Hell, my PCP does low carb himself.
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Can you explain what this means? What is a “good routine”?
Humans are not hummingbirds. Hummingbirds have to flap their wings 70 wingbeats per second, or more than 4,000 wingbeats per minute, just to hover in the air. They burn a lot of calories and live primarily on nectar, a good source of sucrose, which makes sense for them. I think most people would agree that eating sugar, especially many times a day, is most certainly a bad thing. You’re welcome to disagree, but spiking your blood glucose that much can eventually lead to obesity and metabolic syndrome, which are both bad things in my book.
My PCP does intermittent fasting. I’m doing both low-carb and IF to be on the safe side. 
Not if one is in extreme workout territory.
Hikers admittedly have to go long stretches where they carry their food. In another thread we were discussing the guy in my avatar, Colin Fletcher so the numbers are fresh in my mind. Only energy dense foods are ordinarily carried, because the output is so high. He was expending 5000 calories daily, or more, and taking in just under 4000 calories for about 4 months. In addition to meats and dried vegetables he consumed about 1 pound of sugar on top of that is 1,775 calories!
He still lost about 20 pounds, mostly “spare tire”. He deduced in meal planning the only way to carry a weeks worth of food was to include a lot of refined carbohydrate. Can’t really argue with the numbers too much. The photo was taken when he was at the end of the walk, on the Oregon border. He does look pretty slim.
I’m a hiker, and I hike or walk multiple times every day, but not over long distances. Maybe one or two hours at a time. I sometimes carry a protein bar or a piece of fruit, but I usually just carry water, because I can hike for one or two hours and not need to eat.
I don’t disagree that long-distance hiking is a different story, and packing nutritionally dense food, such as candy bars, is probably a good idea, but most Americans don’t do daily long distance hiking (I won’t speak for other countries). Most Americans I know take a break from work, or sit on their couch at home, and eat a high calorie or sugary snack in the afternoon. It’s a midday ritual. There are a lot more of those folks around than long distance endurance hikers, and my comments were aimed that them, and not people who workout and burn thousands of calories a day. Those folks can probably eat anything they want and it doesn’t hurt them.
Right, this is my point. Carbs are like rocket fuel though. Fine when you’re burning up the miles, otherwise not a good idea at all in excess, if sedentary.
My point is people start to be more mindful of what they eat when boxed in, over time, and/or quantity. Extreme athletes have no choice but to consume lots of calories.
Those of us who only need a half or even a third or less of the total nutrition a backpacker needs have to be selective, especially if weight loss is a consideration. What I’m getting at “keto” is going to be naturally preferred from a satiety or feeling full standpoint. A pound of good hamburger, maybe make gravy with it. Small plate of potatoes. Or a meatloaf. Or that culinary delight - tater tot casserole. (Might have to skip two days after eating something like that).
You are right. I eat a moderate amount of complex carbs each week, usually some brown rice or a sweet potato. Carbs are not evil, but for me living a low-carb lifestyle, and thereby limiting my daily carbs, helps me lose weight and keep it off. Whole natural foods aren’t the problem, but highly processed foods and products with added sugar are certainly part of the problem. Once you get hooked on sugar, it can be a hard habit to break, and it usually leads to weight gain.
Yeah, brown rice is awesome stuff. Takes a while to cook though.
A couple days ago I was feeling lazy, and made Granola w/mixed nuts. I used Molasses as a sweetener, and coconut oil. (One recipe says to pre-roast mixed nuts and the oats before baking in the oven).
I made about 1,000 calories worth. High carbs yes, but it could be worse. Overall the nutrient profile for “Granola” is not great, but Molasses is sort of interesting in that it does include significant amounts of iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium etc, and B vitamins - Oats are pretty good on protein for a grain, and mixed nuts are high in vitamins and minerals as well as protein.
Commercial products use corn syrup as sweeteners, no vitamins or minerals, and (for me, it seems) less … digestible hydrogenated vegetable oils.
I picked up some pure granulated Allulose. At first I tried a spoonful in coffee, and it didn’t seem quite right, so I tried it with a couple drops of liquid Monkfruit extract, and that tasted great! The Allulose to me is not quite sweet enough; the Monk Fruit is very sweet but has a bit of an aftertaste. Together they hit the ‘sweet spot’ for me 
Yesteday I made a batch of keto brownies with almond flour, Allulose and Monk Fruit extract. Very tasty. Nice to have a sugar substitute for baking that works as well as Erythritol.
Thanks for the rec!
You’re welcome. I’ve learned quite a few tricks on weight-loss journey. That’s just one of them.
Much respect for this approach and for your discipline.
On Jan 2, 1997 I started The Atkins Diet. 1 week later I started classes in Tae Kwon Do. The two dovetailed very well. I lost over 50 pounds and kept it off with very little effort ( living a low-carb life of course ) until Sept 21, 2000 when I broke my back and ate out of pain and pity.
Keep at it !! YAY you !!!
I hope you have healed since then and are getting back on track. I know, easier said then done. The trick for me was to find a lifestyle, as opposed to a diet, that I could live with for the rest of my life. I’ve learned that Intermittent Fasting plus a Low Carb lifestyle works best for me. I don’t count calories or macros, or track my food, and I don’t weigh myself. I eat during my eating window when my body tells me to, and stop when it’s no longer hungry. I exercise and burn 700 extra calories a day in order to keep my energy balance negative. Experiment to determine what your body needs to be healthy, strong, and lean, and listen to the signals it sends you. It can take years to figure it all out. Unfortunately, most people never even try.
Thank you. I’m still going strong - today is Day 74 with no cheating. I do plan on jumping off the train on Thanksgiving Day and the day after (we are hosting two gatherings on Thursday & Friday), then right back at it. New Year’s Eve and Day may be similar.
The weight loss has, predictably, slowed a bit, but it is still pretty steady. I am now at 218 lbs, down from 271. Latest BP, which I check once a week, is 125/77, pulse 66-72. Was 140/88 and 80-88 when I started. Still walking at least 2 miles a day.
My original goal was 210 by New Year’s Day. Not sure if I’ll get there, but I know I will be in the neighborhood. I will not consider it a failure if I don’t hit that number
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Any update here? Did you hit your goal or get close? If you didn’t, you still get credit for trying. Never give up, never surrender
I made it to 80 days without cheating, then the holidays arrived and I slacked. Between the holidays and a January cruise I gained back about 15 lbs.
However, I am back on the train and re-committed to success. I have lost those 15 and I am confident that more will follow. Today is day 26 of Round 2, with very strict adherence to the following from my OP:
The only thing I changed is that I do count calories now, and keep it right at 1200/day.
Thanks for checking on me.
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Your current program is very similar to mine towards the end of my diet phase. I was OMAD, but I was burning more calories than you since I was walking at least 10 miles per day. By then, the weight came off easily and I wasn’t ever hungry. My daily cals were probably between 900 and 1,200 (I didn’t track it), and my carbs were less than 25 per day (I tracked those).
The trick for me was transitioning to maintenance without gaining back the weight. Breaking your diet into multiple rounds is actually a smart thing to do. It gives your body a chance to adjust to your new lower weight. I lost all my weight at once and that contributed to my body trying to pack on the pounds no matter what I did to try and stop it.
It eventually all worked out, and I’m now able to stay at my healthy weight without counting cals or my macros. I learned that IF and a low-carb Mediterranean diet works best for me. I’m happy eating healthy whole foods and fasting 16 hours a day. I feel great and sleep better than I have in years.
Stick with the program and you will eventually reach your goal. If taking time off dieting during the holidays to enjoy life happens, so be it. Let us know how your weight loss journey progresses in 2024.
Thanks, @dolphinboy, and congrats to you. I’ve long understood that the hardest part, at least for me, was transitioning from weight-loss mode to weight-maintenance mode. You have to tread carefully and gradually, it is easy to feel as if you have earned the right to treat yourself once various goals have been achieved, and that can get out of hand very easily.
Walking 10 miles a day is amazing, how did you make that happen?
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I live in a walking-friendly neighborhood, and I own a dog that wants to walk all the time. A few years ago I started small and slowly worked my way up. Since I wasn’t running or jogging, I wasn’t sweaty or exhausted after 30 minutes. I found I could walk at my dog’s pace, about 3 MPH, for longer and longer periods without being tired or sore the next day.
It was about counting steps, which my iPhone does for me automatically. I would often listen to podcasts or music so I didn’t get bored. During the summer I would walk in the morning and evening when it wasn’t too hot out. I did as much hiking up and down hills as I did sidewalk walking since there are numerous wooded trails close to my house. I did it every day. I wouldn’t do all my steps at once, I would break it up into two or three walks throughout the day. I’m retired so I had the whole day free.
I still walk every day, although not as much as when I was dieting. For example, yesterday I did 18k steps, or a little over 7 miles, and I burned 600 extra calories, which helps keep my energy balance negative. I also have a treadmill so when the weather is poor, it’s 4 degrees outside right now, I can do my walking at home while watching TV. I joined SilverSneakers last year which gave me a free gym membership I can use if I want.
Try to get yourself into the habit of walking daily and increase your steps every week. Find new places to walk so you don’t get bored, and think about getting a dog if you don’t already have one. Dogs need daily exercise as much as we do.