David
You are right.
I've been doing this for over 5 years now, and it works. Why ? It keeps me focused. That said, weight can change up or down as much as couple of pounds on any given day, for many reasons. However, it does enable me to pick up on a trend as early as possible, which is more difficult doing it weekly. I emphasise this, and would not myself react after just on one day's result. Two or three days? Yes. Then it's time to check what I'm eating, how much, etc etc.
The main benefit comes from keeping it in mind, staying focused on the goal. Not for everyone, but remember, what gets measured gets done.
David, you are amazing. I cannot imagine not eating from 2 pm until the next day. You are made of strong stuff. In my case, I can't manage even small diet changes, so here I sit, overweight and depressed. Not even the fear of what I face in the future can motivate me. I have the best of intentions that usually last less than a day.
Whether it is willpower or some other intangible quality, it isn't a matter of knowing what do do; it's a matter of doing it. That is where most of us fail.
I could use some advice on getting a scale that would make this work. The last one I got was too cheap and was not helpful. I have a small place without a space to dedicate to a scale, so it has to be moveable, which apparently is not perfect for accuracy. thoughts?
Dear Arun,
I doubt if you are obsessive! I have been called obsessive (by some people who made comments on my earlier articles) for wanting to reach my goal weight. I think those comments reflect more on who's talking more than on who they are talking about. Wanting to reach a goal and in fact trying hard to reach it is what successful people do, whether the goal is a weight level or something else.
Yes, I shoot for the low end of BMI and A1C. I am absoluted convinced that those are healthier levels. And so far at least I remain healthy and active, but of course I am only 77 years old so far.
David
Dear David,
...and sure enough that is the way to go!...My BMI is 20.5 now so let me aim for 19 something for the time being. When I see a lot of "not so well off" thin Indians walking or cycling miles for their livelihood and performing physical tasks I cannot even think of, I wonder why I cant be like one of them 
Regards,
Hi, David,
I have been doing exactly the same thing for several months now. My family says that I am obsessive, but the weight can creep up so quickly. And eating late is my worst enemy. I have lost 100 lbs. low carbing (and kept it off for 5 years) and I never want it to go back up again. My A1c is 5.5 and I still have about 30 more lbs. to go. Getting hiking shoes tomorrow, and my husband and I are starting a new hobby. We live in northeast GA and it is a perfect place to hike. Going to get this old (60) body moving! Thanks so much for your example. Love reading your newsletters.
David - you remain my inspiration and I love when you share things that work for you. We all know that mileage may vary but if you help even one person it is good. My struggle is I work night shift. I get up at 1:30 PM and have my main meal with my family before going to work as this is the only time they see me during the work week. I leave for work at 3:15PM and work a 10 hour shift, six days a week (we are in mandatory overtime status), not arriving home until 3:15 AM. I would love to have some guidance as to how your ideas would work with the kind of work hours I have.
Dear Crombie,
While I don't have any personal experience with the many health problems that nightshift work can lead to, I have certainly seen a lot of evidence for it and read about it too. My guess is that the biggest problem can be when you eat shortly before you go to bed. That is perhaps the biggest weight-loss problem for anyone, and those who work nightshifts may eat just before bed more than others because of that schedule. If you are now eating dinner within three hours of going to bed, I would think that changing to a small meal then and having nothing at all to eat in the last three hours could be the biggest improvement that would be possible for you to make, given the constraints of your schedule.
David
A great article on losing weight. Because I am on a low-carb eating plan my problem is trying not to lose too much weight. I weigh twice a week, on Friday and Monday and normally I stay between 127-130. Because I eat basically the same thing each day I stay about the same weight. I was at 139 when I was first diagnosed 4 1/2 years ago and lost down to 120 [too skinny] I also walk everyday, either outside or on my treadmill and burn anywhere from 250 to 300 calories each time. I walk at least 45 min. to one hour each day and sometimes twice a day. So whatever I eat I will burn the calories off. I am determined not to gain weight. My motivation is simple--FEAR! I want to take good care of my body so I can remain healthy the rest of my life.
My menu is simple:
Breakfast--1/2 cup Kashi Original Cereal--10 carbs, 1/4 cup of 2% Milk-3 carbs, one toast-8 carbs--1 tab. Smart Balance Peanut Butter--3 carbs. Some days I may do just 2 toast--12 carbs, with 2 tab. Peanut Butter--6 carbs with a large cup of decaf. coffee.
Lunch--large salad with Tysons Chicken [in a can], put some on my salad with onions, green pepper, tomatoes, cheese and Ranch dressing--10 carbs. 5 crackers-11 carbs. An whole apple--13-15 carbs--maybe 1/2 of the apple sometimes.
Supper--Tysons Grilled Chicken Breast--0 carbs with mayo/mustard as my sauce. Green Beans--1 cup--10 carbs, OR Brussel Sprouts--6-8 pieces--8 carbs.
One slice of bread-8 carbs OR one of my corn bread muffins--15 carbs. Maybe have some sugar-free jello with cool whip.
Hope this helps you some.
Another great article David, thank-you.
Quite a bit to chew over here, I've been thinking about the frequency of weighing myself. It is all to easy to lose control, and have a bigger problem to deal with.
Can you please point me to an article on the addictiveness of wheat etc. I'd be grateful.
Regards
Ian
Hi David,
Great idea. Simple and very doable for people who are already consistently eating very low-carb because we are not hungry and have don't have cravings.
The critical difference for most of us is that what you suggest would work well for those who have achieved their goal weight -- a goal, unfortunately, that few of us have reached.
I think an adaptation of your method might be to just skip dinner one or even two nights a week on a regular basis. That might give a jolt to the weight loss effort. Sunday would work for me since although I weigh in and record my weight every day, I record my weight loss on a week-to-week basis. My goal, which is pretty easy, is 2 pounds a week.
The skip-dinner idea could also become "a tradition" in a household of more than one person, and provide a day off for the meal provider, who in my case is not me. It would be my "gift" to the cook.
Thinking about it though, I think my wife would still cook for herself, but it would be something simple. I remember when I was much younger my former mother-in-law used to make scrambled eggs for Sunday night dinner. It was the cook's night off!
I agree with your method of daily weighing. I have always been successful this way so that I can adjust immediately if things are moving up on the scale, before it gets out of control.
However, I don't understand the wisdom of skipping a meal? Why not just eat a low carb meal for dinner that one night instead of skipping it altogether? When I see the scale tipping up, I just eat fewer carbs for that day or for the next couple meals or so. I think the small, temporary changes would be easier for most than missing a whole meal. What do others think about that?
When my health provider informed me I would have to go on injectable insulin unless I lowered my BG levels, I decided to get serious about my eating habits. My appetite is lowest in the morning, so to me, it makes no sense to eat and raise my BG higher than the normal range. I began eating when my BG dropped low enough that my breakfast would not spike my BG out of the normal range. Now it is a habit that I eat oatmeal or barley cereal at 4:00 PM. These cereals with some fruit, cinnamon, and a dash of honey satisfy my appetite and I have no problem delaying dinner until 8:00PM. My appetite is mild enough that I can eat a small dinner like a fish filet and a vegetable serving.
This easy regimen results in morning BG readings in the 100 area. This morning my reading was 95. Only very occasionally is it over 120. I no longer take the assortment of powerful pills that made me sick. My blood pressure is coming down, and my weight is now 148 when it was 205. Best of all the nerve pain in my legs is gone.
Sometimes my appetite grabs my attention between noon and 4:00PM. I take the edge off my appetite by eating like three radishes or a few slices of dried apple or maybe even a hot chocolate. It is getting easier each day eating a late breakfast, because I know my appetite will be completely satiated by oatmeal or barley cereal.
This works for me and I know I can continue with it.
Of course this strategy works. You weight goes up and down through random variations so you have about a 50% chance of having your weight go up. And of course not eating half the time after 2pm probably works. But while not eating may reduce the amount of food still being digested and cut your weight the next day, it really doesn't actually change your true weight. You might as well flip a coin and just skip meals half the time based on the coin flip. I would expect that to lead you to the same outcome.
ps. I weigh myself every day, but I average the reading and only based on the average do I make corrections.
Your strategy "works." I don't disagree. But it works because you have started regularly fasting. You could do regular fasting by flipping a coin and deciding whether you should fast today.
Your weight changes slowly over time, fasting for a whole day and burning fat would only result in the loss of a fraction of a pound, well within the noise of your weight measurement. And there is a lot of noise in the weight measurement, scale variation, hydration differences and changes in the amount of food that remains in your digestive system.
And when you fast for a day, less food is in your digestive system the next day when you weigh yourself, leading you to the conclusion that you "lost" weight. You didn't lose weight, that only happens slowly over time.
Sorry if I was not clear.
Dear Brian,
Thank you. Yes, I understand now. One other factor is the psychological one. I eat less when I know that I am approaching a weight that is over my goal. Today, is a case in point! So I know that if I go over my goal weight tomorrow morning, I can correct it with an intermittent fast. But I also know that I like to eat and would rather not fast! So I will be eating a little less today.
Namaste,
David
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Dear Robert,
Ramadan fasting is much different. You fast during the day and stuff yourself after sunset -- the very worst time to eat.
If my blood glucose levels are out of whack at 5.1, according to my most recent A1C level, it's because I want them to be a bit lower.
I am not obsessing over my weight, and am very happy with it. In fact, it is now much less effort than ever before. I just returned from 10 days in Yellowstone and a couple of national wildlife refuges where I camped out and ate precisely what I wanted to. My scales this morning tell me that I am now down one pound from where I was when I left home and three pounds below my goal. It's time for more avocados, nuts, and cheese to gain some weight.
David