Is Being “In Shape” Important?

[dennishoddy]

You're not alone. I'm not diabetic but am on 3600mg of gabapentin daily. I don't think I could get below 150 if my life depended on it. Though I will have to say that the best luck I've had with any eating regimen is to follow the carnivore diet and toss in some fasting here and there. No more bloated gut, no more GED, no more arthritis meds, and my pain meds do seem to work better. Didn't help with the migraines, which was the reason for giving it a try in the first place. But ... It helps enough overall that I see me sticking with this way of eating ...

I've gone to about 50% vegetarian. Yogurt and a banana in the morning. Oatmeal with blueberries mid morning and veggie snacks during the day.
In the evening it's a normal meal of whatever.

 

[RickN]

You're not alone. I'm not diabetic but am on 3600mg of gabapentin daily. I don't think I could get below 150 if my life depended on it. Though I will have to say that the best luck I've had with any eating regimen is to follow the carnivore diet and toss in some fasting here and there. No more bloated gut, no more GED, no more arthritis meds, and my pain meds do seem to work better. Didn't help with the migraines, which was the reason for giving it a try in the first place. But ... It helps enough overall that I see me sticking with this way of eating ...

I am not on any real diet but I watch what I eat closely.

Maybe a sausage, egg, cheese biscuit for breakfast because that is when I usually try to get stuff done and I know I will burn it off.
For lunch a salad and a sandwich on low carb bread.
Dinner most nights is like a grilled chicken breast or baked fish with a small helping of low carb rice or noodles or a baked sweet potato. Along with a veggie usually steamed. About once a week I will do a cheat meal but even then I am careful of the carbs.

My real weakness is fresh fruit. I could eat it everyday. I try to avoid the high carb stuff like oranges, apples and pears but I am a sucker for green grapes, strawberries and peaches.

I really need to start going out to the range at night and picking up brass but the wife and docs say no. All the walking, bending and twisting was good for me I felt but the docs say the bending and twisting to much is bad for me.

 

[THAT Gurl]

I've gone to about 50% vegetarian. Yogurt and a banana in the morning. Oatmeal with blueberries mid morning and veggie snacks during the day.
In the evening it's a normal meal of whatever.

I dunno what it is with me but carbs (even healthy ones) are the debil. I hurt all over, I'm lethargic, my appetite goes into overdrive and my pain issues go through the roof. It's NUTS ...

 

[THAT Gurl]

I am not on any real diet but I watch what I eat closely.

Maybe a sausage, egg, cheese biscuit for breakfast because that is when I usually try to get stuff done and I know I will burn it off.
For lunch a salad and a sandwich on low carb bread.
Dinner most nights is like a grilled chicken breast or baked fish with a small helping of low carb rice or noodles or a baked sweet potato. Along with a veggie usually steamed. About once a week I will do a cheat meal but even then I am careful of the carbs.

My real weakness is fresh fruit. I could eat it everyday. I try to avoid the high carb stuff like oranges, apples and pears but I am a sucker for green grapes, strawberries and peaches.

I really need to start going out to the range at night and picking up brass but the wife and docs say no. All the walking, bending and twisting was good for me I felt but the docs say the bending and twisting to much is bad for me.

It's like I told dennis the carbs are so so so not good for me. As long as my blood work comes back okay and I feel halfway decent I'll stick with it.

 

[NationalMatch]

But exercise will make your heart beat slower the rest of the time.

We are going to have to disagree on that theory.
A healthy heart with a good diet is going to last a lot longer than a heart fed with fatty and highly processed foods.
There is no published study that says a heart is only good for 1 billion beats and then it dies.

 

[RockHopper]

Spms

 

[wawazat]

I dunno what it is with me but carbs (even healthy ones) are the debil. I hurt all over, I'm lethargic, my appetite goes into overdrive and my pain issues go through the roof. It's NUTS ...

My wife and I are the same way. It also looks like our 15yo son doesnt play well with carbs either. We all end up with very achy, stiff joints if we dont keep carbs to a minimum. If we are very careful about keeping grains out of our diet, we can have some fresh fruit early in the day with minimal impact.

My routine is to fast for 20 hours a day, every day. During the week, I only take in calories between noon and 4pm. On the weekend I will shoot for that same window unless we have a get together with friends or dinner with family, then I just make sure I cut off all calories at least 3 hours before I plan on going to sleep. I dont allow myself to take in any calories until I have spent at least 30min of cardio/resistance exercise, typically interval resistance on a recumbent bike for low joint impact since my knees are close to toast. Throw in some pull ups, push ups, and crunches and call it good. I do take breaks from time to time, but I refuse to buy clothes to accommodate an increase in size and if I notice any change in my breathing when leaning over to tie my shoes the break is over immediately. The primary motivator is being able to spend a day working around the house or on the cars without feeling beat up and also keeping my libido up to make sure I can perform all of my marital duties as required haha.

 

[turkeyrun]

I done a Run n Gun at 61. It was a WIN for me. I survived.
Since then, screwed my back up at work, could barely move for 9 months.
Got the Fauci biohazard, in hospital for a month, can't walk 1/2 mile, gained 40#, off work for a year.

I do what I can, but I can't do much. Drag oxygen bottle, everywhere I go.

In shape? Yes. Round is a shape!

 

[THAT Gurl]

My wife and I are the same way. It also looks like our 15yo son doesnt play well with carbs either. We all end up with very achy, stiff joints if we dont keep carbs to a minimum. If we are very careful about keeping grains out of our diet, we can have some fresh fruit early in the day with minimal impact.

My routine is to fast for 20 hours a day, every day. During the week, I only take in calories between noon and 4pm. On the weekend I will shoot for that same window unless we have a get together with friends or dinner with family, then I just make sure I cut off all calories at least 3 hours before I plan on going to sleep. I dont allow myself to take in any calories until I have spent at least 30min of cardio/resistance exercise, typically interval resistance on a recumbent bike for low joint impact since my knees are close to toast. Throw in some pull ups, push ups, and crunches and call it good. I do take breaks from time to time, but I refuse to buy clothes to accommodate an increase in size and if I notice any change in my breathing when leaning over to tie my shoes the break is over immediately. The primary motivator is being able to spend a day working around the house or on the cars without feeling beat up and also keeping my libido up to make sure I can perform all of my marital duties as required haha.

Ohhhhh!! Thanks so much for going into such detail. I only started eating this way (this time) because I was having everything I listed above, plus uncontrollable bouts of vomiting (even with taking zofran AND promethazine) that would last DAYS. It has been brutal. I am gonna tighten my eating window and see if I can add in some PT exercises that are a little more muscle-resistance focused. It's mostly been about stretching to try and get back some of the flexibility/range of motion I've lost. I know I need to start doing cardio again but one step at a time. I've been on a significant downhill slide for the last couple of years and if I want any quality of life going forward it is gonna be on me to turn it around because doing everything the doctors tell me to had been a double-edged sword. I mean they do the best they can but we know our own bodies best ...

 

[Droff]

Use it or lose it. That goes for mental as well as physical. The less you do, the less you will be able to do as you get older.

As far as fighting shape, while you may never need it, no reason to not have the ability to defend yourself, which includes some kind of skill as well as the physical ability to fight someone off for a minute or two. Even if it wasn't an attack against you, what would you do if a couple guys were getting after a woman or guy you didn't know but obviously needed help? You're either leaving the scene quickly or resolving to getting your ass kicked trying to help.