I'VE LEARNED MUCH ABOUT DIET OVER THE LAST 5 MONTHS!!

[chief38]

At 70 and still in excellent health (well pretty good anyway - lol) my Doctor has been after me for a few years now to shed a few pounds. I was not obese, but needed to loose 25-30 pounds. I am 6 feet in height, but most of the excess weight was in my face and stomach. I had often tried all kinds of diets and basically you can loose weight but keeping it off afterwards was the hard part. I'm now using gun belts from 20 years ago - lol.

5 months ago I decided not really to go on a diet, but to change my eating habits, long term. I have only done a few things but so far in 4-5 months I have dropped 22 pounds. I am loosing weight slowly which is the better way to do it.

All I did was to eliminate sweets, deserts, breads & crackers. I was never big on fried foods so I didn't have to eliminate that. I still eat well, eating lots of steak, ribs, shrimp, chicken, lobster and my main breakfast meal is a 3 egg cheese omelette with 2 strips of bacon - no toast or bagels. Occasionally (2x per week) I'll have a bowl of gluten free cereal with blueberries, rasberries and blackberries mixed in. I do not use milk - hate it! I also put lots of cinnamon on top - good for ya! I really don't eat lunch but if I am starving I will have an apple and a dozen or so almonds. Sometimes a piece of Jarlsberg cheese.

My blood pressure that had been slightly high has dropped like a rock! I even was able to eliminate 1/2 my BP pill!! I no longer get acid reflux and no longer need Tums, Rolaids or Prilosec.

I learned that most of what they said about red meat, eggs, cheese, etc. was all wrong! Eating lots of that stuff my triglycerides are about half of what they were and my resting pulse is in the low 50s! I still have another 10 pounds to go to reach my goal weight and from what I am experiencing now, I actually believe I can permanently say goodbye to my old ways. The first few weeks were tough when the ice cream and cake came out after dinner. Now, I couldn't give a hoot! If I want a sweet after dinner and everyone is eating desert I will eat a few fresh cherries or two fresh strawberries - that's it. A cup of coffee and I am a happy camper. I truly don't feel like I am missing out on anything. Last week we went to a fantastic ice cream parlor with our regular Saturday night dinner cronies and everyone had ice cream - except me. I took one small taste of my wife's which was my fav (coffee) and it tasted so sweet it kind of turned me off a bit.

About the only negative is that all my clothes are too big now. I will have to buy another whole wardrobe. Thankfully where I live, my daily garb is nothing more than a T shirt and cargo shorts - no big deal! Most of my suits and dress clothes are smaller sizes that didn't fit me anymore - till now.

I am proud of myself and my Doctor is also very happy for me.

I've learned that as much as the medical community is always spouting their theories and propaganda, we need to do our own research and SEE what actually works. So much of the medical community makes a good living off of pills, fads, magic potions and scams.

Oh & BTW, 4 years ago my wife and I went gluten free. Not because we had to, but because gluten is KNOWN to cause inflammation, skin problems as well as a plethora of other issues. Now days most restaurants carry gluten free products and we have also been buying gluten free pasta for 4 years now. Cooked wright (about 1/2 the time they say on the package) we can not even tell the difference!

So anyway, that is my health discovery story and my new life style of eating. Forget the crash diets! Actually forget diets all together - changing your eating habits is the way to go. BTW, I never go to bed hungry and no longer wake up with acid reflux in the middle of the night. I actually feel great. While I did also cut a little Bourbon out, I still will have several drinks a week - there's only so far a man can go!!!

Regards,
Chief38

 

[jeffrefrig]

That's pretty good, Chief! Since my retirement in March of 2020, I've dropped from 225 to 185 (I'm 5' 11") and have dropped 2 pant sizes. It's all from not eating as much as I used to. Even my beer intake is down. I only eat once a day now; maybe some sort of snacks here & there. I just have no appetite. Except for my screwy back and now my neck, I've been otherwise healthy for 67 YO. Yeah, my eating habits have changed dramatically. Slow weight loss seems to be working for me, too.

 

[30-30remchester]

My doctor gave me excellent dieting advise. He said forget the books and diets. One simple rule. If it tastes good, spit it out.

 

[moralem]

Same here…..eat less, move more and sleep better. From a high of 245 to 165 this morning. Everybody thinks I am dying and I tell them at 68 I am closer to the end than I have ever been, but doc says good job. My wife hates me now because every few months I was getting new clothes. Waist was a 44 now down to a 34 and coat size was as big as 50, now down to a 42. I also tell folks when they ask how I did it, I tell them I embraced my vanity.

 

[Bald1]

Yes it’s not rocket science. Good job Chief. All the extreme diets are impossible to maintain and the weight always comes back. Lifestyle changes are better than diets. Mix is some weight training and you’ll really burn the fat. BTW Chief if I were you in FL full time , I’d be eating blackened grouper three times a day everyday lol.

 

[LVSteve]

I've been losing a little weight over the last 6 weeks or so, which will please my quacks. They have been after me to lose 10 lbs for a few years. No snacking between meals, eating dinner before 1830, nothing other than a sugar free drink after 1930, and my wife cutting our portion sizes when eating a cooked breakfast have all had an effect. For some time I've used sweetener not sugar in my coffee and tea, and any soda I drink is almost always the diet variant. My triglycerides and A1C have been great. I haven't used a salt cellar in decades, so my docs love my BP.

 

[chief38]

That's pretty good, Chief! Since my retirement in March of 2020, I've dropped from 225 to 185 (I'm 5' 11") and have dropped 2 pant sizes. It's all from not eating as much as I used to. Even my beer intake is down. I only eat once a day now; maybe some sort of snacks here & there. I just have no appetite. Except for my screwy back and now my neck, I've been otherwise healthy for 67 YO. Yeah, my eating habits have changed dramatically. Slow weight loss seems to be working for me, too.

My wife used to tell people I only eat one meal a day........ Starts at 8am and continues to 10 pm - LOL!!

As long as you feel good!

 

[chief38]

Believe it or not....... here's a fun fact. I always thought the USA was still the #1 Country with the most obesity per capita. Well that title was recently lost to China. I guess their new found riches got them into a western way of life. Little do they realize they might have been better off before.

 

[Protocall_Design]

North Korea seems to have an effective weight control program... Except for the leaders.

 

[ladder13]

Believe it or not....... here's a fun fact. I always thought the USA was still the #1 Country with the most obesity per capita. Well that title was recently lost to China. I guess their new found riches got them into a western way of life. Little do they realize they might have been better off before.

Those fast food restaurants got to them too.

 

[URIT]

Some good advice posted on this thread. I appreciate your sharing with us Chief38.

I struggled for a few years after having a heart attack because I followed the advice of the dietitian. I stopped following her guidelines after reading many of their association conferences are sponsored in part by soft drink companies.

Eventually, I made lifestyle changes and adopted new eating strategies that excluded all sugar beverages and limits frequency and portion size of refined carbohydrate (sugary and starchy foods). It helps to use my Medicare Silver Sneakers Program at the local gym too.

 

[mchom]

Great news Chief!

High healthy fats (Animal fats, dairy fat, avocado, olive oil)
High animal protein (Including red meat, fish, dark meat chicken)
Reduce or eliminate industrial seed oils (Veg oil and margarine)
Although these bad oils dont affect a glycemic response they do cause inflammation that has many harmful effects

Reduce or eliminate processed carbs (Bread, Cakes, pasta, sugar of any kind, etc...)
Adding some fasting (At least 16 hours + to include sleep time)
Add exercise (Brisk walking is ideal and some optional light weight is great)
All reversed my Type 2 diabetes (Last a1c was 4.9), brought Triglycerides, HDL, LDL all in line and lost nearly 100 pounds to boot
Going on 4 years now and really not hard to maintain
You can eat a fast food burger just toss the bread and if you can skip the fries. A few shoestrings wont hurt
Its about keeping your blood suger from spiking which keeps insulin levels low. Low insulin = less fat storage

 

[Tom S.]

Eliminate sweets and fried foods? What the heck is left?????

As a comedian once said: "I'm on two diets - I couldn't get enough to eat on one."

 

[Oldengineer]

Great post Chief38. Thanks. The trouble with diets is the first three letters….die! Changing one’s eating habits that drastically reduce sugar, flour, and salt is a really smart thing to do as we age. As my dad use to tell me,”it’s not a crime to be dumb, it’s a crime to stay dumb”.

 

[Kinman]

My little Korean buddy just got back from a European vacation. I asked him about his trip and one of the first things that came out of his mouth "American people so fat."
Oddly my son went on a school trip to the British Isles many years ago. He told me he knew he was back in the USA when he walked into the airport terminal and saw all the fat people in sweat pants.
My weight has gone up to as high 250lbs over my lifetime, I was 6'4" originally but have shrunk to a shade over 6'2". I weighed 235lbs in my best shape while working actively, after retirement over ten years now I have again once ballooned up to 250lbs, got scared and just quite eating anything after 5 pm, no snacks. Got back down to around 240lbs and carried that for a year or so. The other day my glucose was at 225 and Doc asked me if I was trying to become a diabetic. All I did was quit eating anything with cane sugar in it. I usually only eat one meal a day but used to eat a few donuts at the club, etc. I knocked that off, no sugar, except on date night (Friday) then I can have anything I want. In a little over a month I am down to 230 and when my wife asked what my target was I said 195...I may take a few years to get there but thats my story. She said that when she met me I was at 185, I was twenty five.
Most of the people I know that spend thousands of dollars on surgerys or this and that fail to get their head ready for maintained weight loss. As the OP stated "You must change your current eating habits." PERIOD, Full stop.

 

[ladder13]

Large is big business. But good for us here in the Raleigh area.

Novo Nordisk to boost output of Wegovy, Ozempic with new NC facility



The company said 1,000 workers will staff the site, adding to the 2,500 employees already working at its three existing manufacturing plants in North Carolina.



I’ve been to Europe 2x in the past year, most of those seen were in shape.

 

[snubbyfan]

Good work.

As of my last fitness assessment at the gym, I'm 158 pounds, 11.9 percent bodyfat and I feel great.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Five months ago I threw a stick into the spokes of my dietary habits and sedentary lifestyle. I am still a long way from being "fit" (whatever that is) but I endeavor to persevere.

What matters is that He, Ruthie and my family love me for who I am.

I don't believe there are weight scales up yonder.

 

[Bald1]

The trick is to do it slow. Nothing crazy. Small changes equal big results over time. Bread and other baked goods are my Achilles heel. I love sweets. A fresh gooey Apple fritter and coffee in the morning is heaven on earth…….. now I only eat like that on vacation or deer camp.

 

[Kinman]

The trick is to do it slow. Nothing crazy. Small changes equal big results over time. Bread and other baked goods are my Achilles heel. I love sweets. A fresh gooey Apple fritter and coffee in the morning is heaven on earth…….. now I only eat like that on vacation or deer camp.

A fresh still warm gooey Apple Fritter and a cup of coffee is still something I will have to get up and leave the room over, I am weak. At the gun club three days a week, someone used to bring in cinnamon donut holes, fresh donuts, or the odd apple fritter...none of us should be eating any of that stuff, but we do...I've put a stop to it personally and ******* those Fritters.