Aikar's Weight Loss Progress

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by Aikar, Dec 20, 2017.

  1. I was going to post on Show Yourself thread when I realized I hadn't even posted a photo this year..., but I figured I better not derail the thread with the obvious congrats/how did you do it posts that's going to occur :p

    This has been the year of weight loss for me... so here's a pic from last year Nov (When I met up with Qkazooo @ Disney =P)

    Then in May...


    Then end of June


    And now:


    I hit my 8 month mark 2 days ago at 101lbs lost.

    I have 40lb to go roughly.

    HOW:
    No surgery, no 'magical pills', no starvation, no "buy all of our magical products/meals and lose weight now!".... never hungry.....And while I exercised a bit more at the start and hit the gym, I haven't really the past few months at all.

    I eat burgers, Steak, bacon, eggs, all the time, every day.

    The trick is, a ketogenic diet.
    Not to be confused with the Atkins Diet. Atkins is a "low carb" diet, but doesn't go as far as ketogenic does.

    Ketogenic diets kick the body into a more efficient process for burning body fat called Ketosis.

    A good information site for beginners: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto

    I did keto back in 2013 and lost 100lb then too, but then had a lot of stressful things go on w/ life and ended up putting it all back on plus more, and now working it back off.

    This time i've learned, it's not all "Carbs are evil", that really, sugar is the true enemy here.

    Keto will be too difficult to maintain life long, so my goal is to use keto as a means to the goal, and then move into "Low Carb" for maintenance -- still 100% avoid sugar, and try to average 100-150 carbs a day for maintenance, with occasional spikes, but always, always, avoid sugar!

    I've had my cheat meals over the past few months/days/holidays, but I went all thanksgiving - no sweets :)

    It's very easy to give up sugar for good once you break the addiction. I have no cravings for it.

    Donuts actually disgusted me once.

    If anyones been considering this diet, feel free to ask me any questions on Discord. I've learned a lot on the science.

    summary of information:
    • CALORIES MATTER

      The only exception to ignoring calories is when you are first getting started and purely trying to focus on getting adjusted to this way of eating, and getting adapted.
    • Electrolytes are important!
      • SALT. SALT. SALT!
        You need to add salt! You will need more electrolytes than you would on a non ketogenic diet. The extra water you are drinking plus other scientific changes result in you excreting more electrolytes. Replenish!

        Not getting enough sodium is the #1 thing that causes the "Keto Flu" that makes people feel like total crap
      • Potassium through vegetables is best. Atkins Shakes is good for a good dose of Potassium
    • You must supplement. Daily Multivitamin that does not have Iron (you get a lot of iron from meat)
      Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium (for days you can't get greens in, but do not take more than 2 in supplement form, it is dangerous).

      You are missing out on LOTS of food groups. You must supplement those missing micro nutrients.
    • Beware of processed foods. Start eating CLEAN. Eat foods that are ingredients, not foods that have ingredients.
    • Beware of Atkins brand products, except for the shakes. Atkins is a low carb, not keto diet. The meal bars are full of more processed stuff, and the frozen dinners are really high on carbs for keto and will leave you hungry. Those meals also then tempt you with food groups your suppose to be avoiding to begin with.... Shakes only, leave the rest alone
    • Quest Bars are pretty much the best "Bar" to eat, thats keto friendly (the creator made them for keto)
    • THIS DIET IS EXPENSIVE
      Seriously. A lot more meat. Cutting out all cheap processed foods. Supplements
    • Eating fast food is easy. Just order burgers without a bun, in a bowl. Or salads w/ ranch dressing, hold croutons and such.
      But on the note of the eating more clean.... Wendys is far superior to McDonalds.
    • Having a big cheat meal or day every 1-2 months is a good idea. It can help break stalls and get things moving, and helps with missing your favorite carb foods.

      But seriously, don't go eat mcdonalds on a cheat day. Eat something still quality and extremely tasty/nutritious. Don't waste it.
    • Find a partner if you can. This diet is 100% will power driven, and having someone to keep each other honest and motivated will help.
    I think that's pretty much it!
    UltiPig, DavisatDavis, Esrik and 39 others like this.
  2. Woo, congrats~
    With all those "Give up this one food for a week and you'll lose 20 pounds EASY!" diets around, it's good to see someone applying good old fashioned science to a problem and having it work. :p

    Keep going, you've done amazingly so far!
    Your face also looks like it's getting taller : p
    UltiPig, __Devil_, rhxa and 1 other person like this.
  3. Inspirational!
    Since I quit both Soccer and Floorball I've put on some weight but I've been hitting the gym and slowly getting some results. It's the food part that is the hardest. Good Work Aikar! Keep it up! :D
  4. Congratulations with the results! Nice!

    However, the most important aspect of them all is a varied diet. Making sure you don't overdo 1 food aspect (like, say, burgers or pasta or...) but try to vary your meals by also throwing in other stuff such as vegetables, sometimes maybe skip the meat for a day or two, and maybe skip warm dinner for a change and instead get yourself a few sandwiches.

    And of course some exercise. I never really gained weight myself but ever since I became self-employed and started working fulltime from my home office I soon noticed that it did have a bit of an unhealthy impact on me because during some (very busy) weeks the only time I got out of the house was to get my groceries ( :eek: ). That's not exactly healthy. I did compensate by not taking the car / bike but walk to the store, get my stuff, and then dragging it all home, but still...

    I then forced myself to eat lunch outside (so take a walk while eating my sandwiches) which had a much better impact.

    But even so... my experience is definitely that keeping your meals varied is priceless and completely key. Something which can be quite tricky if you're living on your own and get to decide your own meals, but still very much doable.
    _Devuu__, 607 and TomvanWijnen like this.
  5. I'm in my 40's and have work at staying fit like most people my age. The keys for me have been staying as active as possible (yard work, indoor soccer, 2-3 gym visits minimum per week, etc.) along with giving up sodas and most processed items in favor of water and natural foods. It's still a challenge. The best advice I can give is simply to stay at it. It's so easy to fall out of a routine when you're tired and hungry, particularly after a long day at work. I just have to will my way through it, but based upon your experience above you seem to have will power in spades.

    Great job, man!
    Pab10S and TomvanWijnen like this.
  6. You look wonderful in this picture Q.
  7. Way to go Aikar. Weight loss is hard, and you sir, are killing it. Keep it up! :)
    GiveMeAnExample and Sydney4363 like this.
  8. Excellent job. It's very hard to be that disciplined. We need you to be taking care of yourself. We've got lots of plans for you on this server.
    Sydney4363 likes this.
  9. Aikar I am ketogenic too! I started 2 years ago! Most of my school mates think it is weird, but I love it! You are never hungry, for when eating carbs, they constantly make you hungry. I recommend people to try it, but while doing it stay away from polyunsaturated fats. Many scientists say they are really good for you compared to saturated fats, but that is false science. They cause cancer, heart failure, diabetes, and more when oxidized, heated, or given light exposure. Also, most unsaturated fats are vegetable oil, so researchers assumed that it was good for humans. Wrong. Also back to carbs.... so carbs produce insulin while fat diets produce ketones. I will not go sciences with this because I have bored most people >_<, but think of it as a group of people.

    American Diet: 50% Carbs/20% Protein/30% Fat

    So Bill the carb walks into the body with Jerry the fat. Mr. Liver says Go ahead Bill! You will be used for energy! I will produce some insulin to act as a key to open a cell for you! Mr. Liver then turns to Jerry. He says Unfortunately Jerry, you will he sent to storage. *guards walk in and haul Jerry away*

    Ketogenic Diet: 80% Fat/10% Protein/10% Carbs (Vegetable Fiber is a carb)

    So this time Jerry walks in with his gang and Mr. Liver is producing ketones because (s)he is in ketosis. Jerry is now sent to be burned as a nutrient instead of a stored fat. Also, one is no longer hungry because they use the fat cells stored around the body, therefore making you less fat.



    I realize i should stop rambling so hope you enjoy!

    Edit: Aikar it isn’t a problem... it is an achievement!
    Editing my Edit: thought title said problem. Don’t judge.
  10. ... do you not eat fruit, then?
    Also, I think we get too much salt anyway. Even from eating bread alone, you've got enough salt for the day, I think (if you eat ~10 'pieces' a day at least, many people eat less). I don't get why you'd want extra salt.
  11. I was waiting for that comment from you.

    :p Im proud of you though Aikar! I had seen all the progress on facebook,maybe when Jonathan & I go to disneyworld in 2019 we can see krysyy and you again.
    _Devuu__, RainbowChin and 607 like this.
  12. Well gruit is very sweet... but I recommend a fruit with high potassium such as banana
    I personally LOVE avocado and once you are in ketosis, a nice lunch is a can of sardines, half a salted avacado, and a glass of water. It keeps you full until dinner and it past it.

    Edit: I recommend https://www.ruled.me/keto-diet/
    Also, my dad is a REALLY good chef and he makes his own kept friendly recipes! if you would like a keto cake recipe, or a casserole, or even BREAD pm me!
  13. Proud of ya Aikar! That's great! =D
  14. Good work :)
    I, myself, actuually have to gain weigth... so, if you can send a little bit over to me, that would safe both of us a lot of work :)
    TomvanWijnen and 607 like this.
  15. Beer's not a problem though, right? I like me some beer.
  16. Hey Aikar weight loss is no easy thing to do and the commitment that you have to just go out and do your best to lose that weight is incredible and I hope that this journey you are on will have an amazing result so good luck and you can do it cause we all believe in you :)
    Aikar likes this.
  17. But we don't live in FL =P Nor do I think we will have another Minecon there (though I wasn't planning to go them anymore anyways - really hasn't been worth it)

    Strawberries are fine/able to fit into keto, as they are low in sugar.

    I have nothing against fruit in raw form (but smoothies are horrible), but means to an end :)

    Also, says who about salt? When your body tells you that you need something by making you feel bad/craving, and consuming that something makes you feel better... then it's clear, you needed it.

    As I explained, you excrete more sodium while in ketosis, so you need to replenish.

    Also, we eat 0 slices of bread... Bread is a no no item :p

    You can have 1 low carb beer roughly :p

    "If it fits your macros" is a common phrase. It's a question of giving up other items for the day for that 1 beer.

    -- and a general response: I'm not looking for any dietary advice. The best diet is the one that works for you.
    The most important detail is getting your nutrients. and I take care of that defecit by supplementing.

    Yes, I could get it without supplementing eating a varied diet, but clearly it didn't work for me :p

    It's easier for me to avoid the addiction to sugar.
    607 and TuckerAmbr like this.
  18. How about sugar? :p Doesn't your body tell you you need that at first too?

    Yeah, I thought that might be the case. It makes more sense then.
  19. Your body doesn't need "sugar" (Sucrose/Fructose) at all. It only needs Glucose, and only a small amount at that.

    That's why it then even has a mechanism called GNG that converts proteins and fats into glucose to fill that base need too. That's why zero carb is ok still, as your body will just produce what it needs.

    I'm able to shift in between ketosis and non ketosis without feeling bad at all now. So no, there isn't a signal that my body wants sugar :p A person's first time entering keto can be rough yeah, but most of that is due to a shock in nutrition due to every first timer not getting the right nutrients.

    Your body can't create salt however.
    607 likes this.