Weight Loss Thread

When I was doing Hail Mary google searches for how to easily ween off of soda I saw a recommendation for niacin-bound chromium as a means to curb sugar cravings. I was skeptical, but for $8 I figured it wouldn't be the most money I've ever wasted on wishful thinking.

This shit fucking works bros. At first I was taking it after every meal (when I'd get a soda craving), but after a couple days I only had to take one after dinner (some days I don't need to take one at all; it just depends on if something in the meal has triggered that need for a soda). If it's placebo it's the most effective placebo ever.

Anyway, here's the specific bottle I ordered:Amazon.com: Source Naturals Chromemate Chromium GTF 200mcg Yeast Free, 240 Tablets: Health Personal Care. Chromemate is a patented blend so whatever brand you choose is fine so long as it's Chromemate.

And Noodle, chromium is also highly recommended for type 2 diabetics as it assists insulin in glucose regulation. If you're gonna dive into a keto diet I can all but guarantee this will whip the ass of any sugar craving you get.

Lucky you I guess you're genetically predisposed to being diabetic?

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I decided to take the plunge and go keto for a while (at least a couple weeks, but haven't ruled out several months). When I first started seriously hitting the gym at the end of October I just wanted to do bro lifts and see gains, but after the unrestricted eating during the holidays caused me to gain back half the fat that took me weeks to lose I've decided to just focus on weight loss. This means reining my shit in with my diet. As far as gym work I'm still doing whole body HIIT and stationary bike sprints 5 days/wk (no LISS) so I'm hoping I won't lose much lean mass... but ultimately I'm not that worried about it. I'm a classic mesomorph and lose fat and gain muscle easily. My biggest problem is my near-addiction to soda. I fucking love that shit so much. It takes a serious commitment on my part to give that up because I reach for it during/after every meal, but I'm ready to be lean and healthy again. (Btw the aforementioned chromium tablets completely kill those cravings!)

I've had success with a low carb regimen before (went from 245 lbs to ~190 lbs in 4 months between 2011 and 2012), but I focused on staying under 100g carbs, not full-blown ketosis. I'm curious to see how quickly I drop body fat while maintaining a diet of ~20g/day. I'm fairly confident that I won't want to stay keto the rest of my life, but I could definitely handle a daily diet that's 100-150g carbs/day once I'm down to my ideal body composition.

Thanks for the inspiration bros.

Ossoi_sl said:

If you're doing HIIT then you should be eating carbs post workout and keto at every other meal.

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Why?

Barraco Bisi_sl said:

Change your soda addiction to a sparkling water addiction. Mmmmmm.

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Kroger has lemon & lime seltzer water that tastes like unsweetened Sprite (the ingredients are carbonated water and natural flavors, whatever that means). It works really well for scratching that soda itch.

Khane_sl said:

What he said makes absolutely no sense at face value. How do you carb load AND do keto at the same time?

What I think he means is, eat the carbs you're going to eat for the day right after the workout and eat protein and fats at all other meals. This makes little to no difference. You could eat the carbs for breakfast if you work out at lunch and it will have the same effect. The point is you can and should be eating plenty of carbs if you're exercising, even on a keto diet. And that's true. I can eat up to 80g of carbs a day and still stay in ketosis when I'm hitting it hard at the gym.

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I'm inclined to agree, but I wanted to see what effects eschewing carbs would have on my output instead of just assuming performance would go to shit (I keep fairly detailed logs of my exercises so comparing before and after would be fairly objective).

What kind of carbs would you recommend? Low GI fruit? Or is GI not a consideration, just gross carb intake?

Khane_sl said:

Eat real food. Whether it's 80g worth of fruit or 80g worth of iceberg lettuce makes more of a difference on your bowel movements than performance in the layman like you and I. In theory and principle it does make a difference because the idea is that sugar, as little as 4g in fact, can knock you out of ketosis (if that's your goal) but in practice I've never seen that to be the case.

The human will has more to do with success in any lifestyle change than the minutiae (such as macro breakdown). It's true for any addiction whether it be food, drug or otherwise. If you go into it thinking you'll fail you probably will and if you go into it with the utmost confidence you will succeed you almost certainly will. These things tend to become self fulfilling prophecies. So if you find a dietary ideology that works for you just go with it, so long as it involves eating real food, drinking plenty of water and getting enough sleep.

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Yeah, I agree that the most important component is finding a regimen that you'll stick with and is conducive with your lifestyle. I have a lot of confidence that no/low carb works for me thanks to previous success. I did gain back the weight I lost the first time I did low carb, but it happened slowly over the course of a couple years. The stress of huge life changes caused me to say "fuck it" and eat a completely unrestricted diet - soda, sweets, etc. I'm almost 31 now and as stable as anyone could hope to be so lifestyle upheaval (and accompanying "fuck it all" attitude) is unlikely.