Hello and welcome to this blog on how I lost 100 pounds (without gastric bypass) and you can too! Last month I issued a No Junk January weight loss challenge for the new year and this month, we're keeping the mojo going with Fat Free February. A friend was kind enough to say that these challenges motivated her to lose weight and hopefully they've helped you too!
Not fat free as in zero fat foods: experience and research shows that those don't always address weight loss goals sufficiently. Fat Free February means that we're working to rid our bodies of excess "white adipose tissue" (or white fat, stored fat). Stored fat encases organs to protect them but if there's too much, restricts healthy functioning. It clogs arteries, slows metabolism, makes us lethargic, depressed etc.
So in Fat Free February we don't want to get rid of all stored fat. It just makes for good alliteration lol! We do want to increase brown fat (healthy fat) by increasing intake of MUFAS (monounsaturated fatty acids) and PUFAS (polyunsaturated fatty acids) which dissolved saturated fats. I love the names: MUFAS and PUFAS. They sound like junky Saturday morning kids breakfast cereal!
To lose weight, the keto diet would have us eat lots of fats, including saturated fats. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to eat a modified keto diet (though I didn't know at the time that's what I was doing). I have my reservations about keto because. So many people I've known to use it, while having initial success with weight loss, were not able to keep it off as the keto diet is pretty difficult to maintain. I'm not even sure it's healthy to eat that way long term.
What's worked for me is GOCR--good ole calorie restricting--for me, 1200 calorie diet--including limiting sugar, particularly refined sugar, saturated fats, junk or empty carbs and balancing fiber, protein and fats. Calorie restricting (1200 calorie diet) has gotten a lot of bad PR, particularly from groups like HAES (Healthy at Every Size). HAES maintains that obesity isn't really unhealthy and that body positivity really matters. Even many basic weight loss diets eschew calorie restricting.
However, I've found that the only way to end obesity is to portion control which is in effect calorie restricting. Exercise as in movement is important too. But alone, it will not lose weight. I went from normal to overweight to obese by eating more and moving less. Not all by choice, sedentary job, etc. Didn't matter though because those two things shot me to morbid obesity. So the path back has to include calorie restricting in 1200 calorie diet and portion control.
Stay tuned for more Fat Free February posts and be ready for next month when we'll do a March to Weight Loss challenge!
(P.S. Don't you love the very serious look 😶on my grandson Emmett's face? 😁)
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