Lost 3.4 lbs in 2 days so far

[impaul99]

Well, this weekend I implemented the beginnings of my new diet. Not a bad start. So far I lost 3.4lbs in the the last 2 days.

Hopefully things keep going this well as my body sheds itself of this excess waste (fat).

If anyone wants to monitor my progress you can see it here:

View Progress | HealthyFitGuy.com

Also, I list what I do each day for eating and exercise in my blog there.

[VacMan]

impaul99,

Congrats on the start of a your new diet!!

I just want to make sure you understand that when starting a new diet, most of the time the initial weight loss that happens. Especially when it's so dramatic like 3 pounds in 2 days, is usually due to your body not being able to keep up it's glycogen stores (carbohydrates stored in muscle.)

For every ounce of glycogen you hold 3 ounces of water.

Water weighs quite a bit.

Don't get discouraged if your weight loss levels out after a week or so when you've lost all the water weight.

And don't get freaked out if you start eating normal again and your weight suddenly shoots back up.

Most of this is water weight.

This water weight loss is most dramatic when you're following an extremely low calorie diet, or one that severely restricts carbohydrates.

I also hope you aren't eating too little, as that can slow your metabolism down to a crawl and can cause you to destroy your muscle tissue as well.

Muscle is usually the first thing to go on an extremely low calorie diet, and muscle weighs a lot, so it shows up on the scale.

But the bad thing is, losing muscle also slows your metabolism, and can make it harder to maintain your weight later if you decide to move your calories back up in the future.

Again, best of luck to you!

[thecubemonkey]

Paul,

Congrats on the first steps to your new body and healthy lifestyle.

I don't know what your diet is but be very careful. 3.4lbs in 2 days is likely water loss with some fat loss given that you are working out. I always tell people that they should shoot for 2 pounds of fat loss per week. This is a safe and realistic way to lose weight and keep it off. Plus, I tell people to weigh themselves weekly and not daily. If you gain 1 pound tomorrow, you might get demoralized. 1-3 pounds of weight fluctuation per day is not uncommon. So a weekly weigh in reduces the fluctuations some and over the long haul, you'll see progress.

I'm sure I'm not the only one on here with experience, but I've been into health and fitness for a long time so feel free to ask me any questions you have.

All the best!

[impaul99]

No worries guys, I've experimented with different diets and weight loss/muscle gain for many years now and I've been studying for my nutritionist diploma part time for about 2 years now.

My diet is not restrictive at all in terms of quantity of food I eat so I can eat as much as I want if I'm still hungry.

I don't count any calories.
I don't measure my food at all.
If I'm still hungry after a meal, I go and eat something else.
I am increasing my water intake every day.

Basically, my diet is based on studying all the different nutritional philosophies out there and I've basically taken the best of each one of them to determine which foods are "good" and which foods are "bad".

For example, "cucumber" and "brocolli" are "good" and "coca cola" and "chocolate" are bad.

I have a whole list of hundreds of foods that I've gone through and determined their "goodness" level for me, and I just eat whatever I want from that group of foods, listening to my body for what it wants.

As I write this I'm munching on a giant salad which consists of lettuce, mixed greens, red peppers, green onions, cucumber, avacado slices, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seed, a little tiny bit of dressing, and some sprinkled cranberries. My body is just LOVIN it.

In the past, my weight loss has regulated itself at around 0.50-0.70lbs / day of fat loss when I went on diets before. However, they weren't as healthy as this and I wasn't exercising as much as I am now.

Thanks for your support!

[thecubemonkey]

Paul,

I'm glad you know what you're doing (almost an expert given the nutrition degree!). I see so many people go on a diet without a clue only to hurt themselves, get demoralized, or lose weight and put it back on.

Nice job and keep it up! Stay motivated! I too, have started a new fitness routine to add more muscle mass. Wish me luck!

[C33]

Dear Paul,

This is very inspiring! You seem like you have a plan that works and are on your way to a great, vital body.

It's always great to see someone succeeding, and your example will be motivational for a lot of us who have losing fat and getting fitter as a goal.

Your salad sounds yummy, I will try it!

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by thecubemonkey

Paul,

I'm glad you know what you're doing (almost an expert given the nutrition degree!). I see so many people go on a diet without a clue only to hurt themselves, get demoralized, or lose weight and put it back on.

Nice job and keep it up! Stay motivated! I too, have started a new fitness routine to add more muscle mass. Wish me luck!

Oh yeah, I've studied a lot of the "diets" out there like Atkins, South Beach, Weightwatchers, Jenny Craig, Slimfast, etc. etc.

They're all just temporary solutions and most of them are dangerous.

What I'm doing is not really a "diet" in the general sense of the word. It's more of a lifestyle change, switching to eating for nutrition instead of eating to feed my ego.

Good luck on your plan as well!

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by C33

Dear Paul,

This is very inspiring! You seem like you have a plan that works and are on your way to a great, vital body.

It's always great to see someone succeeding, and your example will be motivational for a lot of us who have losing fat and getting fitter as a goal.

Your salad sounds yummy, I will try it!

One of the things that I find very important when trying to go on a healthy diet is to CREATE a GOOD TASTING salad.

Experiment, do what you need to do, try different veggies, different types of lettuce, different nuts and seeds or whatever it takes to make it a delicious salad for you.

If you dont' know how to make yourself at least one type of delicious salad and at least one type of delicious soup, good luck

A lot of people I've talked to about healthy diet have said something like "Oh, I don't like salad." and I find that most of the don't like salad because they've never had a good one. If my only experience with "salads" was the crap you get at restaurants, I'd never be able to eat healthy. Some people have never experienced the taste of a fresh, home made salad, made from good quality, fresh (and organic if possible) produce.

Half the salads I've eaten in restaurants taste like they're 5 days old and just about to go rotten.

[impaul99]

Well I'm on day 6 of my diet (Day 10 of my exercise plan). After the first 5 days on my new diet, so far I've lost 4.9lbs.

Very exciting!

[Alexander]

Originally Posted by impaul99

I have a whole list of hundreds of foods that I've gone through and determined their "goodness" level for me, and I just eat whatever I want from that group of foods, listening to my body for what it wants.

Can you post that list here or on your blog? I would be interested to see how it breaks down..

[Erki]

Originally Posted by impaul99

One of the things that I find very important when trying to go on a healthy diet is to CREATE a GOOD TASTING salad.

Experiment, do what you need to do, try different veggies, different types of lettuce, different nuts and seeds or whatever it takes to make it a delicious salad for you.

If you dont' know how to make yourself at least one type of delicious salad and at least one type of delicious soup, good luck

A lot of people I've talked to about healthy diet have said something like "Oh, I don't like salad." and I find that most of the don't like salad because they've never had a good one. If my only experience with "salads" was the crap you get at restaurants, I'd never be able to eat healthy. Some people have never experienced the taste of a fresh, home made salad, made from good quality, fresh (and organic if possible) produce.

Half the salads I've eaten in restaurants taste like they're 5 days old and just about to go rotten.

Good tasting food is good for your soul.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by impaul99

One of the things that I find very important when trying to go on a healthy diet is to CREATE a GOOD TASTING salad.

My favorite salad is very simple:

Baby Spinach with 5-6 olives and the olive oil that is in the bottle of the olives. So delicious, I love eating it for breakfast.