Back from being lost at sea (long report)

Hi, people. It's been a while since I posted - since May 26th when I set out
for my one month trip to the U.S to be exact. Since then I have been having
terrible problems sticking to just about any diet and have been pretty lost
at sea.

I think I may have finally found my sea legs, though, so thought I'd drop a
line and say hello. It has been a topsy-turvy three-and-a-half months.

May 26th
--------
After several weeks of "low cal, lower carb" dieting I am down to 109 kg and
looking forward, with some trepidation, to a month's family and business
trip to the U.S. - Boston, Columbia (MO) and New Orleans. I am wavering
between whether to try to follow low cal or low carb during the trip and
eventually opt for low carb because it seemed like less psychological
pressure.

May 26th - June 26th
--------------------
While I didn't have access to a scale for the entire month, I stayed on my
diet surprisingly well. I was especially proud of myself when I was by
myself, living in my Missouri house for two weeks, packing it up so I could
rent it to neighbors. I shopped at the supermarket and ate only healthy
foods, low-carb tortillas, simple things, an occasional all-you-can-eat
place - but only low carb choices. I did have popcorn once at the movies
though. But basically really good all month. Even in New Orleans for the
week at a conference I was very good, occassionally doing the salad bar at
nearby Hurrahs, but again choosing only the simplest, low carb foods with no
sauces, etc.

Note: I was surprised by two things while shopping for low-carb foods in the
U.S. (1) Since last September, when I was last there, there seems to an
*explosion* in the availability of low-carb food choices and (2) almost all
the special low-carb foods are practically inedible! Really! They are mostly
junk! The exception are those foods that are naturally low-carb by adding
fiber, like low-carb tortillas. Those are actually pretty good.

When I got back to Tokyo at the end of June I anxiously weighed myself. I
was 112.5 kg.

OK. I put on 3.5 kg over a month of traveling in the U.S. Not so bad I
thought. It certainly could have been worse.

Then, after being good while on travel for a month, I completely fell off
the wagon! Agh!

After that my journal is crazy.

First week - ate lots of really bad stuff - donuts, fried foods. In less
than a week I was up to 115 kg!

2nd week - tried to go back on Atkins induction. Got back to 113 kg really
quickly. Then I lost my will power and those fried donuts (really good!)
beckoned to me again. Since I did them in I figured why not eat everything
else in sight? Soon I was up to 116 kg!

3rd week - Get ahold of yourself, Doug! Maybe it's time to count calories
again. Tried this for a few days and got down to 114 kg. But I was hungry
all the time, and had upset stomachs. So I went off my diet again and zoomed
up to 117 kg! You can see the (dangerous) roller coaster pattern I was on by
now.

4th week - OK, I said to myself, obviously my body just cannot tolerate all
those carbs. Better to stabalize blood sugar, etc., first and stick with
Atkins. Went back on and dropped down to 113 again. Then, without going off
low-carb, I started to creep up again... 114, 114.5, 115, 115.5,
116....Feeling depressed I went off my diet again and zoomed up to 117.5 kg.

5th week - Agh! OK, I said to myself, as much as I like low-carb eating I am
just eating TOO MUCH. I can't violate conservation of energy. Better try
low-cal again. Got down to 115 kg before losing will power again and zoomed
up to 118 kg.

6th week - Now I am completely convinced, again, that low-cal just doesn't
work for me and I have to go back to low-carb.

In the meantime, I am starting to notice joint pains I never had before -
particular when I stand up and start walking again. Am I getting arthritis
at 48?

Anyway, this goes back and forth and back and forth and back and forth over
the ensuing weeks. One week I'm convinced that low-cal is the only possible
way of losing weight. The next week I'm convinced I can't stay on any diet
but low-carb. Then I go off either and start gorging myself again.

Finally, about 10 days ago, I reached the psychologically devastating weight
of 119.5 kg - a full 10.5 kg more than what I weighed when I left for my
trip and just a scale's tick away from 120 kg, which I definitely do not
want to see again!

My "diet cycles" over the last few months told me several things, but among
them was that while low-carb dieting helps control my appetite to some
extent, it eventually always brings me back to the 116-117 kg level. Granted
that is better than my weight before starting to diet a year ago March - I
was 131 kg then - it just isn't the way to go for the long run. Not if I
really want to someday get to goal. My experience seems to be very common
from what I read lately - low-carbing helps for about 6 months, but then it
doesn't necessarily help in the long run.

So I recommitted myself to low-calorie dieting 10 days ago. I decided to
take it nice and slow and stick to an average of 2000 calories per day.
Previously I had tried either 1800 or 1500 and just found it too confining.

I also tried to think long and hard about which individual foods were giving
me problems, without considering their carb contents per se. I discovered,
to my surprise (and disappointment), that tofu seemed to be giving me
digestive problems, so I dropped eating tofu, tofu milk, soybeans and other
soybean-based products and have had no stomach problems since.

The first 4 days of low-cal dieting were very hard. But then I noticed that
appetite suppression kicked in, much like it does after 4 days of Atkins. In
other words, I'm not really finding huge cravings right now even after
eating something high carb, like an ear of corn.

To "fill me up" when I get hungry I've stocked up on low-calorie soups and
microwavable dishes in the 100-250 calorie range (yes, this includes rice
and pasta dishes).

My feeling is that at the end of the day I truly do believe in conservation
of energy. I just *know* that if I can stick with low-calorie eating that I
*must* eventually lose weight.

The first 7 days I lost 4.5 kg = almost 10 lb. I was amazed. That was
actually the largest first week weight loss I've ever experienced on any
diet. Sure - it must have been a lot of water bloat. But it proves that you
can also get dramatic initial weight losses by just counting calories and
ignoring carbs completely.

I'm down to 115 kg now. Still higher than when I got back, but safely pulled
away from that dangerous 120 kg mark.

And over the past week my joint pain has greatly abated. Last night, when
walking Tao, I actually - couldn't believe it myself - *jogged* part of the
course. It was just a short distance, but I felt like moving faster and
running. Maybe I'll get some good running shoes. Who knows?

I also, to be honest, feel less lethargic than when just on low-carb. Less
brain fog too. I think, maybe, that healthy carbs are maybe not so bad for
the body after all. They might be good for you! I'm not eating sweet things
at all at any rate - mostly because they are too high in calorie, not
because they are high in carbs. In other words, a low-calorie diet also
seems to naturally control carbs to some degree. (The reverse isn't true
though - when you just count carbs it is *easy* to eat way too many
calories! That's the exact same problem that a low-fat diet has.)

Anyway, that's where I am right now. These last 10 days are the first time
since I've been back where I finally feel like I have things under some sort
of control again. My food basket at the supermarket even looks healthy:
vegies, sometimes fruits, fish, cottage cheese, tomato juice (for homemade
sauce), low cal heat-up packages... No saturated-fat filled packages of
bacon or chicken skin or Camembert cheese or all those things I would snack
on while low-carbing.

The variety is actually thrilling. I even ate at Wendy's last week with a
friend and had a spicy chicken filet sandwich (317 calories) and a Caesers
salad (137 calories), all dutifully recorded.

Yes, it's too early to predict what will happen now. But you have to keep on
trying, right? And I'm just happy I stopped myself from gaining all my
weight back!

Doug

Doug Lerner wrote:
Hi, people. It's been a while since I posted - since May 26th when I
set out for my one month trip to the U.S to be exact. Since then I
have been having terrible problems sticking to just about any diet
and have been pretty lost at sea.

[snipped remainder]

Good luck to you, Doug - I hope you find a path that works for you. I would
naively think that low-cal and (relatively) high carb would be a fairly easy
diet to follow in Japan. At any rate, I lost a bunch of weight in law
school on a low-cal high-carb way of eating - I was doing weight watchers,
and I would save points for carby study snacks every night - it wasn't an
impossible way to live and worked until I went off plan. Good luck figuring
it all out.

--
carla
http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek

"Doug Lerner" ha scritto nel messaggio
...
Hi, people. It's been a while since I posted - since May 26th when I set
out
for my one month trip to the U.S to be exact.

Hi Doug, welcome back!

The first 7 days I lost 4.5 kg = almost 10 lb.

Congrats, that's quite an initial weight loss!

when you just count carbs it is *easy* to eat way too many
calories!

It's just the opposite for me! I'm mainly (moderately) low-carbing, and if I
want to stick to my desired daily carb intake (in the range or 40-50 grams
of carbs a day), my calorie intake is always low (in the 1200ies). Then I
try to up the caloric intake a bit and always get above my carb budget. I'm
still (re-) learning to balance that.
Another confirmation that different things work for different people, I
guess


And I'm just happy I stopped myself from gaining all my
weight back!

That certainly deserves a big pat on the back (I never managed to do that,
personally. I somehow never realize that I'm not only +2 kg above my goal
weight, but much, much more

WTG for realizing what the problem was and fixing it straight away!

Elly

Doug Lerner wrote in message ...
I also, to be honest, feel less lethargic than when just on low-carb. Less
brain fog too. I think, maybe, that healthy carbs are maybe not so bad for
the body after all. They might be good for you! I'm not eating sweet things
at all at any rate - mostly because they are too high in calorie, not
because they are high in carbs. In other words, a low-calorie diet also
seems to naturally control carbs to some degree. (The reverse isn't true
though - when you just count carbs it is *easy* to eat way too many
calories! That's the exact same problem that a low-fat diet has.)

well, yeah. While I've only "dieted" once, I found limiting calories
to be the most rational approach, and it worked. I only limit carbs to
maintain a healthy blood insulin level, and prefer fat/protein to
carbs for filling snacks.

The variety is actually thrilling. I even ate at Wendy's last week with a
friend and had a spicy chicken filet sandwich (317 calories) and a Caesers
salad (137 calories), all dutifully recorded.

ah, Wendy's in Tokyo... Back in the early 90's they were the only real
food outside McD's & KFC (and the weird solitary Arby's that was in
Shibuya at the time). I used to live on their Monterey Ranch Chicken,
and I didn't get fat on them, since I was biking and walking so much.

Which reminds me, all your journalling covered the input side of the
equation, but not the output.

My advice: move your ass if you want to lose weight.

There's a reasonably good bike store in Naka-Meguro that sells western
bikes:

http://www.nukaya.com/

Western Tokyo is a great place to ride around, especially on the
weekends.

Shoot for 2000/day calories and use exercise to create a caloric
deficit. While I haven't tried it, I still think the 'metabolic
advantage' of atkins is mostly bunkum, especially for long-term diet
success and maintenance.

Eat wisely, exercise more, shoot for 1kg/week loss rate (no less & no
more), and you'll be fine.

On 9/15/04 2:48 PM, in article
, "Heywood Mogroot"
wrote:

ah, Wendy's in Tokyo... Back in the early 90's they were the only real
food outside McD's & KFC (and the weird solitary Arby's that was in
Shibuya at the time). I used to live on their Monterey Ranch Chicken,
and I didn't get fat on them, since I was biking and walking so much.

I've never been to Arbys in Tokyo. I think I heard they disappeared.

One thing about Wendys baked potatoes here - they are really tiny compared
to the ones served in the U.S.!


Which reminds me, all your journalling covered the input side of the
equation, but not the output.

Yes... I didn't post much about that. I use a Bullworker each morning and
take my dog for three walks a day. But that's about it.


My advice: move your ass if you want to lose weight.

There's a reasonably good bike store in Naka-Meguro that sells western
bikes:

http://www.nukaya.com/

What's the difference between ordinary bikes and "western" bikes? I have a
regular old 3-speed bike.


Western Tokyo is a great place to ride around, especially on the
weekends.

Yes - lots of river routes near my house.


Shoot for 2000/day calories and use exercise to create a caloric
deficit. While I haven't tried it, I still think the 'metabolic
advantage' of atkins is mostly bunkum, especially for long-term diet
success and maintenance.

I agree.


Eat wisely, exercise more, shoot for 1kg/week loss rate (no less & no
more), and you'll be fine.

Ganbarimasu!

doug

Doug Lerner wrote in message ...
On 9/15/04 2:48 PM, in article
, "Heywood Mogroot"
wrote:

ah, Wendy's in Tokyo... Back in the early 90's they were the only real
food outside McD's & KFC (and the weird solitary Arby's that was in
Shibuya at the time). I used to live on their Monterey Ranch Chicken,
and I didn't get fat on them, since I was biking and walking so much.

I've never been to Arbys in Tokyo. I think I heard they disappeared.

I only saw one. It was in a primo, primo location on Shibuya's Center
street (probably been there for a decade or more), on the first corner
in from the scramble crossing. It went away sometime in 1996-1997
IIRC.

One thing about Wendys baked potatoes here - they are really tiny compared
to the ones served in the U.S.!

yeah. I used to get those a lot too, with the bacon & cheese stuff,
plus about 150kcal worth of ketchup (gotta love those pumps). Not
exactly a healthy combo.

My advice: move your ass if you want to lose weight.

There's a reasonably good bike store in Naka-Meguro that sells western
bikes:

http://www.nukaya.com/

What's the difference between ordinary bikes and "western" bikes? I have a
regular old 3-speed bike.

ordinary as in 'charinko'? Being in the right gear is important for
safety reasons in such an urban environment as Tokyo. More gearing is
better for your knees, plus I'm 6'1" so I needed the extra size. Plus
Tokyo is somewhat hilly in the middle so if you want to go exploring
the middle city you're going to want some more gears. Plus thicker
tires survive the streets better. I got like 2 flats in 4 years of
riding in Tokyo. Plus have more gears means you can go faster without
pedalling like a madman. Sigh. I used to leave the bike locked at the
station all day & overnight (when I missed the late train back) and it
was always there when I got back. 'course, this was Hiroo station, not
exactly an urban crime center...

Some of my favorite riding was done around 3am summer nights all
around central Tokyo. So quiet. Central Tokyo really empties out late
at night and on weekends. One day I decided to follow the Meiji-dori
ring road. Took all day, but it was a blast. Tokyo is an amazing city
to explore -- it's so dense and just so random, and the drivers are
certainly relatively proficient and rules-following. man I miss living
in Tokyo sooo much! Just make sure you've got a working light so the
mawarisan won't bust your ass at night!

Western Tokyo is a great place to ride around, especially on the
weekends.

Yes - lots of river routes near my house.

Sounds like you live near Meguro...

On 9/15/04 7:25 PM, in article
, "Heywood Mogroot"
wrote:

Yes - lots of river routes near my house.

Sounds like you live near Meguro...

I live in Suginami-ku, near Hounancho Eki. The rivers by my house are the
Kanda-gawa and across Hounan-dori is the Zenpukuji-gawa which winds its way
to Wada Bori Kouen and the Omiyahachimangu. Yet it's only 15 minutes from
Shinjuku!

doug

Doug Lerner wrote in message ...
On 9/15/04 7:25 PM, in article
, "Heywood Mogroot"
wrote:

Yes - lots of river routes near my house.

Sounds like you live near Meguro...

I live in Suginami-ku, near Hounancho Eki. The rivers by my house are the
Kanda-gawa and across Hounan-dori is the Zenpukuji-gawa which winds its way
to Wada Bori Kouen and the Omiyahachimangu. Yet it's only 15 minutes from
Shinjuku!

I lived in Kichijoji 1992-1993, Igusa in 1993, and Mizunoguchi
1993-94... I had a charinko in Kichijoji but didn't ride around much
alas, so I didn't explore much of Western Tokyo by bicycle. I did some
street hiking though, and that was fun, but you can cover a lot more
ground on a bike.

That area seemed pretty flat to me, so maybe your 3 speed will be good
enough.

Doug Lerner wrote in message ...
On 9/15/04 7:25 PM, in article
, "Heywood Mogroot"
wrote:

Yes - lots of river routes near my house.

Sounds like you live near Meguro...

I live in Suginami-ku, near Hounancho Eki. The rivers by my house are the
Kanda-gawa and across Hounan-dori is the Zenpukuji-gawa which winds its way
to Wada Bori Kouen and the Omiyahachimangu. Yet it's only 15 minutes from
Shinjuku!

I lived in Kichijoji 1992-1993, Igusa in 1993, and Mizunoguchi
1993-94... I had a charinko in Kichijoji but didn't ride around much
alas, so I didn't explore much of Western Tokyo by bicycle. I did some
street hiking though, and that was fun, but you can cover a lot more
ground on a bike.

That area seemed pretty flat to me, so maybe your 3 speed will be good
enough.

On 9/15/04 7:25 PM, in article
, "Heywood Mogroot"
wrote:

Yes - lots of river routes near my house.

Sounds like you live near Meguro...

I live in Suginami-ku, near Hounancho Eki. The rivers by my house are the
Kanda-gawa and across Hounan-dori is the Zenpukuji-gawa which winds its way
to Wada Bori Kouen and the Omiyahachimangu. Yet it's only 15 minutes from
Shinjuku!

doug