*** Big Fat Weight Loss Thread ***

Martynt74 said:
@tom_nieto got my beers. Some absolute belting DIPAs and Sour IPAs. How I’ve missed this stuff.

Was pretty restrained but got a few to bring home. Now I know about the shop and it’s only 35 mins away I didn’t feel the need to get carried away.

Food wasn’t too bad. 2 chicken wings, 1 short rib, 1 slider burger and half a small portion of loaded wedges.
Click to expand...

This sounds excellent! On site brewery or a well curated selection or guest beers? Is this somewhere that you could cycle to? Maybe not cycle back from :cry: I think it’s going to be Prosecco on the terrace (patio) for me this evening. Beer is pretty tempting, might investigate a cheeky IPA! Feel absolutely spent after a full on week and want the evening off. Going to have a tricky couple of weeks ahead. Need to get a grant finished (requires a lot of snacks otherwise no work is done, don’t hate the player). Then I’m on holiday to the spiritual home of carbs - Italy.
 
tom_nieto said:
This sounds excellent! On site brewery or a well curated selection or guest beers? Is this somewhere that you could cycle to? Maybe not cycle back from :cry:
Click to expand...

Combination. They had a range of their own stuff but then had a good guest range too.

Definitely rideable at 37km although the return route is all uphill!

www.facebook.com

Triple Brew | Rojales

Triple Brew, Rojales, Valenciana, Spain. 2,196 likes · 75 talking about this · 1,772 were here. Triple Brew, fresh homemade food made in front of you, huge variety of beers and wines.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com


They have said it’s getting a little more popular with a few small breweries in Alicante too so I need to plan a day.

More locally there’s a few bars in Elche but they only open at 7pm and I prefer daytime outings to then chill at home in the evening.
 
Last edited:
Being human dustbin is terrible. Went for lunch with my folks.

Got tapas at the wine tasting. I ate so much cheese/cured meat as no one else had much.

Then they were hungry so went for a meal. Starters of more meat/cheese which I ate most of. Then a huge plate of calamari for 4 which I ate around half.

Then the main was a huge amount of barbecued pork. I are mine, part of my wife’s and a little of my mums.

Then desert came and I ate mine and half my wife’s.

Been in a food coma ever since!
 
There’s being a food dustbin and then there’s being around lots of delicious food!

Are you calorie logging? Having just had a picky “party tea” I agree that it’s the most difficult one to manage.

In other news, I need to start logging properly once I’m back from Italy as there is a free trial of a blood glucose sensor which will be fascinating. Looking forward to seeing which carbs spike the BMs the most. I think my blood sugars are reasonably stable now that I’ve cleaned up my diet a bit. Will be interesting to see how low my sugars go when I’m being told to eat to stop being hangry!
 
Last edited:
I try and log food but as you say it’s difficult in situations like today so you just have to make a guess.

I’ve had no tea and only had banana and yoghurt for breakfast so it balances out.

(Ignore the bottle of red I’m near the end of…)


I can sense I’m drinking more again and having come to the end of a week off work and having bought delicious craft beer (5 cans in th fridge). I’m aiming to cut back after this. It’s showed me how much I love really good beer but it’s neither practical or affordable to drink that often.

Wine is the biggest thing though. One or two beers and I’m generally a bit bloated these days, but I can easily have a full bottle of red on my own. The one I’m currently drinking I wouldn’t even say I was particularly enjoying.

This week I’ve also nailed quite a bit of rum/whisky. I’ve then felt the knock on impact on activity and my watch recognises that. With the heat getting worse I need to really change my routine and get up and out early. That should encourage early nights and minimise temptation.

I also sleep too much. I average around 9-10ths usually and want to cut that back as I wake feeling groggy. Just need to be productive with the extra hours.
 
Last edited:
I think you've got a few things going on... I appreciate this advice is unsolicited but here goes.

Do away with the calorie counting... I think you've hit fatigue with it (I certainly had) and it leads to a bit of an all or nothing mindset. If you're going to be on track with your calories for the day then all is sunshine and rainbow.. if you're not going to be... then you seem to hit the "**** it" button and go way overboard on food / beers / wine.

My approach lately has been 3 proper meals a day where possible, meat/protein, veg/fruit, carbs - eat mindfully and don't take the ****. Try to eat for volume and quality and you should reduce your need to snack as well. If you feel the need to snack... sit with it for 20 / 30 minutes while doing something to distract yourself (work / house work / run an errand) and suddenly you will no longer need it and its that time closer to your next meal anyway! Or if you really need it, an apple is a great snack, or drink an americano, maybe your mouth is just lonely.

Drinking - tough love, if you're serious about your weight and more importantly your health, you just can't be helping yourself to a full bottle of red wine by yourself on the regular, that's all their is too it. Try to limit any drinking to with dinner at the weekends as a way to signal the end of the week and some relaxation, or when you're attending events/

Feel free to tell me to do one but trying to get some easy not over restrictive structure in place is key for you - all or nothing mindset is something ive really struggled with.
 
I have stopped calorie counting and logging on MFP, however that is because I got into a routine of eating the same thing pretty much everyday and know the calorie of the things I am eating. If I am eating mostly the same thing then each day will be the same from one to the next.

If however I am eating new things every day then I would count them.
 
blairw said:
I think you've got a few things going on... I appreciate this advice is unsolicited but here goes.

Do away with the calorie counting... I think you've hit fatigue with it (I certainly had) and it leads to a bit of an all or nothing mindset. If you're going to be on track with your calories for the day then all is sunshine and rainbow.. if you're not going to be... then you seem to hit the "**** it" button and go way overboard on food / beers / wine.

My approach lately has been 3 proper meals a day where possible, meat/protein, veg/fruit, carbs - eat mindfully and don't take the ****. Try to eat for volume and quality and you should reduce your need to snack as well. If you feel the need to snack... sit with it for 20 / 30 minutes while doing something to distract yourself (work / house work / run an errand) and suddenly you will no longer need it and its that time closer to your next meal anyway! Or if you really need it, an apple is a great snack, or drink an americano, maybe your mouth is just lonely.

Drinking - tough love, if you're serious about your weight and more importantly your health, you just can't be helping yourself to a full bottle of red wine by yourself on the regular, that's all their is too it. Try to limit any drinking to with dinner at the weekends as a way to signal the end of the week and some relaxation, or when you're attending events/

Feel free to tell me to do one but trying to get some easy not over restrictive structure in place is key for you - all or nothing mindset is something ive really struggled with.
Click to expand...

No. I appreciate the advice. I’m similar in the running thread (albeit I don’t run much now sadly) but I feel I’m a classic example of the whole “do as I say not as I do” mentality.
I could probably be a decent coach for others but can’t shift that focus to myself.

I’m hugely weak. I know this. I also hate waste and so being around others who don’t finish a meal makes me eat it. Not ideal mentality when you have a wife with health issues where she can feel hungry and want to eat then the food comes and she eats half and is done. I then pickup the slack. There’s a current joke where she does this and I eat it and blame her for me being fat, although we both know it’s 100% my fault.

I disagree slightly on the counting calories front. I will generally make an effort to log them regardless of where they put me for the day. However you’re correct that I have a mindset where I don’t care. I can happily be right on goal. Then snaffle a cream cheese wrap and end the day 400kcal over target and just shrug at the reading. I do try and log it though. My main issue is in weeks like the current one. Certain meals are tough to record and you end up guessing a lot. Today being a big one.

I’ve always had a horrible relationship with food which resulted in fat child/adult. My biggest benefit was running which started in my late 20’s where I could outrun the bad diet. This enabled me to generally keep things under control which cycling just doesn’t do, both through enjoyment (I like it, just don’t “love it”) and also calorie burning. Sadly it’s what’s available now.
I think that’s my main issue right now. Still longing for running and not adapting from the days of eating whatever I wanted because at the weekend I could run 20 miles on a Saturday and burn it all off. It’s been ~18 months and I acknowledge I need to change that mindset, just don’t seem to ever get myself past that.

I do enjoy this thread as I’m honest on the ups and downs. I’m realistic and fully acknowledge my flaws and limitations (of which there are many). For all the advice I receive I get annoyed with myself as I already know it. Just need to find a way to put it to practice.
 
Last edited:
100% agree getting in here and discussing it is a million times better than just pretending it isn't happening or disappearing for 2 months and coming back 10kg up! Keep plugging away!
 
blairw said:
100% agree getting in here and discussing it is a million times better than just pretending it isn't happening or disappearing for 2 months and coming back 10kg up! Keep plugging away!
Click to expand...

Cheers. It’s a good thread. As said I know my weaknesses but I treat it a bit like weight watchers for accountability.

As you say. No point not posting regular updates and then being shocked in 2 months when everything’s gone to ****

My takeaway is I’ve had a week off work. Enjoyed it. Done enough activity and probably been relatively neutral. I’ve drank more than I’d have liked which has contributed to less cycling. But to counteract that I’ve spent countless hours cleaning/unpacking and even got an amazing hike in which I loved and ended with no foot pain which makes me optimistic of running if I get weight lower too. I had many runs where I got no pain too but was always aware things weren’t right. I knew this week was a week off and was really looking forward to the brewery and beer so wasn’t strict at all.

Starting Monday I do plan to be more strict and try and not have 2-3 beers a day which is my current downfall. Same with getting out early and not having days of activity.
Im also going to get to the GP over here to investigate surgery for my foot. I was put off because of Facebook groups on the relevant surgery but I think if I take the risk to get running back it’s 100% worth it even if it’s unsuccessful and I end up in a little more pain as per comments.
 
Last edited:
Martynt74 said:
Being human dustbin is terrible. Went for lunch with my folks.

Got tapas at the wine tasting. I ate so much cheese/cured meat as no one else had much.

Then they were hungry so went for a meal. Starters of more meat/cheese which I ate most of. Then a huge plate of calamari for 4 which I ate around half.

Then the main was a huge amount of barbecued pork. I are mine, part of my wife’s and a little of my mums.

Then desert came and I ate mine and half my wife’s.

Been in a food coma ever since!
Click to expand...
Sounds amazing to be fair :cry:
 
Raymond Lin said:
I have stopped calorie counting and logging on MFP, however that is because I got into a routine of eating the same thing pretty much everyday and know the calorie of the things I am eating. If I am eating mostly the same thing then each day will be the same from one to the next.

If however I am eating new things every day then I would count them.
Click to expand...

Same here, I just can't be bothered counting. I know I'll easily be under my allowance if I just stick to veggies, fruit, protein. If I have some choc, so be it. As long as I don't eat it every day.
 
As an update to the above where I said I’m aiming to reduce drinking from tomorrow. I’m currently having a lovely day working through the beers bought on Friday to remove them from the house.

@tom_nieto because I imagine you’ll enjoy this most

1 double fruited gose
2 mango and passion fruit pale
3 Alhambra regular lager
4 Soup IPA. Current beer and nice but not at the level of it on keg in the bar
5 double soma IPA
6 Imperial stout



My day will be glorious. It started with a bacon baguette. Then some cleaning and a bike ride for building calorie allowance.

Like many weeks like this. It’s great to reset your body where you actually crave vegetables and nutrition. I know my brain works must better on one off “binges” than moderation.
From tomorrow I aim to be better as it’s a big 4.5 months to a big cycling event and I need to strive towards more consistency.
 
@Martynt74 - I agree with @blairw and have fallen into this rut as well with counting. The good days are great, but the weekends aren’t counted regularly. When I do count everything, I notice a drop. What I really need to be careful of is not beating myself up about every time I eat something “naughty”. If I really enjoy it, that’s fine. If I’m filling up on mediocre rubbish, that’s the time to be annoyed.

Those beers look amazing. I went crazy and had a bottle of Purity Mad Goose the other day and it was glorious! Absolutely terrible on the calories (wine is much more efficient!), but goodness me it’s such a pleasure to drink a great beer. The pint of Wye Valley HPA that I had in the sun last weekend was just perfect.

Lastly - if your sleep isn’t great, alcohol can worsen that. It certainly messes up any recovery. Sounds like you have a plan.
 
Last edited:
Personally I don’t think it’s possible to drink regularly and lose/maintain weight. Even ignoring the empty calories, the impact on sleep, eating and motivation is huge. A couple of beers/glasses of wine and I want to empty the fridge. The next day I’ll be tired and feeling rough so it’ll be a big breakfast and sugary stuff through the day to perk me up. I’m tired so exercise is off the cards.

I love beer so keep a regular stock of non alcoholic ones, amazing how often one of those satisfies the craving.
 
tom_nieto said:
Those beers look amazing. I went crazy and had a bottle of Purity Mad Goose the other day and it was glorious! Absolutely terrible on the calories (wine is much more efficient!), but goodness me it’s such a pleasure to drink a great beer. The pint of Wye Valley HPA that I had in the sun last weekend was just perfect.
Click to expand...

Yeah, was probably my first "really great" beer for ~9 months and i'm allowing myself that.

I've always been able to drink and still lose weight historically due to the amount i could run, but just not getting that now. I do have a stock of NA beers in the fridge and am better with those as they're good enough to hit the spot without being so nice you want to open another after finishing one.

Sleep wise is never something i struggle with! I can easily nail a bottle of red and then go run/ride for 2 hours the next morning. Sleep is my superpower :p (I will accept that the ride won't be as good as if i hadn't drank that wine though. Plus i've not got the cold swimming pool to jump into to refresh myself)
 
Last edited:
Im not a non drinker, but I barely drink any more, got a 3 year old and a 10 month baby... it really just isn't worth it when I might be up in the middle of the night at worst, early doors with a baby at best - I really like the 0% Heineken and 0% Guiness - it scratches the itch for me and leaves me in a positive frame of mind for the next day ("I have made this choice which allows me to relax a little but I'm going to be 100% tomorrow when I need to be")
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom