Fat Gem Goes To The Gym

[xerx]

Beware, the summers in England kind of suck sometimes. I was just there for 2 weeks in August, and it was cold and rainy. I brought all these summer clothes and no jackets thinking it be warm like it is here in the states, so I suffered dumb starfall. My family says the winters there are pretty mild, though.

I do miss the fresh clean food and chocolate, though. The meat, dairy, fruit & vegetables trample all over Americas crappy chemical & hormone pumped junk. Everywhere you go you see healthy, happy, plump pigs, sheep and cows roaming free... something I seldom see in the states. The pigs even had little pig houses.

did you ever leave downing street?

[FDG]

Would you visit again? Would you ever consider living there?

mb you can move to Romania and become the next count Dracula

[Roro]

You look fine, not fat at all. But good luck on your journey; seems you're doing well already.

I understand the frustration of weight gain, even when diet and exercised haven't changed a bit. I'm going to have to schedule an appointment to get my thyroid levels checked before too long as well.

[FDG]

Not sure what you detected about my posts to assume that or joke about it but your Ni is in godmode right now.

[SyrupDeGem]

Ok, well now I have lost a heap of weight but it's mostly through not eating due to loss of appetite. I think I have lost approx one stone... It's bizarre how my appetite just died... I had some kind of virus and it killed it. Trying to eat soup and stuff just so i get some food in me.

Walking a lot but exercise is hard when you have an empty stomach. Hoping to find a middle ground soon with healthy diet and exercise balance. Really trying to force food into myself it's totally not intentional. Not really sleeping much either and my eyes look like black holes... oh dear.

[Joy]

I'm on Day 4 of this diet that's described in a book called The Carb Nite Solution. I know someone who lost weight on it, and supposedly there's a ton of research backing it up. Basically it's high fat, moderate protein, and ultra low carb with carb cycling. You eat less than 30 grams of carbs 6 days a week, but one night a day (for the 6 to 8 hours before you go to bed) you eat a bunch of high glycemic index carbs. The idea isn't to lose weight but to lose fat while conserving muscle.

When you start you don't have your first carb nite until day 10. Days 3 and 4 (and maybe 5) are apparently the worst. I will attest to their suckiness. In fact, I feel so crappy I can't focus enough to read the rest of this topic, so I'll have to go back another time and skim through the thread. The great thing though is that I have to have moderate protein in order to function properly, and I love eating fat. I wasn't convinced to read the book until I was told that I could drink my coffee with heavy cream in it. I was like, "Okay, I'm in." lol And the nice thing is that this diet requires the carb nite, so I'll be able to once again eat some of my old favorite foods that I've been avoiding in my previous efforts to lose weight.

Welp, I've got 80 lbs to lose, but if this diet lives up to its claims and the testimonials of people in the Facebook group I'll be in a string bikini again by the end of the summer! And I'll look better in it than when I was skinny before because I'll still have my muscle instead of being flabby-skinny. I just really hope I don't end up with loose skin.

[Joy]

I started this diet a week ago, and I've lost 4 lbs so far. We're going to Vegas Sunday night and leaving Tuesday morning, so technically I could use Monday as my high carb night. It would be fine except you're only allowed two alcoholic drinks on carb night on this plan. We're getting married though so I kind of just want to eat and drink what I want that day. I also don't want to have to restart the diet when I get back though, particularly since we'll be moving on the 2nd. The first week on this diet is said to be rough, and they weren't kidding. I don't want to have another rough week while we're trying to pack and whatnot. Decisions, decisions.

[Suz]

Once you start going to the gym and get into a routine, you'll wonder how you ever did NOT go. I've never tried a personal trainer. Idk. Running is all I need to stay healthy and happy. I get this ridiculous pleasure after a good run. So addictive.

Ditto. I actually dislike personal training because their routines can get too complicated and i dont need someone else yelling at me, and I like to do my own thing at the gym. Running is the single best exercise for me to lose weight and I also love the feeling after a good run. I have found unfortunately i need to cross train though, otherwise i start getting IT band/piriformis issues, so my rule for myself is never to run on consecutive days.

[SyrupDeGem]

I have joined another gym now and went for 2 days last week. Should have been three but am working on some issues with other gym members. Have to be brave, never usually get uncomfortable. Will deal with it next week as am meeting my closest friend there and going to be having some personal training. The gym is a lot less than i remembered just £35 per month so I think I will invest in some pt sessions which are £50 per hour... maybe one a week to start with.

The weight has so far stayed off but am aware that i seem to be hungry a lot at the moment and have to watch myself with that as am craving crappy foods. I actually ate three consecutive snickers bars a couple of days ago which i know is really awful. It was almost a sort of self punishment for not dealing with a situation that arose well. (Why did i do that?!?). Someone needs to go back to therapy.

[Joy]

*hugs*

You'll get it worked out and then it will have been just a little hiccup.

[Lotus]

way to go gem and joy!

i gained like 20 lbs since i went to rehab and it's been driving me CRAZY. i guess everything you eat when your body is coming out of starvation mode really sticks. who knows, maybe i was overeating too and oblivious of it. it's bizarre how a year ago i had to force myself to eat, whereas now i have to watch what i'm consuming! anyway, i've been trying to eat healthy and exercise too to return to my previous body weight.

since "dieting" is too strict for me and leads me to compulsively eating a lot when i'm stoned, i just try to find a way of eating that is natural for me and my schedule. which lately has been one balanced meal a day with a green smoothie at some other point that i'm hungry. a lot of vegetables and nuts, quinoa, and healthy fats like coconut oil and avocados. i do yoga a couple times a week in the morning, and i go to the gym straight after work at night 3-4 times a week. running at night after a stressful work shift feels so therapeutic. i treat myself after with some meditation, then i smoke a bowl, and draw a little or go to sleep.

despite only losing a few lbs on the scale, i'm down a pants size and certain parts of my body feel more toned.


good luck! whatever works for you, right

[Joy]

You're doing great, Allie! Don't be hard on yourself about the weight you gained. It happens. It sounds like your approach is very healthy.

[Joy]

So far I've lost about 11 lbs in a two weeks. I love this diet because I'm so satiated from what I eat!

[Birdie]

I'm on Day 4 of this diet that's described in a book called The Carb Nite Solution. I know someone who lost weight on it, and supposedly there's a ton of research backing it up. Basically it's high fat, moderate protein, and ultra low carb with carb cycling. You eat less than 30 grams of carbs 6 days a week, but one night a day (for the 6 to 8 hours before you go to bed) you eat a bunch of high glycemic index carbs. The idea isn't to lose weight but to lose fat while conserving muscle.

When you start you don't have your first carb nite until day 10. Days 3 and 4 (and maybe 5) are apparently the worst. I will attest to their suckiness. In fact, I feel so crappy I can't focus enough to read the rest of this topic, so I'll have to go back another time and skim through the thread. The great thing though is that I have to have moderate protein in order to function properly, and I love eating fat. I wasn't convinced to read the book until I was told that I could drink my coffee with heavy cream in it. I was like, "Okay, I'm in." lol And the nice thing is that this diet requires the carb nite, so I'll be able to once again eat some of my old favorite foods that I've been avoiding in my previous efforts to lose weight.

Welp, I've got 80 lbs to lose, but if this diet lives up to its claims and the testimonials of people in the Facebook group I'll be in a string bikini again by the end of the summer! And I'll look better in it than when I was skinny before because I'll still have my muscle instead of being flabby-skinny. I just really hope I don't end up with loose skin.

While I do not do low carb quite how you described it I do low carb when cutting which is what I am currently doing.
If you stick with it, it definitely will help you to lose fat. It is also important to be doing some form of exercise when
cutting that way you will not have a bunch of loose skin. You should also be aiming to lose 1.5lbs a week in order
to avoid loose skin. Drink a TON of water. The more hydrated you are, the more elastic your skin is, the less loose
it is when you are losing large amounts of weight.

Do you have pretty good muscularity as is?

I used to be too much into cardio (3 hours of cardio 6 days a week, I know, I know) but then my boyfriend got me
into weightlifting and over the last year and a half I have gained about 25 lbs (from last February until about a
month ago) but I am okay with that because I know that the bulk of it is muscle that I have gained and not fat.
I am excited to be cutting right now even though the food sucks (I hate meat) because I know when I get done
with this my body will be in a really good shape and I will be very healthy. I do not look to low-carbing as a permanent
solution but something that is temporary and I really hope you plan on doing the same thing joy. It is important
to have a well balanced diet in the grand scheme of things. Anyway, when I get done with this I plan on returning
to a vegan lifestyle. Also, I am pretty sure I have convinced my boyfriend to try it out with me so that is exciting!!
(I think he will probably just try vegetarianism first but it is a start!)

[Joy]

While I do not do low carb quite how you described it I do low carb when cutting which is what I am currently doing.
If you stick with it, it definitely will help you to lose fat. It is also important to be doing some form of exercise when
cutting that way you will not have a bunch of loose skin. You should also be aiming to lose 1.5lbs a week in order
to avoid loose skin. Drink a TON of water. The more hydrated you are, the more elastic your skin is, the less loose
it is when you are losing large amounts of weight.

Yet another reason to drink a ton of water! As far as exercise, my job is pretty physical and I work A LOT of hours during the busy season. It's getting

I did some reading and some sources suggested the following about loose skin:

1.) It can take a few years for skin to return to a smaller size, so losing weight more slowly doesn't so much affect the end result as it does pace your size and skin shrinkage more evenly.
2.) Whether it ever shrinks down or not has more to do with genetics and how large you were (being very large can "break" the skins elasticity) than how quickly you lose weight.
3.) Building muscle only helps in that it replaces one type of bulk with another to fill out your skin.

Different sources seemed to have some conflicting info, but the above seemed to be what it all boiled down to. I'm less worried about this now as it feels like something I don't have all that much control over. It'll either happen or it won't. If it does I'll have the excess surgically removed.

Do you have pretty good muscularity as is?

Better than average. I used to be very strong (especially for my size, though I never looked particularly muscular) but lost a lot of muscle when I dropped 40 lbs four years ago through caloric restriction. I've been slowly building strength again as time goes by just from pushing myself at work and doing things around the house. My massage therapist says I still have a lot of muscle.

I used to be too much into cardio (3 hours of cardio 6 days a week, I know, I know) but then my boyfriend got me
into weightlifting and over the last year and a half I have gained about 25 lbs (from last February until about a
month ago) but I am okay with that because I know that the bulk of it is muscle that I have gained and not fat.
I am excited to be cutting right now even though the food sucks (I hate meat) because I know when I get done
with this my body will be in a really good shape and I will be very healthy. I do not look to low-carbing as a permanent
solution but something that is temporary and I really hope you plan on doing the same thing joy. It is important
to have a well balanced diet in the grand scheme of things. Anyway, when I get done with this I plan on returning
to a vegan lifestyle. Also, I am pretty sure I have convinced my boyfriend to try it out with me so that is exciting!!
(I think he will probably just try vegetarianism first but it is a start!)

Cool!

[Joy]

I've tightened my belt two notches in the past month!

[Joy]

http://www.businessinsider.com/exper...re-fat-2014-10

[Joy]

It's three notches and 18.2 lbs in two months now.