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In April of 2014 I weighed in at 231 pounds (I'm a hair over six feet tall). My cholesterol and blood pressure were high enough where my Doctor prescribed blood pressure meds and he was threatening to do the same for the cholesterol. I was also diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. That scared the shit out of me.

I went on weightwatchers and started exercising regularly and sometimes vigorously. By mid August of 2014 I was down to 195 pounds and my blood pressure and cholesterol had returned to normal levels and I was taken off the meds. My blood tests even showed that there was nothing abnormal with my kidneys. I was able to maintain this weight through early 2015.

In February my roommate committed suicide and I decided it was time to find a new place to live. The move while positive in many ways got me out of some good habits such as where I shop for food, what I buy when I shop, how I prepare the food, how I was getting my exercise, etc. This morning I weighed in a t 214 pounds (the heaviest I've been since June of 2014). I'm sure my blood pressure and cholesterol have been creeping back up as well. Time to get serious again.

This forum is full of mostly older men (not that women and younger forum members aren't welcome too) who are facing (or will face) various health issues. Maybe this thread could provide some support and motivation for those of us who are trying to keep the train on the track as we move forward. Nutrition and exercise tips, what you did today to improve or maintain your health, track your weight loss and exercise progress, etc.

Today for me I'm back on weightwatchers, taking my lunch hour walk, and to the gym after work.

Aside from 35 years of pretty heavy social drinking (until new year 2015), I've been a veg head for 30 years, but that in itself make very little difference. I had chronic sinus trouble through my teens to my mid 20s for a start, to the point I was going to have nose surgery to 'fix' it.
in 1990, I was travelling through indonesia with a friend, and went to the banda islands. All I could eat was rice and bananas for 10 days - sinus trouble went. Got to Bali and met an australian couple who explained 'food combining' and 'fit for life' - similar to the hay diet. Ignored them, and the sinus trouble came back.
Got back to UK, and bought the 'fit for life - don't eat foods that fight' book by Marilyn Diamond, and have been loosely following it since. FWIW, I'm 13 stone, same as I've been for 20 years pretty much.
Since giving up the booze, I'm certain my BP is lower, and I'll guess my cholesterol and liver functions will have improved a lot, but I'll let you know after the next test.
Best of luck with the fitness stuff KUIII.
TT

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and I know, I think

Now, that's the kind of encouragement I'm talking about. Who needs Jillian Michaels when you've got jpf screaming at you.

I'm on cholesterol meds. My dad is 80 years old and he can eat cheese, bread and starchy foods without raising his.
My Mom's side of the family has a history of high cholesterol, so I guess I got it from her.

I need to get my heart rate up more often and eat more green leafy foods, I'm told. I love spinach salads now. I eat a lot of chicken too. I need to stay away from the red meats, all cheeses and bread. It's tough.

I'm also taking fish oil pills for those triglycerides.

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What prompted you to give up drinking all together? Was it at the recommendation of your Doc. Was transitioning to being a "light" social drinker an option? Most health experts say a couple of drinks a day are actually a good thing. None of my business if you don't want to get into the particulars.

I've been told to stay away from red meat too. I'm more of a chicken guy anyway so that's not a problem though a a good burger once in a blue moon is still a nice treat. For the cholesterol I've also had my Doc recommend the fish oil and oatmeal. I've done that at times but not consistently. I've heard some of the fish oil products are a lot better than others. Any thoughts?

My father died at 49, and I remember him with a bunch of health problems at the end. He was a mod-heavy drinker and smoker. One of the symptoms was swollen ankles. So, last year when my liver functions / BP / cholesterol were way up, and I started getting swollen ankles, I thought I'd better stop.
I've never considered myself alcoholic, but I know once I have a couple, I'll finish it off.
And I haven't missed it.
TT

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and I know, I think

A few tips:

*Cutting out fast food is a big plus.
*The best foods are often the most simple and easily prepaired.
*Sometimes when you think you are hungry, you are actually thirsty.
*Too much sitting is bad for the body, so take breaks from the 'puter now & then.

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Me, I've always had a problem with the "eat less" part of it!

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Don't Be Stupid Unless You Want To

The buns are one of the worst things about FF.
Green leafy foods are easily prepped
Always drink plenty of water....I like to squeeze lemon of some kind of citrus in my morning water / tea.
I like to get up and stretch a lot. Also I have a lower back stretching routine I try to do at least once a day.

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Get them from a pharm. type store like Walgreens. My bottle says 'Nature Bounty.' 120ct.
And avoid buying the 1,000 pill mega bottles.

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My wife and I both take fish oil pills. We freeze them so there's none of that unpleasant taste.

I'm 63 and have some big chronic health issues. I am in the process of losing a bunch of weight. I'm using Nutrisystem; you know, me and Marie O., and exercise. I've lost 46 lbs and intend to lose another 9 lbs. I was at 229 when I started in March. The weight loss has helped with every health issue I have, which I didn't fully expect would happen, so it's a nice benefit. But as anyone who has ever lost weight knows, it's not even half the battle to lose the weight. Keeping it off is the whole enchilada. When I drop the remaining 9 lbs, I intend to go with the smaller portions strategy. A small breakfast, a moderate lunch, followed by a dinner of whatever amount fills a small bowl and no more. Fruit and gallons of coffee in between. And exercise. I am blessed to have a wife who is totally into cooking great food, and doesn't mind that I don't cook anymore. Now I can enjoy her food and not go overboard.

What am I missing?

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Everytime we picked a booger we'd flip it on this one winduh. Every night we'd contribute, 2, 3, 4 boogers. We had to use a putty knife, man, to get them damn things off the winduh. There was some goober ones that weren't even hard...

On weightwatchers fresh fruit and vegetables have no point value so I try to fill up on them as much as possible. I eat a lot of turkey breast and some tuna, non-fat milk and yogurt. Very little bread and cheese. My biggest vice is beer but if I'm careful I don't have to deny myself. Also, the more you exercise the more points you get and I exercise quite a bit.

I love the fact that this thread was created, so I'd like to share my story as well:

4 years ago at age 30, I became a father. Leading a sedentary lifestyle, my health was not the best, but it was slowly getting worse. A year and a half ago, it came to a point where I would get winded just tying my shoes, so I decided to see my doctor. My cholesterol levels were abysmal. She said, "Well, you can take medication or exercise." I chose exercise because I refused to let myself be a 32 year old male taking heart medication.

Luckily, my uncle (who is 10 years older than me) introduced me to DDP Yoga. I was intrigued because I can work out at home and not have to pay to go to a gym. Plus the fact that you can do the workouts regardless of your fitness level. So I gave it a shot, 5 days a week, continuing to this day, 19 months later.

To find out what cholesterol is all about, my wife found a book called The Great Cholesterol Myth by Dr. Steven Sinatra. I was completely shocked by the information within that genuinely and truthfully discredits what most of the general media attributes to high cholesterol and heart disease.

With a steady workout and new diet, I lost 30 pounds. Also, I went from size 38 pants to 33 and from x-large shirts to medium. I have more energy than I thought I could ever have. I feel like I'm 14 years old again. I have lean muscle, no aching back, shoulders and knees and more flexibility than ever.

Here's a few things I learned on my journey to being healthy:

1. Exercise is the key, continual, sustainable exercise. Just because you lose weight, doesn't mean you can stop exercising. The health issues will come back. Find a program that works and is sustainable for the rest of your life. DDP Yoga did it for me and thousands of others. I suggest everyone try it.
2. I take omega 3 oil capsules as well. The most important thing is to note the EPA-DHA content. The more, the better. Some capsules included minimal amounts with other filler that don't do anything.
3. Eat foods with high anti-oxidants. These help clear the bad, crusty cholesterol build up in your arteries.
4. Saturated fat is not bad for you. Sugar is the number one cause of heart disease. Try to avoid anything processed: bread, meat (i.e. bologna), snacks, etc.
5. If you want to drink alcohol, choose red wine because it contains anti-oxidants.
6. When exercising, get yourself a heart rate monitor to make sure you don't overdo it. Getting your heart rate too high will do more damage than good.

I decided to change my habits because I didn't want to leave my daughter father-less at such a young age. If you guys have any questions, I'm happy to help. Good luck to everyone in your healthy habits.

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Check out my band!:
http://burgerfriespop.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/burgerfriespop/

Thanks for the story and tips, tiboudre, and congratulations on your success and improved health. One thing I do almost every work day is take a brisk walk during my lunch hour. In the olden days I would have been more likely to go to Round Table Pizza and have a personal pizza with a salad with gobs of blue cheese dressing on it. Man, I used to love that stuff.

OMG! Blue Cheese. Don't even get me started. [freely salivating completely divorced from shame or propriety]

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Everytime we picked a booger we'd flip it on this one winduh. Every night we'd contribute, 2, 3, 4 boogers. We had to use a putty knife, man, to get them damn things off the winduh. There was some goober ones that weren't even hard...

Excellent post, tiboudre.




Yes. Many people cut back on salt in their diet (which is a good thing). But you should also cut back on sugar. And it's no easy task. Think a lot of foods contain too much salt? Nothing compared to sugar. It's in everything.

I'm 58 years old. I agree that a daily or near-daily exercise is the key. I take a brisk walk almost daily, minimum 3.2 miles (a 5K). How brisk? I do 3.2 miles in about 52 minutes. On weekends I'll go up to 4.5 miles. When the weather doesn't permit a walk, I ride a stationary bike, minimum 45 minutes, 20 miles, 1000 calories. I'm too lazy to drag my ass out of bed early in the morning so most of the time I exercise in the evening. The thing is, no matter how tired and miserable I feel at the end of the day, I force myself to walk and I almost always feel better afterwards. MUCH better. I sleep better as well. Since last October (1 year) I've gone from 188 to 165 and have been holding steady since June. The last time I weighed 165 was probably 1987. Last week I found an old pair of size 36 waist jeans in the back of my closet and tried them on. They fit perfectly! I was able to lower my blood pressure, without medication, from about 145/95 to 125/77.

In addition to the daily walking, I eat less and eat healthier. I've cut way back on red meat and have adopted a significantly more plant-based diet.

My cancer diagnosis last September was a major contributing factor to my lifestyle change, but I don't regret any of it and will continue it for the rest of my life.

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I can't tell when you're telling the truth.
>I'm not.
How do I know anything you've said to me is...
>You don't.

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Thanks for positive comments, folks. It means a lot. Here's a video from last year on sugar from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MepXBJjsNxs

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Check out my band!:
http://burgerfriespop.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/burgerfriespop/

Weigh In Day: 208.5 lbs.
Last Week: 214

Good start. Stayed completely within the confines of my ww plan. Got some form of exercise every day even if only my lunch hour walk on a few days.

Great job!

As of yesterday I have only 6 lbs to go, in meeting my goal. I can't wait to eat real food!

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Everytime we picked a booger we'd flip it on this one winduh. Every night we'd contribute, 2, 3, 4 boogers. We had to use a putty knife, man, to get them damn things off the winduh. There was some goober ones that weren't even hard...

I drink diet cola sometimes. I know some people think diet cola isn't so great either but at least there is zero calories and zero sugar.

OK. Tell my why it's so bad. If you can give a convincing argument I'll give it up.

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