Shivering my way back into all my kilts

**tundramanq** · 21st May 15, 01:12 PM

I gain weight and inches every holiday season from good food and good cheer. Then try to lose it by the next spring with less success every year. It is hard to be very active in the winter. I have too many kilts at 32 to 34 inch waists and no desire to churn them - some can't be replaced.
Was using walking, lean meat and greens diet with less success every year.
At 62 I tried a new approach - make my body burn the fat to stay warm:
Hunt down stealth "dead" calories.
Instead of using nondairy creamer in my coffee and dosing every cup, I now dose the whole pot of joe with about 2 tablespoons of half n half and my stomach doesn't complain. 300 calories versus 40 calories in a whole pot!
I also cool the coffee to room temperature by placing the coffee carafe in a sink of cold water for about 5 minutes. Hot drinks and calorie laden drinks keep you from burning fat.
This last 5 months I dressed light indoors and for short times outside. Set my thermostat down to the temperature required to feel a bit chilled. To maintain body heat your muscles tense up and if there isn't any handy glucose they convert and burn fat. If that isn't enough your muscles start to shiver to generate more heat. I rode the area between the two. The muscle tension will help keep your lean muscle mass that would get cannibalized if not used in dieting.

Anyway with these changes I am down 20 pounds and 4 inches since January 1st ( 5 months) and am still working on the multi year old "love handles". Last year it took until fall ( 9 months ) to shed 15 pounds and 3 inches - then the pig out season began again.

**Father Bill** · 21st May 15, 01:14 PM

Congratulations! Let's shake on that!

**Mikilt** · 21st May 15, 02:00 PM

Aye Tundramanq,
I have the same problem. About February every year I start to notice that I am up a notch on my kilt straps. As other Xmarkers do, I observe kilt Fridays and over the last month I have noticed that I am pulling the straps tighter. I suspect that my body, or more to the point, my gut, changes shape over time with no significant weight gain or loss. I don't weigh, I just go by how my kilts fit.

**tundramanq** · 21st May 15, 03:06 PM

Kilts fitting tight after getting down to my old weight is what got me to looking into this unhealthy Yo Yo cycling. I drink unsweetened iced tea in the hot season - no problem there with my normal diet. But when it gets cold, I will down about 4 or more pots of coffee a day. That's a whopping extra 1200 empty calories a day with the non-dairy creamer. Will be doing a pre-emptive strike on the gain this coming fall with the coffee and see how I goes. It would help if there was some snow to shovel here

I used a whisk broom this year to clear my walk.

**Tarheel** · 21st May 15, 04:12 PM

I'm glad to hear you've found a way to regulate the "flux in seasonal girth". I hate that it is such a trial on the system. We (at our age in structural challenges) learn to adapt. I hope it works to your benefit without too much risk. But, if you ever have to thin the kilt stable, we'll help you out.

**Dughlas mor** · 21st May 15, 05:28 PM

I congratulate you on your successful results, but for myself, I think I would rather eat less and stay warm! It`s a constant struggle, I am well aware. The only way I`ve ever been able to lose weight is to spend some time being hungry.

**OKSooner** · 21st May 15, 07:18 PM

I like daily kilt walks as a way to get moving and help with weight gain. Plus, walks with a kilt have no irritating constrictions I have when walking a long time in trousers.