Weight issue, age, poor lifestyle? What 2 do?

[1STEIN]

Hey everyone,
I’ve been noticing that I don’t feel well most of the time.
well actually feel pretty poor most of the time. I’m 55 now, 5’10” and
weigh in at 246 and going up. I’ve never eaten what they call healthy
but my weight stayed consistent from high school till about 2015. I gained
like 12lbs all at once tried to lose but couldn’t. Since about 2018 I’ve went from
219 to current 246. I left my job earlier this year due to stress and personal issues
and I just don’t feel well enough to do anything. I get winded just tying my shoes.
I walked up a hill at the park the other day, slight incline for about 1/4 mile. By the time
I got to the top I thought I was fixin to die for sure. Gasping for air, heart pounding. Way
worse than my moms 83 year old husband. Anyway to the point.
Is all this related to being overweight and fading physical activity, or
is it likely another issue. No high sugar, no high blood pressure, haven’t had a
cigarette since 1987.
im just wondering if I can get through this by losing weight and become more active?
Thanks for your time. It’s ok you can laugh at me , I do.

[wbfishon]

Nothing to laugh at here. Get your butt to your doctor now and tell him this story.
You are plenty young enough to turn this around and get to feeling much better.

[Old Syko]

Exactly 2 years ago I was in exactly the same shape but 10 years older and had been dealing with high blood pressure for about 15 years. Had dental issues and decided to get a set of implants. Thought this would be an opportune time to lose weight. Just plain stopped eating sugar and carbs altogether. No bread, potatoes and other items on my diet. Nothing but meat, fruit and vegetables. Never eat anything before 3 in the afternoon and nothing after 7 in the evening. I drink water by the gallon instead and I'm out the door between 5 and 7 in the morning and never quit until the afternoon or later. In 10 months I went from 246 to 189 and have stayed there ever since and am no longer on BP meds or anything else. I'm now 67 and can work guys half my age under the table. It's all about willpower, need and most of all want. The want is what fuels the willpower. Simply have to decide for yourself if you're man enough to man-up and make it happen or if you prefer to go shopping for a pine box. Your decision and yours alone.

[BJ Duplechain]

Your diet plays a HUGE roll in not only weight gain, but how you feel. Look into the keto diet. That might be helpful. Cutting sugar/carbs will help get rid of a lot of inflammation and you'll start to feel better. Also, the carnivore diet (which I what I am doing) is a good option. There are tons of great YouTube videos on both. However, until you fully decide to commit to one of these lifestyle changes, the excess weight and inflammation will never go away. I have gone from 350 to 280 with a combination of keto/carnivore.

[Slowboater]

Agree on seeing the doctor and telling him the situation FIRST. Rule out a major medical issue and then get to changing things. Never too late to get your health back in shape.

You can do it!

[1STEIN]

Thanks guys for the response. That gives me some hope and inspiration as well.
Old Syko your story is just like mine and hearing how you turned it around is
awesome! I’m feelin kinda psyched. Everyone’s encouragement helps too.
I have never been a quitter got decent willpower also, so now I just gotta do it.
I’ve done a few things in my favor the last few years. I quit doin the diabetes in a
can about 5 years ago. I drink plain carbonated water (club soda). Once you get used to
it it’s actually a much better thirst quencher. I don’t get many carbs, very little biscuit maybe
2 a week, no bread. I have meat of some kind daily and usually potatoes and spinach or greens.
I even eased up on the beer and instead enjoy a bourbon. Thanks to all. I’ll check back in with progress.

[Slowboater]

If you're leaning toward a low carb approach, potatoes are a huge carb load and will torpedo the low carb benefits. If you are looking seriously at changing things, educate yourself and make a true eating change and not a half-hearted one. "Sort of" doing Atkins or low carb has the potential to actually ADD weight.
A good place to start to understand the science is "How I gave up my low fat diet and lost 40 lbs" by Dana Carpender. The Atkins books are pretty dry reading but really detail out how and why it works.

Other diet choices may be easier to work with so do some research. You can do it!

[Old Syko]

I see here a couple comments about getting your doctor involved. The way things are around here now I've lost much confidence in the medical community as a whole. As an example; why would I want to take diet or lifestyle advice from my doctor? In 07 he saved my butt by discovering I had cancer and hooked me up with the top people in the nation for treatment so I do have faith in his abilities to deal with some things but weight isn't one of them. He's about 5'9" and weighs around 285#. A few years ago I asked him about a weight loss program and he gave me the by the book rhetoric. I wrote it off and took matters into my own hands. I went back to see him after losing 55# in 10 months and told him how I had accomplished my goal. His comment was something to the effect of my method not conforming to what he was always taught but the proof was in the pudding.

All of these advertised diets are a joke and nothing but a money maker for someone too lazy to work and none of them will work without the proper mind set and most won't even work then which makes many situations worse rather than better. Common sense tells us what we each need. High protein, no sugar, and little to no carbs tied to extreme physical activity will work for anybody.

As mentioned already, Taters are really a bad thing due to the starches. Laying off taters, biscuits, bread, pasta etc. makes a big difference fast but there's still a need for major physical activity and I'm not talking about going to a gym. At the same time as trying to lose weight get out and try to accomplish something physical. This strengthens the mind set by splitting your concentration between multiple goals and makes both easier to maintain.

[Kodiak16]

Get a stress test NOW

[1STEIN]

That’s cool 55lb in 10 months! I would love to feel like I did
55lbs ago. I would not have any issues with physical activity.
I do have to do some research for sure. I know my diet is not
on point for sure, I’m just sayin I have made positive changes
along the way. I don’t drink sugared drinks at all, only carbonated
water. I think my carbohydrate intake is way below most folks.
I do know I can not continue to enjoy my bowl of ice cream before
bed any more. I can do this though. I still got a lot of places I want
to fish yet!

[krindgen]

I'm the same specs but 180lbs. Have struggled with motivation through this pandemic. Walks are good, just don't do the hills. Activity is good.

[Friscotxman]

Nothing to laugh at here. Get your butt to your doctor now and tell him this story.
You are plenty young enough to turn this around and get to feeling much better.

[pureoil313]

I am 39 years old and I am 6'2 and have been built pretty solid my whole life last but I had gained a ton of weight from my work travel, horrible eating choices, and lack of exercise. I stepped on the scale and was 302 pounds, I was mortified, scared to start exercising again. I had also gone to the DR last week in Feb. and they told me I needed to lose weight, which was the first time they ever told me that. March 1st I changed my life, I set that date and mentally said that is the end to all of the bad things I eat. For example I used to drop my kid off at day care, go to mcdonalds and get a Iced coffee and sausage biscuit then go to the gas station and get a long john, and when I travel for work which is often it was all bets were off. About 15 years ago I ran quite a bit so I said no matter how hard it was I am going to run again. March 1st I went for a run and went about 1.75 miles and literally thought I was going to die, around that same time I found a guy on youtube called David Goggins. David Goggins story just relates to me and inspires me. I would listen to him while I run and his attitude of just keep going made me keep going. I also use a product called huel which is a meal replacement shake, it is not a pyramid scheme buy it from me product just go to www.huel.com , what it has done more than anything is teach my body I can survive on 400 calorie meals and is great for when traveling it keeps me out of drive thru lines. With all that said I have lost 62 pounds since march 1st and I am running between to 5-7 miles every other day with a 2-3 mile run on my in between days. What also drives me is doubters, people in the beginning who literally laughed when I told them I would lose 75 pounds and now I have the doubters who say I will not keep it off. So my formula for success has been running, David Goggins, and Huel. Stay hard.

[vandamit]

I was 323 pounds at one point and ate horrible, this was about 2 years ago, I decided to do low carb and lost 86.6 pounds. Then some shit started happening at home and I became depressed and all I did was eat bad and drink beer to relieve stress. I was in a horrible funk to say the least. So July 5th I got on the scales and was at 312 again. Right then and there I said this is bullshi+ and I'm going to die and not watch my 10 year old daughter walk down the isle. I pulled myself out of my funk right then and there in my head and i'm back down to 286 and still dropping this morning. It's a mental thing for me for sure. You gotta just tell yourself enough is enough and do it cause no one else is going to do it for you. Good luck, PM if you ever need to talk.

[1STEIN]

Thanks for sharing. I may take you up on the conversation.

[1STEIN]

Thank you for sharing. I never have been a runner but now ha ha if you
see me running you can know that something really bad is chasing me.
I never ate healthy and was always active and muscular and in relatively
good shape….until I reached the age where all my bad decisions had
caught up with me and my body doesn’t have the ability to stay healthy
under these conditions.

[Ranger Randy 521-C]

Get on the KETO band wagon my friend. I can tell you it absolutely works. I’ve lost 68 lbs. in 151 days. I became motivated this past March 25, 2021. I’m 66 years old and feel better now than I did at 55 years old. I will never go back to the carbs!!!!

[TX721]

I was at a point I knew I needed to drop some weight and improve my health. Keto, Adkins, break out the South Beach diet book??? I was so confused and needed a reset. I found these guys through a friend that is a camp gladiator instructor. Read their story here:
https://factsoverfads.com/
they are hands on and hold you accountable. Weigh in weekly with progress pictures. They give me my monthly menu and I make the food at home. Your menu depends on you and your goals. They work off of macros and will get you on track. I started June 1 and have lost 34 pounds to date. I also go to the gym and feel really good. I’m 56 and feel the best I have in 10 years. Give them a look and set up a phone consultation with Joseph. He’s great! As with anything you have to be committed and have a plan. Good luck!
(DM me. They give discounts for referrals)

[jcdogfish]

Keto/low carb will work if you don't want to ever again enjoy some fruits, bread, ice cream etc. Everyone I know, myself included gains it back as soon as you get off the restrictive diet. Also, just because you can eat 16 ounces of steak every day or a pound of bacon does not make it any less healthy for you even if you can loose weight doing it. Yes, you can eat sensible portions on low carb however you are still restricted in your choices. The only "diet" that works for me is to educate yourself on nutrition and calorie intake. If you educate yourself a little you can make small changes that make big differences. My insurance plan paid for me to use a plan called Omada Health. It educates you, tracks your weight and progress, and tracks your activity level. It is a slower process than keto or other restrictive diets but it does not restrict what you eat or count calories. It has amazed me what I can eat if I stay a little active and make better choices most of the time. I walk at least 7500 steps per day, every day. I eat a lot of fruits, vegetables along with good proteins. A typical day is eggs and wheat toast with butter for breakfast, for lunch I usually eat a sandwich on wheat toast with good quality meat and thin slice of cheese with a little mayo, lettuce, tomato, onions and jalepenos.I always eat a large apple with my lunch. For supper we usually eat out. Sample suppers are shrimp and grits (eating as little of the sauce they pour on top as possible) with a green salad with as little Honey Mustard dressing as I can get by with. I may eat chicken parmasean with a salad. Sometimes a three egg ham omelet with grits, wheat toast. Sometimes a half of shrimp po boy with a small gumbo. Sometimes a grilled chicken sandwich with cheese and grilled brussel sprouts. Another night I may eat a hamburger with lettuce and tomato and onion with a chocolate shake. Baked chicken with roasted potatoes or cauliflower or asparagus. Depending on where we eat out guides what I eat. If we are in a hamburger joint I don't eat fries, cheese, ketchup or soft drink (add the calories in the ketchup, soft drink, fries and cheese and you can see it is a good decision to eat just the burger and chocolate shake. If we eat italian I choose a red gravy over the white sauces which are usually a lot less calories. By choosing a lower calorie breakfast and lunch it really gives you some room to eat pretty good for dinner. If you decide to cut back dinner too it can go much faster. My rule is get my 7500 steps and make better choices most of the time. I do eat a slice of pie one night and a scoop of ice cream another night every week. I usually eat my scoop of ice cream the same night I go all out and eat fried seafood. However even if i eat fried seafood,,I still choose not to eat fries or loaded baked potato with it. Its usually steamed vegetables or grilled potatoes or something similar. Anyway, I'm down 50+ pounds and off all my meds. Its slow but it is a way that is sustainable because it is not restrictive. When you restrict something it makes me want it more. I snack a lot on fruits and try to eat. Low carb works fast if you can stick to it long term.

[Mutt]

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