Low moods and late night comfort eating (biscuits/crisps when family asleep) was the bane of my belly!
That's what am trying to change, mostly succeeding on that front. I think have had one bag of crisps since NY.
Meal times we've not changed drastically, we've had 1-2 naughty meals a week and the rest I've usually cooked healthy for years. Portions might, well defo be more than necessary. If anything that'll be the next thing to work on diet wise.
Interesting to see the tips here, will keep an eye.
Robc, first, see your doc about meds for the bp. Not only can they easily help with that, but it takes a load of worry off.
I was in the same boat as you; bad diet and too much of it for decades. The only thing that has worked for me is putting a system in place. Either your own, based on your own reading, or an organized program of some sort. Everything else I've tried has failed in the way you described.
The best systems are the ones where you have outside support, even if it's just your spouse and family agreeing not to bring the bad stuff into the house where it's easy to get at.
That's my advice...
Robc, first, see your doc about meds for the bp. Not only can they easily help with that, but it takes a load of worry off.
I did mention it to the doctor when went in for my physical and we decided I'd try to do it through diet and exercise. My BP does go down when I eat well. I do stay in the 120s / 70s when I eat well and exercise.
The only thing that has worked for me is putting a system in place.
I started using MyFitnessPal again starting today to help get me back on track.
I also put my caramels in my wife’s stash and threw out the chocolate chip cookies I bought. I once again feel my blood pressure is enough to spur me into action.
One thing that will make it more difficult is that last time I was super active, but last May (right before we went to France) I over stretched by calf muscle and injured the front of my foot where it bends and it didn’t fully heal. Now it starts to hurt when I run - which is my favored way to do cardio.
All good stuff. Except hurting yourself, that's bad, mmmkay? 
What I found with MyFitnessPal is that you have to adjust the target weight every 10 pounds or so, or you will hit it and then plateau. Just a thought. Good luck!
I also put my caramels in my wife’s stash and threw out the chocolate chip cookies I bought. I once again feel my blood pressure is enough to spur me into action.
That's been a big part of helping me keep my weight at a point I'm happy with - if there's no junk food in the cupboard, I can't absentmindedly graze on it.
About 2 weeks ago I mentioned how I was getting some blood pressure readings around 150/90 since I got back from France. This got me to change some habits. I've been avoiding high sodium processed foods like deli meats, frozen stuffed chicken breasts, regular jarred pasta sauce, etc. I've mostly been staying in the 1400-2000 mg range.
I've also cut down on desserts. I allow myself 1 reasonably sized treat per day, like a dish of ice cream that is the actual serving size, <= 200 calories of candy, or one cupcake my son made.
I've also been making sure I drink more water than I usually do. I used to be lucky to get in 64 oz of water per day. Now I'm at about 100 oz.
My rapid weight loss phase seems to be over and I've been holding at 205/206. But more importantly I've been getting good blood pressure readings. I've even been getting some readings around 117/70 and haven't even gotten into the 130+/80+ range as I was typically getting by bedtime.
I'm slowly trying to incorporate some jogging so I don't aggravate my ankle or trigger my plantar fasciitis. When I do jog I've been doing intervals so I'm not running the entire time. Hopefully my ankle and feet will slowly get used to it.
I really want to get below 200 again and then slowly make progress to my long term goal of 180 lbs. It should be possible since I weighed in that range when I had a lot more muscle than I do now (which isn't much).
If there is one thing getting a digital scale has taught me, it's that my eyes and pasta have engaged in a years-long conspiracy to get me to put on more weight.
I need ideas for good breakfasts for someone who’s prediabetic they are fairly quick, whole food, etc. I’m trying right now to eat as little processed food as possible in the hope of supporting my nervous system. But whatever I do can’t be pure sugar either. And to top it off I’d like to nail this such that I can get up and eat and go for a walk.
I haven’t nailed this yet, so I was hoping to find some ideas to try out.
I like making breakfast quiches ahead of time (Sunday afternoon, for example) then pulling out a serving each morning. Heat them up in the microwave and eat, super easy.
Here's one recipe: https://thekitchengirl.com/crustless...
There are tons of variants out there, so find one you like or think you can tweak to your liking.
I need ideas for good breakfasts for someone who’s prediabetic they are fairly quick, whole food, etc. I’m trying right now to eat as little processed food as possible in the hope of supporting my nervous system. But whatever I do can’t be pure sugar either. And to top it off I’d like to nail this such that I can get up and eat and go for a walk.
I haven’t nailed this yet, so I was hoping to find some ideas to try out.
Overnight oats (google it). You toss a bunch of stuff in a jar, stick it in the fridge overnight, boom, delicious healthy breakfast.
Hard boil 6-12 eggs at once (pro tip - bring to boil, remove from heat with lid on for 10 minutes, immediately cool eggs in ice water. Fool-proof and repeatable), then you've got ready-to-go boiled eggs in the fridge for the week.
Bagged mixed salads are a godsend for this - open bag, toss with a small amount of dressing, you're good to go. Combine with the aforementioned boiled egg or two (sliced on the salad is lush), and you've got a nutritional powerhouse of a breakfast - vegetables and a protein.
And honestly, my favorite breakfast plan is to make extra of the tasty nutritious thing I'm making for dinner and have those leftovers for breakfast.
Overnight Oatmeal isn't bad for quick and easy. Just be careful about the amount due to carbs but you can add more fruits/protein powder/ nuts/ act to it for variety.
Oh, I should have specified that I’m allergic to eggs. So the egg tips will be useful for someone else, but I have to skip those unfortunately. And I love eggs.
Some non-egg options:
- Oatmeal can be quick, and there are a million ways to add variety. You can use instant or pre-cook a batch of steel cut
- Kodiak mix pancakes or waffles, they're time consuming to make fresh but freeze really well for quick reheating later. Can be eaten on the go as finger food, or with utensils topped with fruit, sugar free syrup, honey, or whatever you'd like. (I suppose you should check that the mix doesn't contain eggs...)
- My personal go-to quick breakfast is a Quest bar and a greek yogurt
- Anything you might eat for a quick lunch/dinner. Just because it's early doesn't mean you're locked into "breakfast" food.
Whole milk yogurt (Greek or otherwise) with *no added sugar* - so like 6g per cup, combined with strawberries/blueberries/etc, with some nuts and oatmeal (or granola, sure, okay). I use 8oz of yogurt, 4oz of fruit and a cup of Kashi (nuts/oats combo would be less, I suspect). Mix them all up. Tasty and filling. (And if you buy the frozen fruit, which oddly can have more nutrients remaining than the room-temp stuff, it'll sort of freeze the yogurt as you mix it in, which adds to the gloppy fun).
I've found a lot more options by doing a lot more non-breakfast-food breakfasts -- grain bowls with vegetables, chicken tacos, all things can be be made in a big batch and then reheated in the morning.
Whole milk yogurt (Greek or otherwise) with *no added sugar* - so like 6g per cup, combined with strawberries/blueberries/etc, with some nuts and oatmeal (or granola, sure, okay).
This is pretty much what I do. Granola with 5+ ounces of unsweetened greek yogurt + fruit. A couple times a week I go with oatmeal + fruit with greek yogurt + fruit.
Still having luck managing my blood pressure with changing my diet and exercising. I pretty regularly stay in the 115-125 / 67-75 range. It will still go up to 125-129 / 75-79 range, but that is much better than the 130-150 / 80-92 range I was getting up to at times. For cardio I'm doing brisk walking, recumbent bike, and interval jogging.
When I used to do cardio every session was torture. I'd push myself and get my heart rate in the 160-175 range for an extended period of time pretty regularly. I'd have bursts where I would get 180+. These day my brisk walking gets me in the 115-125 range, bike in the 130-145 range, and jogging in the 130-150 range. I'm slowly ramping it up to try and prevent running injuries. I do like to get into the 150-160 range for a good workout, but it is nice to not constantly be running at full capacity.
My weight was 204 this morning, so 200 is getting back in reach. That is a momentous occasion for me. I did slow down my progress with a bad 10 day eating streak a couple of weeks ago.
I fully recommend anyone with high blood pressure to log their sodium intake. It is so easy to go well over the recommended amount of 2300mg. I typically stay in the 1200-2000mg range now. I am also paying attention to potassium with plays a role in bp regulation. Even paying attention it is difficult to get enough potassium and I eat a lot of whole grains and fruits.
Good going Robc.
A little win for me...
Had my cholesterol test. The 95% cutting out of the crappy biscuit, cake and the crisp has reined the cholesterol back in and down to normal.
Super busy workwise and dodgy knees have meant this past couple weeks exercise has taken a hit compared to Jan/Feb. Weight not risen, but progress has stuttered.
Am swapping exercise establishments for something cheaper where I can go anytime day or evening, at least to gym, swim more limited.
Where I am now is lush, chill and pool is great, but expensive and daytime only is difficult to go whenever my work ramps up. Jogging on the side was ideal, but my knees, ouch. I keep reading it gets better and should power through that painful period... It's hobble times though for days, and spoils rest of exercise routine.
We'll see how this new place goes with gym and lower impact on knees machines.
Congrats to you too Bubblefuzz. It's good to hear about successes. Many times people can improve their health with diet and exercise and not need to get drugs. That's not always the case, but it's always worth a try
Hit a mini milestone today! I've lost over one stone this year and have hit my first goal of 199lbs.
This is only the second time I've been below 200lbs since high school. (The first was when I did hard-core keto years ago and gained it all back.)
Does anyone have any experience working with a nutritionist/registered dietitian?
I've got my tried and true tactics for working on my weight, but it feels like they are not as effective as they used to be. Maybe I just need to try harder and/or be more patient, but I wonder whether I might be better off getting some professional help rather than just relying on my own experiences/reading/researching. However, the when I google nutritionists in my area and look at their webpages, it's all full of stuff that feels like new-age pseudo-science to me. But they claim to have seemingly real and relevant degrees and certifications, so, I don't know. In most other areas of health, I would think it was idiotic to trust stuff that I read on the internet and conclusions that I've come to from my own experience rather than trusting what my doctor tells me, so maybe I should just get over myself and apply the same thinking here? Anyone have positive or negative experiences working with someone like this?
You want a registered dietician (RD) or or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) - they're the same thing. They're the ones that practice an evidence-based discipline, have gone to school and are accredited by a serious professional organization.
Any muppet can call themselves a "nutrionist" and sell you snake oil, ear candles and high-proof liquid woo.
Think of it as "Every Registered Dietitian Is a Nutritionist, but Not Every Nutritionist Is a Registered Dietitian"
Awesome news, PaladinTom! Here’s to sustainment!
Hit a mini milestone today! I've lost over one stone this year and have hit my first goal of 199lbs.
This is only the second time I've been below 200lbs since high school. (The first was when I did hard-core keto years ago and gained it all back.)
Great! Seeing those numbers move down to a whole new level feels really good.
So after a not-great visit with my doctor, she has put me on the ketogenic diet. (Many reasons, but the nutritionist she works with did a bunch of tests and said that'd be the best one for me.) I'm nearly three weeks in, and I've dropped 15 pounds. It's easier than I expected. With that said, I do have a few gripes.
- If I hear one more person tell me, "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle," I'm going to beat them to death with my bag of broccoli. I understand what they're saying, but at this point, it's less advice than them parroting something that's been said approximately fifty thousand times before lunch.
- Dear everyone who says, "Honestly, once you try (insert substitution for some junk food here), you won't ever want (said junk food) again!": You're a liar, and I hate you. It's fine to say, "Hey, this keto pizza isn't bad," but don't tell me it's better than regular pizza. If it was better than regular pizza, it would BE the regular pizza.
- I have met missionaries with less zeal for conversion than people who are eager to explain why your diet is terrible, but THEIR diet is the One True Path to healthy living.
Hmm. Maybe I'm a bit more grumpy than usual.
In all seriousness, this was way overdue. I'm having to come to terms with the idea that my old eating habits are never going to be part of my habits again, otherwise, I will balloon up and die. When I eat a lot of carbs, I gain weight like I'm stealing it from someone, so bread and pasta are forever consigned to the "holiday treat and maybe not even then" oblivion. Particularly for someone with a deep abiding love of baking, that's not the best news. But, I'm adapting, my wife has joined me on this particular path, and hopefully, I'll get a bit healthier. But if you eat a donut in front of me, I will become violent.
I ended up back on the diet soda when my daughter was born in Nov. So tired all the time.
I think I'm going to try to cut it again for April. I haven't weighed myself lately but I feel... off.
Did make the gym 4 times this week. That's probably the most since she was born. Most weeks just 2-3 days to keep from being a total slob again. Trying to find a balance and stay healthy. Jan-Nov 2018 was such a great time, I can't blow all that progress.
If it was better than regular pizza, it would BE the regular pizza.
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This is the best thing I have read all day.
Not sure where to really start here, but just wanted to extend congratulations and well wishes to everyone here.
trichy, that's interesting to hear--what kind of tests did they run and did they give any explanation of why the ketogenic diet was best for you (to the extent that's a question you're comfortable answering)? As I'm considering visiting a registered dietitian, I would find it encouraging if one I saw was making their recommendations for diet based on tests/data about my body specifically rather than just "this is the diet everyone should eat."
As someone who's been on a low carb diet for quite a while, I hear you on all the goofy substitutes. I find a lot of fun in exploring ways to make healthy versions of things I like, but I'm certainly not deluding myself that my spinach crust pizza is anywhere near as good as real bread-based pizza.
Fathead crust is pretty decent, but is in no way as good as real bread/crust.
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