My journey to drop the weight

[EbylHusker]

My Uncle has awful cholesrerol too. He has a bad problem with getting gout alot. Hes at an age I dont see him working out much, he went and got on the cholesterol pill that also helps with Uric acid I think to counter gout flareups, seems to have helped alot. He has a physical job but probably doesnt get the exercise he needs, bad knee from downing his motorcycle years ago. Plus, he likes beer and alot of it. The meds are probably better for him.

Me, Id prefer to hold off as long as possible before going that route. Im not a big fan of doing cardio but Im gonna have to suck it up.

I have no issue with people taking medication when necessary. And I also don't expect most people to go out suddenly become elite athletes or marathon runners just to do enough exercise to combat their genetically skewed cholesterol counts. You always have to find a balance for what's reasonable for each person to take on.

But I think people should know that very often, there is a level of commitment that will reduce their cholesterol levels to what is considered healthy. For some it may just be exericse, for others it may also require altering their diet. Now, whether a person is capable of doing enough is another story, and for each person it's different. I do believe that many people just give up too easily and go on the drugs, though, which is unfortunate. And I also know many doctors are far too quick to just prescribe drugs and be done with it.

So yeah, my issue is with people that don't try to make a real attempt at changing their lifestyle first. And even then, it's their life, so whatever, but I find it unfortunate. A much bigger issue is a health care system that is often far too quick to just prescribe drugs and move on to the next patient. One of the best things a person can do is find a doctor that they not only trust, but is eager to have their patients attempt non-prescription related ways of improving their health/fixing problems before resorting to drugs. Sometimes drugs are necessary, though, there's no way around it.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Gout and beer is a really bad combination.

Portion size is extremely important. Americans eat ungodly portion sizes for what you actually need. If you go through a process of eating less and shrinking your stomach, your body will get used to the smaller portion sizes and you will actually feel just as full eating less than you do now eating a huge amount.

Seriously, go into almost any restaurant in the US and most stuff on the menu comes in about twice the size you need. When I travel, I eat a lot at Applebees restaurants. I love their menu items that are listed at 550 calories or less. Seriously, that is all you need per meal. Eat that amount 2-3 times per day along with maybe a healthy snack in the middle of the day and you are not going to die from starvation. If you get hungry, load up on veggies. Very low calorie and lots of fiber and other nutrients.

I had to go through this reality a couple years ago. I can no longer just eat everything I want to eat. Believe it or not, I'm not dead and I'm actually enjoying life much more.

Also as far as calories, stay away from processed food. It is amazing where calories are hidden in those.

As for me, I can't get it done with just weight lifting. I do mostly cardio with a little weight lifting mixed in.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Also, as for the cholesterol, I work with a guy who has battled genetically high cholesterol his entire adult life. He started taking Red Yeast Rice pills and it worked wonders. It was much better than any drug the doctors gave him.

 

[EbylHusker]

Yep, Red Yeast Rice will work for some. It's worth a shot. If you're one of those that it works well for, fantastic!

And I agree about restaurants. If I eat out, nearly every normal sized meal I get becomes two, if not three, meals. If you're young (say prior to late 20's or early 30's for males), and you're heavily active every day, then those would be single meals. But for a normal person? Welcome to obesity!

Edit - Interestingly, the FDA ruled a while ago that red yeast rice containing cholesterol lowering components (lovastatin) were no different than a drug and banned them. There were some court battles and eventually the red yeast rice that came through it has almost no appreciable amount of the cholesterol lowering component. So at least in the US, it's doubtful red yeast rice is going to help most people. At the same time, the cholesterol lowering version of red yeast rice contained essentially the same drug you get as a prescription, which means you're probably susceptible to liver damage in the same way. And those statins are no joke with your liver - you have to find one that won't screw up your liver function. I didn't know any of that about red yeast rice, so it's something to keep in mind.

 

[Creighton Duke]

Yep, Red Yeast Rice will work for some. It's worth a shot. If you're one of those that it works well for, fantastic!

And I agree about restaurants. If I eat out, nearly every normal sized meal I get becomes two, if not three, meals. If you're young (say prior to late 20's or early 30's for males), and you're heavily active every day, then those would be single meals. But for a normal person? Welcome to obesity!

This is a good point. It is like when football players graduate, yet they still eat like they did when they were playing. As big as they were, some just blow up as a result due to the extreme drop in activity level.

 

[beanman]

Cholesterol is a tricky issue. I'm no expert, but from what I've read and the little I've researched, higher cholesterol levels are not necessarily an arbiter of poor health. A risk factor in heart disease, yes, but other factors such as high triglycerides and HDL being too low are even stronger factors. My cholesterol tends to be rather high, and it doesn't change very much regardless of how good of shape I'm in, my weight, or my dietary habits from time to time. Cholesterol is largely genetic. So take care of yourself, eat your veggies, drop a few pounds, get some exercise: we all need to do those things, but don't worry too much about cholesterol levels if you are doing well otherwise.

And for fish oil: I've also read on bodybuilding sites that if they were limited to only take one supplement ever, they would choose fish oil. It's anti-inflammatory properties are great, and if you think about it so many debilitating diseases (heart attacks, strokes, not to mention muscle and joint injuries) are related to inflammation. But if your fish oil contains Omega 6, that's the bad stuff. Get Omega 3 only.

Excellent post.

 

[True2tRA]

Not True2trA shape (that guy is a brick s**thouse), but not overweight.

There's absolutely nothing natural about that, so i'm pretty sure he doesnt count.

Hey. 1. I'm in good shape but I'm not a freak. My gym has some guys like that. My buddy I lift with benches 420. He's a freak, he's also a former college football player and he is 24 years old. I'm 32 and I work my a$$ off in the gym. I've been at if for a year now. Just trying to battle weight in the wrong places and fatigue. I was getting to the point where I was constantly tired.

I am blessed with great metabolism, but it is slowly fading. The fish oil tip is awesome. I'm gonna try it. I deal with some aches and pains a bit. Some elbow soreness......seems like a tendon or something. Maybe fish oil help with that? Thanks for that tip.

I feel hungry a lot, I work out 5 times a week generally, sometimes work gets a bit busy and I only make it four days. But that's not too often I cut to four. Any tips on why I feel hungry and what I could be doing to get some good food in me. By good food I mean something that will be filling, yet healthy. Mostly what to eat and when to eat it? I eat good portions at meal times but are snacks good or bad? What kind of snacks? Does anyone eat a good protein bar for a snack?

I honestly feel like I'm burning more than I'm taking in sometimes. I drink beer to help though.....lol.

 

[Creighton Duke]

Not True2trA shape (that guy is a brick s**thouse), but not overweight.

There's absolutely nothing natural about that, so i'm pretty sure he doesnt count.

Hey. 1. I'm in good shape but I'm not a freak. My gym has some guys like that. My buddy I lift with benches 420. He's a freak, he's also a former college football player and he is 24 years old. I'm 32 and I work my a$$ off in the gym. I've been at if for a year now. Just trying to battle weight in the wrong places and fatigue. I was getting to the point where I was constantly tired.

I am blessed with great metabolism, but it is slowly fading. The fish oil tip is awesome. I'm gonna try it. I deal with some aches and pains a bit. Some elbow soreness......seems like a tendon or something. Maybe fish oil help with that? Thanks for that tip.

I feel hungry a lot, I work out 5 times a week generally, sometimes work gets a bit busy and I only make it four days. But that's not too often I cut to four. Any tips on why I feel hungry and what I could be doing to get some good food in me. By good food I mean something that will be filling, yet healthy. Mostly what to eat and when to eat it? I eat good portions at meal times but are snacks good or bad? What kind of snacks? Does anyone eat a good protein bar for a snack?

I honestly feel like I'm burning more than I'm taking in sometimes. I drink beer to help though.....lol.

The bolded part is an oxymoron. I have known this for awhile, but this article really breaks down the problems with protein bars. I have learned to make my own protein bars (favorite recipe is here, except I generally go with 3-4 scoops of powder)

 

[True2tRA]

Not True2trA shape (that guy is a brick s**thouse), but not overweight.

There's absolutely nothing natural about that, so i'm pretty sure he doesnt count.

Hey. 1. I'm in good shape but I'm not a freak. My gym has some guys like that. My buddy I lift with benches 420. He's a freak, he's also a former college football player and he is 24 years old. I'm 32 and I work my a$$ off in the gym. I've been at if for a year now. Just trying to battle weight in the wrong places and fatigue. I was getting to the point where I was constantly tired.

I am blessed with great metabolism, but it is slowly fading. The fish oil tip is awesome. I'm gonna try it. I deal with some aches and pains a bit. Some elbow soreness......seems like a tendon or something. Maybe fish oil help with that? Thanks for that tip.

I feel hungry a lot, I work out 5 times a week generally, sometimes work gets a bit busy and I only make it four days. But that's not too often I cut to four. Any tips on why I feel hungry and what I could be doing to get some good food in me. By good food I mean something that will be filling, yet healthy. Mostly what to eat and when to eat it? I eat good portions at meal times but are snacks good or bad? What kind of snacks? Does anyone eat a good protein bar for a snack?

I honestly feel like I'm burning more than I'm taking in sometimes. I drink beer to help though.....lol.

The bolded part is an oxymoron. I have known this for awhile, but this article really breaks down the problems with protein bars. I have learned to make my own protein bars (favorite recipe is here, except I generally go with 3-4 scoops of powder)

Well hell, you learn something everyday. Thanks for the article. I don't currently eat them, but I thought it might be a good way to fuel the muscles and get rid of the hungry feeling. The price had a lot to do with why I didn't eat them constantly. Turns out, they aren't worth it. Thanks.

 

[knapplc]

Stumpy hooked me up with a plan, and I've done some digging on menus and meal plans. In general, does this sound like good advice?

Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, high-fat dairy, fats, healthy oils and maybe even some tubers and non-gluten grains.

Don’t Eat: Sugar, HFCS, wheat, seed oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, “diet” and low-fat products and highly processed foods.

You should avoid these 7 foods, in order of importance:

• Sugar: Soft drinks, fruit juices, agave, candy, ice cream and many others.
  
• Gluten Grains: Wheat, spelt, barley and rye. Includes breads and pastas.
  
• Trans Fats: “Hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.
  
• High Omega-6 Seed- and Vegetable Oils: Cottonseed-, soybean-, sunflower-, grapeseed-, corn-, safflower and canola oils.
  
• Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Cyclamates and Acesulfame Potassium. Use Stevia instead.
  
• “Diet” and “Low-Fat” Products: Many dairy products, cereals, crackers, etc.
  
• Highly Processed Foods: If it looks like it was made in a factory, don’t eat it.
  

You should base your diet on these real, unprocessed, low-carb foods.

• Meat: Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and others. Grass-fed is best.
  
• Fish: Salmon, trout, haddock and many others. Wild-caught fish is best.
  
• Eggs: Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.
  
• Vegetables: Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and many others.
  
• Fruits: Apples, oranges, pears, blueberries, strawberries.
  
• Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
  
• High-Fat Dairy: Cheese, butter, heavy cream, yogurt.
  
• Fats and Oils: Coconut oil, butter, lard, olive oil and cod fish liver oil.
  

If you need to lose weight, be careful with the cheese and nuts because they’re easy to overeat on. Don’t eat more than one piece of fruit per day.

If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight then you can afford to eat a bit more carbs.

• Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes and some others.
  
• Non-gluten grains: Rice, oats, quinoa and many others.
  
• Legumes: Lentils, black beans, pinto beans, etc. (If you can tolerate them).
  

You can have these in moderation if you want:

• Dark Chocolate: Choose organic brands with 70% cocoa or higher.
  
• Wine: Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.
  

My big issue is going to be bread and pasta. Love both, and I've been getting into making my own breads. Pizza dough included. I don't eat sweets or ice cream or drink soda, I barely use sugar in anything, and I cook about 90% of the food I eat which means fresh ingredients, no salt, low on cheese and stuff like that. But I don't lose weight, and I've been over 300lbs for the last 15 years.

It'll take a while to get used to a dietary change, but since I'm the one who buys and makes all our food, that shouldn't be too tough.

 

[beanman]

Stumpy hooked me up with a plan, and I've done some digging on menus and meal plans. In general, does this sound like good advice?

Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, high-fat dairy, fats, healthy oils and maybe even some tubers and non-gluten grains.

Don’t Eat: Sugar, HFCS, wheat, seed oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, “diet” and low-fat products and highly processed foods.

You should avoid these 7 foods, in order of importance:

• Sugar: Soft drinks, fruit juices, agave, candy, ice cream and many others.
  
• Gluten Grains: Wheat, spelt, barley and rye. Includes breads and pastas.
  
• Trans Fats: “Hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.
  
• High Omega-6 Seed- and Vegetable Oils: Cottonseed-, soybean-, sunflower-, grapeseed-, corn-, safflower and canola oils.
  
• Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Cyclamates and Acesulfame Potassium. Use Stevia instead.
  
• “Diet” and “Low-Fat” Products: Many dairy products, cereals, crackers, etc.
  
• Highly Processed Foods: If it looks like it was made in a factory, don’t eat it.
  

You should base your diet on these real, unprocessed, low-carb foods.

• Meat: Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and others. Grass-fed is best.
  
• Fish: Salmon, trout, haddock and many others. Wild-caught fish is best.
  
• Eggs: Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.
  
• Vegetables: Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and many others.
  
• Fruits: Apples, oranges, pears, blueberries, strawberries.
  
• Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
  
• High-Fat Dairy: Cheese, butter, heavy cream, yogurt.
  
• Fats and Oils: Coconut oil, butter, lard, olive oil and cod fish liver oil.
  

If you need to lose weight, be careful with the cheese and nuts because they’re easy to overeat on. Don’t eat more than one piece of fruit per day.

If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight then you can afford to eat a bit more carbs.

• Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes and some others.
  
• Non-gluten grains: Rice, oats, quinoa and many others.
  
• Legumes: Lentils, black beans, pinto beans, etc. (If you can tolerate them).
  

You can have these in moderation if you want:

• Dark Chocolate: Choose organic brands with 70% cocoa or higher.
  
• Wine: Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.
  

My big issue is going to be bread and pasta. Love both, and I've been getting into making my own breads. Pizza dough included. I don't eat sweets or ice cream or drink soda, I barely use sugar in anything, and I cook about 90% of the food I eat which means fresh ingredients, no salt, low on cheese and stuff like that. But I don't lose weight, and I've been over 300lbs for the last 15 years.

It'll take a while to get used to a dietary change, but since I'm the one who buys and makes all our food, that shouldn't be too tough.

Your post depresses me. I eat all the bad stuff.

 

[ZRod]

Seems pretty solid Knap. I'm curious as to why they have you avoiding all the gluten grains unless you have an allergy or something.

For me cutting down on the carbs has meant good results in losing weight. I rarely eat bread or pasta, but I eat a tone of veggies and a couple pieces of fruit everyday. If I do eat pasta regularly I basically plateau on weight loss until I cut back again. One indirect piece of advice I took from Chaddy was to cut back on the milk I drink, there's "hidden" carbs in there. I used to drink at least 3 glasses a day, now I only drink 1 maybe 2. Mainly I just put it on my granola in the morning and that's about it.

 

[knapplc]

I got that from this site: http://authoritynutr...-plan-and-menu/

Since I do all the cooking at my house, all the meal planning & prep, I'm going to be digging around for some recipes and stuff so I can start changing what we eat. Basically we eat a pretty normal hodgepodge of American, Asian, Italian, Indian & Mexican foods. Some of that will have to change, and some modified.

 

[Creighton Duke]

Props to Stumpy as that diet advice is excellent and what I have been following for about a year now. I give myself a day or two during the week to eat that bad stuff (normally Saturdays...makes football season MUCH more pleasurable) so I won't go insane.

We're addicted to a lot of this stuff and every time I binge eat bread, I love it, but pretty soon you get used to it. There is A LOT that you can do with meat, fish, and vegetables.

Knapp and others, if you're not on any kind of diet now, expect to lose a good amount of weight in a VERY short period of time on this.

 

[Stumpy1]

Seems pretty solid Knap. I'm curious as to why they have you avoiding all the gluten grains unless you have an allergy or something.

For me cutting down on the carbs has meant good results in losing weight. I rarely eat bread or pasta, but I eat a tone of veggies and a couple pieces of fruit everyday. If I do eat pasta regularly I basically plateau on weight loss until I cut back again. One indirect piece of advice I took from Chaddy was to cut back on the milk I drink, there's "hidden" carbs in there. I used to drink at least 3 glasses a day, now I only drink 1 maybe 2. Mainly I just put it on my granola in the morning and that's about it.

This is true...You should cut back on as much dairy as possible when trying to diet as milk is labeled as "heavy" and will affect how your body digests the food you have eaten.