Help for considerable weight loss?

[kmacro]

I'm very new to macrobiotics. I have my first ever personal consult with
Warrren Kramer this coming Friday. Any feedback on Warren?

Also, my BIG issue is food "addiction". I am about 100 pounds overweight
with no serious health problems YET. Has anyone out there lost a large
amount of weight following the macro life style? If so, do you have any
special advice?

Thank you!

[losing_it]

I have heard of many people losing weight which is one of the reason I'm doing the diet (see my introduction thread). Some people I've met on my program have lost 15 to 20 or more weight in the first month.

I lost 10 lbs the first 7 days but haven't lost any more. I'm currently on Day 11.

Good luck

[Bruce Paine]

Hi,

Warren http://www.macrobioticsnewengland.com/ is an excellent teacher and I imagine an excellent counselor.


I lost 100 pounds in a year before doing macrobiotics and for about 13 years maintained the same low weight (and I was an infrequent natural tobacco smoker during that time).

Then I quit smoking (cold turkey!!!) and proceeded to gain weight until I had gained the one hundred back, a decade later (a three hundred pound, seven foot tall, middleaged man!).

Over the past 8 years I've lost 50 of those pounds eating a more deliberate macrobiotic diet (no fried food, lower amounts of oils, few baked flour sweets) and relearning macrobiotic cooking from present teachers instead of old books!

Probably the best macrobiotic cookbook for learning weight control is The Self-Healing Cookbook: A Macrobiotic Primer for Healing Body, Mind and Moods With Whole Natural Foods by Kristina Turner

But, of course, follow Warren's advice.

And good luck and health to you!

Thank you, very much.

_||_

Bruce Paine

[losing_it]

Kmacro has done great so far... losing 12 pds. I hope she doesn't mind me spreading the good news the first week.!

I've been able to loss about 11 in the last 3 weeks. I lost 10 the first week than haven't been able to loss more YET.

Brian, did you want to loss the entire 100 you had gained back? I was wondering why you haven't been able to lose the whole amount in 8 years. This way of eating seems very healthy...

I'm hoping to lose 40 more.

Might I remind you all that hormonal weight gain is a whole 'nother kettle o' fish and almost nothing seems to work except a zone-type diet - if you can hack it (it's not awfully satisfying); or a non-dietary approach - prescription for hormones. I kid you not.

[Bruce Paine]

Girls,

I lost 100 pounds from the spring of 1973 to the spring of 1974 while hitchhiking accross the norther sun belt (Los Angeles to the Texas panhandle to North Carolina) during the summer.

I had become a vegetarian, consuming lots of unfiltered apple juice, and orange juice, doing a bit of fasting, a lot of walking with 80 pounds of stuff (I was a craftsman who made elaborate and erotic carved smoking pipes out of hardwoods using a drill and a Dremel, antler [drill and a Dremel], and soapstone [drill and hand files]) on my back.

Now-a-days (30+ years later) I don't do stuff quite as strenuous, I don't fast, and I eat more regularly plus I have a somewhat sedentary lifestyle when I'm not working (I wash the street level windows of restaurant and retail establishments while standing on my feet 6 to 12 hours a workday [and working outdoors during subfreezing weather of long Boston winters can help a person intentionally gain weight and slow the metabolism to compensate!]) sitting for many hours in front of a computer which slows the metabolism down which in turn slows down weight loss.

Though I am heavier than most longtime macros, I am skinnier than most people is society and I am gradually getting skinnier.

For at least five years, all I could wear was overalls because my waist was over 48 inches (I have a 38-40 inch inseam) and I couldn't wear anything with a belt, then five years ago I was able to switch to a belt and suspenders and two years ago I was able to wear pants with a belt (my waist nearing 40 inches).

My goal is to lose another twenty pounds and 4 inches off my waist and I'll be okay in that department (my double chin has already started to disappear).


That's the first time I've been called Brian, online.

At least I'm a person of substance with a name that anyone can address me with, online or off.

Thank you, very much.

_||_

Bruce Paine

[losing_it]

Bruce! Sorry about calling you Brian. Thanks for sharing your story.

Unregistered: How do you know if you have hormonal weight gain?

Thanks!

Hi. Hormonal weight gain in women happens around the change-of-life business; occurs quite suddenly (or appears to, anyway); occurs no matter how you are eating or how active or inactive you are; and the main symptom is a roll of fat around lower abdomen. And you cannot lose it without some help. Relora does help some people. It is a stress response, they say. Some blame it on the thyroid, but it is not that simple where glands & hormones are involved, so interconnected are they all. As for men, the appearance of fat around the abdomen is one symptom; I don't know the whole picture for men, and am sorry I cannot be more helpful.

[losing_it]

I don't mean to sound stupid but what do you mean by the "change-of-life business". I'm guessing you mean menopause... well I don't think that is my problem. I'm 33 and I started gaining weight around 25.

I do feel that is could be caused because of stress. I have been a consultant since about 24 and I work long hours and never have a consistent schedule. I traveled 90% of the time... every week Monday - Thursday for 4 years. Traveling from Atlanta to LA or Chicago. Actually now that I think about it I haven't really gained that much more weight since I stopped traveling so much. I still do consulting and still work long hours but not every week. We work/meet until after 12 am some nights. So I never have been good about eating 3 meals a day. I really forcing myself to do it now.

No, you don't sound stupid. Yes, I meant "menopause", but I prerer "change of life" to emphasize CHANGE (OF ATTITUDES & EVERYTHiNG ELSE!) Women forget that change is good in this case.

Anyway, hormonal distress can happen at any age, even your age. I am not diagnosing you, because I don't have that ability. But people, esp. women, seem to be less robust than in previous generations, and are getting hormonal challenges earlier & earlier...I hear this all the time. I didn't get the hormone symptoms till I was about 51. Best of luck to you, and keep looking for things, incl. lifestyle changes, to get healthy.

Oh, by the way, hormonal challenges are often related to a sluggish liver.

[losing_it]

How do you know if you have a sluggish liver?

I've been told I have an over worked kidney and i have a lot of stagnatation.

Thanks!

Oh, there's lots of symptoms, big & small, from both trad. chinese medicine and western naturopathic medicine perspectives. You could consult with such practitioners and/or do some reading. Some common symptoms are feeling tense and cranky often; aches & pains that move around from one part of the body to the other; constipation; and so on. Much interesting info on www.sensiblehealth.com (Julia Chang's site) on the topic.