Melkiah's Journal, 11 January 2018

I guess it’s a good thing you’re not diabetic 😜 

That's cuz you're a man. 🤣 

I sure felt like I was becoming diabetic when I weighted 257 lbs. It was so bad I’d feel incredibly low energy until I gave into my bodies demand of sugar. Was terrifying. I had syncope when coughing and terrible sleep apnea. I’m just happy that’s all over. JackieSphar: yes, being a man has its perks. 130% metabolism of women. Life’s unfair :( wish women burned more normally. 

So I'm fascinated. How do you feel eating all crap food? How do you counsel your clients? I went to keto because I wasn't loosing lbs on 1200lbs and below. How long are you going to fo this? 

JackieSpahr - Eating crap food is delicious but it makes me feel like complete sh**. I was kind of joking about eating only crap food. I just believe you should eat good food primarily but it’s not terrible to indulge now and then. Yesterday, I had a protein shake (42g) for lunch, and Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio for dinner (Vermicelli with charbroiled pork and imperial rolls with a shrimp spring roll (relatively healthy) with an amino snack for workout. Today I had a Smoothie King Power Punch Plus Medium Smoothie, a cinnamon roll for breakfast, and A Baconator with medium fries for dinner. I went a tad overboard today, but I’m still in a deficit. I feel pretty good, I’ll be going for a swim later this evening. But nutrition should be built around the activity you do. I always tell my clients they should be feeding based on the activity levels they employ. The only reason why I get away with eating terribly half the time is because I have an incredibly high demand for calories. Here’s just a sample of my daily routine 8AM - pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups. 10AM - 3-6 Mike Run. Every other day include speedwork. 11AM - Climbing. About 2000 feet 12PM - 30 minute cool down walk 11PM - 800 meter swim. So yeah, that’s why. My body needs an incredible amount of carbohydrate to function, and an adequate amount of protein to maintain lean mass.  

As far as you not losing weight on 1200 calorie diet, sounds like you need to do an overall weight measurement less frequently, and focus on inches around the waist and hips. It’s easy to become discouraged at a total weight number because it’s just not a good indicator of losing body fat. Body fat is only one tiny component of overall body weight. 

And final thing Jackie. The people who end up hitting walls and giving up are people who have made an unhealthy and unrealistic commitment to what they eat. Mainly people who give up entire food groups or go on extreme low calorie diets in an effort to shed weight as quickly as possible. This isn’t typically the correct approach for 90% of people looking to lose weight, the other 10% being medically required to do so. It’s important to make good choices and changes to both lifestyle and diet, within reason. If you feel like you could live the rest of your life on a diet consisting of primarily proteins and fats, more power to you. But most people like bread and noodles and stuff, which is realistic. It’s good to be true to yourself and allow indulgences here and there, otherwise you’ll tend to gorge on the stuff you deemed taboo and will just give up. 

I eat all the carbs I want. I also eat all the food I want. I don't count calories. I don't control portions. I don't log food. If I'm still hungry after I eat, I eat more. I snack all day long. I usually don't go more than an hour without eating something. Still losing weight. Cured my pre-diabetes. Cured my chronic migraines. Cured my angina. Cured my high blood pressure. In process of curing my heart disease.  

Oh, & no, I don't exercise on any kind of regular basis, either.  

Dryphtyt: impressive :) why do you think you don’t gain weight? For me, some things come to mind. You’re a young individual who is recruiting calories for growth. You have a decent amount of skeletal musculature that requires a lot of calories resulting in a high BMR. You’re battling some kind of sickness that’s requiring the caloric intake. You have an active lifestyle or job that requires a moderate amount of activity. 

I sit at a desk all day. I'm 39 years old. Had a heart attack at 36. Nov 15th 2017 when I started this, was 115 pounds overweight. Currently about 85 overweight.  

God I have to ask, what’s your secret? 

After my heart attack, I gave up. The blockage is inoperable. Spent the past 3 years with a death sentence. I've tried calorie counting. In desperation, I even tried keto, once. Never found anything I could stick to. Then on the morning of Nov 13th, I got an email from my uncle saying his doctor told him to watch Forks Over Knives on Netflix. Curious as to why, I turned it on while making breakfast. Nov 14th was pay day. I went through my kitchen & threw every scrap of food I had in the trash. Then I went out & did the single biggest grocery shopping trip I've ever done. I started the plan on the 15th & will never look back. This has literally been the easiest thing I've ever done. All the food I want & no willpower. As a bonus, I currently spend between $25 & $60 a week on groceries. Obesity is 100% curable, & it's easy to do. All it takes is making one decision & then following through with it. I noticed you're a personal trainer? You could save so many lives. Feel free to message me after watching the documentary, if you want. I'm certainly no expert, but I've dug up tons of resources over the past 2 months. Cheers.  

By the way, just stalked your profile. Congratulations on your weightloss. I'll be there soon! 

Thanks dryphtyr. I do my best to help others. I will definitely look into this documentary. I’m proud of you for not giving up. The human body is a miraculous machine capable of doing things doctors don’t seem to understand. Kudos to you partner. 

And to you! Best of luck in all your endeavours.  

Wow, how did you do that?!?