My story

aagaag

Ok, here is the whole big enchilada - for those who are interested in it!

I have been working out (ca. 4-5 hours/week) for many years. Not a lot, but no couch potato either. On the minus side, I have never given any thoughts whatsoever to what - and how much - I was eating. However, one year ago I started to realize that 30'/day on the elliptical (without any food intake control) wasn't doing any good to me in terms of weight. Damn, I was still gaining weight!

That's when I started commuting by bike. This means climbing a hill called Uetliberg, and then another one called Züriberg to get to the hospital where I work. Total ascent: 560m. This was much better, because it meant 2hr30' of obligatory exercise (no chickening out possible, since otherwise I wouldn't get home from work!).

The biking routine stabilized my weight, and possibly led to some small loss - but certainly wasn't a game changer. The good thing about cycling, however, was that it immensely increased my cardiovascular fitness. At present, 2000 kcal training units are no problem for me; I do not feel exhausted afterwards and can still do e.g. paperwork.

Last December, I went to Boston and I met a colleague (actually the chair of neurobiology at Stanford University) who made a very strong point about nutrition and carbs. That was my turning point: listening to a trustworthy fellow scientist making well-reasoned arguments which I could intellectually relate and agree to.

Although I don't believe everything that is written in "Wheat Belly,", I tried (1) eliminating wheat and (2) starting counting calories. The weight loss in the first 3 weeks was impressive and motivating! Maybe the caloric counting was more important than giving up wheat, but probably it was both.

Now I have a good routine that I may be able to keep up long-term. With an estimated basal metabolic rate of 2800 kcal/day, and 1200kcal exercise/day, I can eat >2600 kcal/day and still end up with a deficit of 1000-1200 kcal/day. This allows for very nice, satisfying meals. My net calories have been consistently below 1300 kcal/day (after subtracting exercise), and the result is a 10kg loss in ca. 2 months. I am satisfied. I am not yet where I want to be, but I feel that I can actually get there.

nomorebamboozles

Firstly, thanks for adding me as a friend!

I find it interesting that cycling to work didn't have much effect on your weight loss but overall fitness. I think that speaks a lot about exercise in general... I don't think it actually helps with weight loss in the larger scale of things. I'm sure you've heard the "Weight loss is 85% nutrition and 15% exercise" claim, and maybe it is true to some extent. I do think, however, that cardiovascular fitness and health is the opposite... One reason I suspect this is because when you look at a very physically trained and fit person who exercises regularly, their veins are significantly larger looking and protruding from their arms... this is a sign of good circulation. You certainly can't get that from just cutting calories. So maybe that's why you saw a decrease in your weight once you started counting calories. Perhaps the claim is true...? Either way, your plan of eating quite calorie-dense (yet somewhat healthy I assume) meals plus the added exercise seems like a lifestyle designed for a long and healthy life. I'm not a scientist but those are my thoughts :P

aagaag

thanks for your thoughts. unfortunately protruding veins don't tell much about circulation - it is more of an arterial rather than a venous issue. But if you don't smoke, and your LDL cholesterol is normal, and your blood sugar is in normal range, circulation will be probably OK.

And yes, you are absolutely right: exercise alone will not reduce your weight. This is something that I have learned the hard way - although I am a health professional, I always assumed that exercising would make magically slim, but that never happened! Indirectly, however, exercise is key - since it allowed me to attain a caloric deficit without suffering hunger!

As for "healthy eating", my primary concern is to keep low carbohydrates. High-carb stuff creates an insulin spike, which is the worst hunger trigger and will induce craving. That's why carbs are diet killers! And beware: complex carbs like starch (pasta, bread, cake) are just as bad as pure sugar! Keep the carbs low, and you will not experience craves, and consequently you will find it easy to stick to the diet...

nomorebamboozles

Oh wow, I must have been misinformed. I thought that for a very long time now. Anyways, I'm actually trying to learn my basics in nutrition, especially carbohydrates right now and am wondering about things like a ketogenic diet (where you put yourself in a state of ketosis while eating high amounts of fat and protein), and how it is possible to live without (or barely any) carbs at all. I still don't understand where exactly we get our energy from when denied carbs. But as to what carbs to eat, I'm aiming for the ones what are fibrous and hard to digest in nature... basically if a food says it's high in fiber or protein I think it's a better choice. It's also beneficial nutritiously because the more carbs a food has, usually, the fewer vitamins and minerals it has. And you know, I had been told my whole life in school and even by doctors to eat complex carbs because they were healthier but my own research concludes they are often manufactured so heavily and their grains refined so fine that they are processed through the body as quickly as simple carbs... so I suppose that's why their glycemic indexes are the same as pure sugar like you said. Anyways, I'm thinking about reading Wheat Belly based on your recommendation. I find these things so interesting and always want to learn more! And in relation to your diet--I think it's great that you found a way to eat properly in a way that fits your lifestyle. However I can't imagine cycling in the winter time here in Switzerland! Do you make special accommodations during that time or tough it out? (Sorry for the length... )

aagaag

Three quick answers:

1. No need to worry: your body never runs out of carbs. If need be, it will make carbs out of alanine (=proteins) or out of fat (upon breaking down fatty acids into glycerol). See: http://gallus.reactome.org/cgi-bin/eventbrowser?DB=test_gallus_reactome_release_2_myisam&ID=352875& .

2. Having said that, the ketogenic diets (Atkins etc.) would be too harsh for me. My goal is not to get rid of all carbs, but to reduce my insulin spikes to the extent that I can follow my diet without suffering. I have found that eliminating wheat (bread, pasta, darvida, etc.) goes a long way towards that - and is no real imposition. I do have a friend on Atkins though, and he is putting up with constraints which I wouldn't be prepared to impose onto myself!

3. Eight million Swiss, take or leave one or two, go skiing in the winter when temperature is around 0°C or less, and even when it's snowing cats and dogs. Under the same conditions, cycling is just as disagreeable - but also just as doable. My recipe: put on everything twice. Two pairs of gloves, two pairs of socks, two shirts, etc. :-). By the way, do you know how to attach pics to these posts?

aagaag

ahhh, and I should add that most restaurants put tons of starch into soups, to make them look "creamy". To your pancreas, it looks the same as if you had eaten three spoonful of pure sugar. Ergo caveat soup (unless you know exactly what is in it).

nomorebamboozles

I don't think it's worth the effort for me, either, because I don't feel comfortable with the diet restrictions either, and the dieting/exercising I'm doing now is working so far. I'm sticking to the logic that it's more important that I burn calories than the source of where those calories are coming from (fat/protein/carbs). Seems like the most balanced option... I tend to find that balance is key to most things in life. I'm also trying to regulate blood sugar because I'm really predisposed to diabetes (I used to be insulin resistant but managed to get that under control when I was younger).

And about Switzerland in winter... wow. I still have a lot of respect for people who can manage that AND still enjoy themselves. Maybe it's because I've only seen snow for the first time a year ago when I came here (being from Texas) but I can't fathom getting up in the morning and biking through Swiss snow!

I don't think you can upload a picture directly here, but you can upload it to imgur.com and then get the embed code for forums, then post the link in the text section and see what happens.

Here's a test.. a weird looking fruit. No idea what it is.



Anyways, the test failed about 5 times. What you have to do is first do what I said before but if you want it to be the right size you have to click "large thumbnail" under the embed codes or the smaller one if you want it smaller. If you leave it at default it might be too big. Then when you post the code here change the first and last "IMG" to "img". You should be set. If you have a problem you can see the embed code for the picture when you quote my message.

lqrch

Thanks for sharing your experience.

My own experience is pretty much similar. A lot of exercise (at a steady pace) and nothing happened on the weight loss side.

It was not until I changed the way I worked out and I started to really focus (not just eat lean and hold back nasty food) that things finally shifted. My max weight was at some point 103 kg. but the last 1½ I have been around 86-88 kg with a body fat % at 10-12.

However, results does not come easy and it has been and still is hard work. I will turn 50 this year so just maintaining good health and staying lean and strong is a challenge.

I also bike to work when weather permits (i.e. no fog and not slippery and preferably above 0°C) I have 20 km. each way with ca. 300 altitude gain so less than you.

However, I know how fast the body get used to do a certain routine, so it is important to change route and "riding style". In the morning it is pure transportation for me but when I return from work I quite often takes another (and longer route) and I try to incorporate some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) as well as this kick's the metabolism into a new and much higher level and the improved metabolism will stay at a higher level for up to 48 hours. Google it out yourself. Plenty of material to support this.

Anyway.....if you would add some Saturday/Sunday trips to you program I would be happy to meet up. I have already signed up for Säntis Classic and Engadiner Rad Marathon (the short 97 K) so maybe you or anyone else would like to join me.

Find them on the web.

Cheers.

aagaag

Lq, I can go on biking for an eternity - but I am slow! I think that I could make the Engadin Bike Marathon, but by the time I reach the finish line everybody else would have long packed and be gone!

On the upbeat side, let me recommend this one wonderful ride (which I recorded last August, with a friend) through some of Switzerland's most enchanted and wild spots: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1715800

lqrch

Thanks a lot for the trail-tip. I don't visit that part particular of Switzerland too often but now I have another reason to do so.

I guess it is a MTB trail right?

I mostly do tours on my road bike as I use it for commuting too.

Cheers.
Lars

aagaag

It's actually a hiking trail - but it can all be ridden with a bike, with the exception of a few hundred meters in Val Mora, between Döss Ragond and Alpisella (carrying up the trail is when you really appreciate feather-light carbon-fibre bike frames...). That spot, by the way, is comparable to the US Monument Valley in terms of solemn natural beauty!

adproximumconkate

Sorry to interrupt. I hope I am using this thread appropriately. If not, someone please tell me. This may seem awkward, or, at least, it feels that way for me. I really don't like talking about my lack of fitness. I'm from the States, and I sort of thought that by living in the Alps, my office-job body would just sort of shape up. One year later, realizing that's not how it works.

I'm about to join a gym (running outside when you're larger, like myself, tends to attract lots of jeers here [the Romandy]), but I'm actually really nervous. I'm not great at "just ignoring them!" when people are jerks, and so far, my experiences haven't been super great. So I guess I'm asking a few questions

-What's the gym culture like in the CH?
- Is there any sort of "body positive" gym sort of thing (like in the US, where there are gyms where everyone's a schlub and no one really cares)?
-Anyone know where I can get workout gear for someone...of size? I went to Go Sport in Paris, hoping to profit from the Euro's decline, but it turned into a massive fiasco, because French XXL--well--isn't, and the sales ladies weren't super tactful about it. I was about this close to saying "I'm fat. I don't want to be fat, but I need something to cover my body whilst working on not being fat, so...how do we handle this?"

Anyway, I think I'm going in a positive direction, being part of this site, being more active, stuff like that. I just need some help finding a place where I can discreetly be a big ole sweaty, working out mess.

aagaag

I was in the same situation a few years ago. But I never joined a gym. Instead, I purchased an elliptical cross-trainer (for a ridiculous amount of money, but it was worth it). Then, i placed it in my living room and i conditioned myself that I wouldn't watch TV unless i was training at the same time. This works well, since humans are creatures of habit. This way i didn't have to endure any embarrassment!