In all the places I’d go for weight loss advice, Instapundit ordinarily wouldn’t be at the top of my list. But that’s precisely what Glenn dished up today with a link to The Crisper. It seems that Dave Johnson has taken a similar approach to the one I’ve been pursuing of late. For him it’s resulted in a 51-pound weight loss over the past year (AWESOME!).
For me, it’s turned into an 11-pound loss over 9 days. That’s why, in recent comment exchanges, I’ve shocked and awed long-time EV readers by saying that I’d forgo a martini (ok, a chocolate one) rather than derail my diet. C’mon. Eleven pounds in 9 (count ‘em, NINE!) days. And I swear I still hate exercise.
I’m doing pretty much the same thing as Dave is:
I made three simple choices:
1. Eat “the outside ring” of the grocery store. This included meats, nuts, eggs, and high-fiber vegetables. Try to maintain an “old school” diet, something akin to the Paleo man.
2. Cut sugar intake by 80%. Limit sauces like BBQ and ketchup.
3. Eat six to eight times each day.
Ditto here, with one slightly more stringent rule: I’m not eating any sugar. Zip. Nada. Zilch. NONE. I’ve never been a fan of it aside from saltwater taffy (which, thanks to all that dental work I’ll never be able to eat again). But it’s amazing how many non-candy foods have sugar in them! And I. Don’t. Do. Sugar. Even if that means passing up a chocolate martini.
I am, however, starting to love stepping on the scale. Every day the number is lower and lower, which is something I haven’t seen since, oh, the mid-80s… when my “diet aid” of choice was costing far more than a cartful of lean meats and veggies.
I don’t miss that kind of expense, but, hey, wouldn’t it be great to get away with shoulder pads and big hair again?
Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006, 6:52 pm | 
Food Bites, My Venomous Life | 
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August 23, 2006 at 7:12 pm
First thing, Kate…your site is beautiful!
Stick with it. We simply DO NOT NEED SUGAR at all. I eat as little sugar as I can, although I will note that I am a big fan of peanut butter, which has some – but very little – sugar in it, as a snack.
The elimination of sugar from my diet, and related empty carbs, has been the “magic bullet” of my weight loss.
Here’s the rub too…most of my weight loss I attribute to my diet. Sure, I enjoy regular exercise, but it’s in my daily eating routine where all the significant gains were made!
It’s great to see you on your way to enjoying a healthier you!
August 23, 2006 at 7:28 pm
Elevent pounds in 9 days is not a healthy amount to loose and is probably not an accurate number anyway. There are lots of things which could affect this number, including the last time you ate, the amount of water in your body and the clothes you are wearing when you weigh. You would do much better to aim for 1-2 lbs /day over a long period of time. The three diet choices you list are very good, though.
August 23, 2006 at 7:37 pm
Oh, I’d agree. I’m rather certain that a good chunk of it (no pun intended) was water weight. I’ve always been bad about drinking water — preferring iced tea and, of course, my beloved vodka martinis — until recently.
That’s when quite a few things I’d read all started mentally coming together. Specifically, that our bodies — and in particular, women’s bodies — are programmed to retain water when we’re not taking in sufficient amounts on a daily basis. When our H20 levels decline, our physiologies start acting like camels and holding on to every precious drop.
So, as counter-intuitive as it seemed, I started drinking more water. A glass before I get out of bed. Another while I wait for coffee to brew. Again mid-morning, and a fourth with lunch. Another while homeschooling and yet more when homeschool’s done. I sip still more while making dinner and down my last one with my meal.
Of course, that’s when I switch to my vodka martini, but by then I’ve done my body good.
The result has been a “whoosh” of weight loss early on, but that’s slowed over the past few days. I’m still enjoying a couple of extra benefits, though: my joints don’t ache in the morning, my wedding ring now fits far more comfortably, my skin is more clear than it’s been in years, and, well, that weight loss has been grand.
Now, if you’ll pardon me, it’s officially Martini O’Clock.
August 23, 2006 at 7:42 pm
I wouldn’t worry about the 11lbs in 9 days…you’re losing a lot of water and that’s not a bad thing.
I’ve also noticed that the MORE water I drink, the less I retain. You’re spot on with that.
August 23, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Why, thanks.
And, since I failed to mention it earlier, I can’t take any credit for the appearance of my site. It’s all thanks to Agent Bedhead (a/k/a Sadie) and Phin at Apothegm Designs. They are miracle workers!
August 23, 2006 at 11:15 pm
I still say you need a Snickertini, but it’s not a bad thing to be proven wrong.
August 24, 2006 at 12:31 am
This, my friends, is called the Atkins diet. I’ve done it myself, with similarly amazing results (50lbs in three months), and will be starting it again this weekend. Check out the Atkins site for recipes, shopping lists, diet aids, etc.
LOW-CARB IS TEH ROX0RS!!1!
August 24, 2006 at 3:47 am
Kate,
I’ve lost 70 lb.s over the last 12 months by just cutting out all of the junk food, eating proper nutrition, and I started exercising again (which I had stopped doing for about a year and guess what, I gained 50 lb.s in weight). It helped that for some unknown reason Wonderwoman took an interest in me and really did not pressure me to do anything, but she did encourage me to exercise again like I use too. What surprised me was that a 5ft9 (135 lb) beauty would go out with a fat guy (not fat now). I guess she noticed the nice guy inside me on our first date and decided I was worth it. So, I fit into all my Army uniforms again, and I’m enjoying life with Wonderwoman even MORE.
August 24, 2006 at 12:19 pm
I had a friend of mine lose 30 pounds by just cutting out the six cans of Pepsi a day he was drinking…this, on a 300-pound man. I just wish we had a drug to do chemically what a gastric bypass does surgically.
Hopefully soon, Amylin will be delivering a new, very promising weight loss drug, an offshoot of the diabetic drug, Byetta – which does some amazing things to the appetite. People lose quite a bit of weight on the Byetta – and we’re talking diabetics here! Having it for non-diabetics would be real interesting. I explore this topic at my site, byettaweightloss.com.
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August 23, 2006 at 10:51 pm