Keeping your weight during a U.S. trip

Just returned from a 10-day business trip to the United States. Was wondering how 10in2 would stand up against the 6-hour time change, the ultra-rich food and the unavoidable business dinners.

Turned out that it works, not easily or perfectly, but just good enough. Flying for hours doesn't really make me hungry and the food served on planes isn't usually worth eating anyway, so I made the two long travel days DDays. I had to switch the 10 pattern for this - but that was not difficult at all, I didn't even do a Joker day; simply shortened two days a bit by eating only two meals on an Uday, then not eating for the next two meals, eating the next two, et voila, pattern changed.

With the exceptionally large and calorie-rich (and usually very enjoyable...) portions in the US, I was curious to see if these would annihilate the efforts of 10. I didn't count calories at any time, but I am rather sure that at least 2 meals had over 2500 calories each. Even breakfast can be made into a full-day meal by adding waffles to bagles and omelettes.

The biggest issue I had with fasting was that there simply is no espresso - the only thing to tickle my taste buds on DDays - to be had in any US office or hotel. The closest I could get was an "Americano", which is an espresso filled up with hot water to a yucky third liter of, well, American style coffee. Only on the flight home I managed to get a real double espresso with no water added at a Starbucks. The barista asked me twice if that small black puddle was really what I wanted... :)

Today ends the first DDay since returning home. Very curious to check my weight tomorrow morning and see if I didn't take on any weight on that trip.

Is 500 kcal on DDays a good thing?

After staying below 90kg for three days, I tried to switch from 10in2 to Modified ADF as favored by Varady, on a Sunday. Had a small lunch, made me feel cold in the evening, not sure this is better for me. Will try some more times.

Had less than 90kg this morning, for the first time after an UpDay - also a nice "first" :) Took a bit of milk with the morning coffee to celebrate.

Ash Wednesday will be an UDay and the day I get back from the US, that is going to be an interesting week :0)

One month done, BMI: 27,8

Another weekend day with zero calories done (ufffff) and went dancing again, tough but certainly very good for the "purpose". And besides, dancing just is great with B :)

Would have liked to be below 90 kg by now, am missing this goal by 0,2 kg... but hey, 5 kg within one month is motivating for starters. Things will be slower, and tougher, from here. But summer should see me at BMI below 26, so let's stay strong.

In this first month, the 1-0-rhythm was fully kept, with just one dday having a few cals from a salad. I am not a cheater, that's for sure :)

Approaching first full month of 10in2

Looking back on another weekend downday; not too bad, although it is kind of tough sitting with the family happily munching away. Well, you get what you choose (at least sometimes, and certainly in this case). Get to hear that I look better... belly circumference hasn't noticeably decreased, but maybe the overall stature has. Certainly would be nice to have visible results after nearly one month or 13 downdays ;)

Dancing on a down day

Tried more intensive sports on a down day (Dday from now on) for the first time: two hours of ballroom dancing. Did not do zero calories because of B's b-day lunch, but only had a spicy sashimi salad, so it counts as a Dday. Got a headache after two hours of mid-intensive dancing, so there may be limits to how much sporting is good for me on a Dday.

Weight loss not noticeable on the morning after, so it has really slowed down after the first three. That's probably as it should be. Keep it up!

two weeks, still three kilos

The last four days did not show significant loss, but it feels ok and stabilizing. Am reading some more about Dr Varady's studies. Interesting to know that daily weighing will statistically let people lose weight faster and keep it down more consistently... mind over matter :)

Will switch to her EODD once I am down to 90. Currently the 91 point something are established. Tomorrow is a Nuller but we are celebrating B' b-day, so I will do EODD with a light lunch; and if we manage to go dancing in the evening, this should more than make up this lunch :D

keeping it up

Yesterday's Nuller wasn't really hard. It's just the weekends. Considering to do 500 cals on weekend down-days. Read some on JUDDD (www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com) vs EOD. There are quite a few very well-educated weight-watchers on lowcarbfriends.com but all the discussions on "exactly how was this-and-that study result proven" seems a bit irrational.

Dieting works differently for different people. For me, EOD with 0 cals on Down Days seems to work just fine; after 2-3 months I will know more, for now it's not too hard at all and B keeps telling me she already sees results. After two weeks! :)

Renamed the blog from "BMI 30 -> 22" to "BMI 30 -> 25". With a BMI of 25, I will be "normal at the border to overweight", 80 kg in absolute numbers - and reaching that would mean 15 kg weight loss in total (12 to go...). Once I manage that, I'll re-evaluate possible next goals. Don't know yet if a BMI of 22 - I would then have slightly more than 70 kg - is reasonable and healthy for me.

0#7 was tough

Maybe family Sundays are harder, maybe it was just me... but yesterday was tough. Hungry and grouchy, but stayed at zero cals, and did some walking. Want this to be real. Did not have the energy to do the urgent office work. Will try to do a high intensity day today.

First three kilos down :)

Thou shalt not weigh thyself, says Bernhard Ludwig, lest thou fall into the trap of hopelessness... weight will go up and down, results are better seen in belly circumference.

But like many other 10in2ers, I like to see numbers. So I do weigh myself, nearly every morning And today, after seven Nullers, I am for the first time down to below 92, having started at 95 twelve days ago. I like :)

0#6

...was not a true Nuller. Did have business lunch and therefore got a few veggies, maybe 200 kcal. Made no real difference, although there was a little more feeling of hunger in the evening. So maybe for me a true 01in2 is easier than the "zero-zeropointtwentyfive-in-two" as promoted by Dr Varady in the EOD.

Also had 0.2 red wine during the last flight leg. Does make me quite a bit more dizzy on a near-zero day.