How I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass with vegetable soup cleanse

 Hello dear followers of this blog on how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass or weight loss drugs! On this lovely winter day, let's look at ways to keep that "New Year, Old You" weight loss challenge going. Part of  how I lost 100 pounds was with cleanse foods. And just perfect for cold weather, here are vegetable soup cleanse recipes to purge away the excess pounds picked up in holiday feasting.

Many weight loss regimen promise that you can lose weight without changing diet. I'm sorry to say that to shift any significant amount of weight, some change in eating habits is required, either with intermittent fasting, a cleanse, 1200 calorie diet, keto diet, etc. As gastric bypass shows like "My 600-lb Life" have demonstrated, no matter how you slice it, obesity is about eating too much, of the wrong foods, or both. 

Yes, I know that obesity, as defined by the BMI (body mass index) can be a little misleading. Bodybuilders, for example, have a large amount of muscle mass, compared to fat. Their weight may put them in overweight or obese. In that case, BMI may be inaccurate as it's not measuring body composition. And weight loss is about burning fat (the white adipose tissue kind) and converting it to muscle.  

But we're not talking about that type of "obesity" here. We're talking about "My 600-lb Life" white adipose tissue obesity gained from overeating eating junk food and not moving. I always have to make that disclaimer because part of how many of us got overweight was by denying obesity and making excuses for it. 

So back to the point of this post: how I lost 100 pounds burning fat with a vegetable soup cleanse. A soup cleanse activates the fat burning power of vegetables, herbs and spices. It's also, for you frugalistas, a great way to use up leftover veggies! My vegetable soup cleanse doesn't follow a specific recipe. I've always followed a rainbow diet as part of my 1200 calorie eating plan. So I aim to get as much color in my vegetable soup as possible. And of course, using up leftovers is the goal too. 

So yesterday, for my "new year, old you" weight loss challenge my vegetable soup cleanse recipe went like this:

Chicken bone broth (for protein), oregano and sage, turmeric, rainbow pepper and ginger (anti-inflammatory herbs) and Bragg's liquid amino (healthy salt substitute). Cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, celery, red onion, scallions, red and yellow peppers and fresh parsley, cilantro and dill. To make it creamy and for

extra keto fat burning, I added mashed avocado. I topped it with rainbow slaw (shredded carrots and green and purple cabbage purple tossed with lemon juice, agave syrup and smidge of olive oil.)

Make a big batch and eat only this when intermittent fasting, It's perfect for the 1200 calorie diet as bone broth gives a bang of protein for very little calorie investment. You can pretty much eat as much as you want and so stave off hunger which is the bane of a cleanse or diet. 

Perfect keto calorie restricting snack for March to Weight Loss (drum roll, please?)

 Hey my friends! This blog explores how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass with keto diet, calorie restricting on a 1200 calorie diet. This month, I've issued a March to Weight Loss challenge. And today I'm sharing the perfect keto calorie restricting snack to lose weight, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, curb hunger boost metabolism, burn fat, prevent dehydration and even ward off effects of long covid 19! What is this superfood? Drum roll, please...

GUACAMOLE! Yup, homemade guacamole is the perfect dip, spread, snack, smoothie, you name it, guacamole is it! Here are simple keto diet recipe for this wunderkind snack. 

Avocado: cram packed with high electrolyte potassium goodness, MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids), good saturated fats (for keto fat burning and metabolism boosting) and anti-inflammatory properties avocado is great for weight loss, fat burning, metabolism, lowering blood sugar (ergo inflammation and pain) post Covid 19 recovery (which includes avoiding dehydration) . For guacamole, cut avocado around the long end, remove pit (if only using half, leave pit in to prevent browning and spoilage). Scoop out avocado and place in blender. 

Garlic (minced with juice). Garlic is one of nature's best infection fighters (so good for Covid 19 prevention) plus anti-inflammatory (so perfect for preventing and healing obesity) building gut bacteria, providing antioxidants, reducing blood sugar level (so fighting diabetes) and more! 

Cilantro: This handsome herb has a reputation for helping lose weight and fighting obesity and diabetes by boosting metabolism. Add a handful to blender with avocado.

Onion: Another miracle superfood, onions are bulbs like garlic and have many of the same properties: anti-inflammatory, metabolism boosting, fat burning, infection fighting, lowering blood sugar (diabetes) plus even improving brain functioning. Mince and add to blender with avocado.

Tomatoes: These are one of my favorite potassium rich superfoods for weight loss and just plain yumminess. Lycopene is good for metabolism, circulation, prostate and heart health, blood sugar, boosting electrolytes and astringent fat burning and system cleanse. Being essentially zero calorie, tomatoes are the perfect calorie restricting food for the 1200 calorie diet. 

Lemon or lime juice: high potassium, Vitamin C and fiber, lemons and limes are good for gut bacteria, weight loss and infection fighting. Drinking water with lemon was part of how I lost 100 pounds. 

Pepper and Himalayan pink salt: Pepper for the pain relieving anti-inflammatory win and pink salt for infection fighting, electrolyte win!

Blend together and enjoy in place of sour cream, cheese, mayonnaise or salsa. Try this guacamole on tacos, burritos or nachos. Or  just plain. 

Fat burning keto foods for Fat Free February Weight Loss Challenge

Hello friends of this blog on how I lost 100 pounds. I issued a Fat Free February Weight Loss Challenge a month ago and that month is almost up. But wait, there's more! Tomorrow begins my March to Weight Loss challenge and to round out this month, here are fat burning keto foods to cleanse, build brown fat, boost metabolism and bust white adipose tissue ("bad fat.") 

Before I begin, I want to address a question that comes up about how I lost 100 pounds. People with morbid obesity, like I had, will often ask if it's possible to lose weight without gastric bypass. Will calorie restricting (or keto, intermittent fasting or some other type of diet change) alone lose weight? Answer: YES! As shows like "My 600-lb Life" have proved, it's actually gastric bypass alone that won't lose weight. 

Yesterday I blogged that patients with morbid obesity on "My 600-lb Life" are required to lose weight prior to surgery. And to do that, they must follow a calorie restricting 1200 calorie diet which includes eating keto fat burning foods and avoiding sugary, junk carbs. After gastric bypass, "My 600-lb Life" patients must continue the 1200 calorie diet to continue weight loss. 

And lose weight you will with calorie restricting, even if you are calorie restricting for completely different reasons. The Catholic church calls for intermittent fasting during the Lenten season, which we entered earlier in February. For 40 days, we eat more fish and vegetables and less fatty, junky, fried and sugary food. And every year, if we follow practice Lenten fasting correctly, we lose weight. 

So without further ado, here are:

Keto fat burning foods for weight loss: 

avocado

BERRIES (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, cranberries)

olives (yes, these are berries too)

coconut oil 

tomatoes (tomato juice, zero sugar salsa)

lemons

limes

oats and oatmeal (so not necessarily keto, but high fiber so super good for fat burning)

kiwi

grapefruit (tons of fiber)

pears (high fiber)

apples (high fiber)

cantaloupe and watermelon (loads of lycopene so great for men's health, especially)

seeds (chia, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)

nuts (best are almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts)

spinach, kale

broccoli

cauliflower

spaghetti squash

peas (high in fiber and protein)

cabbage and brussels sprouts

Stay tuned for more March to Weight Loss tips! #howilost100pounds

High Protein Keto Chicken Salad recipe for Fat Free February Weight Loss Challenge

Hiya friends of this blog on how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass! From No my Junk January weight loss challenge we're keeping up the momentum with Fat Free February. No fat free as in zero or lowfat, but targeted fat burning calorie restricting to lose weight and shed stored fat. Here's a zero sugar high protein keto chicken salad recipe to satisfy cravings, fill you up and beat obesity. 

So you know that wonderful "gourmet chicken salad" that so many grocery store delis make? I adore that stuff. And while it's pretty good for filling me up, it's also loaded with a lot of bad fat, sugar and sodium. That's because, like so many potato or pasta salads, it's slop-forward (AKA too much sauce) and healthy ingredient backward. My recipe features protein and veggie forward and very light on the slop. 

High protein chicken salad

Dice chicken breast seasoned with little olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt and cracked black pepper.  Grill or saute and set aside to cool. 

Halve and slice baby cucumbers and purple grapes. Dice cantaloupe. Slice scallions and chop celery, apple, cilantro, yellow and red pepper. Toss chicken and veggies with cashews, almonds, pecans or mixed nuts and celery seed. You can add chopped cole slaw mix (red shred, cabbage and carrots) if desired. This will give you value added rainbow diet fat burning goodness. 

Blend Dijon mustard, wasabi, avocado mayo and lime juice and lightly coat chicken salad mix. Refrigerate and serve on a bed of lettuce. Eat foods like this high protein zero sugar (or no added sugar, anyway) chicken salad is how I lost 100 pounds. Subscribe for more Fat Free February weight loss tips and fat burning recipes.  

Oh and if you don't have all of these fruits or veggies on hand, don't worry about it! Just do your best. My most recent version didn't have any peppers. But it's still delicious! 

#FatFreeFebruary #HowIlost100pounds

Who's up for weight loss and fat burning with Fat Free February?

 Hi guys! Last month I issued a No Junk January weight loss challenge (and was so-so successful lol). Now, if you're like most of the world (raises hand), January New Year's resolutions end about mid month. But just because I fell off the bike occasionally doesn't mean I can't get back on it anytime I want. So how's about we keep up the good work begun in No Junk January with a Fat Free February weight loss challenge? 

So first a disclaimer: not Fat Free February as in cutting out fat (other than transfat). Keto has taught me that calorie restricting with foods rich in MUFA(monounsaturated fatty acids) PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and even some saturated fats (in avocado and coconut oil) actually burns "bad fat." That would be white adipose tissue or stored fat. 

In this Fat Free February weight loss challenge I'm going practice calorie restricting to free myself of excess white adipose tissue (stored fat) and build up BAT (brown adipose tissue) or healthier brown fat. Building brown fat increases metabolism which burns calories which reduces stored fat WHICH ironically is built by eating more fats or fatty acids (MUFAS and PUFAS). It comes full circle. 

Calorie restricting, then, will include keto type eating (I don't do strict keto, just saying, that hasn't worked for me for long term weight loss). I limit added and refined sugar, white foods (rice, potatoes, bread and pasta). My 1200 calorie diet is high fiber, high protein, lots of green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds (specifically seeds like in blueberries, raspberries and blackberries).  

And a Fat Free February is perfect for the cold weather. Being chilly causes the body to burn calories faster and increase metabolism and to stay warm. Stay tuned for more on how I lost 100 pounds! 

Lose weight (I did!) with keto diet and calorie restricting food swaps for BBQ and pulled pork

Hi I'm mar and I'm a BBQ ribs and pulled pork addict! I was also very overweight and needed to lose weight. So I wrote calorie restricting 1200 calorie diet food swap recipes to satisfy my BBQ addiction. Here's how I lost 100 pounds (without gastric bypass) while still enjoying pulled pork, BBQ ribs and other smoked meat favorites! Oh, and these antioxidant rich fat burning food swaps boost metabolism, help prevent obesity and are keto diet friendly, too. You not only could, but should, eat these BBQ entrees for weight loss! 

First a little background. I follow the gastric bypass weight loss show "My 600-lb Life." The overweight participants on "My 600-lb Life" are shown, before (and sometimes after) gastric bypass, eating very non-calorie restricting foods. And though "My 600-lb Life" shows very extreme examples of obesity, they are nevertheless, not uncommon. 

About 75 percent of Americans are overweight. Obesity is a problem in others countries that eat the "western diet." The foods "My 600-lb Life" folks crave are the same foods that have led so many of us to obesity, so that's where I've begun with my calorie restricting 1200 calorie diet food swaps. And BBQ ribs and pulled pork are major favorites. But happily, these foods aid can be made to aid keto weight loss with antioxidant metabolism boosters, fat burning fruits and high protein meat.  

Begin with leaner cuts of meat to lose weight. I actually prefer pulled chicken to pulled pork. But if you want pulled pork, use pork loin. If you crave BBQ ribs, trim as much fat as possible and stew them in a slow cooker to "melt off" fat. Yes, keto encourages fat, so if you're hardcore keto, skip this step. If you're calorie restricting (how I lost 100 pounds), this alone will lower calories and make them more 1200 calorie diet friendly. 

Next, make sugarless BBQ or pulled pork sauce with erythritol or monkfruit sweetener instead of sugar. Erythritol is actually keto-approved. But my preferred way is to skip erythritol or any sweetener and sweeten BBQ sauce with fruit, to get fat burning, metabolism boosting antioxidant goodness. I've used all kinds of fruits in BBQ sauce: berries, peaches, mangoes, apples, pineapple, lemons, limes, even grapefruit! I chop fruit and add a little chopped bell pepper (rainbow preferred), simmer in water, add Worcestershire sauce, a dash of molasses, smoky chipotle (or liquid smoke), garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed and coriander. 

Braise ribs or simmer pork or chicken in sauce. Enjoy (and lose weight!) These diet food swaps are how I lost 100 pounds and am still keeping it off, seven years later! 

Diet dessert recipes for summer weight loss: Have your cake and lose weight, too!

Weight loss is one of the hottest search terms ever. If you're trying to lose weight, what's the hardest time of year for you--winter or summer? What foods are hardest to give up, to lose weight? If you said "summer" and "dessert," here are diet dessert recipes and fat burning summer desserts to prove you can have your cake and lose weight too. These summer dessert recipes will help lose obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol. Be sure to tell everyone these are diet dessert recipes. They may scoff but they'll have to eat humble pie when they taste these awesomely low-calorie summer desserts! 

Albert's Tropical Dream Pie. This pie is my sweetie pie's favorite! He loves cream pie but can never decide between banana, pineapple or coconut cream, so DIY me figured, why not do all three? Make a keto friendly no-bake crust of coconut flour and coconut oil. Blend fresh chopped pineapple, lemon juice, one cup plain Greek yogurt, one avocado, one cup unsweetened flaked coconut and one sliced banana. Fill pie crust. Top with banana slices immediately before serving. 

Obesity-busting Keto friendly no-bake pie crust. Add milled flaxseed, crushed almonds, chia seed coconut oil and erythritol. 

Fat Burning Fruit-in-season Cheesecake. In a bowl, dissolve one box reduced-sugar lemon gelatin in a cup of hot water. Blend in first one cup Greek yogurt and then one eight-ounce carton of light whipped topping, If you prefer vanilla-flavored cheese cake, omit the gelatin and water and use one package  sugarfree vanilla pudding and one cup flaxseed, coconut or almond milk. Add a dash of nutmeg. Fold in berries or fresh sliced fruit in season. These diet dessert recipes are delicious with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches and strawberries. Decorate with more fruit immediately before serving. 

Diet food swaps for weight loss: Use lowfat ready-made graham cracker crust the fat burning crust recipe above. Or line a dish with lowfat vanilla wafers. You can swap out pudding for avocado in cheesecake too. 

Fat Burning (really!) Chocolate Trifle. Trifle is a to-die-for concoction similar to some tiramisu recipes. Lidia Bastianich made one on PBS Create. Hers was from scratch and looked yummy but time consuming. If you don't have a huge test kitchen with seven people on your staff, make this quick, easy one with diet food swaps. 

You'll need keto favorite full-fat Greek yogurt, sugarfree whipped topping, instant sugarfree chocolate pudding (or avocado, cacao nibs--one of obesity's worst enemies-- or dark chocolate or cocoa powder and blue agave syrup), fresh fruit and angel food cake. Melt cacao nibs, dark chocolate (70% or higher cacao) or unsweetened cocoa and blend in avocado, yogurt and topping. Tear off bits of sponge cake or angel food cake and place in the bottom of a dessert dish. Spoon a layer of pudding mixture over the cake. Next, arrange a layer of berries or sliced bananas. 

For chocolate trifle, use cherries, strawberries or raspberries. For vanilla trifle use bananas, peaches, mango, raspberries, kiwi and pineapple. If you want to make your trifle extra special, layer fruit in different colors. Over the fruit, place a layer of topping. Decorate with fresh fruit or shaved dark chocolate. If desired, repeat layers. You can make these summer desserts swing weight loss friendly with a few simple food swaps and never miss the calories! 

How I lost 100 pounds doing the algebra: fiber-carb-fatty acid- protein weight loss formulas

Did you hate algebra in middle school? Well if you're trying to lose weight, you're going to love it! Part of  how I lost 100 pounds was with algebraic formulas for weight loss! So my math may not look textbook but it sure does work to lose weight!

Shedding obesity is about reducing certain numbers, increasing others and balancing still others. It matters less which meal plan you follow than it does that you do the math. A critical ally in weight loss is calorie restricting. You can't eat as much as you did overweight, to lose weight. It's like Al-Anon says, if you do what you've always done (overeat), you'll get what you've always gotten (overweight). 

"My 600-lb Life" Dr. Now uses a 1200 calorie diet with his gastric bypass patients. Keto does calorie restricting in the form of a low GI diet and carb control. The Zone Diet, or 40-30-30 diet calls for 40% of calories from fat, and 30 each from fat and protein. Intermittent fasting does calorie restricting at certain times of day. I've used a combination of those with diet food swaps. And it's in my diet food swaps that I use algebra. 

To lose weight, I aim to get the most protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals for my calorie buck! I look at net carbs. Net carbs are the total carb load which is figured by subtracting fiber carbs from sugar carbs. Fat burning fiber plus fatty acids, cancel out fat-adding sugar carbs. I also try to factor out added sugar. 

Also, protein cancels out sugar and reduces net carbs. The "My 600-lb Life" 1200 calorie diet and the Zone diet call for upping lean protein in foods. That's why I like keto bread--it's great for calorie restricting plus fat burning. 

It's the same with saturated fat vs. poly and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA and PUFA). Fatty acids dissolve saturated fats. So like keto and the Zone diet, I eat fatty acids for fat burning of less healthy fats. The "My 600-lb Life" gastric bypass diet limits fats because of the severity of obesity. But later, after weight loss, patients learn add fat burning fatty acids. 

So here's a formula to lose weight: 2 (protein + fiber) + 1/2 (sugar carbs, preferably as low GI diet fruit) + 2 (fat burning fatty acids - saturated fat) - (added sugar) = exponential weight loss! 

How I lost 100 pounds with keto diet fruits for weight loss

I know, this title "how I lost 100 pounds with keto diet fruits" is going to cause a lot of keto-ers consternation. That's because a lot of folks mistakenly think that fruit, AKA carbs, are verboten on the keto diet. Well, they're not all because fruits aren't all created equal. Some, like berries, are low calorie, low on the glycemic index (GI) --ergo low sugar PLUS have lots of fat burning fiber which lowers net carbs and aids weight loss. So that's great if you're following the keto diet but also if you're just doing a 1200 calorie diet like "My 600-lb Life" Dr. Now's for gastric bypass. 

And really, it matters less to me what this or that diet approves of, if it helps me lose weight. When I started working at weight loss, the keto diet wasn't en vogue yet. Even if it had, I'd still have followed Al-Anon wisdom to "take what you like and leave the rest." Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to create my own eating plan using elements of intermittent fasting, a 1200 calorie diet, other calorie restricting techniques plus my Al-Anon type "Mind over Platter" tricks. 

People on "My 600-lb Life" preparing for gastric bypass, have to follow that special 1200 calorie diet because their obesity is so out of control. The "My 600-lb Life" anti-obesity meal plan is basically a low GI diet with emphasis on fiber and protein. The neat thing about low GI diet fruits is that the fiber cancels out many of the carbs (sugars) to give much fewer net carbs. Fiber has antioxidant and metabolism boosting, fat burning properties which are so important to heal and prevent obesity. 

Here's my list of fat burning antioxidant rich, metabolism boosting fruits for weight loss

Grapefruit. The keto diet doesn't allow grapefruit, but I use it in protein shakes (with all the membrane, seeds and even some rind) and it helped me lose weight big time. Plus it has tons of vitamin C and vitamin A plus lycopene. Grapefruit, with low net carbs, is also low GI diet friendly and good to heal diabetes. And the membrane acts as a fat flushing liver cleanse. Win-win-win! 

Tomatoes. Another keto no-no, I use tomatoes, which their antioxidant rich seeds and lycopene goodness to lose weight

Apples. Loaded with fat burning fiber and antioxidant goodness, apples were part of how I lost 100 pounds.

Berries. Raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, with their high fiber seeds, work as fat flushing liver cleanses. Blueberries are good too, but I just don't like them as much LOL. 

Watermelon. This is a great fiber fat flushing liver cleanse properties and is full of lycopene. 

I'd rather be overweight than look it: weight loss vs. fat burning

I've been blogging about how I lost 100 pounds a few years ago. Now I'm trying to lose weight again. Happily, I'm not obese this time, but I am overweight. Weirdly, despite the scale only showing a little weight loss, I look smaller. And I realized, if I had to choose one or the other, I'd rather be overweight than look it. Let me explain.

In this second round, the challenge to lose weight has been made more difficult. I'm not as active due to shoulder surgery followed by Covid 19. But although I've only lost a few pounds, I've lost fat in several areas. I think this is because my goal is fat burning vs. simple weight loss. Here's why. 

By volume, muscle weighs more than fat. A person may be overweight, even be nearing obese with the usual BMI algorithm, but still not have much noticeable fat. BMI measures body mass index, not body fat. Obese is just a categorical word. Neither are necessarily true indicators of size. So I decided that fat burning was more important than the number on the scale. 

I've seen what weight loss without fat burning looks like. Gastric bypass surgery alone doesn't lose weight let alone fat. Even with diet and exercise, gastric bypass weight loss surgery often leaves the body saggy. I want to look trimmer. I want my clothes to fit better. 

And that can be done without gastric bypass. Part of how I lost 100 pounds was to aim for fat burning with keto diet and supplements like apple cider vinegar and raspberry ketones. I'm going to work on looking smaller and I think the BMI and scale number will catch up.