On June 8 of this year I did something I have done repeatedly for almost two decades. I launched yet another weight loss effort. It was going to be different this time. This was it! Losing and sustained loss.
How have I done? I have lost 16 lb. in 63 days. Of course, I lost 16 lb. in 56 days. So I flatlined this past week. But I would rather focus on the success of the first 56 days and think that maybe I have set myself up for more weight loss in the coming week.
A quick review in pounds:
1. June 8....256
2. June 14...250
3. June 20...249
4. June 21...248
5. June 27...249
6. June 28...250
7. July 1....249
8. July 15...246
9. July 20...245
10. July 22..244
11. July 26..243
12. July 31..245
13. August 3..240
14. August 5..242
15. August 9..240
Recapping the weight loss strategy:
1. Carbohydrate restriction. My strategy might be called modified Atkins or maybe haphazard Atkins. As mentioned in previous posts I have had varying degrees of success with Atkins. It worked real well one year. I went off it and gained excessive weight. Restarted it the next year and did not follow it as closely and was not as successful. Also, I have always gone through flatline periods, especially when I am in the 240-250 range.
Believe it or not, I have cut back on fat a little bit. My diet used to look like an inverted USDA food pyramid (one of the biggest flops in the history of the world)with fat from calories as the base. Now, protein would probably be the base. I no longer smother swordfish in butter and I frequently substitute tabasco sauce or mustard for mayo. But don't ever ask me to substitute low fat or lite mayo. I am 100%against the Ersatz Food movement that robs souls and ruins lives! Besides, low fat products usually have a higher sugar content than the real thing.
2. Second strategem is exercise. I do want to go to the gym more frequently but my time constraints are real. Having said that, I have only attended the gym 7 or 8 times(I believe it's 8 but I will double check) during this 63 day period. No doubt I would lose weight faster if I had the luxury of liesure.
3. Third strategem is phenylalanine. I have been using phenylalanine daily for 20 years. In and of itself, it has not been successful in weight control but I do believe it has merit. More on this amazing amino in future posts.
4. Fourth strategem is arginine. Arginine can be a cornerstone of weight loss but it has a few flaws. The big flaw of arginine is its taste. Years ago someone compared its taste to dog vomit. I cannot make that comparison but I will say that arginine is one of the worst tasting substances I have ever swallowed. For that reason I started buying the more expensive proprietary mixes during the early 90's. What a difference!
But most arginine products were sweetened with sugar. Not a problem until I started a low carb diet. Fortunately, there are proprietary arginine products that use stevia as a sweetener. But I cannot say for certain how stevia affects low-carb diets. There is this gray area of sugar alcohols, virtual carbs, actual carbs and so on. A small amount of stevia will not sabotage a low-carb diet. A high intake might sabotage the diet.
This is an area of frustration for me. It is one of those things where it is hard to find reliable information. Ask a doctor and he'll tell you that a low-carb diet is dangerous and it never, ever, ever works. Also stevia is probably poison. Take two pyramids and call me in the morning. Of course, I don't trust the proprietor to tell me if and when stevia might sabotage my weight loss efforts. Joe Internet will offer an opinion on the subject but I sometimes think Mr. Internet is not as smart as he thinks he is.
Arginine has a lot to offer but the stevia continues to concern me. I sometimes use arginine as a meal substitute but only if I am not all that hungry. From July 4 to July 25 I used arginine in lower doses (3 tbsp/6 gram arginine per tbsp)a couple of times before bed and each time before exercise. I started arginine the week of July 20. Usually 6 tbsp. daily (one x per day.) Through oversight I abstained for three days in the first week in August.
The stevia thing has not been resolved but at this writing I am taking arginine 6 tbsp. daily.
5. Fifth Strategam is resveratrol. On Wednsesday July 29 I took 400 mg. resveratrol
one x. The next day I took 400 mg tid. The following day I settled into a routine of 400 mg bid. On August 6 I increased resveratrol to 800 mg. bid.
Despite the immediate weight loss (5 lb. in 3 days) I am still skeptical of resveratrol. The weight loss could have been coincidental. We get those peaks and valleys in every weight loss (and weight gain for that matter) scenario. Even at wholesale prices, resveratrol is pricey. But it would certainly be money well spent if one was certain their body was assimilating the ingested resveratrol. However, bioavailabilty is certainly a concern. But for now, I will include resveratrol.
That is my First 9 Week Summary. If anyone has any suggestions, good advice, bad advice or ridicule, please pass it along.
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