The new adventures of old Krafticus (1 Viewer)

[krafticus]

So, here I am, 43 years old and miserable. My health sucks, my attitude sucks, and I have little to no drive.. pretty much .. I suck. I need to change this.

With the rising cost of health care, I realize that I need to get my ass in gear or I will damn near be working to pay my medical bills. At the same time, if I can't shape up, I probably won't have too many years left in the tank. I am sure my health and my attitude are directly related to each other, but that needs work too.

Here is my background:
- I am a type 2 diabetic. I've been overweight most of my life. This stems from being a picky eater as a kid, and my parents (I love them to death), didn't try to push me to eat healthier. I am falling into the same trap with my kids now, as we would rather keep them quiet and content than try to get them the diet they need. When I was on my own in college, I continually made poor food choices. Once I started partying in college, I didn't stop. I pledged a fraternity, and drank even more. After 5 years of college, I finally realized that I needed to buckle down and graduate. I did. When I graduated and moved out with friends, I weighed in at 251 lb (at 5'7"). I have never exceeded this weight.

Growing up, my mother did not believe in saving leftovers. (Still doesn't to this day). She would cook dinner each and every day, and toss what we didn't eat. Being picky of course, there were not many options, so that probably contributed to the tossing of food. Even today, I don't eat leftovers. I usually take them home with me, but never really eat them, and they either get tossed, or my wife will eat them. I've been told that we should precook many meals, and freeze them, but again, I hate eating leftovers.

These days, we still make poor food choices. From March - June, we are running across the county to baseball games and practices. We eat out way too much, and never at any place that has healthy options. My kids are even pickier than I am and this impacts where we go to eat. it shouldn't, but it does.

And here I am, where I am seeking help in whatever form you would like to provide. I am going to try to log my progress as I embark on the re-branding of myself.

My goal is to lose 50lb by my 44th birthday (Late November). I am currently 220, with a terrible A1C number (9 I believe).

If you have advice, recipes, inspiring stories, criticism, exercise routines, or any thing else, please ... feel free to help me out. You can post here, PM, or email me (or text or call) ..

I am still a picky eater. I won't eat anything "gummy" (fat, shellfish, certain cooked vegetables, etc..). I am not a foodie, and am pretty limited on my tastes. That doesn't mean I won't expand, but I have a hard time trying new things.

So, let us call today the starting point, and hope that I can move in the right direction.

Mark

 

[manamongkids]

Good luck Mark, should seek out a nutritionist. They are very good at their jobs.

I also, like you, eat whats convenient, opposed to whats tasty, healthy or anything else.

Meal prep is the most serious step - it takes time to cook and prepare many healthy things. My wife is a workout/health freak - with a 4 month old baby, our meals have suffered and we have eaten a lot of takeout over that time.

I know many other people have done this, and while I have not, many family members have. Maybe consider weight watchers?

 

[BPTDirector]

I lost 30 lbs. in the last 4 months by giving up soda and bread(and limiting my beloved pizza to once every three weeks) and cutting portion sizes on everything I eat, with nothing after 7:30 p m when I go to bed at 10:00. Then walking at a Brisk pace for two 20 minute breaks a day, over a mile each time. Lowered my blood pressure a lot as well by just making these slight lifestyle changes. Started out at 219 now at 189 and in semi maintenance mode but trying to ultimately get to 185.

Walking every day without excuses - it's harder than one would think.

FWIW - I'm about to turn 61 so it's never too late.

 

[Rhodeman77]

I was in much the same position you are a few years ago (minus the diabetes) when I made a conscious decision to change my lifestyle.

That is the first step, say I am starting this right now, not tomorrow or next week.

I realized I was quickly appoaching 40 and want to be around for my young children for a long time. And on top that, I want to be involved, play sports, help practice, coach, etc.

To start I cut out dairy and sugar. No cheese or ice cream, junk food etc. That started cut the weight down fast.

I also started walking on a treadmill. I found that watching tv while doing made the time fly by and I was getting an hour or more in every day pretty easy.

One of the ways I stayed on track was I singed to up to run a 1/2 marathon early on. I had 6 months to train for it and I told everyone I was doing it to keep me focused. I didn't want to have to tell everyone I didn't do it and have that embarrassment.

If you don't like eating vegetables get a Vitamix or something similar. Make a shake for at least one if not 2 meals per day. Put plenty of spinach and carrots in it along with some frozen bannnas and some other frozen fruit and almond milk. It tastes great, you won't even notice the veggies. My kids drink them thinking they are milk shakes.

I lost 50 pounds in 6 months, went from barely squeezing my ass into a 36" waist pants down to 30".

 

[Mesnik44]

Yes, good luck Mark.

I too am a type 2, and am over weight (read: obese). When I left the Canadian Army in 1995 I weighed 224lbs, and had just over 5% body fat. Through depression and PTSD, I let my body slide, and therefore became diabetic. I also quit playing sports and got a sit down job. I ballooned to 390lbs in August of last year. I knew something had to be done, and quickly, or I'd be worm-bait. I was on Glyburide, Blood pressure meds, meds to portect my kidneys, Victoza, Lantis, & Invokana. For those that don't understand diabetes, our cells do not unlock to absorb glucose, we need insulin to unlock the cells. Well that's all great and everything, but the more carbs you eat, the more weight you are going to put on, now that your cells are unlocked. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING; I stopped taking my diabetes meds, and within 6 months, I shed 60lbs and continue to do so. The other thing I did was I cut out a lot of my soda drinking. I went back to plain old H20. The other major change was I stopped eating out as much as I used to.

If you need someone to talk to Mark, I'm here.

 

[p5woody]

Sounds like a lot of us have been here at some point. I am also type 2 diabetic. I created a post here about 3 years ago, I found reporting my results here kept me focused. If you read the details I was in pretty bad shape. Chest pains, couldn't run a mile, diabetes out of control, etc.

Here are the details: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/p5woodys-weekly-health-update.2393/

So it can be done, but it won't be easy and the journey will never be over. I had to make a life change not just go on a diet. If you have any questions, I will tell you what worked for me.

Good Luck!

 

[One Eyed Dollar]

I listened to a podcast on boardgames not long ago, and one of the hosts talked about what motivated him to make a change and lose like 100 lbs. He bought a stack of games that he wanted to play, and put them on a shelf near the kitchen table, unopened. He made a deal that he couldn't play them until he hit his target weight. For him, that was enough motivation, and having them near the kitchen helped because he'd go for a snack and see the games sitting there waiting and change his mind. So, maybe buy some poker chips and stash them around the kitchen or in the pantry? Good luck!

 

[One Eyed Dollar]

Also, don't be like my next-door neighbor who lets his diabetes get totally out of control. The ambulance came and got him again the other day, for the 3rd or 4th time now. I haven't seen them since then, so I'm not sure how he's doing this time.

 

[p5woody]

I listened to a podcast on boardgames not long ago, and one of the hosts talked about what motivated him to make a change and lose like 100 lbs. He bought a stack of games that he wanted to play, and put them on a shelf near the kitchen table, unopened. He made a deal that he couldn't play them until he hit his target weight. For him, that was enough motivation, and having them near the kitchen helped because he'd go for a snack and see the games sitting there waiting and change his mind. So, maybe buy some poker chips and stash them around the kitchen or in the pantry? Good luck!

I did this with poker chip sample sets. As I hit my goals, I opened a sample set. It worked for me.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/looking-for-available-sample-sets.2304/#post-8961

 

[Rhodeman77]

One of the easiest tips for not cheating is to not have the junk food in the house to start.

Go through the pantry and fridge and toss your craving foods. For me it is ice cream. If it is in the freezer, it won't be 2 days later. But at the same time, if it isn't there, I don't think about it. Baby carrots are a great snack. A whole bag is like 60 calories!!!

 

[fish72s]

I suspect it wasn't easy to post this thread.
I think that is a good start.
Take the encouragement you are getting here and feed off it.
I don't have any monumental advice. For me its all about portion size and realizing when I am full.
Like most people, when I buy popcorn at the movies, a medium size would fill me up; but of course I would
buy the Jumbo and eat the whole thing. So now I don't go to the movies
Good luck; you can do it.

 

[kirchhausen]

It is all math. Your body will burn a certain amount of calories in a day. Lets call that number "X". 1 pound = 3,500 calories. If you exceed what your body can process by 3,500 calories, you will gain a pound. If you go under, after 3,500 calories you will lose a pound.

A couple of things that helped me lose weight (I lost about 90 pounds from my peak):

1) Log every meal in some app on your phone ( I use the lose-it app). Especially important - log it BEFORE you eat. If you have just that discipline, and do it every time, you will never lie to yourself about what you are eating.

2) Make sure you stay hydrated - drink plenty of water. I never realized how much of my fluid intake was actually through the food I ate until I started dieting.

3) Exercise is great. But even if you run 5 miles (which will burn about 700-800 calories) you can flush away all of that hard work and then some with one bad meal. (thus the importance of logging your caloric intake).

4) If you are serious about losing weight, don't drink. Alcohol has so many bad effects on your weight. it has a lot of empty calories, and it lowers your discipline level, so you will eat things you would normally avoid if you were on a diet. It also changes the way your body metabolizes the food you eat.

I'm a picky eater too, but you will find that once you start dieting, a lot of things start to look a whole lot tastier.

If you are on the run, you can always find a Subway. 6 inch Turkey sub with no cheese is only 300 calories. Grilled cheicken sandwich at Chik-fil-et is about the same. You will find out what works for you and have 2 or 3 go-tos that can get you through a meal with no problem.

If you ever have any questions I'm more than happy to help.

 

[detroitdad]

About 5 years ago I was 235 pnds at 5/10 with a bad back. After trying a variety of niche diets that would "temp" work I did as @Rhodeman77 said. I need to make a life change. I provide Security for a bunch of off site health centers. I spoke to a couple of doc's. Crazy, but they suggested two things. Monitor my calorie intake (which would lead to eating healthy) and to exercise. They suggested the "my Fitness pal" ap. Now I recommend it to you. Its not perfect. Anything and everything that I consumed I put into the app. I set it to lose one pound a week. Then I started trying to find an exercise that I liked doing and that didn't fire up my sciatica nerve problems. I finally found it in swimming. I swim 2-3 days a week and I use an incline treadmill 1-3 times a week.

I dropped 30'ish pounds and have kept most of it off for the last three years.

Immediately download the My Fitness Pal ap and get started. Don't wait until tomorrow

 

[detroitdad]

certain cooked vegetables

Which ones? Have you tried different cooking methods? I'm a big fan of roasting my veggies. I roast everything from carrots, to cauliflower, to broccoli. You can roast them on the grill or the oven. Experiment with different seasonings on the veggies?

 

[Mr Tree]

Which ones? Have you tried different cooking methods? I'm a big fan of roasting my veggies. I roast everything from carrots, to cauliflower, to broccoli. You can roast them on the grill or the oven. Experiment with different seasonings on the veggies?

^^^^^

Roasting veggies is a big trick to get some extras in. I've got my picky eater wife to love my roasted Brussels sprout and she would have bet you a million dollars that isn't possible. A little salt and some olive oil in the oven and it makes all the difference in the world.

Also start out with low hanging fruit. Lots of water and are you big on soda? Because sodas are awful for you.

Speaking of fruit...fruit is amazing for you. If you are not a big vegetable guy it can be another way to intake good calories.

 

[xxmurrxx]

One thing that really helped with my weight loss was buying an activity tracker (fitbit). If you have friends / family who wear one the challenges are great to keep you motivated. You can set and adjust goals to your current activity levels and increase them as they become easier.

 

[MikesDad]

Mark

Good first step in writing that post. I'm not a picky eater but I'm in a similar boat... my wife doesn't cook and I don't cook much (but love cooking on the grill). My weight's pretty steady but I could afford to lose 30 pounds. As for dieting... DON'T go for the Pritikin diet... I tried it and lost lots of weight but it came back as soon as I stopped... that's probably true for most diets

Last time I tried to lose weight I ate a lot of chicken Caesar salad and hit the treadmill for 30 minutes per day... worked pretty well

I'd listen to Rick... he's been successful where the rest of us haven't been

 

[detroitdad]

^^^^^

Roasting veggies is a big trick to get some extras in. I've got my picky eater wife to love my roasted Brussels sprout and she would have bet you a million dollars that isn't possible. A little salt and some olive oil in the oven and it makes all the difference in the world.

Also start out with low hanging fruit. Lots of water and are you big on soda? Because sodas are awful for you.

Speaking of fruit...fruit is amazing for you. If you are not a big vegetable guy it can be another way to intake good calories.

and grilled fruit is amazing. I don't like pineapple. Grilled pineapple is awesome. Core some apples and grill those SOB's. Drizzle a touch of honey on them. Makes a great desert.

Google different recipes. Reach out to us and we'll share what works for us. Then you tweak it to work for you. Hell, I contact @Poker Zombie at least once or twice a week trying to glean cooking ideas off of him.

 

[pltrgyst]

..... I I use an incline treadmill 1-3 times a week....

Lots of good, helpful advice here, but several people have made this recommendation. One caution: treadmills -- particularly inclined -- and stairmasters are knee killers.

My wife's and my physical trainers down here say to avoid inclined treadmills at all costs and to hit the elliptical machines instead.

 

[gopherblue]

Which ones? Have you tried different cooking methods? I'm a big fan of roasting my veggies. I roast everything from carrots, to cauliflower, to broccoli. You can roast them on the grill or the oven. Experiment with different seasonings on the veggies?

Absolutely this. Roast broccoli, carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, brussells sprouts. Tons of recipes online, try various seasonings but just a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper is usually enough.

 

[gopherblue]

How picky an eater? Will you eat fish? Trust me, try this recipe ONCE. It tastes amazing and is very good for you. Even picky eaters wont know they're eating sardines. So healthy too--no cheese, and the sardines are loaded with healthy oils, protein, calcium and vitamins. The bones basically melt away, so you'll never even know they're in there. And this is a very fast dish to prepare--the longest part is dicing the onion and fennel, and you'll get so good at that it'll take 3 minutes to dice.

Sardine Pasta

Even people who "don't like sardines" love this dish when I make it.

1 can sardines per person
Penne pasta or any other short pasta.
onion
fennel
red pepper flakes
lemon zest
capers
breadcrumbs
parsley (broadleaf "italian" parsley, fresh)
olive oil
golden raisins (optional)

Procedure

1. Toast breadcrumbs in skillet in a little olive oil, set aside
2. Boil water for pasta
3. Saute diced onion in oil over medium heat with pepper flakes
4. When translucent, add fennel (thinly sliced)
5. After a few minutes, add (drained) contents of sardines cans (bones, skin and all) and capers, and break up with fork (the bones melt away to nothing, and the skin dissolves as well. Great source of calcium and protein).
6. When pasta is ready, add lemon zest (and optional golden raisins) to sardines
7. Mix pasta in with sardine mixture, and serve, sprinkling breadcrumbs and parsley over top.

 

[gopherblue]

Also, treat food prep as family time--if you begin to enjoy cooking, you'll make time to do it and enjoy it more. Put on some jazz and cook.

Here's a delicious salad that is very good for you:

One bunch Lactinato kale
Good Parmesan cheese (the expensive stuff)
hazelnuts
olive oil
champagne vinegar
dijon mustard
anchovy paste
worchestershire sauce
pepper

1. Wash kale, leave stems on
2. Stack and roll kale leaves like a cigar
3. Chiffonade the kale (look it up online...basically slice very thinly)
4. Toast hazelnuts (or walnuts) in a dry pan over low heat, tossing frequently, until fragrant
5. Make a vinegrette of olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, anchovy paste, worchestershire sauce and pepper
6. Grate a small amount of cheese and combine with kale and nuts
7. Toss with dressing--use it sparingly--not too much...it is very flavorful and a little goes a long way
8. Let salad sit for 30 minutes so kale softens (can also use a potato masher to accelerate)
9. Enjoy

Optional: Can be served on its own or as a side. Can also serve with sliced grilled chicken (boneless/skinless)

 

[BiGGyT]

https://www.freshnfitcuisine.com/about-us

My wife and I just eat this 5 days a week. Other 2 are days we can go out or if we had lunch out during the week, eat it on the weekend. Dropped 10% just eating this, it is easy because it is ready to go, heat and eat. But, it is a variety of foods, and you either get over being a picky eater, or don't eat, which also helps lose the weight.

I am sure your city has something similar.

I sit all day at a desk, so I make sure I do my own yard and pool maintenance so I have some exercise. Walking after meals, taking the stairs in the parking deck, little things will add up.

But noting will work if you cannot commit to making a change. I am not there yet, but baby stepping my way closer to "there".

 

[gopherblue]

More ideas:

Learn to love sardines. Try them as a replacement for canned tuna in tunafish sandwiches. So much better for you and so much tastier. Use less mayo.

Avocado toast. Toast good bread, mash avocado on top, drizzle with good olive oil, sprinkle with salt and crushed red pepper. Enjoy. Makes a great breakfast. Or add sardines on top for even more healthy eating as a delicious lunch.

Did I mention sardines?

Baked sweet potatoes. Clean them really well and eat them, skin and all.

Cut back on carbs. But if you do eat carbs, eat GOOD ones. Good bread. Good pasta. Don't waste the calories on average stuff.

Almonds and walnuts are good for you. But in moderation. A small handful. Dry roasted. No salt.

Need a sugar fix? Dried mango or dried apricots. But be careful--very high in sugar and very high in calories.

Snack on carrots. Get the little ones by the bag.

Siggi's yogurt. The 0% fat one. It is a scandinavian yogurt, but has great flavor and is rich and satisfying.

 

[gopherblue]

Non-food ideas:

Walk everywhere.
Always take the stairs if fewer than 3 floors.
Always walk on escalators.
Always park farthest away from wherever you're going--if there is a parking lot, you're the guy parked in Siberia.

No starbucks anything, except plain coffee/espresso. No mochalattefrappechinosugarbombs.

Hydrate.

 

[inca911]

It's a very concrete and courageous step to put this out there. Much respect! You aren't the only one dealing with issues like this, and your story may serve to motivate others. Wishing you all the best in making it happen!

 

[CraigT78]

I once lost over 100lbs, and even though I put a lot back on after a foot injury, the science behind it is solid.

1) Get a resting metabolic rate test done. It will give you YOUR daily caloric needs. Costs about $100 and is the most important thing to know. Eating too few calories a day can cause you to gain weight and leave you feeling crappy.

2)See a nutritionist after you have the results of step 1. They will help you develop a food plan that makes sure all your macro nutrition needs are met.

3) My Fitness Pal and a food scale. Track every single calorie.

4) Small and frequent goals with a reward system.

5) Hire a personal trainer, even if for a few sessions. I needed this to keep me motivated, but the information was worth the cost of even a few sessions.

Good luck! It's a long road, but it's a road that's worth it

 

[MrBo]

Best of luck, Mark. My wife is a bit of a nutrition guru and I'm sure she'd be happy to help, or I could pass suggestions along through her. I've always been a picky / simple eater, and we have a regime of quick, low-prep meals that are pretty basic, well-balanced, and some could also be good for eating-on-the-go situations. I'll check with her to see if she has any good resources at the ready, if you're interested.

 

[ssanel54]

Start slow. Cut out Soda and no cream/sugar in your coffee. Drink lots of water. Anytime you feel like snacking, drink a glass of water instead. Try standing and walking as much as possible, especially if you are sitting in front of a computer all day.

If you are on the road and eating at restaurants, be cognizant of what you are eating. Many people will order a chicken sandwich from mcdonalds thinking its a healthy option, and its one of the worst things on their menu. Same with salads/dressing - just because its a salad does not mean its low calorie.

 

[200 Motels]

Cutting out the refined sugar is evidently something that makes a big difference. This youtube channel showed me that those sweet food cravings were actually sugar withdraw symptoms. Once you realize that you wanting something sweet is just your body trying to heal, you can use those symptoms as a reminder to exercise or drink water or both. (eg, craving sugar? - pound back some water and go for a walk).

I'm still struggling cutting out this stuff.