Phoenixkh: An Old Man's Continuum....

[spacemonkey42]

Wow, what a thoughtful, heartfelt, and beautiful post, Kim! Thank you for sharing that and being an amazing part of this community.

 

[Guido75]

Kim, it is an absolutely pleasure to know you and to have been a part of your journey most of this first year. And what a year it has been with some stellar razors entering your den (and some moving on), your exquisite brushes and your journey in transitioning from SE to DE. And your sharing of personal reflections and teeth reconstructions!

Keep it up and I look forward to continue walking along together.

Cheers,

Guido

 

[Mr. Shavington]

You lost 68lbs?! Congratulations, that’s really something. I’m sure you’ll keep it up since losing 68lbs is the surest proof that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.

I gotta lose some weight too. Good news is that I rather like zero fat cottage cheese. I should do some regular walking. Got any good advice, Kim?

 

[Phoenixkh]

We just changed our diet. We cut out the bread, pasta, rice, starchy vegetables, etc.. We eat meats, roasted vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, onions, bell peppers, etc. It makes grocery shopping very easy. We don't shy away from the good fats like olive oil, etc.. and we still use dairy products like butter and sour cream. We don't like bad tasting food so we made the adjustments so we still enjoy eating. This is one of those "for the rest of our lives" eating strategy... not a way to lose weight and return to our previous way of eating.

We make delicious soups as well. Mexican influenced dinners. I had to cut out desserts most of the time. My wife makes incredible chocolate mousse so I have that every so often but not on a regular basis. Our youngest son's in-laws have lots of family gatherings and are kind enough to invite us. I take my own food with me, just in case and avoid all the lovely desserts they all bring. As I've said before: abstinence is easier than moderation... moderation requires self control; abstinence only requires the tyranny of will.

And I row on a Concept2 Rower most days and ride my bicycle when it's nice out. I was assisted by oral surgery when we were in Bali... and we walked a Lot there... some every day, with some days of walking down cliffs to the beaches. I lost 16 pounds there in 4 weeks... way above my 5 pound a month goal. I think I'll end up losing another 15 pounds or so this year. I'm not in a rush but I am keeping track of my trends.

 

[Butch Waxx]

We just changed our diet. We cut out the bread, pasta, rice, starchy vegetables, etc.. We eat meats, roasted vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, onions, bell peppers, etc. It makes grocery shopping very easy. We don't shy away from the good fats like olive oil, etc.. and we still use dairy products like butter and sour cream. We don't like bad tasting food so we made the adjustments so we still enjoy eating. This is one of those "for the rest of our lives" eating strategy... not a way to lose weight and return to our previous way of eating.

We make delicious soups as well. Mexican influenced dinners. I had to cut out desserts most of the time. My wife makes incredible chocolate mousse so I have that every so often but not on a regular basis. Our youngest son's in-laws have lots of family gatherings and are kind enough to invite us. I take my own food with me, just in case and avoid all the lovely desserts they all bring. As I've said before: abstinence is easier than moderation... moderation requires self control; abstinence only requires the tyranny of will.

And I row on a Concept2 Rower most days and ride my bicycle when it's nice out. I was assisted by oral surgery when we were in Bali... and we walked a Lot there... some every day, with some days of walking down cliffs to the beaches. I lost 16 pounds there in 4 weeks... way above my 5 pound a month goal. I think I'll end up losing another 15 pounds or so this year. I'm not in a rush but I am keeping track of my trends.

That ‘a boy! Great job Phoenixkh

 

[Elliot]

Kim, so happy you’re here and love reading your posts!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Well, it was a year ago today I joined B&B. What a lovely journey the last year has been. I've learned a lot about shaving from so many people, coffee from a few.. and Music from @Eric_75 (formerly Arbor Man) and @njpaddy and some others.

Today, I shaved early (for me). I confirmed the Green Cult 2.0 Level 2 base plate is the best match for my face and skin. I like the face feel... just enough blade feel so I know where the blade is, efficient enough to give me my usual smooth, relaxing, comfortable yet close shave. I used a new Nacet blade in it. I have some good blades, I think. I need to try a couple of them out for the first time, but the ones I've used so far are great for me. Truth be told, I know I couldn't tell you which is which in a double blind test. So far, I've used the King C Gillette, 7 O'clock black, Wizamet Super Iridium, Personna Comfort Coated, Kai and Nacet blades. I don't have a favorite at this point since all of them work so well... and in all the razors I currently have.

What is in store for this next year on B&B? I think I've sort of settled in, for the moment. My shaving routine has developed and that seems pretty much set in stone. I enjoy the rituals that accompany traditional wet shaving. Who knew? I had no idea when I started out last Feb. 18th, 2022 that I'd enjoy shaving. It's been fun. I had to learn so much, coming from canned goo and a Gillette Fusion Power cartridge razor. I had some growing pains early on and asked a Lot of questions: did a lot of reading here on B&B. So far, I've found brushes I like, soaps that don't react with my skin, razors that are enjoyable to use. I found out, pre-shaves really do work for my face. I have two more razors showing up in the not too distant future. My Bronze Wolfman WR2 .95 with two handles and stands will be here in 3 or 4 weeks, I'd guess. Theo @ Lambda razors is reserving my birth date serial number for 2023 for me. When I'm no longer around, our sons will inherit those two razors in their lovely mahogany boxes.

I still have a few razors around I haven't used yet and I have to get back to the SuperSlant and work out my issues with it. I'm sitting here at the moment... feeling my face every so often, marveling at the smoothness. As has been said so many times here, shaving is no longer a chore but something to which I look forward.

I start losing weight a few weeks before our son gave me that first razor and the journey began. Shaving was a large part of the weight loss regiment, when I think back on it. I've lost 68 pound so far. I no longer have to keep an eye out for Japanese trawlers when we are at the beach.

B&B and the people here have enriched my life. I thank all of you so much. You've all put smiles on my face so many times this past year. It's been my privilege getting to know so many of you. From the depths of my soul, you all have my heartfelt thanks.

May all your shaves be stellar.

68 pounds, too, I'm impressed. It's been a very good year.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

We just changed our diet. We cut out the bread, pasta, rice, starchy vegetables, etc.. We eat meats, roasted vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, onions, bell peppers, etc. It makes grocery shopping very easy. We don't shy away from the good fats like olive oil, etc.. and we still use dairy products like butter and sour cream. We don't like bad tasting food so we made the adjustments so we still enjoy eating. This is one of those "for the rest of our lives" eating strategy... not a way to lose weight and return to our previous way of eating.

We make delicious soups as well. Mexican influenced dinners. I had to cut out desserts most of the time. My wife makes incredible chocolate mousse so I have that every so often but not on a regular basis. Our youngest son's in-laws have lots of family gatherings and are kind enough to invite us. I take my own food with me, just in case and avoid all the lovely desserts they all bring. As I've said before: abstinence is easier than moderation... moderation requires self control; abstinence only requires the tyranny of will.

And I row on a Concept2 Rower most days and ride my bicycle when it's nice out. I was assisted by oral surgery when we were in Bali... and we walked a Lot there... some every day, with some days of walking down cliffs to the beaches. I lost 16 pounds there in 4 weeks... way above my 5 pound a month goal. I think I'll end up losing another 15 pounds or so this year. I'm not in a rush but I am keeping track of my trends.

What a cool series of recent posts, Kim.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Raven Koenes]

Kim, you are my hero!

 

[Phoenixkh]

Kim, you are my hero!

I sure hope you are being facetious.

 

[Raven Koenes]

I sure hope you are being facetious.

You wrote a post about your first anniversary here expressing gratitude for the friends you have made and the camaraderie you feel, you've lost 68 pounds, changed your diet, started exercising more, and first and foremost you've incorporated your shaving regimen into your weight loss program (further studies are indicated). I'm both impressed and touched. Okay, maybe the hero thing is a bit of a stretch , but you inspire me on my journey to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. I've lost 38 pounds. I know what that took. 30 pounds more, well now that's impressive.

 

[Phoenixkh]

You wrote a post about your first anniversary here expressing gratitude for the friends you have made and the camaraderie you feel, you've lost 68 pounds, changed your diet, started exercising more, and first and foremost you've incorporated your shaving regimen into your weight loss program (further studies are indicated). I'm both impressed and touched. Okay, maybe the hero thing is a bit of a stretch , but you inspire me on my journey to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. I've lost 38 pounds. I know what that took. 30 pounds more, well now that's impressive.

Thx for your response.... I'm one of those people who can gain weight just lusting over the ice cream at the grocery store.... It's a gift. I had to decide I'm going to refuse that gift if I'm going to be able to be healthy enough to do the things in life I enjoy: photography in nature preserves, walking around botanical gardens, etc.. I don't think that elevates me to hero status... but thank you so much for your thoughts.

 

[Guido75]

Okay, maybe the hero thing is a bit of a stretch

Well the man did everything he could to get the stretch out of his pants last year (wait?! is that a proper statement to make…ehh) by losing all that weight so I think technically you are in the ballpark I would say by labelling that heroic.

And you are a hero yourself too for displaying the discipline it takes to loose and maintain weight!

Cheers to you both!

Guido

 

[Phoenixkh]

Thx, Guido

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Anybody can have laudable goals. Not everybody is willing to do what it takes to realize them.

I agree with Rave @Raven Koenes. Kim approximates a hero given his inspiring accomplishments.

The caveat being one we all know. Losing it is easy compared to keeping it off.

Please don't ask me how I know.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Phoenixkh]

Anybody can have laudable goals. Not everybody is willing to do what it takes to realize them.

I agree with Rave @Raven Koenes. Kim approximates a hero given his inspiring accomplishments.

The caveat being one we all know. Losing it is easy compared to keeping it off.

Please don't ask me how I know.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Jim, yeah... that's why we've adopted this eating style for life.. when I get to my target weight... I plan to set a 3 pound weight gain limit.... I want to be a thin old man, who didn't need to get sick to lose the weight.

Edit: I don't know what that weight will be yet... I'm down to what I weighed when I was in HS... but I'll need to be thinner to get rid of my love handles and much smaller pooch... I can get into my "thin" shorts easily now... but that last few pounds will make me feel better.

 

[APBinNCA]

I don't know how to say this in a way that isn't going to sound crude... it was once explained to me that men don't really have a conscious idea of what they are eating or how much they should eat, you put food in front of them and they usually eat it all. That's meant as a generalisation, but it was somebody trying to explain to me what normal people are like. This really is evolutionary biology combined with some anti-male cynicism I am sure.

The thing is I am borderline eating disorder obsessed with what I put in my mouth, it's an Autistic thing, always have been. They say that if you are letting it affect you on a constant basis then it's not good for you mentally, I try to explain that it's automatic for me, I don't think about it. I hate being called a picky eater because I won't gain weight to make other people feel better about their gluttony.

So what I am getting at is whether it is a male thing or an abundance of food or evolutionary biology, we are tremendously at a disadvantage in this country when it comes to being healthy. I believe food is the first line of defence so to speak, other people call food medicine. This is problematic because different cultures define medicine differently, we usually consider it something temporary to fix a problem. Anybody that steps outside the box, Kim, and really examines themselves and what they are doing deserves a lot of credit. It is something to be looked up to because many people are still in the box and somebody like me is more of an alien to them and not relatable at all. I should mention that in this context, inside the box is a double something or the other as it alludes to all those shelves of junk food that should be avoided as much as possible. So, eating outside the box means you are not taking what is being forced on you both literally and figuratively. Some say that the secret to eating healthy is shopping the perimeter of the store more than a specific type of diet.

 

[Raven Koenes]

Jim, yeah... that's why we've adopted this eating style for life.. when I get to my target weight... I plan to set a 3 pound weight gain limit.... I want to be a thin old man, who didn't need to get sick to lose the weight.

Edit: I don't know what that weight will be yet... I'm down to what I weighed when I was in HS... but I'll need to be thinner to get rid of my love handles and much smaller pooch... I can get into my "thin" shorts easily now... but that last few pounds will make me feel better.

I know what you mean about a smaller pooch and love handles. I hit my ideal weight before Christmas. I maintained it through the holidays. I dropped five pounds from there. I'm now wearing my son-in-law's 31w jeans, and they need a belt to hold them up. I don't want to go down any further. I'll just keep doing cardio and dumbbell exercises. I find it difficult to meet the 2,330 calories a day to maintain. I get to supper time and find I have 1,000 calories left, and my supper clocks in around 740 or less. I was never a daytime eater, but now I make sure I eat breakfast and lunch.

 

[Raven Koenes]

I don't know how to say this in a way that isn't going to sound crude... it was once explained to me that men don't really have a conscious idea of what they are eating or how much they should eat, you put food in front of them and they usually eat it all. That's meant as a generalisation, but it was somebody trying to explain to me what normal people are like. This really is evolutionary biology combined with some anti-male cynicism I am sure.

The thing is I am borderline eating disorder obsessed with what I put in my mouth, it's an Autistic thing, always have been. They say that if you are letting it affect you on a constant basis then it's not good for you mentally, I try to explain that it's automatic for me, I don't think about it. I hate being called a picky eater because I won't gain weight to make other people feel better about their gluttony.

So what I am getting at is whether it is a male thing or an abundance of food or evolutionary biology, we are tremendously at a disadvantage in this country when it comes to being healthy. I believe food is the first line of defence so to speak, other people call food medicine. This is problematic because different cultures define medicine differently, we usually consider it something temporary to fix a problem. Anybody that steps outside the box, Kim, and really examines themselves and what they are doing deserves a lot of credit. It is something to be looked up to because many people are still in the box and somebody like me is more of an alien to them and not relatable at all. I should mention that in this context, inside the box is a double something or the other as it alludes to all those shelves of junk food that should be avoided as much as possible. So, eating outside the box means you are not taking what is being forced on you both literally and figuratively. Some say that the secret to eating healthy is shopping the perimeter of the store more than a specific type of diet.

I get it. I do the ocd thing. I have the whole food thing down to an art. I find routine comforting, and I obsess about things I enjoy, like shaving, lol. You really nailed it in your post. People need a lot less food than they think they do. I always make sure I get healthy fats, carbs, and enough protein.

 

[APBinNCA]

I get it. I do the ocd thing. I have the whole food thing down to an art. I find routine comforting, and I obsess about things I enjoy, like shaving, lol. You really nailed it in your post. People need a lot less food than they think they do. I always make sure I get healthy fats, carbs, and enough protein.

Thank you, I almost deleted that after typing it. Sometimes generalisations can cause more trouble than direct attacks. I appreciate this post a lot because, even though I know I am doing what is right for me, I sometimes feel like a lone voice against a crazy mob.