Started a healthy diet, when do I start to feel better?
- Thread starter AZjeff
- Start date
If you can add some strength training would really be beneficial.
Understood. I need to strengthen my core, and improve flexibility. I keep saying this, but haven't started yet. Big focus is to lose the weight first, then I'll switch things up.
I won't go on about it but the strength training will help you retain some muscle if not grow it. Being in a calorie deficit and just cardio the body doesn't care it will take muscle away and almost first. The human body wants to and by design stay fat you'll trigger more if strength training to burn fat.
It's why people that are just using GLP1 meds they just become skinny fat unless they get on a resistance training program.
You don't need to start in a muscle gym or with intimidating machines.
Not saying this will work for you but find a gym with classes (or one on one, if affordable). Point is, I had no idea what would work for me. I could play pickleball and hike pretty far but my core was still the same loose office garbage of the last 30-40 years. I needed to get rid of the visceral fat. Yeah crunches and sit-ups - YAY (all I knew!)
I now have a $35 month membership at a local gym. They have tons of classes. I take three a week.
Yoga, Pump, and Strength and Stretch. People here make fun of the names, but they are NOT girly classes. Nor are they 22 year body hunk classes. They are EXACTLY classes for YOU and I. You can start with 20 pounds on your bar (or an empty bar) and 5 pound hand weights. No pressure, but all three absolutely work your core front to back back to obliques and front and buttocks on down and back up. You might be a little sore but you won't die.
Even when my wife gives me a side hug in church....she'll be "Your body is hard like a rock statue"
I still have some loose skin, that part will bug you for awhile!
I have some experience in the gym. Back when I lived in NE Ohio, during the winter months, the gym was my main outlet. I bought Arnold Schwarzenegger book, and I tried to follow his suggested routine. His beginner routine, mind you, which was just brutal. Things like barbell clean and press. Pullups. Dips. Old school exercises. That dude was strong. His philosophy was to build bulk by building strength. He did the competitions, of course, but he was more than a show pony.
A few weeks ago my doctor informed me my cholesterol was high.
total 213
hdl 66
triglycerides 58
ldl 133
I was pissed off at him that he hasn't been checking it every yr. That's his job, not mine. He wanted to start me on statins and I said no freaking way. So Im trying diet first. Anyway, I just retired last year and having watched my dad go thru bypass surgery 20 yrs ago i took immediate action. I am loosely following the diet Dr Ham is doing. You can watch him on youtube or check his website the diet is free. It's based somewhat on Dr Carl Esylton's diet, the guy who advised Bill Clinton after his heart episode. It's design to actually revers heart disease. No saturated fat can be eaten. No red meat. No refined flour. Only whole grain wheat. Chickpeas. No full fat dairy. Lots of greens. Pomegranate juice. Nattokinase. Berberine. Tons of fiber. Flax, chia, metamucil. Unfortunately I don't eat fish but that would also be beneficial.
We will see in a few months if it affected my cholesterol or not but I've taken off almost 10 pounds and dropped my blood pressure
from the high 120-140 range down to about 110-120. Yesterday my pressure was 107/67 so that's at least one positive so far. I've also been doing sprints on my exercise bike 5 sets of 20 seconds full speed, 60 seconds rest. I plan on building up the sets very soon.
total 213
hdl 66
triglycerides 58
ldl 133
I was pissed off at him that he hasn't been checking it every yr. That's his job, not mine. He wanted to start me on statins and I said no freaking way. So Im trying diet first. Anyway, I just retired last year and having watched my dad go thru bypass surgery 20 yrs ago i took immediate action. I am loosely following the diet Dr Ham is doing. You can watch him on youtube or check his website the diet is free. It's based somewhat on Dr Carl Esylton's diet, the guy who advised Bill Clinton after his heart episode. It's design to actually revers heart disease. No saturated fat can be eaten. No red meat. No refined flour. Only whole grain wheat. Chickpeas. No full fat dairy. Lots of greens. Pomegranate juice. Nattokinase. Berberine. Tons of fiber. Flax, chia, metamucil. Unfortunately I don't eat fish but that would also be beneficial.
We will see in a few months if it affected my cholesterol or not but I've taken off almost 10 pounds and dropped my blood pressure
from the high 120-140 range down to about 110-120. Yesterday my pressure was 107/67 so that's at least one positive so far. I've also been doing sprints on my exercise bike 5 sets of 20 seconds full speed, 60 seconds rest. I plan on building up the sets very soon.
Way to go taking, control of your lifestyle! Real food and lots of movement. I would also suggest a hefty dose of Zone 2 cardio in your mix. Lots of good stuff happens when you do prolonged low to moderate level exercise.
Don't know your age, BMI, ratios, etc but frankly - a doc would recommend statins with those numbers? Just wow.
On March 27th, I got tired of what I'm seeing in the mirror and put myself on a diet. I cut out all sugar, all bread, and all red meat in an effort to get triglycerides and LDL under control.
My trouble lies in what my employer provides us for free in my office. All sorts of sugary and salty snacks and an espresso machine that uses a sugary powdered milk product, and cocoa. I cut it all out. My breakfast now consists of unsweetened oat milk, naked casein, chia seeds, sugar-free cocoa, fat-free plain Greek yogurt, half a banana, and Stevia. Lunch is either something salad related or something chicken or pork related. No bread, no potatoes, no beef, no sugar.
I felt like I had a 4-day hangover at the beginning of this, but I pulled out of it and I've been feeling much better lately now that my body isn't trying to survive on sugar, fat and bread. I started off at 221 lbs, and as of this morning, I weigh 204. I'm sure I would be feeling even better at 180. I'm 5'11".
If you're feeling poorly, remember that you still need to consume protein, and my personal experience through this so far is that caffeine doesn't hurt a thing. I put a teaspoon full of instant coffee in my morning smoothie, and I have a cup of coffee when I get to work. You may have changed how much you eat and what you eat, but you have to make sure you're still eating well.
My trouble lies in what my employer provides us for free in my office. All sorts of sugary and salty snacks and an espresso machine that uses a sugary powdered milk product, and cocoa. I cut it all out. My breakfast now consists of unsweetened oat milk, naked casein, chia seeds, sugar-free cocoa, fat-free plain Greek yogurt, half a banana, and Stevia. Lunch is either something salad related or something chicken or pork related. No bread, no potatoes, no beef, no sugar.
I felt like I had a 4-day hangover at the beginning of this, but I pulled out of it and I've been feeling much better lately now that my body isn't trying to survive on sugar, fat and bread. I started off at 221 lbs, and as of this morning, I weigh 204. I'm sure I would be feeling even better at 180. I'm 5'11".
If you're feeling poorly, remember that you still need to consume protein, and my personal experience through this so far is that caffeine doesn't hurt a thing. I put a teaspoon full of instant coffee in my morning smoothie, and I have a cup of coffee when I get to work. You may have changed how much you eat and what you eat, but you have to make sure you're still eating well.
Everyone is different...........but how is chicken or pork better than beef?
I'm 66 and 5ft 10" Don't know my BMI but after dropping 10 from the waist I'm now down to 180.
So I am not fat for sure. Don't smoke. Drink very moderately. The new standard is to have your LDL below 100.
I thought the standard used to be under 130 but I can't say for sure, maybe someone can chime in on that.
Anyways, I'm shooting to make my doctor eat crow by lowering my cholesterol with diet. He is skeptical, and others have said I've gone too extreme but that's why I am going to succeed. I am very competitive and I'm using this as a challenge to prove them all wrong. However, I do admit making this a permanent change will be very difficult. I'm going to ask the doctor to get a heart and carotid artery scans too to see just how much damage has been done over the years and as a future reference to see if this diet actually reduces any damage.
Beef is high in saturated fat. That's the type of fat that clogs arteries. Chicken and lean cuts of pork have much less saturated fat
This is very old thinking. I'm not a doctor and we are getting close to what we can't talk about here. Continue on your journey, continue to learn. I will not criticize your doctor, he is only doing what he learned in the past.
Important number is triglycerides - yours looks decent.
How is your A1c or at least fasting blood glucose? My guess, decent as well. Also VERY important.
I don't see an A1C test anywhere on these two sheets of printouts but glucose is 88
Everything on these sheets is in range except my total cholesterol and ldl levels
These are the guidelines from the American Heart Assoc. about saturated fat.
I realize that our Health Secretary JFK has different ideas, and I don't criticize anyone who chooses that path.
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/saturated-fats
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My problem was never diet so much as... I just eat too much. I replaced the snacks with things like broccoli... I turned 30 last month (yeah I know) but have a lot of conditions that run in the family. Diabetes is common, blood pressure issues and the like. By my age dad was on blood pressure medication for about 5 years and multiple pills (still is). I so far have been pretty good. I've undergone a few stress tests for... other unrelated issues and come back really well. No blood pressure issues, routinely test sugar and am also good. So far am doing better than everyone else and siblings at this point....
Had my pulmonary function test done last year (requirement to suit up) and despite being a chronic asthmatic, it went really well. I'm within 10lbs of when I graduated high-school (again, low bar lol) and would absolutely beat the hell out of my high-school self. I know I am not old but you're better off managing it young vs trying to play catch up imo.
Have some free weights I toss around a few times a week. Nothing crazy. Kick backs, plank rows, squats, chest pressure, reverse curls... barbarian stuff just to move around on those off days. Other days I go in the yard and dig 300 feet of trench. It's a balance lol. High-school and early college I destroyed my body with manual labor so that kept the weight off. I still destroy myself occasionally but it no longer is an every day thing... and my back thanks me.
This is a really cool thread with a lot of info I'd not have otherwise seen either. I am going in for bloodwork sooner than later (you all convinced me) as it's been almost 3 years since my last and I'm way over due.
Had my pulmonary function test done last year (requirement to suit up) and despite being a chronic asthmatic, it went really well. I'm within 10lbs of when I graduated high-school (again, low bar lol) and would absolutely beat the hell out of my high-school self. I know I am not old but you're better off managing it young vs trying to play catch up imo.
Have some free weights I toss around a few times a week. Nothing crazy. Kick backs, plank rows, squats, chest pressure, reverse curls... barbarian stuff just to move around on those off days. Other days I go in the yard and dig 300 feet of trench. It's a balance lol. High-school and early college I destroyed my body with manual labor so that kept the weight off. I still destroy myself occasionally but it no longer is an every day thing... and my back thanks me.
This is a really cool thread with a lot of info I'd not have otherwise seen either. I am going in for bloodwork sooner than later (you all convinced me) as it's been almost 3 years since my last and I'm way over due.
Trenching you say?
I did my early morning bike ride, but skipped my late morning walk...to do some trenching. I'm redoing the back yard, and working to install sprinklers. Had to remove a tree a few months ago because the roots were lifting my driveway slab. The tree was a medium sized Chinese Elm, and the roots are just brutal. Trenching, even the rock-hard type, from the lack of rain we get here, is child's play compared to the snakes nest of roots in my yard. Root pile photo is after digging 50' of trench.
Bought a Mattock, and swinging that thing is a workout!
Luckily most of the side yard is sand and had no trees! The front has a lot of odd fill and clay. That sucked a little. And for the same reasons, we have measured half an inch of rain since February... we're actually in a pretty bad drought right now and it's making operating the plant difficult.
Sprinklers, electrical, gas and water lines were the trenches... Dad had fusions in his back, i told him not to touch a shovel (didn't completely listen but he did little to nothing which is surprisingly good). He had a pole barn built and figured the least I could do was help the man. The last 50 foot run was like that, along the property line with all the bushes. That was rough. Much as I hate to rub it in, the rest was pretty easy. Hatchet, pick axe and saw for that run. Even the skid steer had trouble ripping through the rats nest for the grading portion.
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