Weight loss

[Chuckanut]

Lately, I have been doing slow-carb.

The take away is that I am down close to 15 pounds in three months, and currently at my lowest weight in at least 15 years. All without going hungry, denying myself good food in descent quantities and best of all - no calorie counting. I find it's a lot more sustainable. The carb/fat/protein ratio is pretty well balanced, IMHO.

The book "Always Hungry" explains much better than I can why it works.

JERF - Just Eat Real Food

 

[Moemg]

After I retired I decided I needed to lose weight . I was at my all time high . I just cut portions and exercised . I am now at 126 and have been there for eight years .My SO also lost sixty pounds doing the same thing .

 

[athena53]

[-][/-]

The doctor was happy and stated that I was probably going to be the only one in a normal weight range that he would see today. The only medication I take is 81 mg of Aspirin daily since the age of 48 per the protocol at my healthcare provider. Some of the healthcare workers had the bodies of a troll. The nurse drawing my blood, was about 5 feet tall and twice my width. How do they let this go on? My doctor stated that they have just given up with patients and now prescribe medication to control cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart conditions. He stated many of these people will need knee, hip, shoulder replacements if they make it to their later years.

And we all pay for this- it drives me crazy. There are the "there-but-for-the-grace-of-God-go-I" medical issues that come from bad genes or bad luck or both, and then there are the ones that come from smoking, fatty foods, Caramel Macchiato Frappucinos, Denny's Big Slam breakfasts and lack of exercise. I live in an area with mixed demographics and it kills me to watch people buying cases and cases of pop and Little Debbie snack cakes. No wonder many of those on scooters have an empty sock where a foot used to be.

OK, I'll stop ranting now. I'm female, 5'7" and my peak weight about 10 years ago was 147. This morning I was at 121.4. OK, I cheated a bit- it was after a sweaty workout but before lunch, but over the years I've cut way back on candy, pasta, white rice, potatoes and bread. I eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, more quinoa, bulghur, etc., and far less meat. I have not given up caffeine or alcohol! I relax a bit on vacation but both my grocery cart and my home food supply are very different from most. I feel VERY good at this weight.

 

[PatrickA5]

My wife worked in a hospital as an OR surgical nurse. She said that many surgeons refused to work with fat nurses in the OR during long surgical procedures because of their complaints about standing on their feet for long periods. One surgeon told a nurse to "get her fat ass out" and stop complaining and then got a harassment complaint against her.

Sounds to me like the doctor was the "ass".

 

[Pellice]

What astonishes me is that diet is one thing - and THE most important thing - that has been looked at more or less scientifically for 2,500 years. It was virtually the only tool the ancients had for medical treatments and evaluations. And they did look at diet carefully. It was something they could observe, measure, record. And medical people did so throughout recorded history. And they WERE scientists. They didn't have all the instruments we have (and we have many fewer than we will have in the future), but they knew how to observe and analyze.

And still they couldn't get diet figured out. Nor can we moderns. Carbs vs. fats, round 827, anyone? The most recent findings show no great difference: https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...arch-says-it-doesnt-really-matter/2017/07/13/ Sugar? The new villain? To the point that it has to be treated as poison? I have my doubts about that extreme treatment.

I find it kind of comforting that nobody really knows! There can't really be diet police, not yet, thankfully. I like the idea that we don't really know that much more than the Greeks. We have to ask ourselves what makes sense for us. Cutting a food group out? Cutting a meal out? Cutting hours where we consume food? Counting calories? Listening to our own fullness cues? Ditching restaurants and take-out?

There are a variety of approaches depending on one's own sense of what works.

 

[Nemo2]

Sounds to me like the doctor was the "ass".

Unless, of course, you were the patient depending on someone being able to stay the course.

 

[Nemo2]

DW, at 5'1", bloated up to 102 lbs today...told her to take her fat ass to the pool....(yeah right....I wouldn't be able to type with broken fingers).

 

[Freedom56]

[-][/-]

And we all pay for this- it drives me crazy. There are the "there-but-for-the-grace-of-God-go-I" medical issues that come from bad genes or bad luck or both, and then there are the ones that come from smoking, fatty foods, Caramel Macchiato Frappucinos, Denny's Big Slam breakfasts and lack of exercise. I live in an area with mixed demographics and it kills me to watch people buying cases and cases of pop and Little Debbie snack cakes. No wonder many of those on scooters have an empty sock where a foot used to be.

OK, I'll stop ranting now. I'm female, 5'7" and my peak weight about 10 years ago was 147. This morning I was at 121.4. OK, I cheated a bit- it was after a sweaty workout but before lunch, but over the years I've cut way back on candy, pasta, white rice, potatoes and bread. I eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, more quinoa, bulghur, etc., and far less meat. I have not given up caffeine or alcohol! I relax a bit on vacation but both my grocery cart and my home food supply are very different from most. I feel VERY good at this weight.

You are correct. The healthy people are paying for the chronically sick and with the obesity epidemic in full throttle, the insurance premiums will continue to rise. I have no issues with people with pre-existing conditions, but not those who eat their way into chronic health issues are killing the health system. On our way to our doctor in Santa Monica yesterday, we saw a big sign at the Burger King that read "Now Accepting EBT Payments". What a great way to keep the poorest people fat.

By the way, 5'7" and 147 lbs is not even close to overweight. But 121 lbs is really lean. Good work! My wife is about 5'7" and around 130 lbs.

My view is that you can eat most foods in moderation. There is nothing wrong with pasta. It won't make you fat unless you gorge on the endless pasta from Olive Garden. Potatoes are good for you also but not deep fried or the supersized ones stuffed with bacon, sour cream, cheese, and the sprinkles of chives (it makes people feel like they are eating their greens). There is nothing wrong with coffee or alcohol in moderation. Our espresso machine runs every morning.

 

[PatrickA5]

Unless, of course, you were the patient depending on someone being able to stay the course.

I imagine there would be better ways to convey the point, but it certainly doesn't surprise me that it was said that way. Fat prejudice is alive and well.


P.S. Yes, I've been fighting my weight all of my adult life (currently 60). It infuriates me to read that kind of crap. I know, I know fat people are lazy and do it to themselves, blah, blah, blah.

Rant over. Now, back to figuring out if I want to eat less carbs or less fat.

 

[Freedom56]

Sounds to me like the doctor was the "ass".

The doctor was trying to do her job. What if you were the patient under the knife?

My dentist has said worse things to her portly assistant while she was working on my teeth. I forgive her. She is extremely competent and just trying to do her job efficiently.

 

[PatrickA5]

The doctor was trying to do her job. What if you were the patient under the knife?

My dentist has said worse things to her portly assistant while she was working on my teeth. I forgive her. She is extremely competent and just trying to do her job efficiently.

Agreed, the nurse that can't stand up without pain shouldn't be a nurse in an operating room. Obviously, that's not what I had a problem with.

 

[Walt34]

P.S. Yes, I've been fighting my weight all of my adult life (currently 60). It infuriates me to read that kind of crap. I know, I know fat people are lazy and do it to themselves, blah, blah, blah.

I'm starting to understand. For most of my life I didn't have to think about weight control. If I wanted to lose weight I'd just have two helpings instead of three. When I was 22 I struggled to put on weight to get up to 145 lbs (I'm 5'9") for my job that had a minimum weight requirement.

Fast forward 46 years and I'm now struggling to keep it at or below 150 lbs.

 

[Freedom56]

I imagine there would be better ways to convey the point, but it certainly doesn't surprise me that it was said that way. Fat prejudice is alive and well.


P.S. Yes, I've been fighting my weight all of my adult life (currently 60). It infuriates me to read that kind of crap. I know, I know fat people are lazy and do it to themselves, blah, blah, blah.

Rant over. Now, back to figuring out if I want to eat less carbs or less fat.

Doctors say and do much worse things with obese patients.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/health/obese-patients-health-care.html

Many are at a point where they feel helpless and patients are non-compliant. My brother is a doctor and has recounted many horrific things that his fellow surgeons say about their overweight patients. Many don't even want to deal with these patients due to potential complications leading to complaints and legal issues.

Buy a bike and start riding. Start slowly and work your way up to 10, 15, 20, 25, and 35 mile rides. The pounds will start coming off in weeks. In 6 months you will be shopping for new clothes and will feel much better.

 

[RAE]

What astonishes me is that diet is one thing - and THE most important thing - that has been looked at more or less scientifically for 2,500 years. It was virtually the only tool the ancients had for medical treatments and evaluations. And they did look at diet carefully. It was something they could observe, measure, record. And medical people did so throughout recorded history. And they WERE scientists. They didn't have all the instruments we have (and we have many fewer than we will have in the future), but they knew how to observe and analyze.

And still they couldn't get diet figured out. Nor can we moderns. Carbs vs. fats, round 827, anyone? The most recent findings show no great difference: https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...arch-says-it-doesnt-really-matter/2017/07/13/ Sugar? The new villain? To the point that it has to be treated as poison? I have my doubts about that extreme treatment.

I find it kind of comforting that nobody really knows! There can't really be diet police, not yet, thankfully. I like the idea that we don't really know that much more than the Greeks. We have to ask ourselves what makes sense for us. Cutting a food group out? Cutting a meal out? Cutting hours where we consume food? Counting calories? Listening to our own fullness cues? Ditching restaurants and take-out?

There are a variety of approaches depending on one's own sense of what works.

It's true that different diet approaches can work for different people. However, I think it's fairly obvious that the rapid rise in consumption of highly-processed foods (sugary snack and dessert foods, soda, chips, crackers, etc) over the last 40-50 years tracks pretty well with the rise in obesity over that same time period. Before all that stuff was widely available, obesity (and all the diseases that come with it, including diabetes) were not near the problems that they are today. So, for virtually everyone, I think, if you can just minimize your consumption of those things, and try to eat mainly "real food" (veggies, meat, fish, eggs, healthy fats), your weight will probably be okay, and your health okay also.

 

[PatrickA5]

Doctors say and do much worse things with obese patients.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/health/obese-patients-health-care.html

Many are at a point where they feel helpless and patients are non-compliant. My brother is a doctor and has recounted many horrific things that his fellow surgeons say about their overweight patients. Many don't even want to deal with these patients due to potential complications leading to complaints and legal issues.

Buy a bike and start riding. Start slowly and work your way up to 10, 15, 20, 25, and 35 mile rides. The pounds will start coming off in weeks. In 6 months you will be shopping for new clothes and will feel much better.

Yikes! That article made me want to go eat a Twinkie! I've run into similar biases with a doctor. Had a Neurologist once tell me my problem was from sleep apnea. He could tell I had sleep apnea (without testing) due to my 20" neck. Way wrong. But, nice guess.

Thanks for the advice, but riding a bike won't be happening.

 

[Freedom56]

Yikes! That article made me want to go eat a Twinkie! I've run into similar biases with a doctor. Had a Neurologist once tell me my problem was from sleep apnea. He could tell I had sleep apnea (without testing) due to my 20" neck. Way wrong. But, nice guess.

Thanks for the advice, but riding a bike won't be happening.

Okay but carbs, fat, and sugar are not the villains. Our bodies need all three plus protein, H20, and minerals.

With a 20" neck, I would get an Carotid Ultrasound screening to make sure things are okay with respect to blood flow. If you don't want to do that, get your doctor to check it out with a stethoscope. You can do simple tests at home to see if you have sleep apnea:

1- Record your sleep with a recorder and play it back and listen for interruptions to your breathing

2- Sleep with heart rate monitor (smart watch or chest strap) and review the data in the morning looking for rapid spikes in your heart rate during your sleep. That is an indication that your breathing has stopped.

There advantages to having a wife/nurse at home. She can treat a lot of injuries, and do most of the things a doctor would do during an annual physical. The disadvantages are, she has been in the room with me and my doctor for my annual physical every year for the past 25 years discussing what tests to run with the doctor and the notes of all her observations over the past year. She does that also with her father and mother.

 

[PatrickA5]

Okay but carbs, fat, and sugar are not the villains. Our bodies need all three plus protein, H20, and minerals.

With a 20" neck, I would get an Carotid Ultrasound screening to make sure things are okay with respect to blood flow. If you don't want to do that, get your doctor to check it out with a stethoscope. You can do simple tests at home to see if you have sleep apnea:

1- Record your sleep with a recorder and play it back and listen for interruptions to your breathing

2- Sleep with heart rate monitor (smart watch or chest strap) and review the data in the morning looking for rapid spikes in your heart rate during your sleep. That is an indication that your breathing has stopped.

There advantages to having a wife/nurse at home. She can treat a lot of injuries, and do most of the things a doctor would do during an annual physical. The disadvantages are, she has been in the room with me and my doctor for my annual physical every year for the past 25 years discussing what tests to run with the doctor and the notes of all her observations over the past year. She does that also with her father and mother.

Actually, just went to the cardiologist today and we scheduled a carotid doppler next week. I have this done annually. Already know that I have some blockage, but we're just making sure it hasn't gotten any worse.

My point about the neurologist was he was taking the easy way out. My symptoms had nothing to do with sleep apnea. He wasn't even listening. Just like the doctors in the article you linked, he basically didn't care to deal with me. That, and he had a really cute intern with him that he was trying to impress with his vast knowledge - 90% of our conversation was directed towards her. Fortunately, I found a Neurologist that overlooked the fact that I was overweight and figured out the real problem.

All-in-all, I'm not in THAT bad of shape. Not fat enough to qualify for any kind of weight loss surgery. Blood work is all normal. No diabetes. Normal blood pressure. Only take one drug (statin). So, things could be worse for sure. Do need to continue to try to lose some weight though - even though my current primary care doc doesn't seem all that concerned.

 

[braumeister]

He wasn't even listening.

This is a huge problem IMHO.
I had to change primary doctors recently because of this. He was projecting all his own personal medical problems onto me (and probably many of his patients).

Basically it was "I take this pill, therefore you should take it too." And not just drugs, but all sorts of lifestyle things. I was considerably healthier than he was, despite being older, but that didn't seem to count.

And it wasn't a matter of time -- this was a concierge situation where he routinely gave me 45 minute appointments and loved to chat about all sorts of things.

My new doctor has been a nice change.

 

[Amethyst]

I'm 5 7 and a half and have osteopenia, so I keep my weight as high as possible without causing joint issues. At 134 lbs I am a lean but not skinny size 4. 37-27-36.5, for the older ones who remember when women's measurements were a common topic of public discussion

It's funny how our weights can be all over the place and still be lean.

You are correct. The healthy people are paying for the chronically sick and with the obesity epidemic in full throttle, the insurance premiums will continue to rise. I have no issues with people with pre-existing conditions, but not those who eat their way into chronic health issues are killing the health system. On our way to our doctor in Santa Monica yesterday, we saw a big sign at the Burger King that read "Now Accepting EBT Payments". What a great way to keep the poorest people fat.

By the way, 5'7" and 147 lbs is not even close to overweight. But 121 lbs is really lean. Good work! My wife is about 5'7" and around 130 lbs.

My view is that you can eat most foods in moderation. There is nothing wrong with pasta. It won't make you fat unless you gorge on the endless pasta from Olive Garden. Potatoes are good for you also but not deep fried or the supersized ones stuffed with bacon, sour cream, cheese, and the sprinkles of chives (it makes people feel like they are eating their greens). There is nothing wrong with coffee or alcohol in moderation. Our espresso machine runs every morning.

 

[Amethyst]

As for heavy women in health care, mom used to call such women "earth mothers." She meant a kind, caring woman who tends others, and is inclined to overweight. For some reason the traits seem to go together. Mom tended not to judge others harshly for looks.

 

[Rianne]

Bone structure, muscle mass, heredity and attitude all play a role is weight management. My BIL is labeled obese because he has muscle mass instead of fat. I have a large bone structure and Eastern European genes. Somehow this makes a difference in weight and health. Some women who appear overweight are actually very healthy. No one size fits all. My DH has 100% Italian genes, a very large stomach that is considered very unhealthy for the heart. His DGF was the same way, smoked for 60 years, big stomach and lived to 93.

 

[Aerides]

No one size fits all.

This is important as well to counter the "If they would just do/eat/this/that... type of commentary. Small frequent meals work great for some. Not for others. Low Carb/Low Fat? Might work for you - today, might not for someone else at a different age.

Perhaps we see someone and think "well if they'd just lose the weight" but we don't know - it's quite possible they are doing all the right things, to just maintain and not gain. Some have to swim upstream, some have it easier, just the differences in genetics, upbringing, many factors.

I'm the type that you'd look at and say "if she just lost 20 lbs she'd look great!" well, shoot I know that, I'm not stupid. I also know that I'm doing everything I can to not gain 20 lbs. I know what works and what doesn't, (for me). I accept that I'll never be a size 6. For me the trick is keeping a 10.

For a lot of women that sounds horrible! And others would be thrilled to have my situation.

 

[audreyh1]

Cancer is very expensive to treat, and the most common cancers can’t be definitively tied to being out-of-shape and overweight. In other words, being a healthy weight and reasonably fit doesn’t mean you won’t get cancer. Non-smokers get lung cancer too. You can’t blame medical costs on obese people alone.

 

[PawPrint53]

I'm 5 7 and a half and have osteopenia, so I keep my weight as high as possible without causing joint issues. At 134 lbs I am a lean but not skinny size 4. 37-27-36.5, for the older ones who remember when women's measurements were a common topic of public discussion

It's funny how our weights can be all over the place and still be lean.

At one point in my life I weighed 261 pounds at 5'9" (female), but I lost 110, so I'm still not a small person. At 261 I had osteoporosis in a few places and still have it at my current weight (although rounds of medication keep it at bay for a year or two). If all the medical information is correct, I should never have osteoporosis. But every body is an experiment of N=1, I guess.

 

[athena53]

Cancer is very expensive to treat, and the most common cancers can’t be definitively tied to being out-of-shape and overweight. In other words, being a healthy weight and reasonably fit doesn’t mean you won’t get cancer. Non-smokers get lung cancer too. You can’t blame medical costs on obese people alone.

Totally agreed. That's why in my post I specifically acknowledged "there but for the grace of God go I" conditions. Stuff happens. My uncle, a gloriously-built marathon runner who wouldn't permit white bread in the house, dropped dead of a heart attack at age 42. We all have similar examples. We still need to prevent what's preventable.