Weight loss support thread

[GemstoneEddie88]

I'm having problems because I've relapsed into being a Soda Nigger. Had my beloved Baja Blast today and it wasn't even sweet to me. Horrible sign. Should I do the fake sugar route or quit outright?

I missed a couple pages in this thread it seems: you gotta go to diet sodies ASAP. If you’re slamming even a couple sodas a days that’s like 1000+ calories of just straight up nothing good going into your body. Switching over to the fake sugar is one of the first things I did a couple years ago when I got slightly more health conscious.

Quitting them outright isn’t recommended as you’re likely to relapse. The fake sugar probably isn’t good for you but it’s better than slamming 1000+ calories of just bullshit everyday IMO.

EDIT: Zero Sugar Dr. Pepper is the best out of the bunch I’ve tried. I legit probably have 3/4 of them a day.

 

[Tinidril]

finally feeling like a normal person around food far outweighs the worst of the side effects.

Basically agree with your entire post. I'd had dental implants placed a couple of months before I started the tirzepatide, and had to be on soft foods, which caused me to lose about 5 lbs and I think prepared me a bit for eating less. But I'd noticed at that time I was losing my appetite for greasy foods, and I kinda thought maybe my gallbladder was gonna give up (I have a ton of family who'd already had theirs out by my age). I definitely do not want to push myself to eat that last bite. I have no interest in highly flavored foods. Never had much of a sweet tooth but savory and salty things were my weakness. No interest now...I actually got a Slim Jim, a guilty treat of my youth, because I thought I wanted something salty/savory, and my reaction was "not as good as I remembered ".

Last comment: last night I actually felt a bit hungry, natural hunger, not psychological hunger. I got 5 saltine crackers (a serving, 70 calories) and ate them one at a time, slowly. I couldn't believe how tasty I found them. I don't think I've ever opened a sleeve of saltines without eating the whole thing, and eating 3-4-5 at a time. That's a tiny miracle right there.

senna/docusate tablets over the counter?

Yes, I think the big brand name is Senna+, but of course the generic/store brand is cheaper. I got a big ol' bottle of 1000 tablets for less than $20 on Amazon: "Pharbest Senna-S".

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

Basically agree with your entire post. I'd had dental implants placed a couple of months before I started the tirzepatide, and had to be on soft foods, which caused me to lose about 5 lbs and I think prepared me a bit for eating less. But I'd noticed at that time I was losing my appetite for greasy foods, and I kinda thought maybe my gallbladder was gonna give up (I have a ton of family who'd already had theirs out by my age). I definitely do not want to push myself to eat that last bite. I have no interest in highly flavored foods. Never had much of a sweet tooth but savory and salty things were my weakness. No interest now...I actually got a Slim Jim, a guilty treat of my youth, because I thought I wanted something salty/savory, and my reaction was "not as good as I remembered ".

I’ve had the same experience with a lot of my favorite foods. Like green olives, I could eat a small jar in one sitting, which is why I rarely bought them. Now a small jar can last me a month or two.

Last comment: last night I actually felt a bit hungry, natural hunger, not psychological hunger. I got 5 saltine crackers (a serving, 70 calories) and ate them one at a time, slowly. I couldn't believe how tasty I found them. I don't think I've ever opened a sleeve of saltines without eating the whole thing, and eating 3-4-5 at a time. That's a tiny miracle right there.

That’s an amazing feeling. To be satisfied by one or two servings of food we used to eat entire packages of.

 

[Dipodomys]

In the middle of week 5 of my workout routine. I usually only make it a month before I miss a session and quietly drop it.

No weight loss for now, but I'm finally seeing some muscle definition. My goal overall is to get healthier before I go back to actively losing weight.

 

[GemstoneEddie88]

In the middle of week 5 of my workout routine.

What’s your current routine/split?

 

[Dipodomys]

What’s your current routine/split?

Just a basic routine at home with free weights and a bench. 3 days per week with that, then cardio on the off days.

I've worked out on and off for basically my entire life, I'm really trying to emphasize consistency with my current thing. Just taking meticulous progress notes and holding myself back from doing too much at once has really helped.

 

[Accept Only Substitutes]

Quitting them outright isn’t recommended as you’re likely to relapse. The fake sugar probably isn’t good for you but it’s better than slamming 1000+ calories of just bullshit everyday IMO.

Aspartame is the most commonly used fake sugar in drinks, because it’s been around for forty years and is dirt cheap.

According to the American Cancer Society it’s considered “possibly carcinogenic” based on limited results that they don’t find terribly convincing. There’s been a lot of people trying very hard to declare it as the worst thing ever, and it’s currently one of the most researched food additives.

Some people are more sensitive to various chemicals than others, if anything gives you headaches or other symptoms, don’t ingest it. Otherwise, there’s so many other things all around us that are probably a lot worse for us, so do your best and let god sort it all out. In the meantime, you can take my Diet Coke over my dead body.

From the above link:

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)​

IARC is the cancer research agency of the WHO. One of its major roles is to identify causes of cancer.

IARC classifies aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2B), based on limited evidence it might cause cancer (specifically liver cancer) in people. IARC also notes there is limited evidence for cancer in lab animals and limited evidence related to possible mechanisms for it causing cancer.

It’s important to know that IARC classifications are based on the strength of the evidence of whether something can cause cancer in humans, not how likely it is to cause cancer. The Group 2B classification is the third highest out of 4 levels, and it is generally used either when there is limited, but not convincing, evidence for cancer in humans, or when there is convincing evidence for cancer in lab animals, but not both.

To learn more about the IARC classifications, see Determining if Something Is a Carcinogen and Known and Probable Human Carcinogens.

Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)​

JECFA is an international expert committee run jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the WHO. One of its main roles is to evaluate the safety of food additives. It considers all possible health impacts, including cancer.

JECFA assesses the risk that a specific type of harm (such as cancer) will occur in certain situations, considering how, how often, and how much people might be exposed to a food additive.

After completing a dietary exposure assessment, JECFA has concluded that “the evidence of an association between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans is not convincing.”

Based on current dietary exposure estimates, JECFA has concluded that dietary exposure to aspartame does not pose a health concern.

And:

In the United States, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are regulated by the FDA. These products must be tested for safety and approved by the FDA before they can be used. The FDA also sets an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for each sweetener, which is the maximum amount considered safe to consume each day during a person's lifetime.

The FDA has set the ADI for aspartame at 50 milligrams per kilogram (1 kg=2.2 lb) of body weight per day (50 mg/kg/day).

Both JECFA and the EFSA recommend a slightly lower ADI for aspartame, at 40 mg/kg/day.

To help put these levels in perspective, the FDA estimates that a person weighing 60 kg (132 lb) would have to consume about 75 packets of aspartame in a day to reach the upper end of the ADI of 50 mg/kg/day.

Similarly, a person weighing 70 kg (154 lb) would have to consume at least 9–14 cans of diet soda per day (depending on the level of aspartame in each can) to exceed the ADI of 40 mg/kg/day used by JECFA/EFSA.

 

[Wujime]

Quitting them outright isn’t recommended as you’re likely to relapse. The fake sugar probably isn’t good for you but it’s better than slamming 1000+ calories of just bullshit everyday IMO.

I am a coke zero/pepsi max addict, have been for 17 years or so now, let me tell you, you don't want to go down that path.
The good is that it short term can fill your belly and provide some pleasure which helps you keep a diet. The bad is it's gonna give you appetite afterwards. I suspect even if it's effectively zero calories, the taste and properties make your insulin spike the same, with every long term problem which comes with it.

But that's not the worst part. The worst part in the genocide of gut bacteria that is going to come with it. Coke zero ain't as bad, although it will give you bowel problems long term the same, but Pepsi Max is fucking awful. Your stool will be very, very sticky, probably because you don't actually digest aspartame. You are going to have to clean your toilet every day because the shit just won't flush down. It's also going to be very very dark, to the point I suspected I fucked up and gave myself colon cancer. Technically now it seems not the case anymore but I had to cut down to 33/66 cls a day from my "glory" days of 2,5 lts a day. And I still wish I didn't drink any at all, but since I don't drink really anything else but water and coffee, I keep it around at minimum as comfort drink. At least I will until my mind is in a better place and I feel like I may endure the mental effort.

 

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What are ways to help endure the constant hunger pains that come with caloric deficit?
My body is constantly hungry and it's unbearable. Water doesn't dull it, is there something else I can do without adding too many unnecessary calories?

Drink: Snake Juice. It's a saltwater mix, maybe with a little lemon or mio water drops to mask the flavor.
Food: Salad. Leafy greens. The local store has rather big containers of spring mix or arugula or spinach for $5 each, which is worth quite a few salads. I often get the $5 container of cherry tomatoes and the like $2 bag of baby carrots and toss a few in to mix it up.

But I'm not doing so well with my own, so maybe a better answer out there.

The good is that it short term can fill your belly and provide some pleasure which helps you keep a diet. The bad is it's gonna give you appetite afterwards. I suspect even if it's effectively zero calories, the taste and properties make your insulin spike the same, with every long term problem which comes with it.

Yes, those no calorie sweetners definitely cause an insulin spike, this is known. It absolutely will make you starving, fuck with your metabolism, et cetera.

But the alternative is no soda, so, well, at least it's 0 calories.

 

[GemstoneEddie88]

But I'm not doing so well with my own, so maybe a better answer out there.

Really the only thing I can say about managing hunger is to not fight your body too much. I know this sounds counter productive, but if you are hungry, eat a little bit. I constructed my diet in a way where I would have small meals around 200-400 calories for both breakfast and dinner, and a bigger meal around 450-700 calories for lunch, with light snacking throughout the day.

Normally these snacks would be the small rice krispys that I believe hit for 140 kcal, or sometimes I would keep rice cakes on me at work, those are around 35-60 kcal depending on what flavor. I think your body less wants food and more so the act of eating food, if that makes sense. I would be able to maintain regular eating habits within 1600-1825~ calories daily for a period of 14 weeks. If you find yourself using all your calories daily and still hungry, I would consider bumping up your daily intake by 100-200 calories.

Your weight loss will slow, but overeating on too restrictive of a diet LONG TERM will lead to slower weight loss, if that makes sense.

 

[Lip Glossary]

Nice, curious to know what the main side effects you guys experience off Reta and Tirzepatide are. Is it similar to Ozempic where you can experience gut paralysis if you take the dosages too high?

I've only been on zepbound for 2 months and I have been moved up to 5mg for the past month and literally the only side effect that I have and it's kind of gross is when I eat something I'm still and tasting it when I burp even a day or two later. Especially in the days following an injection.
For example, I do my injections every Sunday. I usually pretty much go back to normal appetite and normal GI activity by Thursday or Friday, but if I eat something like garlic chicken on Sunday or Monday night, I'll eat nothing for the next 2 days and still taste garlic and chicken when I burp for the next 48 hours.
It's kind of a gross side effect, but it's a small price to pay for being able to fit into your older pairs of Dickies.
EDIT: when I say I eat nothing for the next 2 days, I mean next to nothing. I'll still force a can of tuna or two fried eggs that day for the protein because I know starving yourself, even unintentionally can cause your body to store fat.

 

[Tinidril]

when I eat something I'm still and tasting it when I burp even a day or two later

LOL yeah. I'd heard about "sulpher burps" as a side effect and was expecting something along those lines but it's a 3 days ago dinner burp. Has to do with the slower gastric emptying. And yes, a small price to pay.

Spoiler

Wanted to say something about the folks struggling with sodies and other caloric drinks. I think this is one of the most shocking things about the American diet (dunno what the Yuros are like; interested to hear). I grew up, not poor, but working class and there were a lot of us and we *never* got soda and that sort of stuff except at (someone else's) birthday party. A small glass of orange juice at breakfast, maybe (remember "juice glasses"?). We drank milk at dinner till we were teenagers then most of us voluntarily switched to water with meals because only babies drank milk. But even when we were too broke to have fresh milk, my mother gave us powdered milk. She'd make orangeade with the frozen concentrate and sugar and water, in the summer, but that wasn't to drink with meals, it was for a treat in the hot summer.

(When I started drinking coffee as an adult I used milk and sugar till some diet I was on decreed black coffee only and I've never gone back. Great when you're broke not to have to worry about having enough grocery money to buy coffee *and* sugar *and* milk!)

So when I went into health care, and happened, at one point, to be dealing with a largely elderly population, I was *shocked* that a significant number had scarcely drunk a glass of plain water in their lives. If we didn't have juice for med pass there was practically a riot.

And to be in a supermarket where there's an entire aisle of sugary, flavored drinks, and that doesn't even count the enormous amount of refrigerated juices, pseudo-juices, etc...yikes. It feels like we're doomed. It's good that it appears a lot of folks are understanding the importance of drinking ordinary water, but of course people scramble to make a buck off that, too. I live in a city renowned for the quality of the municipal water, which is ***FREE**** and people still buy bottled water.

And after all the fanfare about artificial sweeteners are gonna save everyone from obesity and diabetes turns out to be ... not the miracle people expected...first all the cancer scares and now (even more significant to me, anyway) all the research showing these sweeteners just lead to more cravings instead of satiation, I don't know what the answer is. These flavored drinks are not a temptation for me, so I can't just say "well, be like me, and just don't drink them...problem solved".

But in the short term, I will say that if the *only* change a lot of people make in their diets is to eliminate caloric drinks (and milk/sugar in coffee/tea), they'll lose weight. I'd bet money on it.

 

[Lip Glossary]

To take it back to your thing about soda, when I was with my mom none of us drank it. I was big on milk and water all the time.
In the summers and when I finally moved back to America I was drinking soda every day. When I quit this year it was literally worse than when I quit smoking. I'm dead serious I would snap at people, I would actually have to leave myself on mute at work because I wanted to talk shit so badly to customers, I would have bouts of fucking CRYING out of frustration over the smallest shit, which has never happened to me in my life.
High fructose corn syrup is an addiction and it's no joke. I cut that shit off cold turkey and it was bad. At least cigarettes were only bad for a few days, this went on for weeks.

 

[White Goy]

Cutting out alcohol is probably the most efficient way to lose weight for the average man, provided you don't have a complex eating disorder. I've been training since my teens but whenever I'd been drinking (14+ drinks a week), especially as I got older, my BF% would remain fairly stable. Then whenever I'd cut it out completely for an extended period it'd start to fall significantly.

 

[DSP's Tax Lawyer]

Just finished a 72 hour fast. Lost a little over 12 pounds doing it

 

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Just finished a 72 hour fast. Lost a little over 12 pounds doing it

That seems like a lot, but please don't get discouraged if a lot comes back. Whenever I fast I piss like a racehorse and most of it comes back over the course of the next few weeks.

 

[DSP's Tax Lawyer]

That seems like a lot, but please don't get discouraged if a lot comes back. Whenever I fast I piss like a racehorse and most of it comes back over the course of the next few weeks.

I was aware that a lot of it will come back. Was trying to reset after about 8 days of eating a bit too much. The 72 hour fast was to set myself back up to my diet I have been doing since December

 

[GemstoneEddie88]

Very nice. Did you experience any emotional instability or cognitive side effects throughout its duration?

 

[Iron Jaguar]

My fellow kiwis, I am fucking fat. Does anybody have recommendations for healthy, low-calorie food that tastes good?

You do not have to eat low calorie food. I eat calorie dense food, mainly fatty beef, pork and lamb, a lot of chicken, and coffee with cream (actual cream, not the shit you Americans stir into coffee).
I don't pay any attention whatsoever to calorie counting or portion control or any other type of restriction beyond keeping to eating mainly calorie dense meat.
There are three components to weight loss/maintaining a proper weight:
1) What you eat
2) When you eat
3) How much you eat
Only the first two are of real significance if you have a HF/MP/LC diet and use a timed eating window, because those foods are naturally self-limiting - there's only so much fatty meat you can eat before you reach satiety and you simply will not want to eat more. I only eat between roughly 8am and 5pm most days.

If you like a steak with garlic butter, have that for dinner. Make sure you eat the fat and the butter sauce. Maybe have a carrot and a few green beans. No carbohydrate foods i.e. bread, potatoes, pasta, corn, rice. Those are what makes you fat.

 

[DSP's Tax Lawyer]

Very nice. Did you experience any emotional instability or cognitive side effects throughout its duration?

Yeah but that was mostly due to outside factors. Day 2, someone on my floor made garlic bread that I couldn't stop smelling. Day 3 I had a coworker bring in homecooked garlic beef and other coworkers kept intentionally eating donuts in front of me