheet has been used in managing my BMR changes with a back calculation step added.
With a running five week average used I can track progressive changes in my metabolism despite the five week cycle.
I use my back calculated BMR compared to my estimated BMR based on gender, age, height, and weight to estimate an activity modifier that I use as an estimate of fitness. 1.2 = sedentary, 1.4 = low active, 1.6 = somewhat active, 1.7 = active, 1.9 = highly active.
The raw value for a week can be 0.9 to 1 on a down week, and 1.6 to 1.8 on an up week.
Favourite Foods:
My favourite foods are pancakes, chocolate steam pudding, turkey/chicken, blackcurrant miniwheats, and bananas.
A typical menu plan for the day is as follows:
Meals:
Breakfast:
90g of miniwheats
100mL of low fat milk
1 glass of low calorie cordial (my cordial is 9 kcal per 200mL and my glass takes 200mL)
Lunch
1 - 2 pieces of fruit
2 vegetables
2 slices of bread
50g of meat
2 to 3 glasses of low calorie cordial
Dinner
100g of meat
3 vegetables
1 fruit
3 glasses of low calorie cordial
Dessert
90g of miniwheats
100mL of low fat milk
Supper
1 glass of low calorie cordial
Exercise
2 glasses of low calorie cordial
Snack (one per day)
90g of miniwheats
100mL of low fat milk
This is used just as a guide to approximate level where I just record what I do eat and don't go overboard. I average about 1900kcal to 2000kcal per day. The dietitian recommended a range of 1,750kcal to 2,100kcal for me at present.
Exercise:
Originally I was walking 10km per day at 12,800 steps for the exercise putting me theoretically in the highly active range. It didn't work that way, with my calculations still putting me at 75% of sedentary.
I'm not sure if this means that people who slept all day were burning more calories than me.
Due to some rather nasty looking blisters and chaffing that was curtailed for an ab glider (a type of abdominal and core workout machine) and an exercycle.
Originally I found doing 25 glides in a row tough, swivels were relatively easy. I did a total of 200 glides and 200 per day initially. I built this up to 1,200 of each at one stage but then started adding in an exercycle and now do 600 of each per day. I am not yet able to co-ordinate the scrunches yet.
Initially I found level 5 on the exercycle for 30 mins also tough, but now can do level 16 for 30 mins without a problem at 45 to 50 revs. Eventually I hope to reach the 60 to 70 revs recommended speed as my fitness improves. My best heart rate recover was rated by the exercycle as outstanding (22 minutes 30 seconds at level 16) - a perfect score. Usually my heart rate recovery comes back as average.
Hopefully this exercising will build some muscle in order to improve my metabolism. My running average of the last five weeks has improved from 0.9 to 1.4, or less than sedentary to low active. I now rate the same as someone who doesn't exercise.
Right now my body fat percentage from the exercycle is down to 23%. Still too high, but a couple of weeks ago it was 25%.
PS: I have over and under sensitivities to various senses (part of dyspraxia from memory). Apparently I am a little insensitive to blisters, chaffing and muscle burn so this may have helped in getting up to 10km walks everyday quickly.
Current Workout (5+ per week)
Set 1 (15 minutes)
300 swivels
6 x 50 glides with 60 second breaks
Set 2
30 minutes on the exercycle at level 16 with a minimum target of 300 kcal
Set3 (15 minutes)
6 x 50 glides with 60 second breaks
300 swivels
Approx: 480kcal total burnt
Location:
I purchased my own exercycle and ab glider on sale and so work out at home in the evenings when it is cooler.
Tools:
Excel spreadsheet, internet research, digital scales, digital kitchen scales, measuring jug, pedometer, google earth pedometer, tape measure, ab glider, exercycle
My weight on 27 October 2010 was 83.5 kg, with a height of 169.8 cm. I was recommended to reduce this to 63 kg for a total loss of 20.5 kg over 2 years.
I am currently 68 kg.
EDIT: Didn't stay at 68kg, weekly average is 69kg which is where it seems to be staying about. It varies by +/- 1kg daily.
EDIT: Waist size was 97cm and has dropped to 89.5cm.
Obstacles:
I am on medication where weight gain is common and something called metabolic syndrome is sometimes talked about on the internet.
I also have what appears to be a cyclic pattern of symptoms that more recently have found to relate to changes in my BMR although determining cause and effect is difficult. Do the symptoms cause the BMR change or does the BMR change cause the symptoms?
Either way, I am using what I call these BMR spikes to assist in weight loss. They seem to be predictable at 3 weeks BMR down, 2 weeks BMR up. With differences of about 1,200 to 1,300 kcal per day between a down week and an up week.
Inconvenient if not allowed for as they can mean the difference between a good 500 kcal and 1000 kcal daily deficit and a not so good 1,700 to 2,300 kcal daily deficit which might explain some of the symptoms during an up week (such as nausea and tiredness from not eating enough due to not noticing the spike fast enough).
Lifestyle Changes:
I have started weighing all the food I consume, recording these in a journal, along with my exercise times, calories burnt, distances traveled, repetitions, and speeds. I also record my weight each morning and weekly I measure my waist. In addition, I record injuries and any unusual symptoms. I am curious as to how strongly related they are to changes in my estimated BMR.
These are put into a spreadsheet I designed to record my daily calorie deficits and estimate weight losses for the week. More recently, the spreadsheet has been used in managing my BMR changes with a back calculation step added.
With a running five week average used I can track progressive changes in my metabolism despite the five week cycle.
I use my back calculated BMR compared to my estimated BMR based on gender, age, height, and weight to estimate an activity modifier that I use as an estimate of fitness. 1.2 = sedentary, 1.4 = low active, 1.6 = somewhat active, 1.7 = active, 1.9 = highly active.
The raw value for a week can be 0.9 to 1 on a down week, and 1.6 to 1.8 on an up week.
Favourite Foods:
My favourite foods are pancakes, chocolate steam pudding, turkey/chicken, blackcurrant miniwheats, and bananas.
A typical menu plan for the day is as follows:
Meals:
Breakfast:
90g of miniwheats
100mL of low fat milk
1 glass of low calorie cordial (my cordial is 9 kcal per 200mL and my glass takes 200mL)
Lunch
1 - 2 pieces of fruit
2 vegetables
2 slices of bread
50g of meat
2 to 3 glasses of low calorie cordial
Dinner
100g of meat
3 vegetables
1 fruit
3 glasses of low calorie cordial
Dessert
90g of miniwheats
100mL of low fat milk
Supper
1 glass of low calorie cordial
Exercise
2 glasses of low calorie cordial
Snack (one per day)
90g of miniwheats
100mL of low fat milk
This is used just as a guide to approximate level where I just record what I do eat and don't go overboard. I average about 1900kcal to 2000kcal per day. The dietitian recommended a range of 1,750kcal to 2,100kcal for me at present.
Exercise:
Originally I was walking 10km per day at 12,800 steps for the exercise putting me theoretically in the highly active range. It didn't work that way, with my calculations still putting me at 75% of sedentary.
I'm not sure if this means that people who slept all day were burning more calories than me. Due to some rather nasty looking blisters and chaffing that was curtailed for an ab glider (a type of abdominal and core workout machine) and an exercycle.
Originally I found doing 25 glides in a row tough, swivels were relatively easy. I did a total of 200 glides and 200 per day initially. I built this up to 1,200 of each at one stage but then started adding in an exercycle and now do 600 of each per day. I am not yet able to co-ordinate the scrunches yet.
Initially I found level 5 on the exercycle for 30 mins also tough, but now can do level 16 for 30 mins without a problem at 45 to 50 revs. Eventually I hope to reach the 60 to 70 revs recommended speed as my fitness improves. My best heart rate recover was rated by the exercycle as outstanding (22 minutes 30 seconds at level 16) - a perfect score. Usually my heart rate recovery comes back as average.
Hopefully this exercising will build some muscle in order to improve my metabolism. My running average of the last five weeks has improved from 0.9 to 1.4, or less than sedentary to low active. I now rate the same as someone who doesn't exercise.
Right now my body fat percentage from the exercycle is down to 23%. Still too high, but a couple of weeks ago it was 25%.
PS: I have over and under sensitivities to various senses (part of dyspraxia from memory). Apparently I am a little insensitive to blisters, chaffing and muscle burn so this may have helped in getting up to 10km walks everyday quickly
.Current Workout (5+ per week)
Set 1 (15 minutes)
300 swivels
6 x 50 glides with 60 second breaks
Set 2
30 minutes on the exercycle at level 16 with a minimum target of 300 kcal
Set3 (15 minutes)
6 x 50 glides with 60 second breaks
300 swivels
Approx: 480kcal total burnt
Location:
I purchased my own exercycle and ab glider on sale and so work out at home in the evenings when it is cooler.
Tools:
Excel spreadsheet, internet research, digital scales, digital kitchen scales, measuring jug, pedometer, google earth pedometer, tape measure, ab glider, exercycle
Last edited:
