Varmint Exposed!

[scamhi]

Varmint,

A great start to any weight loss program is to begin with a nearly naked (gym shorts, no shirt) photograph of yourself.

It's good to refer back to now and again to rate your progress.

My recommendation is to eat less but more often.

Instead of 3 large meals eat 5-6 small meals about every 3 hours. Get some little containers to take to work.

Do it for 3 weeks and it will become much easier.

Try to eat whole grains and less processed stuff.

You can do it.

[torakris]

Oh, I've had ten -- check that, 11 -- Cepacol ® Sore Throat Lozenges (Honey Lemon flavor).  Glucose and sucrose are on the ingredients list.  Where the hell do you find nutritional information for stuff like this???

.

closest i could come is between 9 and 15 kcal and 2-3.7 mg cho(carbohydrates). these are for Listerine Throat Lozenges and Halls cough tablets.

source is Bowe's & Chruch's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used

or call your local reference librarian goddess

Oh please don't send him to me (no longer practicing -reference librarian goddess), these are the kind of questions we guffaw about after the people walk away from the desk and talk about for years!

[suzilightning]

Oh, I've had ten -- check that, 11 -- Cepacol ® Sore Throat Lozenges (Honey Lemon flavor).  Glucose and sucrose are on the ingredients list.  Where the hell do you find nutritional information for stuff like this???

.

closest i could come is between 9 and 15 kcal and 2-3.7 mg cho(carbohydrates). these are for Listerine Throat Lozenges and Halls cough tablets.

source is Bowe's & Chruch's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used

or call your local reference librarian goddess

Oh please don't send him to me (no longer practicing -reference librarian goddess), these are the kind of questions we guffaw about after the people walk away from the desk and talk about for years!

ah but torakris -

i'm still practicing and after 23 years......

[Xanthippe]

Varmint, you go!! I'll follow your progress with avid interest. and send California-smarmy-so-hip-you-can't-cut-it-with-a-knife-motivational-kumbyah-vibes your way.

Now, Socrates has lost well over 40 pounds loosely since November following the recommendations of Dr. Gerald Reaven (Stanford University). Dr. Reaven has worked for years identifying and researching what he calls "Syndrome X," which has to do with some folks' inability to metabolize glucose efficiently. His suggested eating plan is sort of Atkins-with-science; he's big on some carbs (whole grain, for instance), but certainly doesn't advocate excessive consumption of saturated fats. That said, Soc. has a glass of wine or beer with dinner most nights, enjoys the occasional dessert, and will indulge in a crusty slice or two of ciabatta now and again. He continues to feel good and loses weight.

[jeniac42]

As I think I've mentioned before, I started Weight Watchers last year in July. I actually stuck to the program for about six weeks, but then I got laid off and started working at a restaurant. So my daily physical activity went up to the point where I didn't really need to keep track of anything, because I was running my tail off, and I managed to lose 45lb anyway. Part of that, I'm sure, was to do with what I fondly term "the poverty diet". I also tend not to eat much when I'm on the restaurant schedule - something small, like a salad or (shudder) PowerBar before going in, and then whatever I felt like after work, supplemented with grazing on cheese, apples, peanuts, and veggies during the shift.

Since returning to office work in January, my weight has stayed the same (I haven't been able to go back to being "on plan") but I just got laid off again, so I'm hoping the scale will continue its downward progress (I have about 40-50lb to go yet). I have some pictures, wherein you can really kind of tell how much I've lost (before, I'm on the left, and, um, after - I don't normally dress like that, honestly).

That's nothing to do with Varmint, but isn't everything an invitation for me to talk about myself? At any rate, best of luck and I'll be following with interest. Maybe I'll even be losing along with you.

[Suzanne F]

Varmint, you yourself have announced the way you can slim down, build muscle (which adds more weight, though), and be an all-around great guy:

Try lifting up my bruiser of a 4 year old as much as I do -- there's your weight training!!

More! More!! all of the LV's, all the time!!!!! That will allow Dr. Mrs. V. to spend 60 hours a week healing the sick, and you will be more in touch with the young 'uns during their formative years.

Just a thought.

PS: is it really strep? I hope not. I had a bear of a sore throat a few weeks ago, to the point where I actually took antibiotics. Not fun. If you have to take antibiotics, remember to take acidophilus afterwards to rebuild your good eColi.

[bigbear]

Varmint,

Relax... Don't go nuts... Moderation in everything... Are you going to shave the beard? ... hehe...

[lamb]

Good luck to you Varmint!!

Although I have just about 10 lbs that I would like to lose, I just can't seem to shake it off. Tried cutting out the carbs, but I know in my heart of hearts that wine is the culprit. Just can't give up a glass (or two) at dinner. All that sugar in the alcohol is collecting in my thighs.

Damn Kendall Jackson!

I was in much better shape when my kids (and I) were younger. Carrying my now 12 year old daugher around for the first 5 years of her life gave my upper arms some definition. I've got the flabby arm syndrome now. Sigh.

I will live vicariously through you.

[Varmint]

OK, to make it perfectly clear, the guy with the beard, bushy hair, and Mariners cap is vengroff. I'm the guy getting ready to take another bite out of the Boog Powell barbecue sandwich (and a mediocre one at that).

Yes, it is indeed strep! I'm taking good ol' fashioned penicillin. Because of the sore throat and today's cool weather, I made soup. Homemade chicken stock, onions, carrots, peas, black-eyed peas, garlic, rosemary, EVOO, a handful of pasta, S&P. I had one glorious bowl with half a slice of crusty bread. I just ate a banana, and I'm happy.

Bed will come early tonight, so today was a good day (except for the damned throat). I think drinking all that water really works.

[Varmint]

A great start to any weight loss program is to begin with a nearly naked (gym shorts, no shirt) photograph of yourself.

I think there's a law prohibiting that in North Carolina.

[Malawry]

Go Varmint! I appreciate your willingness to bare all (heh heh) in your quest.

It's possible to be a total food geek and lose weight. I'll be joining you in your efforts this summer, as I gained back some of my 60lb loss through culinary school. I plan to try harder to make my calories count, and get back to lengthy daily workouts.

BTW, Jeniac, I like the second picture. Attitude!

[Schielke]

OK, to make it perfectly clear, the guy with the beard, bushy hair, and Mariners cap is vengroff.  I'm the guy getting ready to take another bite out of the Boog Powell barbecue sandwich (and a mediocre one at that).

Yes, it is indeed strep!  I'm taking good ol' fashioned penicillin.  Because of the sore throat and today's cool weather, I made soup.  Homemade chicken stock, onions, carrots, peas, black-eyed peas, garlic, rosemary, EVOO, a handful of pasta, S&P.  I had one glorious bowl with half a slice of crusty bread.  I just ate a banana, and I'm happy.

Bed will come early tonight, so today was a good day (except for the damned throat).  I think drinking all that water really works.

Vengroff, please accept my apologies.

[SobaAddict70]

Varmint,

maybe in your next life, you and I can trade places.

Anyone who's an egulleteer and who's met me knows what I mean.

Good luck with the body change system,

Soba

[scamhi]

Go Varmint! I appreciate your willingness to bare all (heh heh) in your quest.

It's possible to be a total food geek and lose weight.

Disagree, you just have to make a correction on the quality and quantity of what you eat.

Plan it, think about it, prepare it and eat it 5-6 times a day. Limit dining out to 2 meals a week.

Post the almost naked picture already...(so we can watch your progress)

[tommy]

i lost about 20 lbs in 2 weeks when i had strep. that was without exercise at all. in fact, i sat on my couch all day long, sipping water when possible, and eating nothing but a bit of white rice.

i gained it back over the following few months.

as an aside, you're much more handsome than i had imagined.

[Varmint]

Day 2 -- The Strep Throat Diet Continues

The throat is only one-third as sore as it was yesterday (how one quantifies pain beats the hell out of me, but that's my estimate). It still sucks, so I did a repeat of yesterday's banana-vanilla yogurt smoothie. Mrs. Varmint wanted one, too.

By the way, Mrs. Varmint has no clue about this entire weight loss plan. I wonder how long it'll take before she realizes what's going on. But then, she thinks eGullet is just a little diversion for me to spend time with my foodie friends.

Back on track. Let me talk this morning about water. One of the things that I heard more often than any other strategy was to drink a lot of water. Someone told me that you should take your body weight, divide it by 2, resulting in the number of fluid ounces of water you should drink a day. That's slightly less than a gallon a day for me.

One problem with that -- remember the days when drinking and driving was acceptable? OK, strike that. Remember when you'd go on "road trips" with your buddies and you were in the back seat sucking down Miller High Lifes (or some other comparable cheap beer)? Well, my friends usually wanted me to be the designated driver, not because I was an angry drunk, or a violent drunk. It was because I was the impatient drunk with the peanut-sized bladder. If I drank a beer, I'd have to piss it off within 3 minutes. One in, one out. If the driver didn't pull over, I'd threaten to weedle in his back seat. Amazingly, I never got left.

Today, in my advanced, mature state, I'm drinking what seems to be a bathtub full of water a day. I counted yesterday how many times I had to go to the bathroom. 27!!!!! That's not normal. In addition to maintaining that "full" feeling most of the day, I've managed to get a lot more exercise by walking to the head so many times a day. It hurts my productivity a bit.

Finally, some folks have asked me when I plan to do weigh-ins. I'm weighing myself daily, first thing every morning (after I pee, of course). Since we have a Borg analog scale that was made some time during the early days of the Cold War, it's probably not accurate enough to post daily results. Thus, you'll have to be patient with me.

Thanks for all your support, and tommy, I'm not sure how to respond to your last post.

[s'kat]

Varmint.... best of luck to you. And this sensible eating plan you speak of... truly innovative. I think it just may do the trick.

[Crystal]

- I don't normally dress like that, honestly.

Oh, but you should.

Crystal

[snowangel]

The root canal diet ranks right up there with the strep diet

In all seriousness, I worked for several years with a woman who weighed more than her "ideal," as did her husband and two college-aged kids (still living at home). She started plating food, instead of putting dishes on the table to be served family style. She was amazed at how much less food they consumed -- rather than continuing to pick away at the dishes on the table, she found that they were satisfied with what was plated in the kitchen. Further, she did not eliminate snacks, but went to a plating system for those as well -- no more sitting with an open bag of chips, or a hunk of cheese and a knife. They all lost the weight they wanted, but without deprivation.

Yes, portion control is key.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[Schielke]

Over the next week or so, your body will become used to the extra water in your system. Until then frequent trips to said bathroom are in order.

Also, have you considered getting a body fat analysis? It is a far more accurate picture of your progress.

[LEdlund]

Varmint,

Good luck with your journey. It's going to be fun to follow your progress. Like Jeniac, I have been on Weight Watchers for the last year and have lost 66 pounds. I am proof that you can be a foodie and lose weight too. (I also just got over Strep Throat!)

My advice would be to have fun with the process but I can see already that you are doing that!

Lauren

[JSD]

Cut out alcohol?  I'd take a chef's knife and a vacuum to my abdomen for a do-it-yourself liposuction before I cut out alcohol. 

Well, I guess that's another way to lose weight, but it sounds a lot harder than giving up alcohol. Another good way to drop a lot of weight quickly is to have your wisdom teeth out.

[Varmint]

Strep, root canal, remove wisdom teeth. I think we're onto something here, folks. It's a new way to lose weight! I'm adding "fracture jaw -- get it wired shut" onto the list!

I appreciate all the support.

Remember, first and foremost that this is supposed to be fun, not a Tony Robbins' rah-rah session. I will make bad choices along the way. I went home for lunch today and had some leftover soup from last night's dinner, half a slice of crusty bread and an orange. I then took an hour long nap. I underestimate this nasty infection now and then, but I'm mostly awake now. Of course, on the way out of the house, I had to grab some left over jelly beans from Easter. Amazingly, I limited myself to two.

[Rhea_S]

Schielke mentioned body fat analysis already, but another route is to take your measurements (waist, hip, thigh, etc.). Weight can mean very little for some people and can be discouraging. I've gained about 20lbs in the last year and half, but my measurements haven't changed all that much because most of my weight gain is muscle. I pretty much avoid scales because 130lbs on a 5ft frame sounds like I'm overweight but I'm not.

I hope you feel better soon!

[201]

If you get discouraged LOSING weight, there's always this to try (may be of interest to SobaAddict too)!

Seriously though, we all know the theories of losing weight. Drink lots of water, exercise, eat smaller meals more often, cut down on fats, etc... It's putting those theories into practice with any sort of real consistency that's the problem. I've managed to do it in the past and I'm certainly at the point where I need to do it again, but to do it while reading eGullet every single day??? Well, let's just say you're a braver man than I am!

Good luck.

edit:bda tpynng

Edited May 6, 2003 by 201 (log)