I wasn't having a go at Renton. I also think this particular diet is a little odd but I'm in the camp of each to their own, so to speak. My post was merely speculating on the wide options of salad available.

Noticed this.

Must post pics of meals for getting back rep.

Had to google VLCD. Obviously your diet is not VLCD so it's a bit of a misnomer, but it seems to be working for you. I think your slow and steady strategy is commendable btw (although a 40" waist or whatever it is is still pretty fat, so keep it up).

Yes, paradoxically yes. A couple of kilograms more off and could be 95cm=37.5". But then it'll be enough, good balance between weight relatively to height, belly and nowadays "normal" of having some fat. No factor totally optimal, but a compromise. A feeling of this issue taken care of.

... and the Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) smoothies can also be used this way, as a compliment to other food. Maybe could use a term "low calorie 'all including' smoothies", because five of them in principle give all the body needs in a day, except calories. And they are yummy to me.

August:
27-82.3kg
28-81.7
29-81.7
30-82.0

The journey towards 80kg has kicked off, think I have a few hundred of calories less being downed per day. Let's see what the scale tells the coming week.

Not as motivated to drop weight as last time around. Ate some chocolate more just because wanting to feel good at the gym, and in the morning had some too. Let's see how fast this goes. The main thing may be I just let it slip downwards a bit if it does with limited effort. I could guess today: one kilogram down a month, last time it was a bit more than two/month, but then I was dedicated for real.

Interesting to see if and how I'm going to pull this off. Apparently my body has already become accustomed to around 82.5kg, hunger sets in immediately when trying to deviate downwards. So skipped the evening salad, but ended up with 2x2 smoothies instead. Have to work on the mindset, once again. But think I will not go to salads with vegetables only? And berries for example in the afternoon before gym? They were the key to last drop.

One possibility would be to skip chocolate entirely until meeting goal, let's see.

Have started to write down the calories of everything I eat. Because I will drop the calorie amount that little this time think it's necessary, for knowing if I will lose something a couple of weeks or a month ahead. Wouldn't about 2000 a day be fine?

You could also increase your activity level by an increment. Adding a half hour a day of walking would spur further weight loss.

Thanks, but I work out one hour a day at the gym (and walk to the subway and back). Frankly not interested in increasing exercise, already doing it a ton more than I used to

2000 kcal a day should result in fast weight loss for someone exercising over 7 hours per week.

Let's see about that. It's not heavy exercise, maybe burning 200 cal? Pulse is about 100. My program is about it being repeated practically every single day, continuing indefinitely.

Here are the first 24 hours:

355 (116+122+117)
279
150
577 (116+133+328)
315
234 (117x2)
1910 calories

Looking good so far. Think I will list my daily calories the same time as date and weight.

August:
31-81.9kg-1910cal

September:
1-81.4kg

Let's see how many calories the weekend brings.

Trying not to be a nit, but came to think about that every time you eat, you waste some. A little smoothie remains in the cup, the salad dressing isn't squeezed out totally from the plastic envelope, for example. One of my salads contains a bit too much of fresh cheese for my taste, I remove some. Total loss? I'd say it can't be more than 5% on average, but that would already mean about 100cal a day. On the other hand don't think it's less than 2%, 40cal. Good to remember this when logging with one calorie exactness, but will go with what reads on the packages.

It's irrelevant because the waste has been constant. So whatever benchmarks for calories were getting you the desired results before would be downward adjusted 5% if you accounted for waste.

Yes, but haven't counted calories this exactly until now. So it haven't had any form of interest before...not very interesting even now

Finally I get to know how much my daily calorie intake generally should be. All I know it's a bit above 2000. Didn't get much good answers when searching for internet calculators. They don't know plaaynde

Think writing down the calories will help this time though. I'm pushing forward lunch now for example, for possibly getting a less total for the day. Or let's say dinner, because I ate the lunch salad in the morning...what weekends do to people!

Continuing the nit thing. Actually checked how much my standard clothing weighs when standing on the scale: it's 0.9 kilograms. So please please substract that from every reading I report...

Next 24 hours:

354 (122+116+116)
381
255 (133+122)
312
315
416
2033 calories

Think not bad for a Saturday. Looks this is going to be alright after all. Let me guess: reaching 80kg in one month?

81.1kg, new "record" low. The drop is of course not totally "real" yet, but tells about that the journey down is not very long. Waist is back at previous low 96cm=38". This calculator tells the waist "should" be max 94cm at height 190cm:

https://www.health-calc.com/body-com...o-height-ratio

Might as well take it there? But 95cm will be ok, giving some possibility for muscle build to take care of getting to 94cm at 80kg.

Today I had one of those prepared salads you've been talking about. It was very salad-ish. I tossed the croutons it came with because they looked somewhat frightening and fried bread doesn't seem particularly healthy.

I think it might be wise for you to increase your height. If you were 215cm tall, your current waist would be entirely unproblematic.

Also, you promised a blood pressure reading. I'm pretty sure you haven't posted one. It is a good measure of whether you will survive the next couple of years, so you should be tracking it.

Thanks for asking, dug up the meter. Wasn't prepared to take in any uncomfortable news about the blood pressure during the summer, but it's september now…

128/82 and 136/82 (must have got excited before the second measurement)!

March 24 it was 145/100, around which it had been already in the end of last year multiple times, then I "only" quit alcohol. Then changed diet radically, April 24 pressure was 124/76 and 125/82, couldn't believe it so checked again April 25, and it was real, 126/79. May 5 it was a low as 117/73 and 114/78, but then my diet was very special, only smoothies and veggies.

When switching back to having some from the animal kingdom was afraid the blood pressure would bounce back up, but fortunately not.

Found the older measurements:
20.11.2017: 152/100, 154/100 and 147/100. Think before that it was at least five years since measuring, then it was normal. Thought: here we go again, there's blood pressure in the family. 28.11.2017: 147/101, confirmed elevated. History for the moment being.

131/94. This is a major improvement for me. Typically, when I have a pro take my BP they get a bit panicked.