I am fond of saying weight loss is simple, but it is not easy, so today in this rather delayed post, I am going to try and explain more of what I mean, and how I believe that our mindset  plays a greater role in losing weight, than the food we eat.

Today was the first time I have stepped on the scales since my last post on April the 9th.  After the 12 week target I had set myself for losing 7lbs, I decided I was not going to keep stepping on the scales every Friday to judge progress. One reason for this was because I was losing body fat slowly ( around 0.5lbs per week ) the scales are unlikely to track this correctly, so I switched to using my clothes and the mirror as a guide.

Today my weight is 168lbs or 12 stone exactly or 76 kilos for you metric heads. My BMI is  now 24.11. The Abs ? well as I mentioned in the last post, they are close but not quite there, and I think I need to be 165lb, but this is just a guess so I will go by the mirror. The only thing I have learnt is you can be pretty sure whatever weight you think you need to be, chances are you will need to be lower.

So it actually took me 3 extra weeks to hit the 168lbs level. That means  I needed 15 weeks to lose 7 lbs of fat.  As I now look back on yet another target reached, all be it 3 weeks later than I thought, am I happy ? You bet I am, but what I wanted to highlight here is my planning, and mindset to lose this 7lbs.

First, back in January I set a 12 week target to lose those 7lbs. I did not look to lose it in one month, or even 2 months. I set 3 months because I had already lost a large amount of weight, and I had a good idea of my calorie levels. I used one diet fact, that to lose 1lb of fat you need to cut around 3,500 calories for your Maintenance calories.  Based on my current lifestyle, and my retired dieter principles, I could not  see how on a consistent weekly basis I could cut a further 3,500 calories a week from my plan. As it has turned  I needed 15 weeks, not 12.

What I am trying to say here is that many people set unrealistic goals for losing weight, then become frustrated and disheartened. It is my own personal view that this is caused by  a lack of basic weight loss understanding ( calories in v calories out ) largely caused by false advertising claims like ” lose 18lbs in 18 days ”  and reading too many conflicting weight loss theories in weight loss forums. One reason I believe this to be the case is because I was no different. Only when I stopped “dieting”, and stopped reading about different weight loss plans and health claims did I finally start to lose the weight.

How you think about weight loss, and how you approach it, will determine your success far more than what you eat.

Let me give you one example of how I failed in the past, and why this time was different.

One of the best diets I followed in terms of losing weight quickly was Atkins, and going low carb certainly brought me fast results at the start ( what I know now was a large amount of this fast weight loss was water ).  I was losing for about the first 10 weeks without a problem and was down about 24lbs, then the weight loss stopped. after 3 weeks of no changes, my mindset was…

”  I am not losing weight anymore, and I want a pizza, if I am not losing weight when I have cut out carbs, then I may aswell go and eat what I want.”

And that is what I did. I had restricted a food choice, and when the weight loss slowed down, I was missing the food I was deprived of.  The truth was I just like carbs too much to ever give them up on a long term basis.

As a retired dieter my main rule was no food was off limits, and of course there was no diet. The only focus was to eat less and move more.  I also set a realistic weight loss target of 56lbs in 52 weeks.  I didn’t hit my first weight loss plateau for 6 months but when I did, my view was very different.  This time there was no diet to come off, no food or drink had been eliminated from my diet. I also knew that for 6 months what I was doing had worked, so what was there to change ? . All I had to do was more of the same, maybe mix it up a little and accept that I had to look harder at calories in v calories out and make another cut or move more. That is all I have continued to do since, but at no time did I go searching for some magic solution. My mindset remained focused on losing steadily.

I had , and still have only a small set of things I remind myself of on a regular basis.

1 Calories in V Calories out

No matter what anyone says, your primary focus has to be calories in v calories out, if you eat less than your body needs you will lose weight, one way or another you firstly have to create a calorie deficit. In plain English, just eat less than you do now ( Not too many people who know me argue with me on this one anymore. Losing over 60lbs tends to give you a  bit more credibility with that claim )

2 Fat Loss, Not Weight Loss.

to lose 1lb of fat takes a calorie deficit of  approx 3,500 calories  from your current  requirements.  likewise to gain 1lb of fat you would need to consume 3,500 calories more than your current requirements.  If the scales show you lost 4lbs in 7 days, remember it will not all be fat, not unless you somehow created a calorie deficit of  14000 calories in a week.  You can also have a week where you lose 1lb of fat , but the scales show no change or even that you are heavier. This can be water weight, hence fat loss not weight loss. The scales are a guide, but like with most things to do with weight loss,week to week they are not always reliable.

So here is my take home message from this post.

If you have a large amount of weight to lose, make  a realistic goal. I have lost over 60lbs in 16 months, but I gained 60lbs in 20 years.  I initially lost 56lbs in 10 months. I consider that fast weight loss. If you fall for the diet hype and try and lose 30lbs in 2 months it will end with you feeling you failed. You have to understand that no matter how much we would all love to believe it,  it is just not a realistic weight loss target  and you would put too much pressure on yourself.  I know it may not be what you want to hear, but I can tell you that  1 or 2lb of fat loss per week  is hard enough , but it is possible, in my personal experience anything else is just not realistic long term.

If you are trying to lose those last few stubborn pounds of fat, remember they are going to take longer, and you will need to keep calories low, and most likely go lower than you are now, or increase how much you move. I am 5ft 10 inches and I my maintenance BMR is around 1700 calories a day, that is not many.

So my next goal is  165lbs. My next weigh in will be Friday May 28th.  Now that the weather is warmer I will be outside more and I do expect to hit the 165lbs target 4 weeks from today.

Over the next 4 weeks I will post more about my thoughts on weight loss, and the challenges we all face in reaching our goals.

As always, please feel free to leave a comment and  if you have any private questions, email me on the following  retireddieter[at]gmail.com

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So after a 3 week break from fasting  in my attempt to break a weight loss plateau I weighed myself for the first time since the break on saturday. The result was a 2lb weight gain.

I now weigh 188lbs – 13 stone 6lbs 185 kilos. This is the first time this year I have gained any weight, but the fact I had taken a break from fasting and increased the number of calories I consume I think this shows that even when I am not using intermittent fasting to control my weight,  my eating is under control.

I am looking at the long term goal here. In recent weeks I was not losing weight with the routine I was following, I decided a break of 3 weeks should be long enough for my body to notice the change in my eating habbits. I now expect weight to start to come off once more.

I am fasting today, and my next weigh in will be on Saturday August 1st.

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As I write this post I am 19 hours into a fast. This will be my first 24 hour  intermittent fast for more than 3 weeks.  Since I last recorded my weight  on July 3rd, I have mixed up my eating routine to try and break a weight loss plateau . My last recorded weight was 84 kilos. I have continued with my body weight exercises, but have not used intermittent fasting during this period.

Even though I was not fasting in the last 3 weeks, I have noticed how my attitude to food has changed.

I have no desire to overeat. As a retired dieter, I of course do not view that I am on diet, so I also don’t have the feeling I have come off it for a few weeks and that I have license to go crazy and eat anything. I have continued to eat the same foods I always eat, the only difference has been to eat on a more regular basis . I have not had a typical set time for eating, I have had something to eat when I am hungry. I have found this is the main change in how I eat since I started fasting, I simply can’t eat if I am not hungry.

The clock may say it is lunchtime, but If I am not hungry, I wait until I am. Even when not using intermittent fasting I am not going to eat something just because it is meant to be lunchtime.

Does this mean I have beaten the hangup most of us have with when to eat ? I don’t know about that, and I can’t speak for anyone else on this, all I know is, in my case there has been a definite psychological change in how I look at eating.

I  do find when I am not fasting I want to eat something late evening, mornings when I am working I don’t seem to want anything.

I think if I was to use just the condensed eating window method of  intermittent fasting , my ideal time would be to eat between 6pm and 11pm.

I was also interested to see how I would find doing a full 24 hour fast after not fasting for that length of time for over 3 weeks.  I have to say I have not had any problem.

This week I will do 2 fasts of 24 hours, so in effect I am back following the eat stop eat intermittent fasting plan, that I first started with back in January.  I will next record my weight tomorrow morning. Saturday 24th of July, to see if I have gained any weight during the break from intermittent fasting . If I was to make a guess right now I think I am perhaps 1 kilo heavier. My belt is always a good guide, and I have not had to move up , but It feels a little tighter. My expectation was that during this break I would gain a little weight. I will then record my weight again on the 1st of August, and I hope the fact I have had the break from fasting will then enable me to lose the final few kilos my body seems so keen to keep. If I am losing 1lb of body fat  per week while fasting twice per week, I will continue with that routine.  My goal will be to lose 4lb of body fat in August.

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Is It A Weight Loss Plateau ?

Is It A Plateau ?

As I mentioned last week, I have now hit my first  weight loss plateau. It has taken 6 months, but now, with only around 11lbs left to lose, my body seems to be saying no more !.

A weight loss plateau is not unusual when you decide to lose weight. The fact it has taken almost 6 months before I have hit one shows how affective intermittent fasting for weight loss has been for me.

Weight Loss Plateau –  What To Do Next

In order to move past this block, I need to make some changes, but I also need to be sure that the weight loss plateau is not just caused by simply eating more calories than I need. Many times a weight loss plateau is no more than you eating too many calories for losing weight.

To be sure my weight loss plateau is not because of a problem in my diet, I first have to monitor my calories to ensure I am still in a calorie defecit for losing weight.

As I have lost 46lbs ( 21 kilos) I no longer need the same amount of calories I did 6 months ago.  At the start of the year when I weighed 231lbs ( 105 kilos)  my maintainence calories would be around 3,200 calories per day. Today at 185 lbs ( 84 kilos) and my current activity leval that  number is now around 2600, so 600 calories a day less.

My target now is only to lose 1lb a week, and when you realise that just to maintain the weight I am now I would need to be eating 600 calories a day less than 6 months ago, it is a unrealistic to expect to lose much more. This a good example of why my weight loss goes from 2lb per week, down to 1lb. The number of calories we need does not remain static, it moves along with our weight.

If you are looking to lose weight yourself, please remember that 1lb ( approx 0.5 kilos) per week is a healthy and realistic target. When I started using intermittent fasting, I had a large amount of weight to lose, and the first few weeks the weight came off quickly but I always knew it would change, that is why I set 52 weeks to lose 56lbs, it is realistic.

I now know a  20% reduction in calories from that total  ( 2600 calories) would give me a 1lb per week weight loss.  It also means that my current calorie intake to achieve this should be around 1850 per day ( 185 llb x 10 cals per lb ).

So with this figure as my benchmark, the next thing I had to do was to look at the actual calories I am eating. To do this I simply keep a food diary, and write down everything I eat and drink . I have done this for the last 14 days  This has shown I am not going over the 1850 per day average. On weekends my intake is higher, but weekdays when using Intermittent Fasting and a condensed eating window my calorie intake is lower with an avg of 1500. So now that I know it is not too many calories that are causing the weight loss plateau, I can now look into how I am going to beat it.

In case you are wondering what these figures I am quoting are based on, I take them from Lyle Mcdonald at  bodyrecompasition.com Lyle is an expert in his field, and one of only a few people who’s advice  I respect in terms of losing body fat. Lyle has also written a number of books on the subject which you can find on his. website here

So How to Break A Weight Loss Plateau ?

Well once you have established that the plateau is not because you are eating too many calories, you have to look at what else can be a problem.  Since the end of February of this year I have  used a condensed eating window during the week, and then eaten normally on a weekend. This fits my lifestyle and has been very successful for me, but I think my body has  now got used to the routine. It is time to shake things up.

Since Friday I have taken a break from fasting, but have still monitored my calories to ensure I am at maintenance. My next fast will be from Sunday evening 12th of July to Monday 13th July. [ Update ] I did not do this fast due to a party

From an exercise point of view, I have altered my body weight exercise routine and made it harder. If I am honest, I have not changed it enough in recent weeks. One of the drawbacks of bodyweight exercises is , they get easier to do as you lose fat !.  Take a regular push up for example, I am now pushing up 46 lbs less than I was 6 months ago, but I am fitter and stronger than when I started. When you use weights, it is a progression, you increase the weights you use as you get stronger , but when using your own body weight , it is the opposite.

The way to ensure this is not a problem is to make the exercise more difficult, for example a one arm push up, or doing the push up on a decline etc.

I also have purchased some suspension straps. I can use them in the local park, and it is far cheaper and easier than a gym membership. At this time of year I enjoy doing my workout outdoors.

I use this book for my body weight exercises. I only do about 20 minutes 3 times per week to maintain muscle .

So this is my plan to break my weight loss plateau. This is the first time in 6 months I have looked at the amount of calories I am eating. The reason for doing so, was to be certain I was not eating more calories than I thought, even when using Intermittent Fasting it is possible to gain weight. As a retired dieter I don’t intend to spend the rest of my days counting calories. This exercise was neccasery to confirm my regular meals are not the cause of the wieght loss plateau.  If you have been using intermittent fasting and are not losing weight, or even gaining weight, then you are consuming more calories than you need on your eating days, and you need to look at ways to reduce this.

For me intermittent fasting is the perfect way to control my calorie intake, but with still wanting to lose 11 more lbs I need to alter my current routine a little to get the results I want. What I won’t be doing is restricting any foods I like. I am still, and always will be a retired dieter !.

I expect to remain the same weight for another 2 weeks and then see the final few lbs start to melt away… at least that is the plan, only time will tell, either way I will post the results.

Update Jan 2010

I did reach my weight loss target in Oct 2009 It took me 41 weeks to lose the 56lbs of fat. You can see my weight loss transformation pictures here

The weight loss plateau lasted for a little over 2 months. It was the toughest part of my weight loss journey, but my advice now looking back is to stick with what has worked, and be patient.

You also need to get an understanding of your current RMR ( Resting Metabolic Rate ) You can use my BMR/RMR Calculator here

Often what you think is a weight loss plateau is nothing more than your lifestyle catching up with the new you. Understand the changes you have made, and chances are this will be the last you see of  your weight loss plateau

Update Feb 2011

Another year on and I have maintained my weight loss. I now find I go between 163 and 166lbs . Since writing this post, the things I believe are important in acheiving weight loss are now covered in the anything goes diet.

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Fasting for weight loss : The scales say no , the belt says yes !

So week 27 of fasting for weight loss and this week the scales show the same weight, but I have moved a notch down on the belt, indicating I have lost some body fat from my waist area.

If I am honest, the scales not moving again does make me feel some disappointment, but I have to remind myself that when I look in the mirror, I can see a positive change.  All the same, weight loss has stopped, so I have give some thought to see what I can do to move on and break this weight loss plateau.

I am going to change my body weight exercises routine this week, as I feel my body has got used to the current workout routine. I will also change my fasting schedule.

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