Big Jim’s attempt to become Slim Jim

[highpeakman]

Very interested to read about this Jim, Thank you for raising it. It is an important subject for many people and having such an open conversation is a very good thing. I believe that you raised the important tenet that it is both diet and exercise together that count, not just diet.

 

My wife was diagnosed as diabetic and we have been trying for quite a while to get her weight down as she is 17stone (She was 19 stone) but it seems to have stuck and, at the moment, we can't seem to shift it below that point. We both eat exactly the same type and amount of good quality food (small meals, salads, lot of fresh fish, no puddings, no crisps, rare small chocolate, etc), although I am just 12 stone (the most I have ever weighed).

 

The difference is largely in the amount of exercise we do but also connected with body metabolism. My wife suffers from severe arthritis in her knees and cannot walk more than a few yards and so gets very little exercise (She does do "sitting" exercises). She can't get "new" knees until she loses more weight but can't get rid of the weight without exercise - a vicious circle!

 

I do virtually all the household tasks and gardening which keeps me pretty fit although I also seem to be one of the lucky ones with a metabolism that keeps me relatively thin regardless of what I eat or drink. I do try very hard though not to eat anything tempting or extra, that I know will not affect me, as I am trying to support my wife in her endeavours. 

 

I have followed, and enjoyed, your daily blog for a long time but will now also follow this thread with interest. Good luck and best wishes for your Snowdon challenge.

 

 

[Pete the Elaner]

2 hours ago, big jim said:

 

Also I’ve downloaded the couch to 5k app and am going to have a go at that too, it says based on my ability that I can start on week 3, day 1, (1.5min run, 2 min walk x 6) which realistically I feel I can manage, I’ll do it in the sea front later

 

I have been a member of the local running club for a few years & I don't think they are unusual in running couch to 5k groups.

The first few weeks are the hardest, especially if you decide to do it alone. It will start to feel easier & you should feel a little better for it. You will then find that if you miss a run, you feel a little flat the following day. But you may not realise why straight away.

Arranging to meet up with a friend helps because both of you feel you will be letting the other down if you call off. Running with a group is slightly different because they become friends & meeting with them seems to be more important than the actual run.

 

Once you get to 5k, I recommend doing a Parkrun. It doesn't cost anything; you just need to create an account & keep a copy of your barcode so they can record you. If you can keep running for 5k, you will be nowhere near last.

 

I prefer cycling but this is less accessible. Rides normally take a lot longer, you don't normally pop out for a 30 minute loop like you may do when running. In winter it is too cold to be comfortable & short daylight hours can be a problem.

 

Since I have been running & cycling regularly, I think I have had 1 cold...in 7 years! I know lots of others who have found the same.

 

Good luck.

[iL Dottore]

Well done (so far) and keep on going (and good luck)

 

Some years ago I had ballooned to 160 kg (about 26 stone), dropped about 45 kilo (about 7 stone) and during the pandemic put on 10kg (about 1.5 stone) then plateaued, losing and gaining the same 2 kg over the past six months.

 

The secret of my success, so far and such that it is, is an extremely low carbohydrate diet: initially it was no more than 20 g of carbohydrate a day and now I’m getting back on the diet a bit more seriously, no more than 90 g of carbohydrate a day - aiming for an average of 20 to 40 g of carbohydrate per day.

 

Of course, such a low carbohydrate diet is not for everyone, but as other posters have pointed out reducing the amount of carbohydrates you eat (especially the overrefined, processed, carbohydrates you tend to find in commercially prepared cakes, bread, ready meals et cetera) brings considerable benefit even if you do not go as low as I did.

 

One of the secrets to losing weight is to meticulously and honestly track what you are eating by weight and, there are many smart phone apps for this, by grams of carbohydrates, protein and fat. By doing so, not only does it help you be more successful with your diet, but it also makes you realise what you’re actually eating (often without realising what you are indeed eating). Awareness of what you’re eating is incredibly important (and by being so aware it also allows you to have the occasional treat). If you don’t know how to cook, learning how to do so will also bring considerable benefit and make sticking to a diet easier.

 

Finally, another vital key to success in losing weight is that you really do have to change your lifestyle, not necessarily by much as over a long period of time (and the most successful diets go low and slow) even minor changes add up.

 

Once again, well done that man and good luck for the rest of your voyage!

Edited May 31, 2021 by iL Dottore

[big jim]

The beauty of weight watchers is I’m not checking out what carb levels are, it’s self discipline to make sure I don’t get tempted by excess bread, pasta, potatoes etc although I do have to be careful as it does suggest ‘healthy recipies’ that are not exactly suited to diabetics, I.E jacket potato, pasta baked etc 

 

took the bike out earlier and thought I’d just have a short ride into silloth but it was such a lovely day I got a bit carried away and carried in to mawbray then thought, well it’s not far to Allonby so I may as well carry on, got there and turned back to silloth then when I got to within 1/2 mile of the van I thought I may as well carry on to skinburness and turn back there but carried on and did the circular route back to the van via the main road, managed a total of just short of 25 miles in total, now if you told me a week ago I’d do that I’d have asked you if you were on glue! 
 

 

 

 

got to say my backside is killing me now though! 

[boxbrownie]

39 minutes ago, big jim said:

The beauty of weight watchers is I’m not checking out what carb levels are, it’s self discipline to make sure I don’t get tempted by excess bread, pasta, potatoes etc although I do have to be careful as it does suggest ‘healthy recipies’ that are not exactly suited to diabetics, I.E jacket potato, pasta baked etc 
 

 

As I said previously we found Slimming World worked really well, but two years ago our Doctor sent me an invitation to Weight Watchers ( or WW as they prefer now ) so I went for about 4 months until lockdown stopped play, I found WW absolutely useless (and everyone else on the same course were quite disparaging about it) it seemed to us all the rep wanted to do every meeting was sell us some silly bit of carp, I suppose it must depend upon the rep you get lumbered with but with WW we never lost an ounce!

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

I went to the doctor to ask him the quickest way to lose 10lbs of ugly fat.

He said he was going to try cutting my head off.

 

Mike.

[big jim]

9 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

As I said previously we found Slimming World worked really well, but two years ago our Doctor sent me an invitation to Weight Watchers ( or WW as they prefer now ) so I went for about 4 months until lockdown stopped play, I found WW absolutely useless (and everyone else on the same course were quite disparaging about it) it seemed to us all the rep wanted to do every meeting was sell us some silly bit of carp, I suppose it must depend upon the rep you get lumbered with but with WW we never lost an ounce!

that’s why I like the online app, you don’t have to go and sit in a room every week getting weighed, as much as having support is good I’d rather just do it on my own (and get support off members on here instead)

 

 

[New Haven Neil]

I forgot to mention the most important thing - get a blood glucose meter!  The tracking of what foods affect your BG is revealing, test before and two hours after each meal, having noted what you ate - soon identifies the culprits, rice and pasta in my case are the worst.

 

So soya or red lentil pasta, cauliflower rice (ugh but OK with curry) or chick pea rice, and so on, there are alternatives to most things.

 

Oh, and one other point - a lot of people aren't diabetic because they are fat, but fat because they are (T2) diabetic.....don't feel guilty.

[big jim]

I was looking at blood glucose meters but want sure what to get, I want one that will sync with my phone as the health app can keep tabs of it and upload the data to the various fitness and diet apps I am using 

 

 

 

 

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, big jim said:

that’s why I like the online app, you don’t have to go and sit in a room every week getting weighed, as much as having support is good I’d rather just do it on my own (and get support off members on here instead)

 

 

I must admit I thought that way before going to Slimming World, Mrs BB was the one that wanted to go and I was “nah, I don’t wanna sit with a load of women and listen to them gossiping”......but in actual fact I enjoyed it, and as you say it really is worthwhile support.

 

Where as WW really was a boring meeting, and I ain’t not never going back there.

[Markwj]

Have done WW previously along with the missus and we have had good results but you get out of the habits and the weight goes back on! We stayed for the first meeting but following the reading out of someone’s poem we vowed never again!

Have got a high hba1c so have to lose weight again have cut down but need to do better. My problem is when at home I get bored and start looking for food it’s a really hard habit to kick particularly if you don’t realise you are doing it!

Keep going Jim hopefully I will be on track soon too!

[sb67]

Great work Jim, you've made some fantastic progress and heading in the right direction. I work in a gym and a few people I've worked with would recommend the couch to 5k/10k apps and Parkruns,  but the main thing is not to put too much pressure on yourself  and enjoy what you've done.  That way you'll want to keep doing it.

Good luck on the rest of your journey, I'll look forward to seeing your progress on here. 

 

 

[big jim]

I did slimming world back in 2009 and got down to 18.6 Stone from, if I remember right, 21 Stone, I just used it as a weekly weigh in session, didn’t hang about for the chats 

 

 

 

[big jim]

9 minutes ago, sb67 said:

Great work Jim, you've made some fantastic progress and heading in the right direction. I work in a gym and a few people I've worked with would recommend the couch to 5k/10k apps and Parkruns,  but the main thing is not to put too much pressure on yourself  and enjoy what you've done.  That way you'll want to keep doing it.

Good luck on the rest of your journey, I'll look forward to seeing your progress on here. 

 

 

Its funny but earlier on when I was on the bike I could have stopped at 18 miles but I was enjoying it so carried on to 23 miles, in fact my only regret is that I turned into the caravan park via the short cut, had I kept to the road and gone back along the front and in via the main entrance I would have cracked 26 miles! 
 

even this evening we needed some stuff from the co-op and we walked into town again, another 2 mile round trip on foot rather than getting in the car and I enjoyed the walk, it all add up, according to my fitness app I’ve burned off almost 2000 calories, done over 10k steps, walked 5.7 miles and completed 218 minutes of exercise of my required 30 mins a day! 

 

I do find having the info on the phone in real time is a fantastic boost to my enthusiasm to get moving, I’ve managed to get my heart rate to register in the Strava app now so that’s another statistic I can see as my fitness improves 

 

I just don’t want to turn into a fitness bore! 
 

 

Edited May 31, 2021 by big jim

[New Haven Neil]

20 minutes ago, big jim said:

I was looking at blood glucose meters but want sure what to get, I want one that will sync with my phone as the health app can keep tabs of it and upload the data to the various fitness and diet apps I am using 

 

 

 

 

 

I use an Accu Chek  Mobile - it links with my computer and downloads pretty graphs and things - dunno what it would do with a phone, I'm not electro-techy.  Hate the bl**dy things!

 

It is an expensive meter but easy to use, although i use a different pricker from an older one.  I don;t like farting about with strips, this one uses a cassette so lees junk to carry around.

 

https://www.accu-chek.co.uk/meters/mobile

 

No connection, just satisfied user.

[wombatofludham]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

 

So soya or red lentil pasta, cauliflower rice (ugh but OK with curry) or chick pea rice, and so on, there are alternatives to most things.

 

I must admit I do like cauliflower rice, but that's because I do like cauliflower anyway.  I find a microwave bag of cauli rice, and a tin of fish a filling and quick meal which doesn't seem to cause my sugars to spike, despite the sauce in tinned fish.

My other indulgence is slow cooker Black Country Groaty Dick, using whole oat groats.  Although a grain, it doesn't seem to cause a major spike, as I believe oats release their sugars at a slower rate. 

[big jim]

I had cauliflower for the first time in my life last week at 46 years old! 
 

[Pete the Elaner]

3 hours ago, big jim said:

 

took the bike out earlier and thought I’d just have a short ride into silloth but it was such a lovely day I got a bit carried away and carried in to mawbray then thought, well it’s not far to Allonby so I may as well carry on, got there and turned back to silloth then when I got to within 1/2 mile of the van I thought I may as well carry on to skinburness and turn back there but carried on and did the circular route back to the van via the main road, managed a total of just short of 25 miles in total, now if you told me a week ago I’d do that I’d have asked you if you were on glue! 
 

 

got to say my backside is killing me now though! 

 

Try to keep enjoying it.

This is your thread. If you bore someone by discussing what you are doing, then that is their problem.

 

25 miles is great. Don't push yourself beyond what you enjoy & if you do much more in 1 go, you need to think about feeding.

 

We don't all have the same size bum & saddles are available in different sizes. Even a good fitting one is uncomfortable after a while if you are not used to it.

Some bike shops can measure your sit bones. Don't worry - you don't have to strip ; you sit on a fairly firm cushion & your bones leave indentations which can be measured. This will help choose a saddle (or confirm that yours should be pretty good), but it is still a little hit & miss.

Bum pain is even worse the following day, but you'll only notice when you sit on the saddle again.

I did 80 miles yesterday so when my friends suggested a ride today, I decided to use a different bike mainly because the saddle is slightly different. It was still a little uncomfortable though.

[jcredfer]

22 minutes ago, big jim said:

I had cauliflower for the first time in my life last week at 46 years old! 
 

 

I hope you enjoyed it Big Jim, that's one of those flavours / textures which could be rather bland, or a delightful base for so many other ingredients.  Served as a mushy wet soggy item, otherwise lacking in connection with the other items on the plate, is hardly a rejuvenating experience.  It is probably worth observing that such an experience is down to the chef and not the cauliflower.  I don't have any sort of crusade for the veg, but over many years decades have been pleased to experience a growing number of delightful ways to have enjoyed it.

 

I confess that your 46 years is, by coincidence, the year of my first introduction to it, although, that was 1946.....

 

Back to the OP,  losing weight is never easy and your enquiring approach it is very sensible.  I really enjoyed the way your Bicycle trip went, much as you did.  It's exercise and that's what's needed, particularly when enjoyed.....

 

 

[iL Dottore]

10 hours ago, big jim said:

The beauty of weight watchers is I’m not checking out what carb levels are, it’s self discipline to make sure I don’t get tempted by excess bread, pasta, potatoes etc...

As I had mentioned, counting carbs is not for everyone.  It works for me because as a scientist I quite like the analytical aspects of assessing carbs, protein and fat in one’s food. The other advantage of a very low carbohydrate diet is that it uses the body’s own metabolism against itself. The body metabolises food in the following sequence of ease of metabolism: carbohydrates, then fats and then protein. If you really reduce the amount of carbohydrates you eat, the body will move on to metabolising body fat and one starts loosing fat. 

 

Before I started my diet, I did do a lot of research into various diets, but what tipped me towards using a modified Atkins diet was a program I saw on the BBC. The program was about weight loss and during the programme they interviewed a Professor of Metabolic Disease at Bristol University. The professor showed the interviewer four or five breakfasts that he had prepared to illustrate what would be the healthiest breakfast. One of the breakfasts that was prepared was a full English (bacon, sausage, eggs, mushroom and tomato; but no fried bread or baked beans), the other breakfasts included toast, marmalade and orange juice, commercially prepared cereals with milk; granola and so forth. Surprisingly, it was the full English (without the fried bread and baked beans) that was the healthiest choice simply because of the way the body metabolised the meal (no insulin spikes after ingestion as would be the case with the other breakfasts). As a Full English would be permitted by the Atkins diet, I noted that and thought that’s the diet for me 
 

A final thought-provoking comment from this Professor was the observation that obesity rates in the UK started to rise after the 70s when fat became demonised and manufacturers replaced fats in food by carbohydrates (frequently highly processed carbohydrates like High Fructose Corn Syrup) and salt to keep processed food palatable.

 

But everyone’s metabolism is unique and whilst there are general principles, diets really do need to be tailored to the individual as what works for one, may not work for another...

[Enterprisingwestern]

10 hours ago, big jim said:

I was looking at blood glucose meters but want sure what to get, I want one that will sync with my phone as the health app can keep tabs of it and upload the data to the various fitness and diet apps I am using 

 

 

 

 

 

That's all well and good, but if your phone battery goes flat you'll think you've died!

 

Mike.

[Re6/6]

9 hours ago, big jim said:

I had cauliflower for the first time in my life last week at 46 years old! 
 

Nothing nicer than a cauli cheese with the merest dash of nutmeg or mace and a nice crust of Parmesan or Comté!

[boxbrownie]

12 hours ago, big jim said:

I did slimming world back in 2009 and got down to 18.6 Stone from, if I remember right, 21 Stone, I just used it as a weekly weigh in session, didn’t hang about for the chats 

 

 

 

That looks eerily like our WW rep.....that could explain a lot.

[New Haven Neil]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Snip<
 

A final thought-provoking comment from this Professor was the observation that obesity rates in the UK started to rise after the 70s when fat became demonised and manufacturers replaced fats in food by carbohydrates (frequently highly processed carbohydrates like High Fructose Corn Syrup) and salt to keep processed food palatable.

 /snip

 

This!   I'm so pleased you referred to it, iD.

 

One of the greatest issues hidden in so-called 'healthy eating', I have seen this 'fat is bad' tale having being totally disproven repeated in several books, referenced to good research, and demonic fat simply is a lie we have been brought up (in my generation) to accept.  Its wrong.... the best research was IIRC a large cohort of Australian nurses monitored for cardiac health over many years, half on a low fat diet and half on eating fats, and there was no difference whatsoever in their cardiac health. Nothing. Fat being bad is Pseudo science.

Edited June 1, 2021 by New Haven Neil

[woodenhead]

15 hours ago, big jim said:

took the bike out earlier and thought I’d just have a short ride into silloth but it was such a lovely day I got a bit carried away and carried in to mawbray then thought, well it’s not far to Allonby so I may as well carry on, got there and turned back to silloth then when I got to within 1/2 mile of the van I thought I may as well carry on to skinburness and turn back there but carried on and did the circular route back to the van via the main road, managed a total of just short of 25 miles in total, now if you told me a week ago I’d do that I’d have asked you if you were on glue! 

I never set myself big goals when exercising, I set lots of smaller ones that increment - so when I am knackered I'll go a little further, the reset the target again and go a little further - lots of small challenges add up to the bigger challenge but it doesn't seem so challenging because you focused on small achievable goals to get there.

 

13 hours ago, sb67 said:

Great work Jim, you've made some fantastic progress and heading in the right direction. I work in a gym and a few people I've worked with would recommend the couch to 5k/10k apps and Parkruns,  but the main thing is not to put too much pressure on yourself  and enjoy what you've done.  That way you'll want to keep doing it.

Good luck on the rest of your journey, I'll look forward to seeing your progress on here. 

 

 

Parkruns are great (not due back till 26 June, but may be delayed again).  It's a massive mix of people from the uber fit to those of us who jog around for health and not for a time.  There are lots of them all over the country.