Healthy Living 101

[Fluid Power]

I made a change in life style about 7 months ago. 193 lbs at 5'8". I didn't want to go on meds for cholesterol (it was border line on my last check up) The thing that helped me the most is exactly what Todd did, is write everything down that you eat. It is a huge PITA, however, if you use myfitnesspal.com (it is free!) you can create a profile for yourself, your target weight and the time frame you want to lose the weight and it will do the rest. The beauty of this website (besides being free) is that it also has a mobile app. Download to your phone and use the barcode scanner to import foods that you eat. Log in to myfitnesspal, tap input foods, scan the label of your yogurt and boom, it shows up in your foods. Exercise in the morning? Make a note of it. (You should eat your exercise calories btw) I am down 20lbs and using MFP has been a lifestyle change for me because of the portion control. Do I still eat potato chips? Every now and then and I eat the portion size on the bag. If it is 12 chips, I have 12 chips. The motivator for me has been the exercise. Since you eat the calories, I work my butt off and then I eat pizza on Friday night (without guilt) The key for me was never letting myself get to hungry. I eat tons of fruits and vegetables and I always carry them with me. Pack my lunch for work, etc. I am amazed that for lunch I can get by with a turkey on wheat, 1 oz of cheese, a huge bag of carrots, and diet Pepsi and I am full! Check it out. I think it will work for a lot of people.

Darren

[toy71camaro]

OP. Good timing of this thread! I started about 2 weeks ago doing 10 minutes on the new elliptical we got each morning before work, and on non work days increasing it slowly. Today and Yesterday i hit the 20 minute mark. Also started being more careful about what choices of food I eat.

Originally Posted by Fluid Power

The thing that helped me the most is exactly what Todd did, is write everything down that you eat. It is a huge PITA, however, if you use myfitnesspal.com (it is free!) you can create a profile for yourself, your target weight and the time frame you want to lose the weight and it will do the rest. The beauty of this website (besides being free) is that it also has a mobile app. Download to your phone and use the barcode scanner to import foods that you eat. Log in to myfitnesspal, tap input foods, scan the label of your yogurt and boom, it shows up in your foods. Exercise in the morning? Make a note of it. (You should eat your exercise calories btw)
Darren

Thanks for sharing this.. Im a techie. Love gadgets like this. Just signed up and my my entries for this morning. Hopefully this helps keep on track.


Little background, I'm 32. 5'7", 175. I want to be around the 155 range, but more importantly, healthy and fit. Always been athletic, but as i've got older, you generally lose that side of things.

I see there is a "Friends" option on the myfitnesspal app, if anyone wants to join up for some extra tracking/motivation, feel free: toy71camaro is my username.

[Shmoov69]

Todd, regarding the company we keep... I'll share a quote that my dad always told me and it is pretty good. The company you keep WILL influence you in time, no matter what!
"if you live (or spend your time) with dogs, you're gonna get fleas".

Thanks!
Jimmy

[Bucketlist2012]

Originally Posted by Shmoov69

Todd, regarding the company we keep... I'll share a quote that my dad always told me and it is pretty good. The company you keep WILL influence you in time, no matter what!
"if you live (or spend your time) with dogs, you're gonna get fleas".

Thanks!
Jimmy

My Dad always said, " You either fly with the Eagle's, or you walk with the Turkey's"

[SSLance]

Wow, very interesting thread. It is pretty cool to see a bunch of "car guys" talking about eating and living healthy.

My deal started a little over 2 years ago now. I was 45 years old, 6'0" and weighed about 180 pounds, pretty healthy I thought, just a little bit of a spare tire forming. Went for my annual physical, nailed the EKG, Stress test, everything looked good...until the blood work came back.

July 2011
Cholesterol 179
HDL Direct 32
Triglyceride 191
LDL Calculated 109

The Doc was mainly concerned about my Triglyceride levels, wanted to put me on a Statin. I refused and started a workout regimen, 30 minutes on treadmill 5 days a week, started drinking 8 oz of Grape juice a day (to raise good cholesterol) and taking an Omega supplement once a day.


Went back for more blood work in Oct 2011
Cholesterol 218
HDL Direct 29
Non-HDL Cholesterol 199
Triglyceride 195
LDL Calculated 150

This pissed me off enough that I stopped working out (aggravating knee trouble contributed as well), but continued with grape juice and omega supplement.


In Jan 2013 went back for more blood work
Cholesterol 243
HDL Direct 34
Non-HDL Cholesterol 209
Triglyceride 291
LDL Calculated 151

Again, the doc stressed that I need to be on a Statin, diagnosed me as "pre-diabetic". Well, just about everyone in my family has been diagnosed as "pre-diabetic" at one time or another due to Triglyceride levels, yet none of them have developed actual heart disease.

The wife and I sat down and decided to change the way we live, drastically. First although we thought that we ate pretty healthy, we reevaluated everything we consume and took out anything that would be considered "processed food". We committed to a fresh fruit, fresh vegetable and sensible protein diet, morning noon and night. We learned about better fish to eat, not just any fish, we learned about adding almonds to the mix, we learned ways of cooking food in a healthier manner. And the wife quit her high stress job and took some time off to just chill and spend a lot of time running to the grocery store for fresh food and making my lunches for me. I've always packed a lunch, but now my lunches have bags of carrots, cut fresh green peppers, nuts, and a light sammich in them instead of jello pudding, applesauce, and cookies along with a big ol honking sammich in there.

We also researched omegas...and learned a TON. I'm convinced the Omega supplement I was taking was wreaking havoc with my system. We found a supplement that was better fit and I started taking it once a day and I quit the grape juice

It's a life change for sure, but one for the better. I lost close to 10 pounds pretty quickly, lost about an inch off my waist and my spare tire went away...and I was eating MORE than I was before portion size, meaning I wasn't starving myself to do this. After 3 months I went back in for more blood work.

May 2013
Cholesterol 211
HDL Direct 29
Triglyceride 184 (the big one)
LDL Calculated 145

Ir was unbelievable to me that just a strict dietary change could lower my Triglyceride level over 100 points in a 3 month period.

You'll never guess what the doc said... "you still need to start taking a statin..." I just glared at her and she understood.

Anyway, it's 5 or 6 months later now, we are still on the "healthy eating kick", weight has stayed right at 170#s or so, feel great and I haven't been back for any more blood work. I wear a fitbit to track my footsteps per day, and try to keep as active as I can, but I don't see me becoming any sort of a workout warrior. My schedule and sore knees just don't fit into that plan. But I like the healthy living and seriously...it is becoming more and more regular all of the time and hopefully society as a whole will head further down this road which will just give us more and more good choices of food instead of more of the crap that is in the center sections of the grocery stores.

[Stuart Adams]

Good for you. Statins are terrible drugs. Find a new doctor.

[Stuart Adams]

We have been brainwashed by these low fat diets.

Eat good fats and keep sugar/ carbs way down and you will see vast changes in not only how you feel but reduce your chance of disease and sickness.

The game is changing fellas.

What is interesting is as we have been brainwashed that fat is bad we have been making diabetes, Alzheimer's, and obesity skyrocket at alarming rates. The body needs good fats and the brain is mostly fat and relies on cholesterol for normal nerve function.

[GregWeld]

I work out with a pro trainer 3 days a week - one hour each day - he kicks my arse…


So…. since my arteries are fine - ZERO hard plaque via a heart scan -- I decided I didn't need statins… since I was in the 100 range.

3 months later after a blood draw -- I'm DOUBLE THAT. I say WTF to the Doc… who tells me -- Tough titty… some peoples DNA is just that way. Get over it.

[SSLance]

#1 I don't trust the damn lipid panel tests

#2 I don't trust the damn pill pushing docs

Going to the Doctor for a lot of folks is kin to a sweet innocent girl taking her car to a dealership for some recommended service and trusting everything the Service rep says just because he is supposed to know what is best.

We learned this mainly while taking care of my wife's Grandmother in the later years of her life. One HAS to take control of your own health, you press the Doctor if you don't like their answer, you question their actions, if you really don't like their diagnosis, get a second opinion, remember, they work for you, not the other way around.

My wife weighs around 110#s, her Cholesterol number came back at 243 about the same time mine was at it's highest... Her doctor never even mentioned her taking a statin.

[Stuart Adams]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

I work out with a pro trainer 3 days a week - one hour each day - he kicks my arse…


So…. since my arteries are fine - ZERO hard plaque via a heart scan -- I decided I didn't need statins… since I was in the 100 range.

3 months later after a blood draw -- I'm DOUBLE THAT. I say WTF to the Doc… who tells me -- Tough titty… some peoples DNA is just that way. Get over it.

Statins cause memory dysfunction, article in Jan 2012, internal medicine and the FDA in 2012. They also increase the risk of diabetes by an astounding 48 percent.

Glad you didn't go on that drug.