douglerner Member

I think your message hits the key point here. The plateau was really long and quite discouraging. But two doctors told me the SINGLE biggest problem people have with sticking with a long term healthy diet (and then rebounding) is just that: getting discouraged. They kept on emphasizing that everybody goes through plateaus,…

Thanks people. And yes, I don't eat eggs or cream cheese. I used to eat 2 or 3 eggs a day. I didn't realize how much cholesterol there was in them! It definitely contributes to plaque. Quite dangerous I think. Since going vegan and no-oil my LDL has dropped to an incredibly low 64 (and total cholesterol is just 122). The…

Scubanana, I'm basically avoiding grains too right now. As mentioned in my first note, I stopped eating rice and substituted tofu for it. I think the main reason was the caloric difference. And it is true that certain foods that are very high in glycemic index generate hunger pangs rather than satisfy you. And I was…

But I do think for cholesterol, getting down to an LDL of 64 is because of avoiding animal products. doug

Scubanana, I'm convinced that for many of us the secret to getting blood sugar under control is not a matter of whether we control carbs or fat or whatever, but mainly the fact that we have lost weight. I am eating quite high carbs (being vegan) and things which are high in glycemic index. Yet my HbA1c has gone steadily…

Hi, Anna. I might check it out. But I am in the camp of those people who don't try to avoid the use of the word "dieting" because no matter what your way-of-life-eating-plan is it is a "diet." I do know that I have to journal and keep track of all food and exercise. Especially food. Otherwise I will regain everything. I…

Thanks. Best of luck to you too. I'll report back after my checkup on Thursday.

Well, I didn't really break my plateau after all. I've regained everything I temporarily lost and and still stuck in the 95-96 kg range. It's hard to put into words how depressing this is. I've been thinking back on past diets where I have lost more than 100 lb (and then regained) and in all those cases I just naturally…

Well, believe it or not, the Ornish nutritionist is now thinking I really am eating too few calories and is suggesting I eat more. So maybe I'll have some brown rice again today. I've missed eating that the last couple of weeks. doug

You are right that the Ornish plan itself doesn't require calorie counting, because it is aiming for heart health rather than weight loss per se. But my doctor said to limit calories, and I really must lose more weight. Even after losing 74 lb I'm still technically "obese." It's really impossible to ignore the scale. I'm…

For me, a cheat day or cheat meal would be like telling an alcoholic they can have just one drink every once in a while.

Thanks very much, Louise. I have changed a couple of things in my diet the last couple of days and will report back in a week or so to see if there is any change. And yes, I also walk! :) Thanks, doug

I guess I have to drop my calorie limit drastically. Hard to do. Maybe give up rice altogether.

Well, I spoke with a nutritionist, and she suggested: (1) I limit my daily eaten calories to 1600. (2) If my exercise causes my net calories to fall below 1000 then eat enough to bring it up to at least 1000. But I don't think that's going to work. Maybe I need to eat less calories, but if so, 1600 calories isn't it. I…

I have blood work done regularly. It is doing fantastic. I started out with a very high HbA1c (like over 10) and it's down to normal range and I'm off blood sugar meds now. My total cholesterol has dropped to 129 with an LDL of just 70. All my blood values are in a normal range. My blood pressure, without meds, is just…

I've tried increasing my cycling and varying it with walking.

I don't get much fat at all - intentionally. I'm on the Ornish program, which like the Esselstyn program is vegan + no added oils + no nuts. So my total fat intake is extremely low - intentionally.

I'm at exactly the same weight I was 2 months ago.

Still haven't been able to break through the plateau. Weight up today. :(

Yes, I suspect starvation mode is mostly wishful thinking, unless you really are drastically undereating - like my doctor said. And that should only be done under medical supervision. For the most part I think the less you eat and the more you exercise the more weight you will lose. I just need to eat less and/or exercise…

My doctor didn't at all say I could restrict my calories to 850 calories! He said what I wrote in my message: that I should stick with what I am doing - aiming for a high of 1800/day but if I eat in the 1400-1500 calorie/day range + exercise that's fine. Anyway, my experiment with "eating more" has been a disaster. Today…

Well, I just got back from the doctor. I showed him my daily calorie intake, and my exercise output and my net calorie intake and he insists for a 56 year old 174 cm man trying to continue weight loss at my weight that I am eating and exercising just right and that it's just a plateau and that I should not change anything…

Heading into 2 months with no weight change. Unfortunately I can't take *everybody's* advice, because different people suggest different things. Some of the suggestions don't seem to work. Some seem impractical. Some - I just don't know. Between these forums and the others it still seems the best and most consistent advice…

Thanks for the extra notes people. As you can tell, I'm wary about eating more calories. In fact, I'm not sure where the more calories would come from. But like I said, one easy thing I can do is add an extra serving of brown rice every day and see how that works. That will still be within both my doctor-prescribed and…

Thanks for your replies again people. There seem to be two broad schools of thought: I'm somehow not eating enough or my body's used to what I'm eating and has decided to maintain weight at this level. Or the other school of thought is that for me, my natural metabolism has gotten so slow that I'm just eating too much. I…

I really don't think I'm anywhere near starvation mode. And I don't think I'm eating so few calories that my metabolism is slowing down. I couldn't possibly be eating too few calories with all I eat. I'm eating all the time! My metabolism may be slowing down because I'm older now (56) and except for the exercise I force…

Weight up again today - to 96.0. Seriously, people, I find the more I eat the less I lose. I think I probably just have to eat less and/or exercise more. For the person who asked where I am located, I'm in Tokyo. I weigh everything vigorously on my little digital scale. Or I go by what it says on the package. I'll even…

Hah. I saw your messages about flax, but I haven't tried it yet. I don't even know where to buy it. :) I do get plenty of omega-3s though. doug

I think I'm probably still stuck in the middle of my plateau after all. I'm afraid I don't have access to those other exercise options. And a treadmill is a metaphor for drudgery, isn't it? :) I'm basically lazy, so I'm just happy I found some exercise I like! Cycling along the river is pleasant. I might add occasional…

I may, just may, have gotten over the plateau. I'm not quite in new territory yet, but this week has definitely been better, with a net loss of 1.4 kg (3 lb) over last week, with weight slowly dropping all week. And I'm back to my previous low. doug