The big oak (Quercus) needs to drop some dead limbs!

I know that you count your calories - but do you count your sodium? You want it less than 2300mg per day.

Also check whether any medication that you are taking contains sodium... I was once given some that contained sodium... I considered it sabotage...

Also - when you are referring to your stomach and digestive problems - are you referring to toilet habits... they will certainly have an impact on weight...

Remember - all the hard work that you are doing every week is paying off every week regarding the fat. Your weight can go up while you actually lose fat... Do not let a weight rise con you into thinking that you are suddenly not being successful this week...
 
Thanks Don and I am staying positive. I can't say it isn't still frustrating, but I know it's temporary.

Omega, I do not track my sodium. I realize that I am more subject to stalls and rebounds because of this. I've given up alcohol, sugar, fast food, most of my bread, most of mt fatty meat, and more. I don't feel I can handle more restrictions in my diet.

There's also my working circumstances to consider. Jerky is the perfect field work food. It won't spoil, bruise, or weigh me down and has the nutrition I need to get me through the day. I get a per diem to spend on food and often the locations that I am in only offer gas stations as places to but food. Beef jerky, nuts, and granola bars are the healthiest options there and all of them are high in sodium. My field partners are buying chips, sodas, candy bars, and deep fried gas station food. I used to do the same.

I don't have high blood pressure and I'm eating a calorie deficit. It is certainly a valid point and healthy to limit sodium. In the summer I generally have problems with muscle cramps and getting enough electrolytes in me because of how much I sweat. Of course I'll be much lighter this summer. :D

Yeah, my digestive problems have been in that I'm constipated. I have had limited relief the last 2 days, but after the field work this morning I''m positive I need to do something about it. I'm pretty sure it was the antibiotics as I was fine before taking them and I limited my yogurt while taking them because I had to avoid dairy with it. I imagine that will make a big difference.

Thanks for your concern Omega. You really help me a lot.
 
Sodium can be a killer for causing weight gain out of nowhere... The main thing is to understand it and not let the gain make you think that your hard work is not paying off... I can fully understand you choosing to have high sodium food - just as long as you are aware that it is happening and having an impact...

I know that I gained 8.5 pounds when I had an operation due to the saline drips even though I actually was eating nothing ("nil by mouth" sign above me)... you would think that in a couple of days of eating nothing you would lose weight and not gain stupid amounts... Never under-estimate the impact of sodium.

LOL - as far as the restrictive diet goes - you are not alone... I've axed all those things too - and I am sure that many of your forum friends have too... Think of us when you see your field partners getting all the fattening stuff... The joy of having a healthy body is worth the discipline...

As far as muscle cramps go - make sure that you have a banana every day in your food plan... I have heard of people that were plagued by cramps solving the problem by having bananas every day... Bananas are high in potassium and that apparently sorted it out for them.



Toilet activity definitely is linked to weight... During my big project - I used to keep a note of all sorts of weight related facts and toilet activity was linked to that too... I hope it gets sorted out soon.
 
I have the electrolyte thing down. I carry packets of electrolyte powder and add one to every 3rd bottle of water when it's really hot. Even with that, supplements, and plenty of bananas it can't be avoided on the worst days. Think hauling gear up an exposed rock face when it's 48o C or 118o F. You can drink as many waters as you can carry and not use the bathroom all day. Fortunately very few days of the year are that bad. That happened last summer. I went through two GPS persons as one of them fell and blew out his knee and had to have surgery. This kind of hell will always stink, but it will be easier next summer than the previous four.
 
Sodium has no calories...I know it can be bad and make you retain water and such but I am like you, I have given up every other vice. And I find beef jerky a good lean and filling option to have in my weight loss arsenal. If I retain a little water so be it. I'm not going nuts on the sodium but I'm not running away from it either.
 
Agreed Brawny. I don't put salt on anything, but I eat salty foods.

Okay so I got some medicine at lunch for my stomach woes and man was that certainly the problem. I felt much better initially, but since I've had dinner my stomach is upset. I don't know if it was what I ate or if the magnesium citrate upset my stomach in addition to thoroughly providing it's intended us. I'm hoping I feel better son so I can ride the bike. I don't want to miss my points on the last day before weigh in, but I'll have to start feeling better. Time for some diet ginger ale.

Brawny, where are you in Texas? I'm in the northeast.
 
Oh-la..hope your stomach problem goes away!! Dont worry about the points. Get well soon!
ps/ diet ginger ale....yumyum - i need to get some zevia!
 
Muchas gracias me amiga! Me estomago es todo bueno. Mal no mas.

I took a probiotic and drank my ginger ale and I felt much better. I did my hour on the spin bike and now I feel awesome. I can't imagine that the weight hasn't gone down drastically, but I can honestly say it won't matter. I've got this thing figured out like never before and I'm gonna get to a normal weight no matter how long it takes.

Also full points for the week in exercise, veggies, and fruits. 21 points for team GOLD. I've started eating homemade fruit smoothies for breakfast with yogurt and almond milk added with a little splenda to up the sweet, but not the calories. I need a better blender though. My wife is making me these yummy smoothies with 350-400 calories depending what she adds. She has been losing weight as well and this makes me happy. Now if I can just get her to exercise.
 
21 points! Thats brilliant. I only managed 7. But I will get there.

Glad you are feeling better. Those smoothies sound yumm. But I can't have them as I'm allowed NO MILK.

You will reach that normal weight in no time!
 
Glad to hear you have put the stomach woes behind you and the smoothies sound good. Keep up the good work. I am in North Central Texas due north from Dallas.
 
Brawny, now that you say that I feel like I've asked you that before. If so, sorry my memory is awful.

So on for calories, fruits and veggies, and water. I've gotten hours of exercise and I bought myself a bike. No I haven't hit my goal and no it isn't my goal bike. Why did I get a bike that wasn't my goal before I reached my goal? Because it is the same style and dimensions as the bike I want and it cost $35. This way I can try out the style and know for sure if it's the kind of bike I want.

I aired the tires, adjusted the seat, and rode it in the dark with a headlamp. Unlike my goal bike it is a fixed gear so I don't have to worry about cheap shifters. The brakes suck, so I'll have to be cautious there. This way I can ride a little when I get home before dark and on weekends to break up the monotony of the spin bike and still prepare for my goal.

I will likely keep the cheapo bike as a field bike for throwing in the back of the work truck when I go out of town. I can ride around in the evenings wherever I am and if it gets stolen I'm not out a ton of money. I may also use it during field work in the few circumstances when it might be practical. Normally I'm with another person and in the woods so that wouldn't be often.
 
$35 is a bargain and I probably would have also bought it just for a everyday bike. It's not about the bike if you think about it, its about the calories spent. So instead of "run Forest run", I say ride Quercus ride:rotflmao:
 
Nice one Mands! I wish my sig had more room because that would make a nice addition.

Okay so 326.6 this morning. That's down 2.8 pounds from yesterday's 329.4. I hit a new low weight last Saturday I believe, but then I had stomach woes and went up a couple pounds. I'm hopeful that this is a "real" weight, but I've considered that my Saturday sleep in may make me dehydrated and give an artificially low number. We will see tomorrow.

326.6 is -22.6 pounds total and -17.4 for the contest. It's also 5% lost for the contest or 25 points. It's also over 6.5% in total bodyweight lost. -35 will get me past the 10% BW lost which is statistically probable to decrease weight related health risks.

Links to some medical journal publications with supporting evidence:





Also I found this:



The national Weight Control Registry is a long-term investigation of successfully maintained weight loss. You can join if you've lost more than 30 pounds and kept it off for at least one year. I recommend looking at their findings as to what the successful have in common.

I would like to make this a long term goal for myself as it would add a significant form of accountability and hopefully add to the study in some small way. the majority of participants are female so my inclusion would help provide needed data for male participants. You fill out questionnaires to provide the data. Despite the name it is open to participants outside of the United States.
 
Quercus, GREAT weigh-in! I would guess, that like me you had a blip in weight then spent a few days getting it back to normal. Great job staying focused and pushing through it.
 
Thanks Don! We are almost identical in % lost with you slightly ahead. 6.7% vs. 6.5%. wanna race to 10%? Loser gets "Winner's name is awesome!" in their sig until they reach 10%.
 
All right, Quercus, you're on! I'm not thinking about my chances, but I like the idea of a challenge to keep us going.
 
Quercus said:
The national Weight Control Registry is a long-term investigation of successfully maintained weight loss. You can join if you've lost more than 30 pounds and kept it off for at least one year. I recommend looking at their findings as to what the successful have in common.

I would like to make this a long term goal for myself as it would add a significant form of accountability and hopefully add to the study in some small way. the majority of participants are female so my inclusion would help provide needed data for male participants. You fill out questionnaires to provide the data. Despite the name it is open to participants outside of the United States.
Click to expand...

When I was in maintenance (2010) I was in touch with the NWCR people at Miriam Hospital... I can add a couple of bits of information...

It is indeed open to people from outside the US. It involves the completion of some pretty lengthy questionnaires on a regular basis. I believe that people in America get "postage paid" envelopes to send them in - but people from abroad are asked to pay their own postage. I was told that there was at that time not the option to email them or fill them in over the computer.

This above information made it less appealing for me - as it sounded like it could get quite expensive and people did not sound like they got access to any further advice for maintenance than members of the regular public would get from the website. Certainly - there did not seem to be much benefit to me in England if I joined.

If people are planning on joining this scheme - it would be worth you getting weighed every so often by your GP. I do remember that the form required confirmation from a doctor that the weight loss had taken place... I know that my doctor at the time would have charged for that too... If people have not a great deal more than the 30 pounds to lose they may be losing weight without having been nagged for years by the GP that it was really necessary... We all come from different places and my doctor was in no doubt that I had lost a lot more than the qualifying 30 pounds...

Fortunately at about the same time - I was invited to join UK Biobank - which gave me all the altruistic feelings of benefiting others without the expense... There is however not the same level of weight maintenance accountability. In UK Biobank I have effectively opened my entire ongoing medical record to research... There was an initial baseline test day which took place at a nearby location. Since then there have been a number of emails where you click on a link and it takes me to an on-line questionnaire on my food and exercise on the previous day...

It may be that the NWCR people have computerised things in the past three years... If they haven't - then they should... It would save them a fortune in postage and paper and it would make the study more appealing to people in other countries...
 
Thanks for the info. They currently require email and an address, so I'm not sure what that means. I'll check into it when I get to the 30 pound, 1 year mark. My last weigh in at the GP was around what I weigh now, so I should be able to get confirmation for the GP. I don't intend to spend any money for them to get free data.
 
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