So What Now? 2019 - Geo

[geo]

Thats right, you'v e done it. You've reached your original end goal. Your at a comfortable weight (BMI) and think your looking good. You have your health back and almost all those nagging little issues are now history. Where do you go from here? Whats next? Is the journey over?

Nope!

It ain't over till the mortal body says its over...and with everything you've done to date, that should be a good long time. Thats what I imtemd to explore in this journal. Now your at a point where you can really start to optomise your health and well being. Now you can take advantage of what life has to offer.

So yes , diet is a priority... still....and ALWAYS will be. Vigilence and being honest with yourself are the watch words you will live by.

But movement will now play an even bigger role. That being to allow you to do whatever it is you want to physically do. Your body is healthy and will support you in whatever endevours you desire. Movement will make it reality.

And of course, theres strees reduction for those with hectic and harried lives. And for the rest of us, bringing ourselves back to a state of calmness in everything we do will suffice.

Even more so, we should be considering expanding our learning...we only grow when we learn...and to stop learning is to stop living...

And finally, there is our emotional health. The capacity to be happy, caring, empathetic and loving creatures...towards ourselves and others.

So you see, theres lots to explore...you've set yourself up for a long healthy life...lets do something about that...as always, just do it.

[AnnetteW]

I just read your "Random Thoughts" post, it was very good (in the signature.)

One thing on my mind, all the time, is maintenance. I kind of chuckle to myself about how well I can maintain right now, problem is, I still have 20 lbs to lose. But it will happen again, the weight will move off, but maintaining is the key.

I look forward to seeing your achievements in this new phase of your life.

[sirdle]

Welcome back!

Look forward to reading another of your journals!

Cheers,

[bunsofaluminum]

This will be very interesting, I know it!

[geo]

OK So I plan to start this new journal on Nov 1. So today is simply prep for tomorrow. First, thanks for the replies, they should help me stay motivated. As well, any questions you have about what I'm doing are welcome. I'll try to answer them all as best I can or at least refer you to another source. But no promises I can answer everyone all the time...

So, now's the time to clean out your cupboards of those "foods" you KNOW you shouldn't have and stock up on those real foods recommended here. I personally eat MWL. I believe that minimally processed, low fat, low saturated fat, fruits and veggies with plenty of starches and clean water is the proper way to eat. And I believe that following calorie density principles is the best and proper way to keep tabs on weight/BMI. So that's what I'm sticking too. I do not follow the no added SOS mantra. I do follow the lower sugar/lower salt guidelines prescribed by JeffN (if I want a teaspoon of sugar in my oatmeal or a lite sprinkling of salt over my veggies I will do so without fear). As well, I don't use added fats/oils. One other aspect I do follow is a lower protein guideline due to my own personal health because I have only one kidney. Lower protein means at the lower end of adequate protein intake...i.e., enough to maintain proper optimal health...and this works well simply following the MWL guidelines so there's really nothing special I do to maintain this.

So read this over and thats what I do food wise: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26620&p=578019#p578019

I eat when I'm hungry and till I'm comfortably full. Then I repeat as necessary. Currently that amounts to 3 meals a day, sometimes skipping a meal if I'm not hungry. I work the night shift now so my breakfast is usually around Noon and my lunch around 4PM and dinner around Midnight. So that's a bit weird but I've adjusted to it surprisingly well. I sleep from about 4:30 AM till about 11 AM. And my working hours are 5:30 PM to 4AM. I will freely take a nap as well if I feel I need it. On my days off I try to keep the same hours so my sleep cycle can be better regulated.

As to exercise, I will talk more about that in the coming weeks. I already have several questions that I will cover in the first few posts. All the other things I want to cover will be over time. Obviously, much of this is not part of the McDougall Program but will be based none the less on science and my personal experiences. I will try to provide references for everything so your not just taking anything I say on faith. If its something I'm trying out new and unsure of its worth, I'll let you know. If something doesn't work for me, despite what the science might say, I'll tell you that as well. There are lots of ways to skin our lifestyles...we have to chose what works for us within reason.

One final thing, I don't know if I will post everyday, but I'll try too at least in the beginning to at keep myself on track. Hopefully that will help you all to stay on your own track...for good

Happy Halloween...whose that behind you?

[Daydream]

Geo, I'm happy you are starting a journal again and look forward to reading your posts!

[Ejeff]

Yes Geo, I am also glad you will post again. Your random thoughts are so spot on, I will set a reminder to re-read them every couple of months. I specifically liked how you pointed out this is not WFPB, but WFSB. I will always keep this in mind when explaining to others. I completely agree it is key to eat when hungry. This way of eating should not feel like a diet or that you are deprived in any way. Diets fail eventually. Thanks for your insights

[geo]

11/1/2019

B: oatmeal with a teaspoon sugar and hash browns
L: rice and veggies w/BBQ sauce
D: rice and veggies w/a little salt (200mg sodium) and an orange
S: Apple
S2: a few pieces of candy

Ok so thats what I typically eat, except for the BBQ sauce and candy...I don't buy candy but Halloween means someone will certainly give me some. Normally I will just stick to a few pieces of plain hard sugar candy, (this time it was mints and wintergreen lifesavers). I don't fret over sugar as its not that many calories and my meals are more than nutritious enough to compensate. My breakfast was a bit weird this morning as usually I'll try to have some berries with my oatmeal, but I'm out of them right now and I was a bit hungry so I thought I would just add a small side plate of skillet hash browns to fill me up a bit more. I know, oatmeal and hash browns? Yeah not a great combo but on their own they hit the spot.

Haven't started my exercise yet as I will start that on Sunday.

So some questions I've been asked:

Questions:

I know you have been injured several times due to your weight training.

1. Do you feel like your overall health has improved due to your weight training? Or do you feel like you would be better off if you just limited yourself to walking and other low intensity exercises?

When I look at myself in the mirror, I see someone who is slender but still fat. I am around 17-18% body fat. My shoulders are bony. My knees rub against each other when I sleep and cause discomfort that sometimes keeps me awake. Yesterday, I was doing a cat stretch in the morning and happened to look down toward my hips, and where my stomach should have been there were two udders hanging down. Grossed me out. I feel like I would look much better if I were 160 lbs and 10% body fat.

A: Thats easy, I feel much better when I strength train. Why? Because I can literally do more, be more active, feel less tired and look better! Walking is great and definitely improves your stamina and endurance, but after a few miles it gets boring and your really not improving so much anymore. With strength training, I just keep getting stronger and feeling better and I don't need to do more than 30 mins of exercise (or less). With walking, I was spending hours and hours everyday and after a year or more felt like I was really not gaining much more from it. Normally I would have switched to a more progressive exercise like jogging/running, but my knees will no longer take that kind of punishment. So I still walk all day long...but now I do it 10 hours a day at work and another couple at home (take the dog out and such). However, I will be adding HIIT style training as well to my strength training to gain a better aerobics edge without all the added time...but more on that later...

2. In your experience can you gain muscle mass (not just strength) while maintaining a steady weight?

Yes you absolutely can, in fact you can gain muscle while dieting and losing weight as well. You just have to exercise properly. But just understand how much muscle you can gain is genetically pre-determined...how much you can gain may or may not be as much as you would like...but that requires a much longer answer than I can give right now...but we will circle back to that over time.

3. Can you do this at age 55?

A: Certainly! Its never too late to start strength training. You won't gain as much muscle as you would have when younger, say >45. But you definitely will gain some musculature... Coy Hint: what you really want though is strength...

4. You have said that an untrained weight lifter can add 5 lbs of muscle over 6 months (or something like that). Do you think this can be done at age 55?

A: I don't believe I said 5 lbs in 6 months, but yes an untrained person can definitely gain 5 lbs in 6 months and to be honest with proper training can probably do it in about 6-12 weeks. Again its all about genetics...and of course I'm speaking for a male...a female will probably be half that or less.

5. In many areas, my skin is loose. This might be due to recent weight loss (muscle and fat), but might also be due to age. You lost significant weight in your early 50s. What is your experience with loose skin?

A: Loose skin is again one of those genetic traits that some have and it also depends on how badly you've damaged the skins natural elasticity over time (how big did you get, how quickly, for how long, how quick did you lose, are you muscular or not, etc... For me, I'm lucky and my skin bounced back pretty well at least around my stomach, but not as well on my arms. However gaining some muscle can tighten things up dramatically. Unfortunately, really bad loose skin probably can only be fixed adequately via cosmetic surgery. But you know sometimes good enough is well, good enough. All you can do is give exercise a shot and see what happens.

6. If I maintain my body weight, continue to exercise, and keep my dietary fat less than 10% of calories... will my % body fat change? Or will it stay the same?

A: If your gaining muscle and your weight stays the same then you will be losing fat and your body fat percentage will naturally go down. Maintaining 10% BF is not easy for most and may not even be realistic for you or me. I know I would like to get there but its a lot of hard work...But at 10% BF you would have a six pack

Alright that's enough for now...feel free to ask anything...

[geo]

11/2/2019

B: oatmeal
L: rice and veggies
D: rice and veggies and an apple
S: orange

So I know people always ask about more specifics of what I eat and quantities and such. To be honest its not really important by this time. I assume that if your reading this its because you've already reached your initial goals, whatever they might be, and are well entrenched in the McDougall Program But just to be more specific for those that are extremely numbers oriented (like me), here's a bit of a breakdown:

Breakfast is almost always a hot cereal like oatmeal or one of Bob's Red Mill hot cereal blends (I love the 5 ingredient one and the 10 ingredient one). I make 2 servings per the label of these (about 300 Calories) Then I will add about 1/2 cup of plain frozen berries (any kind but prefer the mixtures over the single berry types), about another 50-80 calories and maybe a teaspoon of sugar (15 calories). So that makes my breakfast ~400 calories. I expect that meal to hold me for about 3-4 hours till lunch. Breakfast will include a cup of some non-caloric water based beverage, like an herbal tea.

Lunch is almost always a starch and veggies. The starch varies from potatoes/yams to rice to corn or other grains (including pasta), and sometimes a small quantity of legumes. Starches usually total about a 1 lbs worth (400-500 Cals). The veggies are generally frozen and usually some type of variety mix but will always include some cruciferous types, greens and usually tomatoes (either chopped or in a sauce like salsa). This will usually amount to another 1 lb of food (~150 Cals) and the addition of a piece of fruit (apple/orange/grapes/melon/etc...), for another ~100 Calories. So lunch may be 650-750 Calories total. Herbs and spices are used liberally.

Dinner will be the same as lunch but vary the starches and veggies and fruit most times depending on my mood and tastes). So another 650-750 calories.

Snacks are usually a piece of fruit <100 Calories.

So all told that's over 5 lbs of food in a day. Yes, that should meet the needs of the vast majority of people.

So that comes out to about 1700-1900 calories a day. It fills me up comfortably, is optimally nutritious in all micro nutrients (along with a B-12 supplement), minimally processed, adequate protein, adequate Omega-3's and O3/06 ratios, low fat, low saturated fat, low salt, no added fats, low sugar, high fiber (soluble and insoluble), no added cholesterol, thirst quenching, low calorie density, extremely filling, cheap, quick/easy cooking, tasty, and as health and life promoting as current, well establish science advises.

Do I drink any other water during the day? Usually not because I rarely get thirsty. My food is so full of water already that there's just no need for additional water. But when I do drink water it is well filtered and almost never more than a simple cup to glass full and is always thirst driven.

So there you go, what I eat and drink and how much everyday...I eat when I'm hungry and till I'm comfortably full, rinse repeat throughout the day as needed. If I'm more active in any day, I may eat a bit more, but again its simply hunger driven. Yes its boring and monotonous, but it also takes away the focus of your life on food and puts it back to where it belongs...doing other things...and keeps the pleasure trap and cramming at bay... it works for me

[geo]

11/3/2019

B: Oatmeal with cinamon and sugar.
L: Rice and veggies with salsa and an apple
D: Baked potato
S: Oatmel with maple syrup

A bit lop-sided on the starches today but thats what my brain said I needed. Am feeling a bit tired from work as I worked 11 hours rather than 10 due to DST (Daylight Stupid Time). Karen, our dog, woke me up in the usual way....jumps on the bed, licks my face and eyes till I wake up If I go back to sleep she then crawls up on my pillow and lays on my head till I get up...she demands that she takes me for a walk first thing in the morning everyday.

Q: What do I think is important in exercise?

A: Well obviously, the most important thing is simply that you do it, consistantly, for the rest of your life...the same as following the McDougall program. Understand, when I say exercise, I mean movement/activity for whatever form that takes, be it formal exercise, or just likeing to do a lot of different outdoor things that make you move or even simple activity around the house that has you on your feet and doing things. You were designed to move, so get on your feet and do it..

So my philosophy on exercise takes the form of 3 simple ingredients:

1. It must be Safe - Exercise is about getting healthy, not hurting yourself. There are many, many ways to exercise unsafely. I avoid those ways like the plague, even if they meet the other 2 criteria below. Getting hurt can be just a temporary set back in your progress or it could mean a debilitating lifelong injury...much better to be safe than to be sorry.

2. It must be Effective - i.e., it must do what you want it to do. If you want to gain strength, then it better do that. If you want to increase lung capacity, then it had better do that. If you want to be more flexible then it better do that. I'm a firm believer in the idea of specificity of exercise. The most effective of exercises are those that are specific to your goal and what your trying to accomplish.

3. It must be Efficient - Nobody likes to exercise (the old saying is, if you like to exercise then you aren't doing it right). I have way too many things to do in my life. If I can accomplish my goals in 30 mins...rather than 2 hours...guess which one I will choose to do.

So thats it, my ultra simple SEE system to life long healthy exercise: Safe, Effective and Efficient... SEE it, then JUST DO IT.

In the coming weeks we will explore this a lot more...

[VeggieSue]

My condolences on the overnight shift. My son did it for 4 months earlier this year but didn't mind all that much. When I was (much) younger I did alternating shifts (as an RN in ICU/CCU), meaning every 2 weeks we switched shifts. Overtime was also mandatory - as a specialized unit we had to cover each other if there were call-outs, so many times we each worked a 16 hour shift and had 8 hours to get home, sleep, then get back to work again. After a few years of that I didn't know if I was coming or going and left for a steady day shift at a different facility.

A question for you - I noticed you mentioned spices or salsa on your starch & veg. Do you use any other sauce or gravy, or prefer the dried herbs and spices? If dried, is it a matter of convenience, calories, or just taste preference? I try to make various sauces & gravies or have things like McD-safe BBQ sauce on hand, but I plan on asking my husband if he wants to try eating the meals "dry" to change things up a bit. Like you, if it's not a soup or SNAP meal, it's potatoes or rice with cooked frozen veggies. So much more convenient and just as tasty as elaborate recipes.

[geo]

Hi VeggieSue, I do use other toppings/sauces at times as well as just dry. The problem with sauces is that they almost always are loaded with fat or salt or sugar, i.e., the 3 basic flavor enhancers that make food hyper-palatable and subject you to the pleasure trap.

So yes I will at times make a BBQ sauce or a sweet/sour sauce, or a brown sauce or a chili sause to change the flavors up. However, I always do it being mindful of the pitfalls and ingredients and will use them only sparingly as a condimant and not as a major ingredient. Even dry I may on occasion just have a light sprinkle of salt (one of those little pre-made packets that contain 200 mg of sodium.)

I tend to use dry herbs/spices because thats generally what I have on hand, they taste great and last a long time...I use Mrs Dash blends that have no salt and lately just buy the store brand equivalents to save money.

I like salsa the best as its easy to make , tastes great and can even be found pre made, salt and oil free.

As long as your aware of the potential issues with using sauces then I see no reason not to use them properly as a condiment.

[geo]

11/4/2019

B: nothing - to tired to eat...Karen got me up early and said I needed my 30 min. daily walk (Yes, Karen our dog)
L: rice and potatoes with veggies and BBQ sauce and an apple
D: oatmeal with cinnamon and herbal tea
S: Baked potatoes - Was a bit hungry

Exercise: Started my new routine today. Did the following: Squats, deadlift, bench press, chinups, dips, bentover rows, overhead press. Then did 10 mins of HIIT cycling.

Afterwards felt wiped out and strangely, hungry. But overall it felt good and there was no pain associated with anything I did. I don't generally get hungry from exercise and generally find it suppresses my apetite. I suspect tomorrow I will feel the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) set in. So right now I'm a good bit tired as expected when starting any new exercise program. I'll write more of how I did it and why tomorrow. Hopefully I will sleep well tonight.

[VeggieSue]

Hi VeggieSue, I do use other toppings/sauces at times as well as just dry. The problem with sauces is that they almost always are loaded with fat or salt or sugar, i.e., the 3 basic flavor enhancers that make food hyper-palatable and subject you to the pleasure trap.

I use recipes from the Esselstyns or Chef AJ, so SOS free, when I make them, but hubby fell in love with Sriracha and Bone Sucking Sauce when he saw they were Esselstyn-approved.

I tend to use dry herbs/spices because thats generally what I have on hand, they taste great and last a long time...

And thanks to Jeff's SNAP meals, we, too, have a large variety of them. I keep forgetting to just *use* them on dishes like rice/potato and veg and would use them exclusively in more "wet" meals.

I use Mrs Dash blends that have no salt and lately just buy the store brand equivalents to save money.

McCormack has a few, too, and sometimes I get a blend or 2 from Penzey Spices when they have free ones with an order after making sure that particular one is salt-free. I just tossed a few of those - I forgot I had them and found they were a few years outdated.

As long as your aware of the potential issues with using sauces then I see no reason not to use them properly as a condiment.

With me, a little dab'll do ya, but my husband, 6 years post CABG, sometimes treats them as beverages instead of condiments and puts a few *ounces* over his bowls. Even if the sodium/calorie ratio is within Jeff's guidelines, the total sodium adds up very quickly, and some days he has had a full day's worth of sodium in condiments alone by lunchtime. I'll start offering an array of spice mixes at the dinner table instead of liquid condiments next rice meal and see how it goes. I've got various soups planned the next few days for dinner so next rice/veg meal isn't until Friday. I can conveniently "forget" to make a sauce and just offer the dry stuff and see how it goes.

Thanks for poking my brain cells with that suggestion.

[Lyndzie]

Do either of you have a BBQ sauce recipe that you’d recommend? I have a great recipe, but the amount of sugar is mind-boggling.