# Post Covid FAT...best diet



## jeffchicago (May 31, 2013)

Okay...I've gone to pot. Just a damn tub of lard. Time to get it off. What diet works best for you (and if you have never struggled with weight...keep it to yourself). I'll try anything. Have tried keto, fasting, blah, blah, blah...help.


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## Big T (Jun 25, 2010)

Whatever anyone does, please let me know. I need help! Also, whatever you do, do not ask SWMBO how she will shed the few extra pounds she put on, while staying home. The swelling on my head is finally starting to go down.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Either chicken or fish . . . and a lot of vegetables with minimal carbs.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Lean proteins, as many vegetables as you can pack in.

Easier to say than do, I know.

I have lost about 12lbs since mid-March. I wasn't fat, or even overweight, but I'd been strength training for a year and had eaten accordingly, so I certainly had some unnecessary fat. I'd say I was about 187lbs at the beginning of March (I'm 6'1").

I don't have a power rack and such at home, so I decided to shift to cutting (to balance a year of bulking): yoga and bodyweight in lieu of heavy compound lifts, lots of cycling, hiking, and running. I've cut down to 175 now, probably some muscle (it's inevitable), but mostly fat; I'm at just under 15% body fat, respectable for 53. I do get about 2 hours of exercise in per day, but at least try to get in an hour of cardio (a 4 mile walk, a 10 mile bike ride, a 3 mile hike, etc.)

Big thing: I stopped snacking entirely. For me, "snacking" is largely opportunistic (I always have a spread of croissants and things at the office). My wife - who manages all food at my house - simply does not accommodate snacking (she manages all the Instacart, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, etc. so I have no way to sneak contraband in). That's *easily* -500 calories, right there.

There is no "named diet" here, just healthy, balanced meals. No "seconds", though, and we eat correct portions. Lots of chicken and fish (trout and salmon; my daughter doesn't like cod, alas), decent amount of pork. We err on the side of "leaner". We do eat bread (we bake a loaf probably every other day), and we usually have pizza once a week. We eat tons of vegetables and fruits. We do eat dessert.

Here is the condensed version:
- get daily exercise.
- don't snack (indeed, just don't have snacks in the house at all)
- enforce portion control (no "seconds")
- don't order delivery or take-out

You'll lose some weight. I'd aim for losing 1 lb every 5-7 days, and that should happen just by curbing boredom/stress eating.

Oh, and drink tons of water. TONS.

DH


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## AlphaOmega (May 1, 2017)

Protein: .6-1.0 grams per pound of LEAN body mass. 

Lots of vegetables (but keep them mostly leafy green green vegetables). Only leafy greens for first month. 

Don't avoid fat. 

Avoid all added sugar, seed oils, vegetable oil, potatoes, and grains. 

Don't eat anything that was invented.


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## AlphaOmega (May 1, 2017)

Dhaller said:


> Lean proteins, as many vegetables as you can pack in.
> 
> Easier to say than do, I know.
> 
> ...


Just drink when thirsty. Too much water can be an issue. But stick to water, coffee, and tea with nothing added. (You can add salt to the water if needed. A tiny pinch.)

If you drink a ton of water, make sure you get enough salt.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

AlphaOmega said:


> Just drink when thirsty. Too much water can be an issue. But stick to water, coffee, and tea with nothing added. (You can add salt to the water if needed. A tiny pinch.)
> 
> If you drink a ton of water, make sure you get enough salt.


You have to really, really make an effort to actually drink too much water; drinking too little is far more common... so I generally just assign "drink, drink, and drink some more" as an easy rule of thumb. The NASEM recommendation for men is 15.5 cups per day, or about 1 gallon, and that is a LOT. My diet is also hardly "low sodium", so I don't sweat it (hah!)

(I used to fill an empty gallon jug with water at the start of each day and make sure it was empty by bedtime. That's pretty challenging!)

I have a challenging hike I like to do in late June (when our days are longest, ~6am-9pm), which is the Coosa Backcountry Trail (in the Chattahoochee National Forest). It's a 14 mile hike across three mountain ridges, and is intended as a two-day backpacking excursion, but I like to do it in one day at a rapid pace. It takes about 10 hours, and I usually consume ~100oz of water doing it (in Georgia, in June). I usually pack some jerky, so I have salt. I figure that's close to the limiting case for my water consumption (10oz/hour), and of course I'm pretty wet for 9 of those hours. Really, I'm a walking water filter. It would take a concerted effort to over-hydrate!

DH


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## AlphaOmega (May 1, 2017)

Dhaller said:


> You have to really, really make an effort to actually drink too much water; drinking too little is far more common... so I generally just assign "drink, drink, and drink some more" as an easy rule of thumb. The NASEM recommendation for men is 15.5 cups per day, or about 1 gallon, and that is a LOT. My diet is also hardly "low sodium", so I don't sweat it (hah!)
> 
> (I used to fill an empty gallon jug with water at the start of each day and make sure it was empty by bedtime. That's pretty challenging!)
> 
> ...


On hydration: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/you-dont-need-sports-drinks-to-stay-hydrated/

A lot of that link is sports focused, but our bodies are highly focused on getting us what we need. If you follow your thirst, you'll be fine. So much of the hydration "science" was from sports drinks.


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

Optivia.

I have dropped 20lbs since March and 40 overall. PM me for details. It works.

Cheers, 

BSR


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Mr. B. Scott Robinson said:


> Optivia.
> 
> I have dropped 20lbs since March and 40 overall. PM me for details. It works.
> 
> ...


Could you share those details here? I suspect many of us stand to benefit from your experience!


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## ran23 (Dec 11, 2014)

I went back to my old med's ,thought the new one's were the weight gain problem.


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## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

ran23 said:


> I went back to my old med's ,thought the new one's were the weight gain problem.


Can you do that, just go back and forth without a consult? I've never taken medications which may surprise you because it surprises me considering my wildly advanced age, please don't call me Pops, my ignorance here is showing as is hopefully my interest because there may come a day, like tomorrow. Who knows?


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## ran23 (Dec 11, 2014)

My med's were BP. I switched to Telmisartan and I thought I was gaining weight. I switched back to my old ones, still couldn't lose weight. Now I am cutting back on things. I can't fit my 38-Suits. life, so much fun.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Just cut to the chase and buy larger trousers--Lady Daffodil Tottering


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

eagle2250 said:


> Could you share those details here? I suspect many of us stand to benefit from your experience!


Sure!

Optivia is a program my wife has been on for over a year and I have been on since last September. My wife has lost 70lbs with a goal of 100 and I have lost 40 with a goal of 50.

My wife's friend, who is the medical director for Web MD, turned her on to it. It is a wholistic, fully nutritional plan that optimizes the body's potential for fat burn based on a low carb, low sugar food plan.

The weight loss phase requires 5 "fuelings" per day with an additional "lean and green" meal. After weight loss is achieved, a weight maintenance plan is established.

I found the program to be rather simple, with the exception that cutting out booze entirely took some time to accomplish. Once I cleared this hurdle, I lost 20lbs in 12 weeks.

Here is the link.

https://www.optavia.com
Participants are assigned a coach to assist with the process. If anyone is interested, send me a message and we can discuss.

Cheers,

BSR


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Mr. B. Scott Robinson said:


> Sure!
> 
> Optivia is a program my wife has been on for over a year and I have been on since last September. My wife has lost 70lbs with a goal of 100 and I have lost 40 with a goal of 50.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for that feedback. The program has a solid foundation and sounds promising. However, are they serious about that no coffee after 1200 hours thing? That would be a tough one for me...a self avowed caffeine addict! I assume from your post that the Optavia meal plans are competitively tasty, compared to our supermarket scroungings'?


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## Mr. B. Scott Robinson (Jan 16, 2017)

eagle2250 said:


> Thanks so much for that feedback. The program has a solid foundation and sounds promising. However, are they serious about that no coffee after 1200 hours thing? That would be a tough one for me...a self avowed caffeine addict! I assume from your post that the Optavia meal plans are competitively tasty, compared to our supermarket scroungings'?


I drink about 5 cups a day, but knock off by noon.

I think the lean and green options are excellent. The remainder of fuelings are based on nutrients rich bars, shakes, and small serving microwaved foods. I am not hard to please, but it has been fine for me.

There is also the requirement to drink a substantial amount of water. This is probably the first time I'm my life I have had a fully balanced diet AND been fully hydrated!

Cheers,

BSR


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