437 lbs to 250 - low carb

Nemesis48 · Oct 12, 2011

Nemesis48 · Oct 12, 2011

UPDATED 10/7/2012

Nuts and Bolts

This post will have my current nutritional plan.

Typical Meal Plan:
1200: 4 eggs, 2 slices cheese, 6 slices bacon, 2 tbsp chia seeds, flax seeds, seasoning
1730: dinner, examples:
• Asparagus, chicken sausages, onions and peppers, all cooked on the grill
• Chicken in a peppery sauce, with avocado, salt, pepper, sour cream, shredded mixed cheese and shrimp scampi on the side
• Four egg, peppers, purple onions, thyme, bacon, Munster cheese and chia seed omelet – with spicy pumpkin seeds on the side
• Broiled chicken burgers seasoned with Montreal seasoning, served with garlic and mushroom, with a cheese melt in a butter sauce
• Basa fillet “breaded” in ground flax meal, seasoned with parmesan shavings and peppercorns, cooked with onions in olive oil
• Broiled hamburgers, with a mustard green salad, feta cheese, bleu cheese dressing, with brussel sprouts cooked in a garlic and butter sauce on the side
• Whole chicken breast, buttered and covered in Montreal and chicken seasoning, baked until crispy, with seasoned avocado and sour cream on the side
• BBQ steak, seasoned in a herbal rub, served with whole steamed broccoli, whole garlic, butter and thyme
• Heavy greens, chia seeds and grilled chicken sausages (cheese inside) salad in a bleu cheese dressing

1730-1200: intermittent fast
180+ ounces of water

OLD PLAN:
Typical Meal Plan:
Initially: 1130: 4 eggs, 2 slices cheese, 2 slices bacon, garlic/pepper/salt/montreal seasoning, multi, calcium, fishoil, psyllium husk, st john's wort
Later on: 1200: 4 eggs, 2 slices cheese, 2 slices bacon, 1/4 onion, 1/4 pepper garlic/pepper/salt/misc seasoning, ~350 calories of pumpkin seeds (eden organic), or left overs from last meal
1430: 2 tbsp peanut butter, 4 tbsp flax seed, Cinnamon, stevia, multi, fishoil, calcium
1730: 2-3 pieces of meat (chicken/beef/steak most common), some green fiber vegetable, sometimes cheese, multi, calcium, fishoil, psyllium husk, st john's wort
1730-1130: intermittent fast
180+ ounces of water

1 cheat meal a week, sometimes every 2 weeks, usually taco bell or chinese food

Supplements:
Nature Made Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc with Vitamin D, With D-3
Opti-Men Multivamin
Kirkland Signature™ Omega-3 Fish Oil
Now Foods Mood Support
Psyllium Husk (NO MORE - REPLACED BY INCREASED DIETARY FIBER IN 1st MEAL)
St. John's Wort (NO MORE, REPLACED NOW FOODS MOOD SUPPORT)

Micronutrient breakdown, daily basis:
Fish Oil:
Kirkland Signature™ Omega-3 Fish Oil (x2 daily)
Calories 15, Calories from Fat 10, Total Fat 1 g - 2%, Cholesterol 10 mg - 3%, Fish Oil Concentrate 1200 mg**, Omega 3 EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)(as ethyl esters) 410 mg - **, Omega 3 DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid (as ethyl esters) 274 mg - **.

Opti-men Multi:
3 mg/3000 mcg/10,000 IU vitamin A (200%)
300 mg vitamin C (500%)
300 IU vitamin D (75%)
200 IU Vitamin E (665%)
75 mcg Vitamin K (90%)
75 mg Thiamin (5000%)
75 mg Riboflavin (4410%)
75 mg Niacin (375%)
50 mg Vitamin B6 (2500%)
600 mcg Folic Acid (150%)
100 mcg Vitamin B12 (1665%)
300 mcg Biotin (100%)
75 mg Panothenic Acid (750%)
200 mg calcium (20%)
150 mcg iodine (100%)
100 mg Magnesium (25%)
30 mg Zinc (200%)
200 mcg Selenium (285%)
2 mg Copper (100%)
5 mg Manganese (250%)
120 mcg Chromium (100%)
80 mcg Molybdenium (110%)
800 mg Amino Blend (L-Arngine, L-Glutamine, L-Valine, L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Cystine, L-Lysine, L-Threonine)
525 mg Viri Blend
240 mg Phyto Blend
50 MG Enzy blend (papain, bromelain, alpha amylase, lipase)
25 mg Alpha Lipoic Acid
10 mg PABA
10 mg Choline
10 mg Inositol
5 mg Silica
2 mg Boron
500 mcg Lycopene
500 mcg Lutein
140 mcg Alpha Carotene
100 mcg Vandium
34 mcg Cryptoxanthin
28 mcg Zeaxanithin

Nature Made Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc with Vitamin D, With D-3:
100% calcium
100% magnesium
150% vitamin d
100% zinc

Now Foods Mood Support:
Thiamine (from Thiamine HCl) (Vitamin B-1) 4 mg 267%
Niacin (as Niacinamide) (Vitamin B-3) 25 mg 125%
Viamin B-6 (from Pyridoxine HCl) 10 mg 500%
Folate (Folic Acid) 400 mcg 100%
Vitamin B-12 (as Cyanocobalamin) 200 mcg 3333%
Pantothenic Acid (from D-Calcium Pantothenate) 50 mg 500%
Magnesium (from Magnesium Oxide and Amino Acid Chelate) 50 mg 13%
Zinc (from Zinc L-Methionine) 5 mg 33%
Manganese (from Manganese Amino Acid Chelate) 2 mg 100%
St. John's Wort Extract (Hypericum perforatum)
(Aerial Part with Flowers) (min. 0.3% Hypericin) 450 mg †
Holy Basil Extract (Tuisi Extract) (Leaves)
(Ocimum tenuiflorum) (min. 2% Ursolic Acid) 100 mg †
Valerian 4:1 Extract (Valeriana officinalis) (Root) 50 mg †
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) (Griffonia simplicifolia) (Seed) 20 mg †
GABA (Gamma Aminobutyric Acid) (Free-Form) 250 mg †
Taurine (Free-Form) 125 mg †
L-Theanine (Suntheanine

Nemesis48 · Oct 12, 2011

Current Situation
7 October 2013 - now

1st Year
June 15 2011 - June 15 2012

2nd Year
June 16 2012 - July 6 2013

Starting Weight:
437+

Current Weight:
225.6

Target Weight:
250 220 205

COMPLETE CHART DATA:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amy1SjWT25lBdDR2eHk2LURCSGFpeUo4QmxZMjlCVWc

A note on weighing methodology:

As of September 2012 I weigh myself at approximately 0610 on weekdays and 1200 on the weekends. Prior to this all weigh ins were at 1200. This creates strange discrepancies due to bowel movement irregularities and incomplete fasted weight. I tend to NOT have a bowel movement before work on weekdays and tend to wake up dehydrated and then have a bowel movement on weekends. The weekend weights represent my "true" weight.

Nemesis48 · Oct 12, 2011

Log 1

Comments
This is my first official log, although i have posted elsewhere in the forums, most noticeably the low-carb threads.

Concerns:
Contemplating taking an iron supplement. I am worried about overdosing on it though, I have read studies which say no more than 45 mg should be ingested a day (although there is some disagreement), and the supp I bought is 65.

I am considering buying a lower dose. The reason I am worried is that iron overdose can cause heart, brain and tissue damage.

Also pretty aggravated at how slowly things are going - but I guess I couldn't expect to lose weight at that rate forever.

rozzer58 · Oct 13, 2011

I admit I skim read that, a lot of info to take in when I'm as stoned as I am. You say u can maintain this weight loss on 50g carb a day but you keep it basically to zero? Why? I know on a low carb diet the larger you are the quicker the weight comes off, I doubt a male weigin 170lbs would have as much success as someone weighing 400 somthing lbs. What were u eating before you started this diet? You say ur sensitive to carbs, do you put your previous weight down to that? Not flaming jus curious. Congrats

Captivate · Oct 13, 2011

Awesome job man. Keep up the great results. When I was on a very low carb diet I had problems with fiber intake too. I never really solved the issue, except I was on the cycle diet so in the weekends I would get loads of fiber, and so I pretty much shat/farted only on saturdays or sundays. No joke.

Nemesis48 · Oct 13, 2011

rozzer58 said:
I admit I skim read that, a lot of info to take in when I'm as stoned as I am. You say u can maintain this weight loss on 50g carb a day but you keep it basically to zero? Why? I know on a low carb diet the larger you are the quicker the weight comes off, I doubt a male weigin 170lbs would have as much success as someone weighing 400 somthing lbs. What were u eating before you started this diet? You say ur sensitive to carbs, do you put your previous weight down to that? Not flaming jus curious. Congrats

My previous diet:
1. Juice or ice tea - I never drank regular water and was probably dehydrated 24/7
2. Lots of cookies
3. Lots of bread
4. Takeout 1-2 times a week
5. No supps

I did not eat too much, my fatness does not come from overeating -it came from basically eating whatever was available, which was shit. I still live at home (i'm in my early 20s living in the north east) and all that was here to eat was cookies and other junk crap.

So I would basically starve most of the day and where I did eat it was junk. I usually had dinner, but it was not balanced. When I was especially hungry I would order food.

Nowadays I buy most of my own food and while I eat the dinner that is available, I often only eat half of it- as its high in carb and other unhealthy crap. If they are making steak and french fries, ill eat the steak but leave the rest.

Before I was low-carb however I did try to eat healthy, which involved multigrain/whole wheat stuff, vegetables, chicken breast, only drink water etc and began boxing - but I still was not losing weight. When I went for a doctor checkup and my weight was off the scale (literally) I decided to buy a scale and finally lose some weight. I have never had a problem with self-discipline, so it's been working out great.

Nemesis48 · Oct 13, 2011

Captivate said:
Awesome job man. Keep up the great results. When I was on a very low carb diet I had problems with fiber intake too. I never really solved the issue, except I was on the cycle diet so in the weekends I would get loads of fiber, and so I pretty much shat/farted only on saturdays or sundays. No joke.

warning: The following is pretty gross, but its important to know about if you are going low-carb, you have been warned.

I have pretty much "solved" the riddle, the flax, fibrous greens and psylium I eat on a daily basis has me regular. At the least I will "Go" in the morning when i Wake up, and sometimes i'll go twice a day, which is ideal. I find that right after breakfast my bowel empties easier, probably from the grease mixing with the water and causing my stomach to go "OH SHI-". I also think its because im eating a lot less - so less bowel movements.

A key to regularity while low-carb is actually drinking A LOT of water. I mean A LOT. You need to be peeing at least once an hour. I have a 32 ounce nalgene bottle that I fill 6-8 times a day.

rozzer58 · Oct 13, 2011

Nemesis48 said:
My previous diet:
1. Juice or ice tea - I never drank regular water and was probably dehydrated 24/7
2. Lots of cookies
3. Lots of bread
4. Takeout 1-2 times a week
5. No supps

I did not eat too much, my fatness does not come from overeating -it came from basically eating whatever was available, which was shit. I still live at home (i'm in my early 20s living in the north east) and all that was here to eat was cookies and other junk crap.

So I would basically starve most of the day and where I did eat it was junk. I usually had dinner, but it was not balanced. When I was especially hungry I would order food.

Nowadays I buy most of my own food and while I eat the dinner that is available, I often only eat half of it- as its high in carb and other unhealthy crap. If they are making steak and french fries, ill eat the steak but leave the rest.

Before I was low-carb however I did try to eat healthy, which involved multigrain/whole wheat stuff, vegetables, chicken breast, only drink water etc and began boxing - but I still was not losing weight. When I went for a doctor checkup and my weight was off the scale (literally) I decided to buy a scale and finally lose some weight. I have never had a problem with self-discipline, so it's been working out great.

So when you tried a low-carb and it wasn't working how much carb was you getting daily? You keep it to basically zero now right?

Nemesis48 · Oct 14, 2011

rozzer58 said:
So when you tried a low-carb and it wasn't working how much carb was you getting daily? You keep it to basically zero now right?

Basically let me break it into into 4 phases so it's clear:

1. pre-nutritional knowledge: sugar crap, ordering out etc
2. nutritional knowledge: carbs - wholewheat/multigrain stuff + meat
3. nutritional knowledge: low carb I - eat virtually no carbs, had chronic constipation + protein/fat
4. nutritional knowledge: low carb II (current) - 20 grams or so of carbs + protein/fat

If I had to estimate now, I probably eat about 20 g or so a day. The peanut butter has sugar in it, although its a small amount (I think 4 or 5 g), and the flax is 1 g per TBSP. The vegetables I eat at night often have another 6-8 g.

Also as I said, I do have a cheat meal usually once a week. And that is usually high in carbs. I'm not sure if this constitutes "re-feeding" - I don't follow that concept, but I do the occasional high carb meal.

My diet is technically ketogenic, not low-carb.

Nemesis48 · Oct 26, 2011

Log 2

Still haven't started taking that iron supplement I posted in my 1st log, too pussy.

I updated the weight chart above and am about 7 lbs lighter since my last post, at 350 now.

I broke through a plateau two weeks ago by lifting some heavy ass weight. I was incredibly sore and could barely move. The first day was biceps, triceps and shoulders with free weights. When I woke up everything was sore, mainly because I don't lift regularly. I began to lose weight immediately though - so that's a plus.

When that healed I did the same shit again, except more intensely and also did front squats and calf raises. All lifts with free weights at my house. Holy shit! Can't walk. But it's translating into weight loss - always a good thing.

I think I will incorporate weight lifting into my weekly routine. It seems strangely more effective at upping my metabolism and increasing weight loss than cadio, as paradoxical as that sounds.

Other thoughts... I guess I will just have to live with this slower rate of weight loss, I don't have the discipline to go crazy in a gym. Even though I guess I am still losing weight rapidly (3 lbs/week) from most standards.

One more thing, I tried on some winter coats and hoodies which either didn't fit on me or were tight some years ago, and now they fit fine or are loose. That's awesome.

Nemesis48 · Oct 28, 2011

As of today I am into the 340s!

hardheart · Oct 28, 2011

You've lost 100lbs or so since June, fucking nice!

Keep up the good work. There's a guy at my gym (Lifetime in Tempe) that's done this. Hardly recognized him as I hadn't seen him since July or so.

Nemesis48 · Nov 9, 2011

Log 3

I updated my weight chart on the 1st page. About 7 lbs lost since my last post.

I just wanted to comment on how eating healthy has impacted my health. The biggest noticeable change is that I don't get sick anymore. While everyone in my house are struggling with communicable diseases, I tend to get sick for a few hours or as long as a day, and then feel fine the next day.

I am of the opinion, the more I exercise this discipline, that good nutrition is the key to health. It seems that a lot of the medicines that we have become dependent on are pointless. I have defeated sicknesses just by drinking a lot of water and continuing to eat right. Proper hydration is such an advantage to dealing with sickness. I am not suggesting that medicine is pointless - just that eating healthy can really help you avoid a lot of common illnesses.

I also want to add that the St. John's Wort I have been taking has REALLY made an impact on my mood. I feel much more upbeat and less prone to bouts of negative feelings.

While people started noticing a physical change as of a few months ago, i guess its really becoming obvious now, because everyone says how much thinner I look. I looked at an old picture of myself and was amazed at how fat my face was! I still am fat - but I have come quite a ways.

I am at 343.6 and started at 437.

My next big challenge will be leaving my current residence and moving out of the country, or at least to another state. I hope it doesn't set it back too much with my nutrition. That's coming up in a few months.

forum poster · Nov 10, 2011

Congratulations man. You're doing awesome and seem to have read up on the subject fairly well. I wouldn't bother with an iron supplement. They usually reccomend avoiding iron on a keto diet because most people get enough dietary iron. If you do decide to use one make sure it's low dose and don't take it every day. And keep eating broccoli, that stuff is brilliant on low carb diets.

Nemesis48 · Nov 30, 2011

Log 4.

Post-thanksgiving report.

I gained 3.5 lbs of water weight from 3 days of eating like shit but pissed it out rather rapidly and am now burning faster than I was pre-thanksgiving. I think this points to the validity of *very* occasionally overfeeding to extremes (other than 1 cheat meal a week). I will say that eating that sort of crap (carbs + sweets) just doesn't appeal to me the way it used to. I felt nauseous after thanksgiving and didn't feel like myself until I started IF again. The food was good, but not to the addictive/sensational aspect it used to be.

I also started eating almonds again. I once had an almond phase but stopped eating them once I ran out - never bothered to re-purchase. What a great idea it was to get back on the almond bandwagon, my regularity hasn't been this good before (Combination of psylium and almonds = amazing) and for some reason whenever i eat almonds I feel like I am burning longer, probably due to the digestion time required. Whenever I eat some some almonds and wake up the next morning I can feel a sense of having burned - and my recent rapid weight loss reflects that. Lost 4 lbs over the past 2 days.

I am down to 336 - officially over 100 lbs lost now. Weight chart's updated.

largemansmay*** · Nov 30, 2011

Good job, keep it up.

Nemesis48 · Dec 18, 2011

Log 5

Weight chart updated, I am now into the 320s.

I have been steadily following the same diet, so there isn't much to say. I guess when you have a lot of willpower there are few setbacks or deviations from a plan.

I did my first real squats. While I have done some lifting in the past, I never had a squat rack, was too much of a novice to attempt them on my own at the gym, and did not have the flexibility to perform a hack squat.

A few weeks ago while responding to a weight plateau (by lifting) I decided to load up the heaviest dumb bells possible, stick them to my chest and squat. It was only about 70 lbs, but it did pay off. Last week, working off the same principle, I loaded up a box with all my plates, held it high to the chest, and squatted. The next morning I could not walk. I soon learned that these are called "zercher squats" and they are the first real/heavy squats I did. They are fun to do, and the level of soreness/muscle exhaustion afterwards was insane.

Another interesting point is clothes. None of my old clothes fit. I am also hesitant to buy new clothes, because I am going to keep losing weight, and don't want to waste my money. Luckily I haven't been going out TOO much, so i'll suffer through the cold with a pair of shorts for short periods.

Nemesis48 · Dec 19, 2011

Q&A

Someone sent me an email with some questions. I decided to post my answers here for others who were wondering:

1. What is the maximum amount of carb you can eat?

The maximum number of carbs is different for every person if you want to remain in a state of ketosis - the only way to know for sure is ketostix. If you don't want to enter ketosis just eat whatever amount you want, the less the better. I eat less than 15-20 grams daily.

2. Does IF slow your metabolism down?
"Starvation mode" is a myth. While it exists, it takes weeks (not hours or days) to induce - your metabolism will not decrease but you will have a SHIT TON of benefits from IF.
See:
T NATION | John Berardi's Great Fasting Experiment
Intermittent fasting diet for fat loss, muscle gain and health

I fast from 6 pm to 1130 AM every day - i only consume water during the fast.

3. What is the best method for cheat meals?
When you cheat is up to you, but make it consistent and ONLY cheat during your designated cheat period. Exceptions to this rule: eat whatever everyone else is during holidays and special occasions, but only have 1 "regular" cheat a week or two weeks. I usually get taco bell or chinese food on fridays.

4. Won't you regain your weight when you go back to eating carbs once you hit your target weight?

I don't plan to start eating carbs once I reach my goal weight - a diet should be a lifelong nutritional plan, not a strategy (unless you are a weight lifter or other performance athlete). My body chemistry is such that I can't eat carbs in moderate amounts and remain at a healthy weight. I also have found from research that carbs NOT ONLY make us gain weight, but also can induce metabolic syndrome, and I am going to avoid them where possible. I feel better on low carb, I have WAY more energy, never get bloated, and generally feel more manly.

5. Do you have any tips for me?

My only tip is to DO RESEARCH - and don't buy into the whole "fats are bad for you" crowd, it's based on a debunked scientific concept called the lipid hypothesis.

Nemesis48 · Dec 21, 2011

1st post updated with pictures.

437 lbs to 250 - low carb

Blue Belt

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Green Belt

White Belt

Blue Belt

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Green Belt

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Brown Belt

Blue Belt

Black Belt

Blue Belt

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