Its exactly what i need to do. Small manageable steps
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Update on my wellness Mentally and Physically
- Thread starter Robert loper
- Start date
cockyrooster2013
Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2019
- Messages
- 85
Hey Rob - first off, I’ll pray for you to overcome this difficult situation. Keep your head up, take it one day at a time and things will get better.
As for getting in shape I believe diet is going to be more important than the exercise. If you’re already on your feet most of the day, starting with the diet should kick start the weight loss.
Others have mentioned some great basics, for example processed sugars are terrible and my kryptonite sometimes. No need for fad diets, just eat reasonable portions of good food you cook at home.
My wife and I do the meal prep thing. With both of us working full time and a toddler at home it’s the only way we can do home cooked meals and keep me from eating frozen foods everyday haha. I’ll admit, she does most of the work but I bring home the venison to substitute for the meals calling for beef!
Our process is: buy groceries on the weekend, prep on Sunday or Monday (a few hours) and then all meals during the week can be thrown together in 30 min or less. Minimal cooking skills required which was necessary for me. This is the specific recipe/meal plan book we’ve used for 2 years: “Cook Once Eat All Week” by Cassy Garcia.
I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to this stuff. Just keep it simple and it will pay off!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
As for getting in shape I believe diet is going to be more important than the exercise. If you’re already on your feet most of the day, starting with the diet should kick start the weight loss.
Others have mentioned some great basics, for example processed sugars are terrible and my kryptonite sometimes. No need for fad diets, just eat reasonable portions of good food you cook at home.
My wife and I do the meal prep thing. With both of us working full time and a toddler at home it’s the only way we can do home cooked meals and keep me from eating frozen foods everyday haha. I’ll admit, she does most of the work but I bring home the venison to substitute for the meals calling for beef!
Our process is: buy groceries on the weekend, prep on Sunday or Monday (a few hours) and then all meals during the week can be thrown together in 30 min or less. Minimal cooking skills required which was necessary for me. This is the specific recipe/meal plan book we’ve used for 2 years: “Cook Once Eat All Week” by Cassy Garcia.
I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to this stuff. Just keep it simple and it will pay off!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How do you feel about Asian and Mediterranean cuisine?
I've found Ethnic cuisines are much more likely to incorporate more vegetables and less meat, sugar, and dairy. I've always liked vegetables but went vegan with the exception of wild game this year and would be dead if I didn't like Mexican and Indian food in particular.
Western cuisine is horrible health-wise. Europe had too little access to herbs and spices and too much access to livestock and sugar. Couple that with no religious hangup over killing critters and being the first to really industrialize livestock and sugar and our one-size-fits-all approach to making something taste good is fat and sugar. They just throw chili powder, cumin, turmeric, etc on it. Or they did, until we introduced them to cheap sugar, dairy, and corn.
Can't help much with recipes since I love a lot of spices you don't seem to, but we eat a lot of carrots, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery, bell peppers, squash, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, legumes, brown rice, mushrooms (store bought and foraged) and barley. We try to only eat bread if we bake it and it's usually used as a vehicle for meats and vegetables (tacos, pitas, side to soup).
Stir fry and burrito bowls are common, as well as what the white girls in downtown call "buddha bowls." Basically a burrito bowl with an Asian kick and chickpeas instead of black beans. I make a lot of soups too.
We eat a fair bit of fruit as well. I like bananas and apples, and the wife is a big fan of blueberries and strawberries.
The whole keto/low/no carb thing to me is a little weird. Vegetables are pretty high-carb and low protein, and from what I've seen people on those diets eat nothing near what they should when it comes to veggies. But we don't eat a lot of processed grains and junk food.
Michael Pollan's Omnivore's dilemma is the book I read as a freshman that changed how I looked at a grocery store. Wife and I have never been uber-healthy, but we weigh in our early 30s what we weighed in college and work desk jobs.
As an aside, if you've eaten junk for a long time and suddenly start eating mainly veggies, legumes, and whole grains, it's gonna be a bumpy ride for a bit. But it'll work itself out and you'll learn to love crapping like a horse once a day and wiping one time.
Fish, poultry, and wild game along with the green vegetables and beans have helped me to maintain weight. I also have to watch between meal snacks. Instead of bologna sandwich and potato chips I now munch a few grapes and some nuts. Learn to look around and really notice the beauty in the smallest things in your everyday life. God is Great and I pray for your contentment.
lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about keto. It's not a fad diet, its about stabilizing your metabolism, which requires eliminating foods that have very little nutritive value and replacing them with highly nutritive foods. Then you need to understand the right balance or ratio of fat, protein and carbs in your daily intake. Get those wrong and you will have negative side effects.
Following a ketogenic diet makes it possible to do intermittent fasting or even longer term fasting without feeling hungry. Fasting has many positive metabolic functions like autophagy, which among other things causes your body to produce growth hormone, which helps repair and regenerate tissue.
There's a lot going on in keto, its not just calories in vs calories burned. Keto isn't a solution for everyone's health issues either and having high ketone levels may even be dangerous for some. If you have chronic health issues consult your doctor first.
Anyway, too much to keto to cover in a few forum posts. Watch all Dr Sten Ekberg videos, there is no one that breaks down the science for the lay person better than this guy. Below is one of his keto primer videos.
Following a ketogenic diet makes it possible to do intermittent fasting or even longer term fasting without feeling hungry. Fasting has many positive metabolic functions like autophagy, which among other things causes your body to produce growth hormone, which helps repair and regenerate tissue.
There's a lot going on in keto, its not just calories in vs calories burned. Keto isn't a solution for everyone's health issues either and having high ketone levels may even be dangerous for some. If you have chronic health issues consult your doctor first.
Anyway, too much to keto to cover in a few forum posts. Watch all Dr Sten Ekberg videos, there is no one that breaks down the science for the lay person better than this guy. Below is one of his keto primer videos.
pesqimon
Well-Known Member
Some great advice here. I just want to pepper in a few thoughts.
Great idea to hit the gym. I would focus on strength training versus “high intensity” stuff. Hopefully you’ll get on a program that incorporates heavy squats ans deadlifts but learning to do them properly is important. A coach is well worth the investment.
Aside from the strength training, a bit of cardio is good. Apparently the benefits are in a pace where you could still have a conversation
walking first thingn in the morning is big if you can manage it.
get as much sleep as you can without getting fired.
The irony of cleaning up your diet is that you en up low in sodium, so I supplement with electrolytes daily. Having electrolytes helps the transition from “standard western diet” to “clean eating”.
Vitamin D is cheap safe and effective and you’re probably deficient in it. Combine with vitamin K for best results.
Great idea to hit the gym. I would focus on strength training versus “high intensity” stuff. Hopefully you’ll get on a program that incorporates heavy squats ans deadlifts but learning to do them properly is important. A coach is well worth the investment.
Aside from the strength training, a bit of cardio is good. Apparently the benefits are in a pace where you could still have a conversation
walking first thingn in the morning is big if you can manage it.
get as much sleep as you can without getting fired.
The irony of cleaning up your diet is that you en up low in sodium, so I supplement with electrolytes daily. Having electrolytes helps the transition from “standard western diet” to “clean eating”.
Vitamin D is cheap safe and effective and you’re probably deficient in it. Combine with vitamin K for best results.
My morning every day consists of athletic greens, a liter of water with electrolyte tab in it, a second liter of water, and then first cup of coffee.
Getting ahead of hydration balance first thing has done a lot for me to be able to keep a steadier diet. I notice two things that coincide with me eating like crap - dehydration and lack of sleep.
Ok maybe three, when I miss a giant.
Of lot of “hunger” is actually thirst. And a lot of other “hunger” is just addiction to crap food.
Staying well slept and hydrated, and breaking the sugar and fat combo habit, will go a long way. Routines are boring, but they’re the way.
Thank you for sharing with us brother. Lots of great things been said already. One thing that I noticed help me is drinking a glass of water before I eat and after. This helps with the feeling of hunger that keep on being there when I eat a smaller meal then what my eye and stomach tells me. It does help me fill fuller after that salad. Shakes are a good choice too!
We all want you to stick around for a while man, its not about the deer.
We all want you to stick around for a while man, its not about the deer.
VAHunt
New Member
I get these from Walmart for about $3.50 each. Good bang for the buck for nutrition and convenience factor. I've meal prepped and counted macros several different times and have found the more convenient you can make it on yourself the better it will go. Tuna packs are great too...less than $2 each, about 17g of protein, lightweight and last forever.
www.evolfoods.com
Fire Grilled Steak
Take a bite of our grilled steak with rice, beans, and veggies infused with cilantro lime pesto. You'll understand why Evol makes the best freezer mea
Hey Robert
Sugar.... Is the source of most of our eating issues that directly leads to our health problems. It is a drug that we are all addicted to. That’s right addicted and it makes us want to eat more often. Just like a drug we build up a tolerance to it.... I think if you watch/listen to this two hour video from a cardiologist giving a lecture/presentation to peers I think it could change your life and get you off of meds. This video and others by him completely changed the way I look at food and my personal health. One of the best parts is he is not selling anything, absolutely free and is probably the reason it gets no press. Please take the time to watch and God Bless.
Feel free to DM me
Kyle
Sugar.... Is the source of most of our eating issues that directly leads to our health problems. It is a drug that we are all addicted to. That’s right addicted and it makes us want to eat more often. Just like a drug we build up a tolerance to it.... I think if you watch/listen to this two hour video from a cardiologist giving a lecture/presentation to peers I think it could change your life and get you off of meds. This video and others by him completely changed the way I look at food and my personal health. One of the best parts is he is not selling anything, absolutely free and is probably the reason it gets no press. Please take the time to watch and God Bless.
Feel free to DM me
Kyle
VAHunt
New Member
Link?
DanielB89
Well-Known Member
Brother,
thank you for your honesty and transparency. I bet, if we were all honest, we have all been in a similar situation with something in our life. Depression can be so deep and dark. It has a way of polluting our lives and vision and makes us focus on one thing and forget everything else. Though your post isn't spiritual, I am reminded of 1 Peter 5:8, "Your enemy. the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." It is easy to forget about the light when you're trapped in a dark time.
As far as eating healthy and being healthier I have a few tips:
1) Set realistic goals.
Most failed diets are due to the fact that people try to give up too much too quickly. Remember that any decrease in caloric consumption is going to produce some type of loss. Most people I know start with low carb (give up bread as much as possible), no sweetened drinks(only water for me), and portion control(this is the hardest one for me. I can eat a lot of good food! lol) Be okay with starting with small changes that are maintainable.
2) Have accountability.
Do this with someone. Life is so much better with a close friend or spouse that is there for support! There will be many days you're going to not want to do it. Praise God for someone who will be there to remind you of the purpose and encourage you to continue on!
3) Keep track of your journey.
Whatever type of diet you decide on, keep up with what you're eating each day! It's helpful to keep track of results this way.
I am praying for your mental health bud. Again, I don't know if you're a spiritual man or not, I can only tell you what I do. The following verses really help me!
Philippians 4:6-7 states, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
thank you for your honesty and transparency. I bet, if we were all honest, we have all been in a similar situation with something in our life. Depression can be so deep and dark. It has a way of polluting our lives and vision and makes us focus on one thing and forget everything else. Though your post isn't spiritual, I am reminded of 1 Peter 5:8, "Your enemy. the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." It is easy to forget about the light when you're trapped in a dark time.
As far as eating healthy and being healthier I have a few tips:
1) Set realistic goals.
Most failed diets are due to the fact that people try to give up too much too quickly. Remember that any decrease in caloric consumption is going to produce some type of loss. Most people I know start with low carb (give up bread as much as possible), no sweetened drinks(only water for me), and portion control(this is the hardest one for me. I can eat a lot of good food! lol) Be okay with starting with small changes that are maintainable.
2) Have accountability.
Do this with someone. Life is so much better with a close friend or spouse that is there for support! There will be many days you're going to not want to do it. Praise God for someone who will be there to remind you of the purpose and encourage you to continue on!
3) Keep track of your journey.
Whatever type of diet you decide on, keep up with what you're eating each day! It's helpful to keep track of results this way.
I am praying for your mental health bud. Again, I don't know if you're a spiritual man or not, I can only tell you what I do. The following verses really help me!
Philippians 4:6-7 states, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Fasting + resistence training + low carb diet will, I promise, get you where you want to be. Keto is cool if you can make it work for you but I struggle to be consistent enough with it and it's not really good for your body to jump in an out. It's good to be fat-adapted, meaning you can pull from fat more easily when you need to, but that can be accomplished through fasting.
At your age you're starting to lose muscle mass so I stress that importance of increasing your lean tissue, which is where the resistence training comes in. Cardio is important, but resistance training is where you'll get the best results. Do your excercises in a fasted state (12-16 hours). Start slow, go as slow as you need to. If you're diabetic/pre-diabetic talk to your doc about this first. Working out fasted burns through more calories and increases insulin sensitivity, meaning you get extra anabolic effects from your post workout meals. Now you're getting the one-two punch of extra burn + extra anabolics.
You need to fast a minimum of 12 hours every day. 14-16 is my typical day. When I'm trying to cut I will have 2 days a week that I push it to 20+, I will usually do an 18, a 20 and a 24 each week. Try to work up to a 36 or 48 hour fast if you can. Low carbs/high protein diet is key for getting your body ready for this. When you break a fast do it with lean protein.
Don't mix carbs (sugars) with fat. Don't mix fat or carbs with alcohol. Protein + slow carbs is okay. Protein + healthy fat is okay. The biggest things I cut out were potatoes and bread. If you need bread eat a Dave's good seed thin sliced.
For testosterone, I take 6 mg of boron every day. It works, I started growing chest hair finally.
I've always been a skinny kid that couldn't grow muscles and eventually became a skinny fat guy that couldn't grow muscles. With this combination I saw the pounds fly off and the muscle actually building.
As for food, a typical day wold be to get up, workout out. 30-60 minutes later have some combination of hard boiled eggs, skyr (icelandic yogurt) and protein shake. Next meal would be fish or popcorn chicken (just bare) and a box of green giant simply steam vegetables. If i need some chocoloate I go for Think! bars, the chocolate mousse is fantastic. I highly recommend the My Fitness Pal app for tracking your daily calories and protein intake. Do this for at least a couple weeks to understand what your daily intake looks like and the effect that certain foods have on. But yogurt, eggs, fish, chicken, protein powder, protein bars is pretty much what I live on in times of fitnessing. Walk around the store, anything that has more protein than carbs is generally a go.
My go to resource for all things metabolism is Thomas Delaurer on youtube. There are a lot of mixed opinions on him and most of what he touches on is pretty progressive stuff with limited data to work with, but he's open about that and is good about citing sources and talking high level micro biology. He talks A LOT about keto and a lot about fasting. I skip the keto stuff but use the general lessons and theories to be applied to my lifestyle. Timing of meals, what nutrients/macros to have when, duration of fasts, etc. There's a lot of information that can be applied to a lifestyle that isn't as 'perfect' as his.
The biggest thing is fixing your metabolism. It's not all about calories like we always thought. Fix your metabolism and the rest will fall in to line. I can now eat McDonalds 3x a week and not gain weight. Granted I keep it simple with a double hamburger and 10 piece mcnugget. No fries, no soda.
At your age you're starting to lose muscle mass so I stress that importance of increasing your lean tissue, which is where the resistence training comes in. Cardio is important, but resistance training is where you'll get the best results. Do your excercises in a fasted state (12-16 hours). Start slow, go as slow as you need to. If you're diabetic/pre-diabetic talk to your doc about this first. Working out fasted burns through more calories and increases insulin sensitivity, meaning you get extra anabolic effects from your post workout meals. Now you're getting the one-two punch of extra burn + extra anabolics.
You need to fast a minimum of 12 hours every day. 14-16 is my typical day. When I'm trying to cut I will have 2 days a week that I push it to 20+, I will usually do an 18, a 20 and a 24 each week. Try to work up to a 36 or 48 hour fast if you can. Low carbs/high protein diet is key for getting your body ready for this. When you break a fast do it with lean protein.
Don't mix carbs (sugars) with fat. Don't mix fat or carbs with alcohol. Protein + slow carbs is okay. Protein + healthy fat is okay. The biggest things I cut out were potatoes and bread. If you need bread eat a Dave's good seed thin sliced.
For testosterone, I take 6 mg of boron every day. It works, I started growing chest hair finally.
I've always been a skinny kid that couldn't grow muscles and eventually became a skinny fat guy that couldn't grow muscles. With this combination I saw the pounds fly off and the muscle actually building.
As for food, a typical day wold be to get up, workout out. 30-60 minutes later have some combination of hard boiled eggs, skyr (icelandic yogurt) and protein shake. Next meal would be fish or popcorn chicken (just bare) and a box of green giant simply steam vegetables. If i need some chocoloate I go for Think! bars, the chocolate mousse is fantastic. I highly recommend the My Fitness Pal app for tracking your daily calories and protein intake. Do this for at least a couple weeks to understand what your daily intake looks like and the effect that certain foods have on. But yogurt, eggs, fish, chicken, protein powder, protein bars is pretty much what I live on in times of fitnessing. Walk around the store, anything that has more protein than carbs is generally a go.
My go to resource for all things metabolism is Thomas Delaurer on youtube. There are a lot of mixed opinions on him and most of what he touches on is pretty progressive stuff with limited data to work with, but he's open about that and is good about citing sources and talking high level micro biology. He talks A LOT about keto and a lot about fasting. I skip the keto stuff but use the general lessons and theories to be applied to my lifestyle. Timing of meals, what nutrients/macros to have when, duration of fasts, etc. There's a lot of information that can be applied to a lifestyle that isn't as 'perfect' as his.
The biggest thing is fixing your metabolism. It's not all about calories like we always thought. Fix your metabolism and the rest will fall in to line. I can now eat McDonalds 3x a week and not gain weight. Granted I keep it simple with a double hamburger and 10 piece mcnugget. No fries, no soda.
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2019
- Messages
- 8,124
There's no better help you can find. Trust me. Trust me Brother when I tell you this. Please trust me. Pray to him sincerely, with your heart and mind focusing on what you need. He loves us. He truly loves us. Pray to him for your health, your strength, and your well being. The evil one gives us the naysaying about God. God will never steer you wrong brother. Faith, I mean wholeheartedly, faith. And I'm not coming from a place where I am above this, I am not. I am coming from a place where I've been in the gutter and was on my last leg doing really really stupid things and I broke down and prayed sincerely to him and he blessed me in ways I cannot speak enough about. Trust me brother, please. Trust me in this.
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2019
- Messages
- 8,124
This is so true. I try to drink a gallon of water a day. Tom Brady does it (I know, I know but he's an old dude performing well at a young man's game) and Troy Aikman (whom I despised back in the early 90's when he denied the Bills a superbowl win) is my age and has a six pack. Why? Well he's rich (and can afford a chef that comes in three days a week and prepares all the right foods) but he works hard, completely stays away from sugar and complex carbs for long periods of time..... like months, but the big thing is he drinks a gallon a water a day. He said that one tip from Brady really clued him in on overall personal fitness and health. Apparantly Brady takes a gallon jug of water with him everywhere.
pesqimon
Well-Known Member
I think the overall sentiment here is correct, but just be careful overdoing it with water. If you find yourself pissing every 30 minutes you probably overdoing it with water. So yes, hydration is important but the gallon a day thing is arbitrary and depends on how much fluid you're losing in the first place. Some may need more or some may need less. Again this is where electrolytes come in. Want to find that balance of hydration and electrolytes.
Hall17
Well-Known Member
Thank you Robert for sharing and you are brave for doing so!
1. You need to find what works for YOU! A lot of great advice has been said but the key factor here is it has to work for you
2. You need to LIKE what you are doing, or you won't stick with it
3. Goes with #2 - ENJOY what you are doing. Find enjoyment from the physical activity or foods you are eating
4. This is a LIFESTYLE change, not a fad or a temporary thing. You have to CHANGE your lifestyle
5. Start a journal - I believe I talked to you about this before but if not the 5 minute journal. Do it everyday for 30 days and it'll most likely become something you love to do and look forward doing. Just GOOGLE "5 minute journal"
Food - get creative with food. If you don't enjoy eating it, you won't keep eating it. You MUST enjoy eating the foods you select or you just won't stick with it. Its really that simple
Physical activity - same applies here. I hate treadmills and need to find my cardio outside like climbing mountains. Find a physical activity you enjoy
Low carb - not KETO but low carb. I eat "low" carb which means less than 100 grams of carbs a day. My body thrives on this. I am also a very active person who goes to the gym Monday-Friday. All my carbs come from veggies. Google low carb veggies and eat the ones you like from that list.
Alcohol - everything is good in moderation. If you drink excessively there is just too many calories/carbs in alcohol
My mother suffers from depression and bad eating habits. They can go hand in hand. I've been through it with her my entire life and realized years ago that I have to support her but its UP TO HER to do it. No one else can do it for you. Robert this is on you and I know you can do it. Find healthy foods/meals YOU enjoy. Find exercise YOU enjoy. Again, if you don't enjoy what you are doing most likely you won't stick with it.
Make TODAY the start of something new!
1. You need to find what works for YOU! A lot of great advice has been said but the key factor here is it has to work for you
2. You need to LIKE what you are doing, or you won't stick with it
3. Goes with #2 - ENJOY what you are doing. Find enjoyment from the physical activity or foods you are eating
4. This is a LIFESTYLE change, not a fad or a temporary thing. You have to CHANGE your lifestyle
5. Start a journal - I believe I talked to you about this before but if not the 5 minute journal. Do it everyday for 30 days and it'll most likely become something you love to do and look forward doing. Just GOOGLE "5 minute journal"
Food - get creative with food. If you don't enjoy eating it, you won't keep eating it. You MUST enjoy eating the foods you select or you just won't stick with it. Its really that simple
Physical activity - same applies here. I hate treadmills and need to find my cardio outside like climbing mountains. Find a physical activity you enjoy
Low carb - not KETO but low carb. I eat "low" carb which means less than 100 grams of carbs a day. My body thrives on this. I am also a very active person who goes to the gym Monday-Friday. All my carbs come from veggies. Google low carb veggies and eat the ones you like from that list.
Alcohol - everything is good in moderation. If you drink excessively there is just too many calories/carbs in alcohol
My mother suffers from depression and bad eating habits. They can go hand in hand. I've been through it with her my entire life and realized years ago that I have to support her but its UP TO HER to do it. No one else can do it for you. Robert this is on you and I know you can do it. Find healthy foods/meals YOU enjoy. Find exercise YOU enjoy. Again, if you don't enjoy what you are doing most likely you won't stick with it.
Make TODAY the start of something new!
The smartest thing is to inquire to someone that specializes in diet and health. My girlfriend has a masters in nutrition.....she meets with clients via Zoom weekly. Alot is based on blood type and the information you get from having being tested.
She's on FB @weismanwellness. Not the geriatric group....lol.
She's on FB @weismanwellness. Not the geriatric group....lol.