Line in the sand

[Pellice]

Sending thoughts of encouragement your way, Ed! You are already determinedly walking this path. Find your own way - what makes sense to you? What is the lowest hanging fruit, then the next lowest? But you are already walking!

 

[MRG]

Wow...back when, I used to run 70 miles a week....the only runners hi I ever got was when someone running in the other direction said "Hello".

You are doing it wrong. Three puffs of sativa and a 5k is a different experience.

 

[Nemo2]

You are doing it wrong. Three puffs of sativa and a 5k is a different experience.

The 5k, in this example, being peripheral.

 

[DRC726]

Cutting things out is not the only change that everyone needs to consider with age.

Increasing physical activity is another.

No, we do not "deserve to slow down and take it easy" because we are older. Something may occur to force us to slow down, but until that happens, we need to stay active.

Or get active, if we weren't already.. It is plain that many of the patrons at my gym are only there because some doctor said "Exercise, or expire."

I was just having a similar conversation with my 87 year old dad yesterday. One of my SIL's was telling him recently that he needs to slow down and not do so much. My parents still live in the house I grew up in - 2.5 acres, IG pool, 2000 square foot house - and he still maintains the property single handed. A carpenter by trade, he has always done physical labor and the 2-3 hours he spends out in the yard each day is his "job". It's what keeps him going.

 

[braumeister]

I was just having a similar conversation with my 87 year old dad yesterday. ...
the 2-3 hours he spends out in the yard each day is his "job". It's what keeps him going.

Physical activity is such an underrated thing.

Here is the obituary of a guy who has been an idol of mine for decades. Ran six miles to his job as a waiter, spent his whole shift on his feet, then ran back home, often including a one mile swim in good weather. In fact I've seen reports that he only started his running hobby when he was 65.

Runner Dies -- At 106
Larry Lewis, a long-distance running centenarian who ran six miles through Golden Gate Park almost every day of his life, died Friday at the age of 106. Doctors at Hahnemann Hospital said Lewis died of cancer of the liver. “He never gave up,” said Robert Brown, a friend who was with Lewis when he died. Lewis became ill recently but until then he was a veritable dynamo who could outrun and outwalk men half his age. Lewis, a waiter at the St. Francis Hotel, celebrated his 102nd birthday by running 100 yards in 17.3 seconds, half a second faster than on his 101st birthday. The extra speed, Lewis explained, was due to his sneakers. He said he wore street shoes for the 101st birthday dash. Lewis, a one-time assistant to the great Houdini, ran 6.7 miles through the park every day almost always in a time of 37 minutes. “I can’t sit still,” Lewis once told newsmen. Lewis was reared on a Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona and left at 15 to join the P.T. Barnum Circus as an acrobat and aerialist. For 33 years he was Houdini’s assistant.
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19740202.2.11&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1

 

[COcheesehead]

I have also found it is far easier to not put something in your stomach than it is to work it off later. Even a “health food” bar can have 250 calories and 20+ grams of carbs/sugar. It will take an hour walk to work it off.

 

[Born2Fish]

Stick with the plan! It takes time but the reward is worth it.

I started eating healthy 18 mos ago and I can FEEL the difference every minute of my life.

I don't use LCHF (I limit excess fat and red meats) but have a few friends who live by it and have good results.

The most important thing is that your diet becomes a permanent lifestyle change and not just a fad. The good feeling you gain provides a reward every day.

 

[Bamaman]

Harley, my hat's off to you for taking charge of your health. You've just done great.


I came by my type II diabetes the honest way--heredity. My grandmother, father, uncle and cousin all had it. Unfortunately my father, uncle and cousin didn't get a grip on their condition until it affected their kidneys and they all were on hemodialysis. Three hours three days a week having the life sucked out of you is indeed torturous.


I put myself on insulin after pills did little to control my diabetes--and I'm on the pump. I completely abstain from any alcohol, and my blood sugars are very stable. Hard physical labor and staying away from foods that are "white' also work well. Now if I could avoid ice cream, I'd be one step better.


Although Medicare will not pay for physicals, I'm closely monitored by my diabetic doctor and get quarterly blood screens--the numbers speak to my condition.


We buried two friends last year that happened to smoke. Neither knew they had the cancer until it was stage IV--one lasted 4 months and one 6 months. Their chances would have been greatly improved had they been getting yearly physicals including a chest xray.

 

[friar1610]

Ed,

A question for you.... You said you are eliminating alcohol, sugar and carbs. I gave up alcohol 5 1/2 years ago. (My favorite poison was beer with wine as a close second. Not much for the hard stuff.) Since then I've developed a real sweet tooth. I had previously not been a big dessert eater but now I am. And I have more sweets as snacks now. My unscientific theory is that since the body had been turning the alcohol to sugars, I was regularly supplying my body with sugar even if I didn't eat sweets. Remove the alcohol and now the body is asking for sugar in a different form. And, to my chagrin, I am responding. So, now to my question: have you experienced any obvious greater sugar cravings as a non-alcohol drinker? Or do you think that giving both alcohol and sugar up at the same time has gotten you over both humps more easily?

Thanks.

ETA: 74 yo male. Could stand to lose maybe 5-10 pounds. Regular exerciser. Glucose reading is kinda high but doc says no worries because of an A1c that is right in the middle of the normal range.

 

[aja8888]

Ed,

A question for you.... You said you are eliminating alcohol, sugar and carbs. I gave up alcohol 5 1/2 years ago. (My favorite poison was beer with wine as a close second. Not much for the hard stuff.) Since then I've developed a real sweet tooth. I had previously not been a big dessert eater but now I am. And I have more sweets as snacks now. My unscientific theory is that since the body had been turning the alcohol to sugars, I was regularly supplying my body with sugar even if I didn't eat sweets. Remove the alcohol and now the body is asking for sugar in a different form. And, to my chagrin, I am responding. So, now to my question: have you experienced any obvious greater sugar cravings as a non-alcohol drinker? Or do you think that giving both alcohol and sugar up at the same time has gotten you over both humps more easily?

Thanks.

Here's my experience:

When I quit drinking alcohol 10+ years ago,I dropped 20 pounds in a couple pf months. Then the urge for ice cream bit me and I gained 40 pounds back! For me, the urge to replace the alcohol sugars was real. Now I struggle to stay away from sweets in general.

 

[CaliKid]

Good luck! You can do this!

 

[MRG]

Ed,

A question for you.... You said you are eliminating alcohol, sugar and carbs. I gave up alcohol 5 1/2 years ago. (My favorite poison was beer with wine as a close second. Not much for the hard stuff.) Since then I've developed a real sweet tooth. I had previously not been a big dessert eater but now I am. And I have more sweets as snacks now. My unscientific theory is that since the body had been turning the alcohol to sugars, I was regularly supplying my body with sugar even if I didn't eat sweets. Remove the alcohol and now the body is asking for sugar in a different form. And, to my chagrin, I am responding. So, now to my question: have you experienced any obvious greater sugar cravings as a non-alcohol drinker? Or do you think that giving both alcohol and sugar up at the same time has gotten you over both humps more easily?

Thanks.

ETA: 74 yo male. Could stand to lose maybe 5-10 pounds. Regular exerciser. Glucose reading is kinda high but doc says no worries because of an A1c that is right in the middle of the normal range.

I cut out alcohol 6 months ago. Yes sugar urges are real for me. The only way I can avoid them is to avoid sugar in a refined state. I find fats tend to dull the sugar urges but only before consuming sugar. I quit eating ketchup for a couple years just because the HCFS could trigger my urge. Check out some Brookside chocolate with the little flavored piece of sugar in the middle, it makes my tongue tingle.

 

[Ronstar]

Ed,

A question for you.... You said you are eliminating alcohol, sugar and carbs. I gave up alcohol 5 1/2 years ago. (My favorite poison was beer with wine as a close second. Not much for the hard stuff.) Since then I've developed a real sweet tooth. I had previously not been a big dessert eater but now I am. And I have more sweets as snacks now. My unscientific theory is that since the body had been turning the alcohol to sugars, I was regularly supplying my body with sugar even if I didn't eat sweets. Remove the alcohol and now the body is asking for sugar in a different form. And, to my chagrin, I am responding. So, now to my question: have you experienced any obvious greater sugar cravings as a non-alcohol drinker? Or do you think that giving both alcohol and sugar up at the same time has gotten you over both humps more easily?

Thanks.

ETA: 74 yo male. Could stand to lose maybe 5-10 pounds. Regular exerciser. Glucose reading is kinda high but doc says no worries because of an A1c that is right in the middle of the normal range.

Wow. I'm having the same reaction. I used to drink about 3-4 beers a week. I started some medication 1/24 that required no alcohol or anything with caffeine. So no alcohol or soft drinks since then.

But my sugar craving (and carbs) is uncontrollable. Now I've got a gatorade/chocolate/donut addiction to deal with.

 

[audreyh1]

I didn’t drink any wine the first few weeks I went on my ketogenic diet. I had been a below moderate drinker before. I found cravings for sweets as well as any other carbs went away within a few days of the severe reduction in carbs.

I have since resumed wine since - less than before.

 

[COcheesehead]

I cut out all sweets as my new year’s resolution and after a day or two, I stopped thinking about them altogether.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Physical activity is such an underrated thing.

Here is the obituary of a guy who has been an idol of mine for decades. Ran six miles to his job as a waiter, spent his whole shift on his feet, then ran back home, often including a one mile swim in good weather. In fact I've seen reports that he only started his running hobby when he was 65.

I have heard of Mr. Lewis. Amazing.

 

[doneat54]

Not much to add, but ditto on the regular exercise. I thought something was seriously wrong when I lost 20lbs the first year of ER. Although I generally eat fairly healthy, I was denying myself NOTHING in the way of food or drink, trust me. 3 years in, still down 24 lbs, hiked 485 miles last year. It keeps me healthy.



So if you are walking regularly now and perhaps when you lose some weight you can up the miles a bit more, you should do well. Good luck Ed!!!!

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Ed,

A question for you.... You said you are eliminating alcohol, sugar and carbs. I gave up alcohol 5 1/2 years ago. (My favorite poison was beer with wine as a close second. Not much for the hard stuff.) Since then I've developed a real sweet tooth. I had previously not been a big dessert eater but now I am. And I have more sweets as snacks now. My unscientific theory is that since the body had been turning the alcohol to sugars, I was regularly supplying my body with sugar even if I didn't eat sweets. Remove the alcohol and now the body is asking for sugar in a different form. And, to my chagrin, I am responding. So, now to my question: have you experienced any obvious greater sugar cravings as a non-alcohol drinker? Or do you think that giving both alcohol and sugar up at the same time has gotten you over both humps more easily?

Thanks.

ETA: 74 yo male. Could stand to lose maybe 5-10 pounds. Regular exerciser. Glucose reading is kinda high but doc says no worries because of an A1c that is right in the middle of the normal range.

Hi, friar,
I have avoided sugar for many years. Alcohol abstention has not excited an interest in sugar. I do miss good bread; I love the smell and taste of fresh artisan bread.
I used to be a beer man, but dropped that maybe 10 years ago. DW and I have been enjoying red wines since---too enthusiastically, maybe. She has stopped the wine with me.
Recently, I joined a group of friends who are whisky enthusiasts and find that interesting. We meet two or three times a year for tastings. I can handle that.
Recently traveling with friends, we had a very frustrating evening when I really craved a couple of margaritas but was strong. We really like our alcohol.
Sugar and other carbs make me hungry and cutting then out has made it easier to eat less. I am trying a fast right now. The hard part is sitting down to dinner with the family without eating.
The keto thing replaces sugar with fats, which seems to be working.
Ed

 

[Retired Expat]

Hi, friar,
I have avoided sugar for many years. Alcohol abstention has not excited an interest in sugar. I do miss good bread; I love the smell and taste of fresh artisan bread.
I used to be a beer man, but dropped that maybe 10 years ago. DW and I have been enjoying red wines since---too enthusiastically, maybe. She has stopped the wine with me.
Recently, I joined a group of friends who are whisky enthusiasts and find that interesting. We meet two or three times a year for tastings. I can handle that.
Recently traveling with friends, we had a very frustrating evening when I really craved a couple of margaritas but was strong. We really like our alcohol.
Sugar and other carbs make me hungry and cutting then out has made it easier to eat less. I am trying a fast right now. The hard part is sitting down to dinner with the family without eating.
The keto thing replaces sugar with fats, which seems to be working.
Ed

Not much too add except “Go Ed!”

Actually in trying to get my Diabetes under control the Dr. put me on Ozempic. It is now being prescribed for appetite control as well. It has changed my whole relationship with food! I love to cook and love to eat and a meal without carbs was never satisfying or complete.

Since my hunger is so drastically reduced I can eat so much less and feel full and skip the potato, bread etc much easier. Stomach shrinks and then you can’t eat so much either.

Lost 25 pounds and brought my glucose down to normal In about 4 months. Another 15 pounds to go.

Feeling and looking so much better and not suffering like I would on every diet before! Not to sound like a commercial but “ ask your doctor if Ozempic is right for you?”

 

[DRC726]

I'm also a recovering carboholic. Went on the keto diet the first of the year and was doing well up until the past couple of weeks when social obligations really torpedoed me. All it takes is several cheat meals within a week or two and my carb cravings are back with a vengeance. For me, I've got to stay away from the carbs completely. I will not, however, stop my glass of wine 3-4 nights per week and I've found that if the rest of my diet is in line, the small amounts of wine I drink do not take me out of ketosis.

 

[bloom2708]

Late in life, I have decided to pay serious attention to my health. I have metabolic syndrome.
I do not want type-2 diabetes.
I do not want 'type-3' diabetes (dementia).
I do not want kidney failure.
I want to delay going to the infernal realm as long as I can.

So far, I have eliminated alcohol [emoji22], sugar and all the carbohydrates I can find. I recently discovered that when a doctor says, you must 'avoid' alcohol, he really means, 'avoid like the plague'. Nada. Zip. [emoji15]

My target is to lose 120 lbs (150, if possible). This will take a looong time. If it works, I will report back. If'n it don't, I might be 'incommunicado' as Jimmy Buffet said. Serious times.

4 words for you "whole food, plant based". Keto is a short term band-aid. Skip it.

https://nutritionstudies.org/whole-food-plant-based-diet-guide/

Good luck on your journey!

 

[harley]

4 words for you "whole food, plant based". Keto is a short term band-aid. Skip it.

https://nutritionstudies.org/whole-food-plant-based-diet-guide/

Good luck on your journey!

Yeah, like the low fat whole grain food pyramid recommendations that created the obesity and diabetes epidemics. Whole food plant based. If I ate what was recommended in that link I'd be back on insulin in a week.

 

[bloom2708]

Yeah, like the low fat whole grain food pyramid recommendations that created the obesity and diabetes epidemics. Whole food plant based. If I ate what was recommended in that link I'd be back on insulin in a week.

Ha. That is funny.

Keto-washed.

I'm OK with it. Chart your own path. However long or short it may be.

 

[harley]

Truthfully, if I had eaten the whole food plant based diet all my life I'd probably be just fine. But for any of us who lived through the whole processed sugar/HFCS/low fat lifestyle and became obese and diabetic, it (probably) won't work. You've got to get back to a biochemically balanced point where your organs and systems are functioning properly in order to get your weight and insulin levels under control. Eating grains and fruit won't let that happen while you're in a compromised condition. I wish I had known more at a younger age, and maybe none of this bad stuff would have happened.

Of course, I was pretty stubborn/stupid, so if it wasn't one thing it would be another.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Update:
I started no carbs or alcohol on Feb 25 at 300#.
I am now finishing a 4-day fast, only coffee, tea and water. Walking 5 days/week for 45 min. Today, March 5, my weight is 287#, down 13#. Maybe only 5# is water. My diastolic BP is down from 160 to 139.
I have not been hungry at all.
I am not calling this keto. I just cut out all carbohydrates and am trying intermittent fasting for the immediate purpose of losing a lot of weight. No changes in diet except as noted. I love fish, red meat and green vegetables, so it should be an easy path for the long run.
I feel good and optimistic.
I will enjoy dinner tonight. While not hungry, I do think about foods I like (e.g., herring, eggs, pork, beef, chicharones, broccoli, avocados, tomatoes, etc.). I have to keep my eyes on the prize.