response 10 of 77:

Aug 13 14:44 UTC 1998

Not Zone, but I've read and tried a week or two of all three of the "low-carb"
plans.  They seem to work for me.  It's the exercise part I can't get going.
The basic bio-chem premise of all of these makes a lot of sense for how my
body responds to starches and sugars.

response 12 of 77:

Aug 30 13:52 UTC 1998

You must be very pleased with yourself.  And so you should be.

response 14 of 77:

Aug 30 22:38 UTC 1998

I'd like to lose about 10 more pounds. That would get me into
the "not overweight" category according to the current U.S.
guidelines.

response 16 of 77:

Aug 31 23:57 UTC 1998

Absolutely! More energy, generally "sunnier" mood overall.

response 18 of 77:

Oct 21 13:13 UTC 1998

I've lost about 5 more pounds since the beginning of September, making
my total weight loss since I began this regimen about 20 pounds. Body
fat has gone from 28% in May down to 21%. Body mass index (BMI) is 25,
down from 28. Lean body mass has remained unchanged.

No significant weight loss for the last two or three weeks. I expected
this leveling off - less time for exercise with the semester underway,
colder weather, the distractions of work. Eventually I'd like to lose
another 10 to 15 pounds, but I'm in no hurry. That can wait until next
spring. My immediate goal is not to gain anything back.

response 20 of 77:

Jan 21 14:04 UTC 1999

Some further progress. Lost 5 more pounds since my last report, but
for the last few weeks I've been holding steady in the 150-155 lb
range. I'm somewhat surprised that I lost anything, since my exer-
cise level is way down due to the time demands of the school year.
Losing another 5 pounds or so would be nice, but I suspect that
will have to wait until spring/summer when I'll have more time to
work out.

I feel pretty good at my current weight, actually. Waistline is down
3-4 inches since I started all this. It's nice to be able to fit
into clothes that I haven't been able to wear for 8 or 9 years.

The bulk (no pun intended) of my success -- and especially the fact
that I've continued to lose weight during the school year -- is due,
I'm convinced, more to my radical change in eating habits that any-
thing else. Restricted calorie intake (around 1500 cal/day), with
an effort to balance carbohydrate, protein, and fat calories in a
40/30/30 percentage ratio at every meal or snack (the so-called
"Zone Diet"). In particular, carbohydrate intake is way down --
no more binging on bagels and pretzels, which I used to do a lot.
And I've been able to do all this without feeling like I'm starving
myself.

response 22 of 77:

Jan 22 13:49 UTC 1999

Thanks.

I'm skeptical that there is such a thing as "correct weight for one's 
genetic makeup" though. Certainly genetics has something to do with it, 
but weight depends a lot on lifestyle choices too. My example is a case 
in point.

Although I generally feel a lot better since I've lost weight, I was 
interested in getting an objective reading on any actual improvements, 
so I asked my doctor to prescribe a blood test to measure cholesterol 
and such. Compared with six months ago, the last time I had this done, 
indicators such as the total cholesterol to HDL ratio, and the 
triglycerides to HDL ratio, have improved significantly. My doctor 
wrote "excellent" on the lab report.

response 24 of 77:

Jan 30 05:28 UTC 1999

grad school has contributed to my weight loss, since I plain do not 
have time to eat during the day! I know that's not good, but it was so 
hard to integrate something healthy to eat. There's places on campus to 
eat but it's all greasy, fried or sugary crap. I can't eat that every 
day. 

So, I carry around a can of Balance, a natural alternative to Slim Fast.
I get it at the natural foods store. It's got vitamins and all and is 
tasty, does not have that "aluminum" taste because it doesn't have all 
the icky chemicals. Only $2 a can, which is cheaper than anything I 
could eat at school. It really does fill my tummy, I don't drink it and 
go, "Aaagh solid food!!!"

I am also working out 2 to 4 times per week. 30 minutes on the bike or 
cross country ski machine. I break a sweat but am not spent when it's 
done. If it wore me out, I'd get burned out way quick and not stick to 
it. I exercise to get energy, not to kill myself. I also do weight 
training. The weight is slooowly coming off but it's coming off.

response 26 of 77:

Jan 31 14:37 UTC 1999

Agreed. And keep up the good work, bees!

response 28 of 77:

Feb 1 00:16 UTC 1999

It's OK to occasionally eat something huge and heavy.  Just keep up the normal
good habits and it won't make muchof a bulge.

response 30 of 77:

Feb 1 19:28 UTC 1999

True... I was being a bit hard on myself. Usually I compensate, 
balancing a big lunch with a smaller dinner, etc. I'm getting to where I 
like exercising (probably because I no longer go with the intention of 
wearing myself out), so when I eat something not-so-healthy I know I can 
go to the gym that night to burn it off. 

I'm not sure how many calories I eat per day; I just can't sit down and 
add up all that. Yawn. I know I can eat 2200 a day and maintain, but 
since I want to lose I try to keep it around 1700 or so. So if I want 
the little debbie swiss cake rolls, and it turns out I'm nowhere near my 
limit for the day, I just eat it. I know they're empty calories, but if 
I didn't exceed the limit then would it do harm?

When I took karate as a PE credit in undergrad, I was working out 1 1/2 
hrs twice a week. Ate my typical fattening diet, which included lots of 
pizza and beer back in those days. I still lost. But I was 21 or so 
then, and five years has changed me somewhat. It's a little bit harder.

response 32 of 77:

Feb 2 19:13 UTC 1999

Yep. Some days I'm in the mood to break a sweat. Other times I just want 
to get my blood moving is all. I can't do aerobics classes and such. 
They bore me to death, and those instructors are just too damn perky. :)

response 34 of 77:

Feb 15 01:57 UTC 1999

Apples are filling.