50 pounds lost in 2025!

 Officially hit my main weight goal for this year!    Hit it yesterday and again today,  241.4 and 241.2 respectively (just shy of 110kg)

I needed to get under 241.6 to have officially lost 50 lbs since June (291.6 lbs).    Yay me!   LOL 

This also means, if I can get to 239lbs before my Jan 7 physical, I will officially just be "overweight" per the BMI chart instead of obese (height of 6'3").   I haven't seen 230 something since 1999/2000.

Just to repeat my earlier blogs, my new diet feels very sustainable and satisfying.   I love it.   I don't crave the chips, donuts, greasy pizza, burgers, etc like before.  I truly LIKE what I'm eating now.    Learning to make 50% whole wheat sourdough bread probably helped a lot too.      The main downside of how I eat now is I can't find fast food variations of healthy bean/lentil dishes when traveling.   But I have my fridge and microwave in the truck, and there are always Indian and Mexican restaurants.    

The Viva Longevity youtube channel just posted a very applicable video to what I've discovered this past year.    My appetite is no longer overwhelming.  Eating high fiber, mostly plant based helps me feel full during the day.     The following video also explains why my blood test results back in November were so good while still technically "obese".     Only my LDL was outside the healthy range (108 instead of <100).     I expect everything to be in range after another year, and after getting under 220lbs/100kg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks0hHmkXXuo  

 

From the Viva Longevity youtube link above, Miguel has a google drive link to his food pyramid.   I've attached it here too.  You can double click on the photo to make it bigger.

It's what I was saying in my earlier blogs.   I still eat meat, but just a few times a month.   I still probably have more dairy than I technically should.   Lately I've been making my own cheese crisps, and I still have 2% Fage Greek Yogurt almost daily, but I did recently switch to Silk Soy milk.     China's not going to buy our soybeans anymore, so I think Americans should step up.   Planting Soybeans replenishes the soil.   Soy milk needs less water too 

 

Soymilk alone tastes more bean/nutty than milk, but I drink it with my protein powders, so it's not noticeable.    The "soy boy" insults are nonsense.     Soy's phytoestrogens don't raise estrogen levels in men.    https://sniglobal.org/origins-of-the-soy-feminization-myth/

 

My last health topic on this blog, when I had my colonoscopy, the doctor told me I have early Diverticulosis too.    So if you watch that video above, Diverticulosis eventually becomes the much worse Diverticulitis, which ended Miguel's father's life far too soon.   If you're like me, don't ignore it.

Diverticulosis is another motivation for me to follow the diet plan above.   The Keto/Paleo diet would be extremely uncomfortable for my gut now. 

 

B

 

Before I do longer bike touring, I need to figure out how to cook bean/lentil dishes on the road.   

 

I may get one of these, and learn how to use it.   A lightweight pressure cooker.    

 

https://www.keith-ti.com/products/keith-titanium-ti6302high-altitude-mountainpressure-cooker

 It only gets up to half the pressure of my Instant Pot, but it's lightweight, 520g or a tick over 1 pound.   That's a manageable weight to haul bike touring/back packing.   The size is relatively ok too; I could probably store my primus stove in it.    Then I could bring dried beans/lentils on the road, a few spices, a small oil jar and maybe some dehydrated coconut powder, so I can more easily follow my high fiber diet while bike touring.    With some experimenting, I can learn to pre-soak the dried beans/lentils to shorten the cooking time too.    When I did the Erie Canal too, it was fun to revert to junk food from Stewart's gas station for a few days, but my gut didn't feel as good and I felt bloated in general.    

 

 

I have the Keith multicooker already, so this Winter I'm going to experiment with soaking beans/lentils first and see if that works with the multicooker.   Probably won't work.   It's smaller, but not pressurized.  It's more like a lightweight, double cooker, steamer.   Works great for making rice and not burning it to the bottom of the pot, but plain white rice takes 10 minutes.   Brown rice takes 20minutes.      I'd rather have a bigger pressure pot and only need 5-10 minutes.   More on that later.

 

https://www.keith-ti.com/products/keith-titanium-ti6300-plastic-free-multifunctional-cooker 

 

 

Finally, I think my next steps will be to make some short Youtube videos for my Dad, or maybe guys/gals that don't cook much.   The videos will require an Instant Pot.   I want to make wuick videos that are "good enough" to help people try making these dishes.   When they master my level, they can watch the better youtube videos on those dishes.