Who here is on an exercise/diet plan, what is it, and how is it going?

[acdc01]

Just curious. Also, if anyone ever wants to post an update on how well they are sticking to their plans or if they decided to adjust them some, I'd love to hear updates as well too.

I'm on a low simple carb diet plan since I'm pre-diabetic again now. Sucks, I had actually lost weight and am still within the normal weight range (maybe even the lighter end) but still went back to pre-diabetes after I started eating more sugars again. Seems I'll need to diet for the rest of my life.

In terms of exercise, my plan is to I walk with my ex-coworkers for an hour once a week, exercise in virtual reality games 4 times a week, and also try to do some stretching videos 4 times a week since stretching was recommended by my doctor for my joint issues.


I am succeed on my plan about 50% of the time right now. Hopefully will get better at it though I suspect I may have to adjust my plan some.

[peripatetic]

I've thought about doing keto but don't stick to it. Currently one of my daily goals is eatjng at least twice and doing something physical daily. I mostly run trails in GGP.

My most recent bloodwork had my total cholesterol fifty-four points higher than last time (180-234), which I'm told is still fine, but makes me nervous, so I'm wanting to try to eat whatever will keep it on the lower end.

I take meds that can cause metabolic syndrome, cholesterol/lipid problems, diabetes, and something called agranulocytosis. I feel like I should get my diet really clean and consistent because **** is stacked against me. I run four to seven days a week so I'm not worried about getting enough movement. I should practice Tai chi daily, though, because I need the calming and stretching.

[gateway]

I try to eat as much paleo as I can, I notice that carbs make me somehow sleepy, tired, etc... where as if I only eat protein, I am better balanced.

A couple months ago I was looking psychiatrist in my area in the field of ADD, and found some slides where Paleo Diet was encouraged to my surprise...

I eat carbs in the form of fructose when I need energy (going to the gym)... but mostly I do eat paleo

Exercise does help a lot, I go to the gym at least 2-3 times a week (normally 5 days a week)

I do 10-15 minutes of HIIT in the Treadmill, then I go to lift, right now I am following a program by Jim Stoppani (I could get the pdf before bodybuilding.com required a membership), the program name is shortcut to shred... there is an app called "Strong" for iOS that helps me keep track of my gym progress.

Hope the info helps :-)

[Andi]

I just started Yoga again after surgery. During the months after my injury I was unable to do it so I have lost more flexibility that I thought I would. With the fusion there's some depth that I can't manage like I use to, of course.

Rose and SB have me leaning towards KETO. I looked at Palleo and I'm thinking I'll just dive into my version of Keto. When I did Atkins before I lost a good deal of weight, getting down to where I wanted to be but my cholesterol went through the roof. From below 200 to about 260. Sure my good cholesterol was fantastic but doc and I were freaking. I'm afraid that if I don't keep Keto low fat my cholesterol will become high again. Also, Atkins did a number on my bowels. It got use to the fruits and veggies, meat made it worse; without grains I just had issues. Something to consider on Keto as well. Sounds more like I'll have a version of South Beach than anything else. I will give it a shot though. Slowly at first, eliminating and introducing things one day at a time.

[WhiteOwl]

I've been using the SWEAT app, which I love! I started using it before the holidays and was starting to notice good results, but then dropped off for a couple months and recently started again from square one. It's 28 minutes, 3 days a week (one day full body, one day abs/arms and one day legs). Each week gets progressively more difficult, but I like that I can repeat a week as many times as I want before I feel ready to move on. It's $20 a month for the app, but it's worth it to me (there is a lot more to the app than what I've mentioned). Since I started back up, I have been doing a great job of keeping up with the exercises.

I also try to get out and walk my dog for 30 minutes almost daily, but I haven't been doing real great with that since I've been so busy and the weather has been so cold and rainy. I like hiking and try to hit the trails as often as I can.

As far as diet, I'm not doing anything too strict or watching it too closely, just trying to eat as healthy as possible. Lots of fruit/veggies, healthy fats, low sugar, low processed carbs. I guess the biggest thing is elminating candy. I have a big sweet tooth and love my candy, but I have quit it cold turkey for the past few weeks, at least until I cure my sugar addiction. I've also significantly reduced my coffee intake. I use a lot of creamer in my coffee and was having multiple big cups of coffee a day. Now I'm down to one cup. So yeah, little steps, but I'm working on it.

[20thcenturyfox]

In 6 weeks last fall I lost 12 lbs of weight, including 22 lbs of fat. This was not an accident, but even I was surprised how well my "stitched-together" fat busting plan worked.

After someone gave me a body composition scale last fall, I was motivated by the horrifying discovery that I had become 40% fat (despite a BMI of 22)! After being tall and thin most of my life, I knew I was carrying a little extra pork, but I had no idea how much. Even my doctor was skeptical I could be carrying 40% fat.

Now that I have kept it off for 6 months, I've started going after the last 3 lbs. of weight (and 5 lbs. fat). It's definitely tougher as I get smaller, but I'm hoping my new muscles will help pick up the "slack." I look slim, but I have a small frame, and for health reasons, I still want to get down below 25% fat.

At the time I started this, I still believed in the "eat less, move more" fairy tale about fat loss. And I did lose fat. But I no longer think the results were entirely due to diet & exercise. I now think everything to do with fat & glucose metabolism is driven by hormones and the microbes in our gut. And hormones are linked to sleep. So balancing and optimizing those is what I think made my results possible. The fact that people's hormones differ likely accounts for a lot of different results and failed diets. Your mileage really may vary!

So I now think it was pure blind luck that I got around to diet and exercise for fat loss only after working for 6 months on my cardiovascular fitness, sleep cycle, and digestive flora. And I did those more for my brain than for my body, after being depressed and suicidal in the winter & spring of 2018. I was pretty sure my brain needed more exercise...and sleep.

I've posted on another thread about my little exercise routine that grew from a few minutes a day into a 2 hour a day monster. Maybe I'll start another thread on my adventures with sleep and circadian rhythms and suicidal ideation. But suffice to say a lot of things were probably coming together hormonally last year before I started thinking about fat loss.

So what was the fat loss plan?

1. Ample protein, i.e. 1 gram per kg of body weight (2.2g per pound) per day, regardless of percentages; I leaned heavily toward fish & chicken breast, which have the most protein per calorie of anything I eat. Some days I only eat 800 calories, but 260 of them have to be protein.
2. Ample fiber: Luckily I eat a lot of whole grains and vegetables anyway.
2 Ample water: at least 3 glasses before breakfast, and 3-5 more throughout the day.
3. Resistance exercises: I was kind of a weakling so just body weight exercises, yoga, and light weights for me. I should think about using heavier weights now, and so should you if you're able.
4. Fasted cardio: at least 20 minutes (of the 2 hours I was already doing) now have to be before breakfast. Sometimes it's a 30 minute brisk walk in the park. You will not burn any fat for several hours after you eat.
5. High-intensity interval training (HIIT): The rest of my cardio is mostly in intense short bursts anyway because I get bored or tired easily.
6. Apple cider vinegar sounds goofy as hell, but after trying it and quitting many times, I'm satisfied a morning dose really does help forestall evening cravings. (And if you have insulin resistance, try it before some meals and tell us if you can see a difference in your postprandial BG readings.) I also take green tea, garlic, and garcinia supplements as I'm exercising before breakfast--no idea if they help.
7. "Barely" intermittent fasting: At least 12 hours per day with only water, and sometimes 16 hours. I eat 2 meals per day most days: I eat a healthy breakfast, healthy late lunch/early dinner. No carbs after 5 pm (did you know insulin supresses melatonin?). If you go out, just eat meat and a salad at night. Not eating in the evening is mentally hard, but does not cause me any real discomfort. And for fat loss, I think these 12-16 hour fasts have been a gamechanger. If I eat "normally" in the evening, I will gain weight.

I also think sleep is the "elephant in the room" for both fat metabolism and mental health. It is well established that poor sleep promotes weight gain, and will defeat your efforts at weight loss. But the role of sleep in balancing your hormones and strengthening immunity and mental health goes way beyond melatonin and cortisol, as detailed in this 2015 article: https://www.sciencealert.com/chemica...-help-us-sleep

[excel]

I need tobe

[namazu]

I've been...not on a "plan", exactly, but I've lost ~30-35 lbs. since last June and improved my cardiovascular fitness considerably.

My "strategy" (such that it is) has been roughly this:

1. Avoid eating before about noon or after about 10PM -- so, mild intermittent fasting. (Note: I'm a night owl and usually go to bed around 1-3AM and wake up around 10AM-noon.)

2. Work out at least 25 minutes every day. I usually row fairly hard on a rowing machine for about 10 minutes (a little over 2km) and bike on a recumbent exercise bike for about 15-25 minutes, all while watching TV. I work out at night, then shower before bed.

3. Heed Michael Pollan's sensible advice (though I haven't actually read his book): "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much." For me, "eat food" (real food, not junk) is what I've been doing for years; I eat out rarely and cook most of my meals myself. The "not too much" part has mostly involved eating fewer carbs and less cheese, though not eliminating either entirely. I eat a lot of vegetables, and also lean protein of both plant and animal origin, which seems to work well for me.

4. Drink a lot of (mostly decaf, mostly unsweetened or barely-sweetened) tea. It gives me something to put in my mouth that doesn't add calories, but helps with hydration and fullness.

5. Eat a peanut-butter and dark-chocolate-covered frozen half-banana-on-a-stick most days. (It probably doesn't help so much with weight loss, but it's very tasty!)

These are patterns I think I can happily stick with for life, though they will likely always require intention and effort.

I'd still like to work more activity into my day; I spend more time sitting than I would like.

If my time constraints (which are currently very few) change, then I'll also need to plan meal prep more carefully and more in advance.

[20thcenturyfox]

Originally Posted by namazu

I've been...not on a "plan", exactly, but I've lost ~30-35 lbs. since last June and improved my cardiovascular fitness considerably.

....

Wow, congratulations...that's a real success over a much longer period! Keep up the good work.

And I've heard that many nightowls have success with a later version of intermittent fasting where they eat a regular dinner, but skip or delay breakfast so they still get the 12-16 hours of zero eating. Besides it's probably a more sociable pattern for having people over or going out for dinner with others.

For anyone who's interested, Dr. Jason Fung's website has a lot of scientifically validated information and options for fasting and "reversing" diabetes.

I've always been a breakfast girl, who noticed long ago that I sleep better when I don't eat late. So skipping dinner is a painless option for me, whereas it might not be for someone else. I still entertain and go out for dinner occasionally...but I know I'll gain weight that day. Luckily I know exactly how to lose it over the next couple of days, so for special occasions it's really not a problem.

I agree it's a big relief when you find a pattern that you know is going to work "for life."

[20thcenturyfox]

I should have mentioned there are 2 things I do that are not supported by research on fat burning.

1. From a fat-burning perspective, a full keto diet would be more effective than the way I eat, because a lack of carbs forces your body to burn fat. So if you are ready and able to do a strict keto diet, you will likely burn more fat than I do. Because insulin actually prevents fat burning, eating carbs really gets in the way of burning fat.

(As I said, I eat a lot of whole grains and vegetables, which is generally healthy, but involves too many carbs for optimal fat burning. For many years I've been making my own homemade high-protein low-fat whole-grain granola, and eating it with yogurt and berries or dried fruit for breakfast several times a week. It's too easy, healthy and delicious for me to give up, but there is no way this is a low-carb meal, and no way any fat burning will occur for many hours afterward!)

2. Likewise, I do far too much cardio for optimal fat burning, and likewise this is just another healthy habit I decided to keep for cardiovascular and brain health, even though it doesn't do anything to help burn fat.

Other than cardio on an empty stomach, cardio is basically useless for fat-burning. If you are just starting up and want to burn the most fat for your efforts, you definitely want to favour weights...and increasing weights...over cardio. You need protein and weights to build muscle. And if you are not building muscle as you try to restrict calories, up to 30% of the "weight" you are losing is likely to be muscle tissue you are catabolizing to offset the caloric restriction. Weight loss is really perverse.

[namazu]

Originally Posted by 20thcenturyfox

Wow, congratulations...that's a real success over a much longer period! Keep up the good work.

Thanks! I still have a way to go, but I'm very pleased with my progress -- after several years of wanting/intendin, but failing, to make any progress at all.

Originally Posted by 20thcenturyfox

And I've heard that many nightowls have success with a later version of intermittent fasting where they eat a regular dinner, but skip or delay breakfast so they still get the 12-16 hours of zero eating. [...]
I've always been a breakfast girl, who noticed long ago that I sleep better when I don't eat late. So skipping dinner is a painless option for me, whereas it might not be for someone else.

I like breakfast, too. But I tend to eat it when other people are eating lunch!

Originally Posted by 20thcenturyfox

I agree it's a big relief when you find a pattern that you know is going to work "for life."

Indeed!

One thing that can sometimes be lacking in diet and exercise advice (especially advice promulgated by proponents of particular fad diet/exercise programs) is the importance of finding something that works for you (whoever you are) and that you can live with (long-term).

While there are certain general principles that apply --
calories in = calories out to maintain weight,
calories in < calories out to lose weight,
calories in > calories out to gain weight
-- there are many ways to do this, and many other factors besides weight to consider. People's bodies (including minds) don't start out identical, and we don't all respond the same way to specific diets or exercise plans.

For me, blood sugar has (surprisingly!) not (yet!) been an issue -- my A1C has been consistently fine over the past decade. My triglycerides improved dramatically over the past 10 months with my changes in exercise and eating habits (hooray!), but my cholesterol has decidedly not improved -- my HDL has remained stubbornly low and my LDL has remained stubbornly high. But I've had good results in terms of cardiovascular fitness and strength and approaching a more comfortable weight for my frame. So I'll keep at it and see what else I can tweak (and maybe give statins a look if need be).

Keep up the good work, all who are working (physically and/or mentally) for good health! Whatever success looks like for you -- maintaining or losing weight, controlling blood sugar, being able to lift heavier things or walk more, or just getting out of bed -- and however you do it, it's all worthwhile.

[20thcenturyfox]

Originally Posted by namazu

... but my cholesterol has decidedly not improved -- my HDL has remained stubbornly low and my LDL has remained stubbornly high. But I've had good results in terms of cardiovascular fitness and strength and approaching a more comfortable weight for my frame. So I'll keep at it and see what else I can tweak (and maybe give statins a look if need be)....

I'm the opposite...several doctors have told me over the years that my HDL (good cholesterol) is so high that my total cholesterol doesn't matter (not that my total cholesterol is high anyway)!

I used to wonder if this is because I eat a lot of nuts (because I certainly never bought the idea I should lay off of beef, bacon or butter!)

Then one time it came up while I was talking to my cousins and siblings. And guess what? My siblings and the one cousin who is built like us all have the same thing... we all have conspicuously high HDL. We eat differently but are built the same and have the same lipid profile.

Meanwhile, our other cousins struggle with it like everyone else. So that sounds genetic to me. Luck of the draw.

[20thcenturyfox]

Namazu probably knows this, but many other people probably don't: Having normal fasting glucose and HbA1c tells us NOTHING about whether we are insulin resistant or hyperinsulinemic, 2 conditions which have their own risks. Apparently this situation can go on for years in some people without our ever being flagged as "pre-diabetic."

Back in the '70s and '80's, Dr. Joseph Kraft of Chicago ran careful sequential tests of glucose and insulin levels on thousands of individuals of all ages. He initially reported that 75% of those who had normal fasting glucose and no symptoms of diabetes were insulin resistant to some degree. And more than 40% of those in the highest category of insulin resistance--with the same risk of atherosclerosis as diabetics-- still had normal fasting glucose. His results were replicated in Japan and other places.

Now I see that his database has been reviewed and updated, with slightly smaller but similar results. In short there are a lot of people walking around--myself included, no doubt--who have normal fasting glucose and HbA1c and no other symptoms of impaired glucose metabolism--who are insulin resistant to varying degrees: Identifying hyperinsulinaemia in the absence of impaired glucose tolerance: An examination of the Kraft database. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27344544/

Participants with normal glucose tolerance comprised 54% (n=4185) of the total cohort. Of these, just over half (n=2079) showed hyperinsulinaemia despite normal glucose clearance...Fasting insulin had limited value in diagnosing hyperinsulinaemia.

The site probably won't let me post this link to BBDNutrition dot com, but the writing and the graphics in the article "the Significance of Insulin Resistance" are good and probably much easier for the average reader to understand how this can happen and the risks of insulin resistance and of high insulin spikes, even if it is still successfully clearing your blood glucose,

In my case, because I had--and still have--normal glucose I have tended to tune out information about carbs and diabetes...until some of my close friends were affected, and I began reading up on it.

But now that I have learned about the prevalence of undetected insulin resistance, I think I see what has been behind my surprising stealthy fat gain. I would guess it's a safe bet that I have become insulin resistant, but my pancreas is still pumping out ever higher amounts of insulin, and it is doing its job of grabbing all the excess glucose and making sure it all gets turned into and stored as fat. By the time we test my blood 8-9 hours after a meal I may be a little fatter but by golly my glucose is back to normal!

[20thcenturyfox]

Originally Posted by 20thcenturyfox

... [indent]1. Ample protein, i.e. 1 gram per kg of body weight (2.2g per pound) per day, regardless of percentages; I leaned heavily toward fish & chicken breast, which have the most protein per calorie of anything I eat. Some days I only eat 800 calories, but 260 of them have to be protein.

I made a careless math error in my post above that I wish I could edit. The Imperial weight equivalent of 1g per kg is .45g per pound, not 2.2!

So since I was 143 lbs (65kg), and I was exercising to conserve & build muscle whilst trying to lose fat, I aimed for 65g of protein per day. (This is more than many weight loss diets for women seem to recommend, but many of us do better on more protein anyway, and I think shorting protein is an invitation to burn muscle when losing weight).

Since each gram of protein has 4 calories, and 65 x 4 = 260, that's how I figured I needed 260 calories from protein daily, regardless of percentages of total calories.

I suppose now that I've lost weight, this amount could be reduced. But as long as my kidneys are okay, and I'm still trying to build muscle, I don't think there's any harm to a little excess protein.