When I eat fat, oil I’m getting a lot of energy but it’s not in the form that my body wants it in, so it’s not a preferred source of energy. Fat and oil goes into my gut, are broken down into triglycerides and then travel into my lymphatic system, bypasses the liver, right into the large blood vessels as triglyceride droplets. Triglycerides in the blood are stored food energy. I can cut my calories to 1200 and watch my weight stay put while I use up the triglycerides. I get ready to start or restart weight loss by reducing fat intake along with calories, thus inducing my body to burn stored fat. My liver will convert the triglycerides to sugar and give me a nice even supply of energy during that time. I can tell when I’m out of triglyceride reserves because I’m vulnerable to low energy. Once I start to lose weight I need to keep eating and include small amounts of fats to smooth out the ups and downs. Olive oil is always a good choice. It has those nice mono-saturated fatty acids will go into my cell membranes and make them nice and soft and flexible.
Protein is over-rated. A lot of people are overweight because they feel ‘protein’ is the essence of nourishment. Protein is made of amino acids, most of which are converted to glycogen in the liver. Glycogen is a carb that acts as a short term reserve. Some are released into the blood to be building blocks for cells. This is particularly good in times of growth and reproduction. Not particularly important in times or maintenance and repair. I’m in a time of maintenance and repair.
The liver can also make amino acids. The reason people warn us against vegetarian diets is because some amino acids are ‘essential’ because they cannot be made. Plants have all the amino acids, but no single plant them all. Only meat guarantees you have them all because you get them all in one place. Nobody I know, or have heard of, has ever suffered from protein deficiency. I still get enough meat anyway, for me it’s about 10% of my calories, bringing those 1125 calories up to 1,250 while I’m losing weight, 1600 to maintain. I use my five cups of food as a base, and then add protein type foods: a little more if I’m losing weight too much weight, a little more if I want to gain or lose more slowly.
About this Blog
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So many people wish they could lose weight. This blog is an attempt to put together something to share about my experience. I started January of 2012 at 232 lbs and I had been trying to lose weight, probably shaving 5 lbs off my maximum, which would have been closer to 235. My last measurement showed a mere 160.4 lbs. The means over the last year I would have lost 75 lbs. In the picture from the summer of 2012 I weigh 175. I would love to get down to the 150 to 155 range over the next year. Why so slim? Mostly because if its worth doing its worth doing well. But also because arteriosclerosis runs thick in my family and if I can live at an ideal weight of course I should. I'm also fully content to live life at 160 if that's how it is to be, but I think its worth a try. This blog lets you join the adventure! The main thing was I just decided I'm in charge of my own weight. Policitians and actors do it. Why not me? Do I just did. No hocus-pocus. No hormones or any kind of pill. No extreme behavior, diets or fasting. No worries about mysterious toxins. Just a series of straight-up, science-based strategies. That why I think I have something to share. I can weigh whatever I want. Although I take what I know from science, I don't have access to scholarly libraries or time to do full scholarship on what I put here. I don't claim to have all the science right. If you know something I should know, add in a comment. This blog is a work in progress, I will keep editing the pages as I get ideas, insight and feedback. All my best -- Rob |
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