Great job, op.

Anonymous wrote:Amazing! Good for you! Did you drink any alcohol while you were losing weight?

I probably drank 10 times over COVID. I'm not a big drinker anyway.

When people started hunkering down over COVID, I could see that I might go one route -- the one of watching every Netflix show and enjoying all the beloved snacky foods I loved.
But I had a friend who said to me, this is an opportunity. How do you want to come out of COVID?

And I realized this one huge issue was the one I should address. I didn't have to commute, which gave me 2 extra hours a day. And I used it to be active and eat better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obvious question - how did you lose the weight?

Diet and exercise. I became a vegan in October last year and dropped the first 20 pounds. Then COVID happened, and I started to take it all more seriously. So I started counting calories and working out every day (in addition to upping general activity).

It's been slow and steady.

This is not slow weight loss.

??? She lost like 1.5 lbs a week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obvious question - how did you lose the weight?

Diet and exercise. I became a vegan in October last year and dropped the first 20 pounds. Then COVID happened, and I started to take it all more seriously. So I started counting calories and working out every day (in addition to upping general activity).

It's been slow and steady.

This is not slow weight loss.

Well, starting March to now (end December) is 10 months, during which time I lost 80 pounds. 8 pounds a month is now that fast.

Anonymous wrote:So even though you are exercising and lost the weight slowly, you still have sagginess?

Not OP but it doesn't matter how slow you go, if you lose 100 lbs you're going to have sagginess. I did it in my late teens, so at the peak of my skin elasticity, and have bad stomach sag.

Congratulations, OP. Do you have a partner, and are they supportive of your weight loss/diet/exercise?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obvious question - how did you lose the weight?

Diet and exercise. I became a vegan in October last year and dropped the first 20 pounds. Then COVID happened, and I started to take it all more seriously. So I started counting calories and working out every day (in addition to upping general activity).

It's been slow and steady.

This is not slow weight loss.

Anonymous wrote:How old are you?

56. One kid in college (home during COVID).

Anonymous wrote:How do you manage to spend over 3 hours a day exercising? Is the walking part of a commute?

I work out 80 minutes a day. And I walk everywhere. If I go to the dentist, to the doctor, to the post office.

I work full time, so yes, 3 hours a day seems insane. But I realize that I have been a couch potato most of my life, and you're supposed to be active.

The risk of death from all causes is highest not for those with high cholesterol or those who smoke. It is actually for those who lack fitness. Which is probably why my smoking mom was able to live into her 80s -- because she swam a half mile every day.

I will do long walks and think about something on which I'm working, so it's not like it is 3 separate hours from work. I try as much as possible to incorporate thinking/entertainment into the walks and exercise.

So the actual stats (for those interested) are:

All cause mortality: Normal risk = 1.0
For those with BMI>= 27, the risk is 1.18 for women, 1.33 for men
For those with cholesterol over 240 mg, the risk is 1.16 for women, 1.45 for men
For those with systolic BP >=140, the risk is 0.89 for women, 1.67 for men
For cigarette smokers, the risk is 2.12 for women, 1.89 for men
For those with LOW FITNESS, the risk is 2.23 for women, 2.03 for men.

Anonymous wrote:Tell me more about the cruciferous vegetables— what exactly and how do you eat them? I’m vegetarian but interested in dropping eggs and dairy. But I get bad gas, so wondering if you have any problem with that?

It was definitely a huge change, and of course the first months I was gassy. But it settled down, and now I actually can't process milk products well. I eat large amounts of kale, broccoli, spinach every day. I usually just throw a few cups into a saucepan every meal. It cooks down to much less. But I definitely use large amounts of veggies as a way to create volume without calories.

A typical day for me now (I am still in weight loss mode so it is low calorie)

Breakfast: oatmeal (about 60 grams, with 30 calorie almond milk)
Lunch: Huge saucepan of kale, onions, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, etc; about half a package of tofu (usually I air fry it with spices to give it texture and flavor); and sometimes some "pretend" cheese for more flavor
Dinner: Basically the same
And then some snacks. Usually fruit. Every so often I'll have something more substantial like non-dairy yogurt with frozen fruit.

Man/woman?
Do you have kids?
How long were you overweight?

How old are you?

So even though you are exercising and lost the weight slowly, you still have sagginess?

How do you manage to spend over 3 hours a day exercising? Is the walking part of a commute?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you and Jessica Simpson related besides shedding 100 pounds in 6 months?

Well, more accurately I lost 80 pounds since March (20 between October and March). So not as fast. But there is no way to say what I did other than say I have had a complete life change. Now I work out about 80 minutes a day and walk about 2 hours a day. And I am eating about 7-8 cups of cruciferous vegetables a day (as a base to all meals).

I'm happy with the progress and the change. I feel like I have my life back.

So you work out 200 min a day (includes walking?!) How?? What exercises do you do?