cherrygarcias fat loss diary...378lbs never again!

[justinlando]

Fantastic news on you entering the 200's! You're doing great! Ps as a member of the 200 club you're welcome to use our super secret special handshake as well as the break room :P

[cherrygarcia80]

Good for you!
Way to go.
Cograts!

Thanks NoCarbs! Was really happy to see that number on the scale!

congrats on being in the 200's! repped

Thanks Vadsie! I really appreciate it

So happy for you girl, so much progress

Thanks phoenix!!! You've been such an encourager on this journey and always appreciate your words of kindness :

Fantastic news on you entering the 200's! You're doing great! Ps as a member of the 200 club you're welcome to use our super secret special handshake as well as the break room :P

Thanks Justin! Haha I shall make good use of the facilities here in the 200 club lol. You've been a great example and I see you're continuing to do amazing!

[cherrygarcia80]

Today made it to the gym for long cardio day, did:-

- 40mins elliptical
- 40mins walking treadmill (3.1mph)

Ate within cals. Will be back tomorrow for weight training.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

- 40mins elliptical
- 40mins walking treadmill (3.1mph)

that's great
I barely had any time for exercise in the last few weeks

good for you!

[cherrygarcia80]

that's great
I barely had any time for exercise in the last few weeks

good for you!

Thanks NoCarbs! Feels great to be back in the gym

[cherrygarcia80]

Some good news, woke up this morning, stepped on the scale and was down to 297.8 lbs yay! Getting further away from 300, never to return! It makes my total loss 80 pounds since last august, wow what a journey, but no rest for the wicked, i still have a looong way to go. My next goal is to work on loosing the next 20 pounds to make it a solid 100 pounds lost.

3 day streak at the gym yay!, today did:-
- overhead press: 4 x 6 - 30lbs barbell
- sumo deadlifts: 4 x 5 - 70lbs
- one arm rows: 4 x 6 - 30lbs dumbbell
- cable abductors: 3 x 10 - 2lbs
- chest press: 3 x 6 - 70lbs
- lat pulldowns: 3 x 6 - 70lbs (close and wide grip)
- tricep extensions: 3 x 10 - 10lbs
- butterfly curls: 3 x 10 - 10lbs
- bicep curls: 3 x 5 - 20lbs dumbbell

Finished with 20mins walking and 20mins elliptical. Feeling abit burnt out so might make tomorrow a rest day.

After the gym, I made a detour to a friends house as i needed to pick something up, they had 3 dishes laid on the table, some indian flatbread (they smelled amazing as they were cooked in butter), some lentil curry and some steamed cabbage....keto really narrows down food options (in situations like these), so i ended up having 2 large serving spoons of only cabbage....after a killer workout sigh, I was starving to say the least and had a headache by the time i was leaving there and as soon as i got home gobbled down my pre-planned keto meal. It's taught me to make sure i always have some kind of keto snack in my handbag at all times in case of such situations.

[cherrygarcia80]

Today went to the gym and did an hour of cardio. I find when i break it up into 2 or 3 different machines rather than just walking on the treadmill, it helps to not feel so monotonous or like time is standing still lol.

- 20 mins walking treadmill
- 30 mins elliptical
- 10 mins recumbent bike

I'm actually really sore from wednesday's workout, and so feeling kinda burnt out today so might just rest tomorrow.

Today was abit interesting, there's this guy who's been saying hello/how are you to me at the gym everytime i'm there, i don't know he says it different and with like a genuine smile and i always get the impression that he wants to say more like to start a conversation but normally after i smile back and say hello i keep on walking with my head facing down (smdh thinking to myself why didn't i stop). Today i was on the elliptical at the back of the room and after i was on it for a while, he got on to the treadmill next to me to workout (it's like the reject treadmill as it's an older model and really loud so everyone avoids it), yet there was a free treadmill in the row ahead which has the newer model treadmills that everyone fights for. I felt so awkward like am i supposed to say something but i'm so shy so i just kept plodding on and he kept running next to me. At some point he was doing HIIT and before his last sprint he turned to me and said something like "lets go" i was like huh? and he repeated "lets go" and i think what he meant was like lets have a race off with me on the elliptical and him on the treadmill, so i sort of did a girly laugh and continued on with my usual slow pace...tried to think of something else to say in the form of conversation but didn't have a clue lol. It was even more awkward after that, he was done and he was hovering abit then left. I guess i'll wait to see if anything comes from this or if maybe he's just friendly. I'm almost certain sometime back there's a day i'd finished on the treadmill and he saw me getting ready to leave the cardio room and sortof paused then started walking towards where i was so we could "bump" into each other. I could be imagining all this but i'm pretty sure i'm not lol. Oh well, i think that's all for now, all i can do is try and observe him the next couple of sessions to determine if it's all in my head or not sigh.

I'm thinking it's about time i also got some new gym gear, i wear the same old sh*t that i've worn since day one, some very old super large tshirts that i'm now flying in lol, and some old jersey pants that have seen better days. All the women in the gym have such nice gym clothes, but unfortunately i'm not at the point where i feel comfortable enough to wear anything fitting. But i at least need to get some new t-shirts and at least look decent sigh.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

Some good news, woke up this morning, stepped on the scale and was down to 297.8 lbs yay! Getting further away from 300, never to return! It makes my total loss 80 pounds since last august, wow what a journey, but no rest for the wicked, i still have a looong way to go. My next goal is to work on loosing the next 20 pounds to make it a solid 100 pounds lost.

Good for you!
Congrats!

You have a great attitude.

[Bigbill115]

Cherry you are doing AWESOME!! Congrats being out of the 300s. I know it has to feel good!!

[cherrygarcia80]

Good for you!
Congrats!

You have a great attitude.

Thanks so much NoCarbs! On this journey i'm really trying to stop always being so negative and learning to appreciate the positives through good and bad times.

Cherry you are doing AWESOME!! Congrats being out of the 300s. I know it has to feel good!!

Thanks so much Bill! I really appreciate the support! And i hope all's going well with you too

[cherrygarcia80]

Some really fantastic things happened this week that have made me really really happy. As of today i'm at 295.9 pounds...it seems this week I had a loss of 3.7 pounds! Haven't had such a big drop in a while...I was stuck hovering at 300 for more than a month which was really depressing and in a week gotten well below it so i'm really grateful for that. It has given me a new drive of energy to keep going on.

- Went to see the rheumatologist for interpretation of test results. The good news is that he looked at my cholesterol test results and had a look of puzzlement on his face as he said that my HDL was excellent and that my LDL was okay. My total cholesterol was abit above range but he said that he didn't feel that it warranted medication...I was over the moon!

- Next up was blood pressure, 2 weeks ago in his office he took it and it was 150/100 (i had read online that a gout flare can increase bp), then when he took it yesterday it was 130/90 and he seemed really surprised at the drop and he said for now we will also monitor that as he feels if i make lifestyle changes it can go down...i was super tense and anxious when he said he will take my BP and i think he could see that too so may or maynot affected the reading...so again he did not prescribe medication for that either but said to closely monitor for now, i was really happy.

- My uric acid levels were still high (but surprisingly alot lower than in February when first diagnosed with gout from the diuretics), and he prescribed uric acid lowering meds and anti-inflammatories as well because in the process of uric acid being lowered there will be gout flares as the uric acid crystals dissolve and leave the body. I did alot of reading on gout and medication so i am at peace with this and have started taking the meds as of today as I know it is for my benefit...because otherwise could lead to permanent joint damage.


- 7 months ago when i went to see my physician he said i had high BP, high cholesterol and high uric acid and he prescribed 3 different medications, that day i went home and cried and cried because i was still so sick despite having made changes in my diet for about 6months prior. I wanted to give up and go back to my old ways for comfort but said let me just keep trying to fight this battle.

After taking the meds for a day i had a violent reaction and decided i would not take the medication but instead tighten up my diet. I continued to be on a stall. Then beginning of may i discovered keto and immediately started on it. Many had said that they had experienced lowered blood pressure, cholesterol and reversed diabetes on keto, I was lucky not to have diabetes but had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It was encouraging to read, but i was still skeptical. 7 months later i feel so much better and it feels fantastic to hear from a doctor that i am okay and shall be just fine. When I told him that I had lost 80pounds he was really impressed and said to just continue on with whatever it was i was doing because it was working.

- For *me* keto has saved my life, it really has....and will continue soldiering on with it. Another benefit is that my pre menstrual migraines i used to have are GONE! and they were horrible and every single month.....and in addition the painful monthly cramps i used to have are GONE for the first time in my entire life i do not have to take painkillers during that time of the month.

- All the above let's me know that keto is a way of life for *me*, I tried everything before, vegetarian, limiting calories but when i was still eating carbs was still stalled out. After lots of research i learnt that it all came down to insulin resistance and how carbs affect *some* people and hence not able to lose weight. There's many different ways to lose weight that work for others, but the past year on this journey finally taught me what works for *me* (i always put the asterisks to express my own personal opinion for my own self to avoid anyone thinking that i'm making blanket statements as different methods work for different people).

- So in my case limiting carbs is what has worked and continues to work, as of 2 weeks ago i really reigned in on anything i thought maybe stalling me out (eg peanut butter etc), and also dropped my caloriess down to 1600 and noticing a difference in rate of loss (it helped break me through 300) and hoping it continues on. The above positives have really helped give me a new boost of energy to keep continuing on and to never give up because even if when i look in the mirror i'm still big, internally i know things are changing and i'm getting healthier, a slow process but sure one.


-----------
Today at gym did:-
- bicep curl and press: 4 x 5 - 15lb dumbbells
- one arm rows: 4 x 6 - 30lb dumbbells
- leg press: 4 x 10 - 180lbs
- cable abductors: 4 x 10
- lat pulldowns: 3 x 12 - 70lbs (close and wide grip)
- dumbbell punch: 3 x 16 - 10lb dumbbells
- swissball squats: 4 x 10

Finished with 25mins on the elliptical. Tomorrow will be a well deserved rest day

[PsyLadX]

Fantastic, indeed! So proud of you girl! This is just the beginning, I say!

Read this excerpt. Strikingly similar to your indestructible spirit.

"I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet."
- Jack London; author, journalist, & social activist

Live! Not merely exist! Show 'em how its done CG!

[cherrygarcia80]

Fantastic, indeed! So proud of you girl! This is just the beginning, I say!

Read this excerpt. Strikingly similar to your indestructible spirit.

"I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet."
- Jack London; author, journalist, & social activist

Live! Not merely exist! Show 'em how its done CG!

Thanks so much for all the encouraging words PsyLadX! I really appreciate it! You always give so much encouragement even on the aug-oct thread which really helps loads! Wishing you all the best too

[cherrygarcia80]

Today at the gym did:-
- overhead press: 4 x 6 - 30lb barbell
- bicep curls: 4 x 8 - 15lb dumbbells
- tricep kickbacks: 3 x 8 - 10lb dumbbell
- cable abductors: 3 x 10
- leg press: 3 x 15 - 180lbs
- lat pulldowns: 3 x 12 - 70lbs (close and wide grip)
- chest press machine: 4 x 6 - 70lbs
- swissball squats: 3 x 10
- knee raises: 3 x 10
- calf raises: 3 x 10

- finished with 15mins on elliptical and 20mins treadmill walk

Ate within cals.

[DaveRVD]

I know I'm a bit late but ....

CHERRY BROKE in to the 200's!

Awesome, so happy for you - you work so hard and you deserve it

[cherrygarcia80]

I know I'm a bit late but ....

CHERRY BROKE in to the 200's!

Awesome, so happy for you - you work so hard and you deserve it

Thanks so much Dave!!! I really appreciate it

[missladyj]

Some really fantastic things happened this week that have made me really really happy.

Incredible! Was smiling when you said the doc was puzzled by the improvement in cholesterol and BP...isn't it crazy how in the dark Docs are about keto? You would think it would be the first thing any doc genuinely concerned about a patient's health would recommend to someone obese / diabetic / high BP / cholesterol. But then again, I guess they would make significantly less money compared to throwing meds upon meds at the issue.

Congrats on 100lbs lost! What a milestone. Not only have you gained muscle and strength, but you have all kinds of fortitude for sticking through it this long with so many emotional happenings to potentially derail you. You have quite the inspirational story. I could see you making all this a book one day lol...seriously though!

[cherrygarcia80]

Not managed to get round to logging the past few days but all is still going well. Today lifted for an hour and walked for 40mins (half on gentle incline).

I'm still eating within cals ie below 1600 per day, around once a week i eat at 1800 to help kill any cravings.

[cherrygarcia80]

Incredible! Was smiling when you said the doc was puzzled by the improvement in cholesterol and BP...isn't it crazy how in the dark Docs are about keto? You would think it would be the first thing any doc genuinely concerned about a patient's health would recommend to someone obese / diabetic / high BP / cholesterol. But then again, I guess they would make significantly less money compared to throwing meds upon meds at the issue.

Congrats on 100lbs lost! What a milestone. Not only have you gained muscle and strength, but you have all kinds of fortitude for sticking through it this long with so many emotional happenings to potentially derail you. You have quite the inspirational story. I could see you making all this a book one day lol...seriously though!

Hey MLJ!!!! Thanks for passing by and the encouragement! I'm not yet at 100 pounds lost but it's the next goal i'm fighting towards, for now at 83 pounds lost.

I've definitely been thinking that if (no scrap that) WHEN i get to my goal because i believe that i will, that one day i just might write a book even if it's just for myself to document all that i've been through to remind me never to go back.

And you're completely right about docs preferring to prescribe meds and more meds rather than really trying to solve the problem...I'm starting to think keto should be prescribed by docs particularly to obese patients as it has such high success rates in not just weight loss but also improving all the other health parameters too.

[justinlando]

you're gonna be at 100 lbs lost before you know it! Also, I really feel you on your views on keto and how it's helped you.

[missladyj]

Hey MLJ!!!! Thanks for passing by and the encouragement! I'm not yet at 100 pounds lost but it's the next goal i'm fighting towards, for now at 83 pounds lost.

I've definitely been thinking that if (no scrap that) WHEN i get to my goal because i believe that i will, that one day i just might write a book even if it's just for myself to document all that i've been through to remind me never to go back.

And you're completely right about docs preferring to prescribe meds and more meds rather than really trying to solve the problem...I'm starting to think keto should be prescribed by docs particularly to obese patients as it has such high success rates in not just weight loss but also improving all the other health parameters too.

My mistake, but 83lbs is no easy feat either! I would definitely be down to give that future book a read through for you lol. Are you on the ketogains ******** page? Keep reading all the different health issues that people say have reversed with keto and it's really astonishing. Learning about plenty things I have never even heard of before.

[PsyLadX]

Fitness bump with Cherry on top!

[Rboy711]

WOW Cherry!!! Congrats on entering the 200 lbs zone. I really salute you for your consistency and hard work. Beyond the physical work at the gym and dieting, there is that mental battle that exist behind the scenes that one must overcome everyday to keep going in the long run. I like how you mentioned that you were stuck at 300 lbs for a month, i can only imagine the mental battle you were going through week after week questioning "why the heck am i stuck". I'm so happy for your breakthrough though, enjoy it and continue on in your amazing progress.

I appreciate you sharing the wins and the struggle with us, SUPER INSPIRING!!!

[OfficerJimLahey]

How are things going, Cherry? Hope you have a solid week!

[Strobe57]

big grats dropping under 300

[cherrygarcia80]

First of all thankyou thankyou to all who have checked in on me. I realise that bb gives me support that I can't get in real life (my family are supportive it's just that there's no one else on the weight loss journey so cannot identify with my highs and lows), so for me bb has been such a great resource to not help me not feel alone.

I cannot believe it has been over 2 weeks since i last logged in here...I shall make a commitment to log in at least every other day if not everyday. Basically life got busy and some family drama (always very trying sigh), and from next week will have house guests for about a month and my plan is to keep on my keto plan 100% and still get all my workouts in during the time they will be here.

I have been okay...for about 3 weeks been hovering with water weight at around 297 which was really frustrating but now back to 294 which was such a relief and so hoping to be in the 280s by end of this month. I have still been on keto, now on my 6th month (wow) and still loving it and it continues to be good for my health, and still gymming about 5 times a week. Will have out of town guests for about a month and hoping that no matter what will keep to my schedule.

Today was a cardio day and did a 50min walk on the treadmill (partly on incline). Tomorrow will be a weights day.

I still log in MFP daily and as it seems 1600cals may have been stalling me out may have to drop to around 1400 depending on whether i workout or not, will trial it for a month and if okay will keep on with it. Sometimes i think that having been eating at a deficit for over a year now may have slowed my metabolism down abit (i've had 2 diet breaks eating at maintenance for about a week), so maybe every 6 weeks or so of eating at a deficit can be having 1 week diet break (still keto) and see if that helps change things. Because i still have a long way to go.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

sounds like you're doing great.
keep at it!

[PsyLadX]

Regarding the metabolic slowdown, you may want to opt for a 2 week full diet break, instead of one.
The reason being, one's body takes about a week to catch up to changes in intake levels. Hence the continued weight loss even though one is eating at maintenance in some instances that lasts about 4-7 days.
Some advise a 6 week diet break. But 2 weeks is adequate in contemporary times.
Check out Lyle McDs' article - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat...et-break.html/

[cherrygarcia80]

sounds like you're doing great.
keep at it!

Thanks NoCarbs!

Regarding the metabolic slowdown, you may want to opt for a 2 week full diet break, instead of one.
The reason being, one's body takes about a week to catch up to changes in intake levels. Hence the continued weight loss even though one is eating at maintenance in some instances that lasts about 4-7 days.
Some advise a 6 week diet break. But 2 weeks is adequate in contemporary times.
Check out Lyle McDs' article - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat...et-break.html/

Thanks PsyLadX! Really appreciate the advice and the link to Lyle's article too. A 2 week diet break makes alot more sense for sure and i'm sure would do both my mind and body a world of good too. I see he recommends a 2 week break every 10-12 weeks which definitely sounds reasonable and gives me something to look forward to too! It's perfect timing as I'm thinking may do one to coincide with the christmas/new year period so that i don't feel too miserable during that time lol. I hope all's going great with you too!

[Kezzyukbrah]

After reading through all of the first page and the last two pages your progress so far has been nothing short of amazing. Congrats at being in the 200 club too