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Considering the "V" word...

SD&F

New Member
I know that incorporating more veggies in your diet and less processed foods is a winner.
You cannot go wrong. Good Luck
 

ICeMAnAbk

New Member
Heart disease (and heart attacks), stroke, diabetes, kidney failure...you know...just the killers.

By themselves, each disease is bad enough. But when you start combining three and four of these together it's nothing more than death on the "installment plan".

The parents' kitchen table resembles a small pharmacy with no less than 20 or so meds between them...yep, I said 20. Due to ignorance, they're allowing themselves to be placed on a pharmacological treadmill with no chances of ever getting off. Each new med seems to require the assistance of one or two more meds just to counter act the side effects of the first.

Doctors are to busy to prescribe alternative methods of treatments, and the pill pushers also throw cash their way to prescribe their wares. And by the same token...people are dying from their own lack of knowledge and lack of discipline.


JB


My Step Father was 65 when I got him on a caloric rated diet. When I say that, I mean, I'm having him eat more fiber, not changing his overall diet, but taking in more fillers like fiber, salad, etc. With this, he's an active person, he works on cars, is a very high paced guy (walks fast and is high strung), however, I had him walk on a treadmill or outside for a half hour a day with my mother whom was also trying to lose weight. He went from 195lbs (5ft 2in) with a variety of medications to half his meds, lower colestorol & blood pressure and his sleep apnea is better. His weight how is 160lbs, actually gained almost an inch in height due to his spine over 3years decompressing from therapy appointments.

My diet is still low/no fats from dressings and toppings, but I get my fats from the meats Ill eat which is acceptable. Carbs, Ill eat a variety of veggies and fruits, plus gain some fiber to stay full. I still eat constantly throughout the day, but it's good quality. Exercise 2hrs 6x a week, however, I still had a mild heart attack when I was 26.

A slim/light person can still have the same odds of a heart attack as anyone else. levels of cholestorol, blood pressure, etc, are going to factor in. though, being 200+lbs and short isn't going to help you either.

If you like steak, you're not going to like the diet. Trust me, look into building up other things like fiber and other low calorie but filling alternatives to add into your diet. There are a vast variety of grains which you can buy that do this as well. Overall though, still, see a dietician. Your health conditions, age, activity level, job, genetics, are going to be a good determining factor of what you should do suggested from a clinic. One or two visits can help you lose a lot of weight, or just know exactly what you need other then finding bits & pieces of truths for your specific needs.
 

BigfishDM

Merchant Member
Try to eat as much unprocessed foods as possible and try to do a little excercise and you will be fine! Meat has its benifits in the right amounts but majority of your intake should be greens. The best thing to get yourself is a juicer, montel willams has a great one. You can put all the crap you hate eating throw in an apple and some kiwi and it will taste great! Good luck and hope you can change for the better!
 
C

ColoPrinthead

Guest
I like to suggest the book Eat to Live. It discusses how your palette may change and gives good insight on nutrition. Have you ever seen a fat vegetarian? Usually it's because they are eating tons of pasta and not doing it right. I'm not vegetarian but I cut my meat intake to 2-3 meals a week once or twice a year.

Good luck, you can do it and you will probably find that you like it after you start practicing and get used to it.
 

Flame

New Member
ColoPrinthead;1016365Have you ever seen a fat vegetarian? .[/QUOTE said:
But how many muscular or energetic vegetarians have you seen? Offhand I know about a handful of vegetarians and 1 vegan, and they are all skinny...but lethargic.

Then I know some friends who went to the other extreme and practice a paleo diet. They are straight beast. This chick switched to 100% paleo, started a good exercise routine, and in her late 30's she is now down 30lb from her old "normal", and is straight ripped.

Those are just my personal friends, but I will say I think a vegetarian diet is not something you take lightly. It's a dramatic shock to your body and I would look at all your options first. Personally I think it's depravation, but don't take my opinion for gospel. Just look at your options.

Like I mentioned above...check out what some of the paleo guys are doing.... I like that idea a lot and wish I could have the will power to pull it off.
 

Fatboy

New Member
J have lost 12 kg in 4 months doing the opposite. Never felt better and have not being hungry once.
 

SD&F

New Member
If you notice the best diets are those loaded with vegetables, fruits and a little meat. Very few carbs. This has always been the best way to stay healthy. It is just difficult for most of us to give up carbs.....they are so addicting. If you just eat in moderation a little of the not so good stuff and a lot of the good stuff...with exercise, you will feel better.
 
C

ColoPrinthead

Guest
But how many muscular or energetic vegetarians have you seen? Offhand I know about a handful of vegetarians and 1 vegan, and they are all skinny...but lethargic.

Then I know some friends who went to the other extreme and practice a paleo diet. They are straight beast. This chick switched to 100% paleo, started a good exercise routine, and in her late 30's she is now down 30lb from her old "normal", and is straight ripped.

Those are just my personal friends, but I will say I think a vegetarian diet is not something you take lightly. It's a dramatic shock to your body and I would look at all your options first. Personally I think it's depravation, but don't take my opinion for gospel. Just look at your options.

Like I mentioned above...check out what some of the paleo guys are doing.... I like that idea a lot and wish I could have the will power to pull it off.
To each their own, but I limit my intake and make worth while when I do eat it by buying quality lean cuts. This study and how long the emat hangs out in your guts is reason enough for me to not consider pelo
 

Mike F

New Member
Good luck with it if that's what you wanna do. I love burgers and cheesesteaks way too much to even consider it, but I do try to eat healthy for the most part. Sorry about the pic by the way, had to post it.
 

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James Burke

Being a grandpa is more fun than working
I love burgers and cheesesteaks way too much to even consider it.

Yeah...me too.

But.....I can't even begin to count the number of hours I've spent in hospital waiting rooms. The last time my dad was in the cardiac unit of the hospital getting a pacemaker, I sat out in the waiting room and observed (first hand) who was coming in.

They were mostly middle aged males, morbidly obese...all lining up to have modern medicine to undo what they had done...one spoonful at a time...for years.

Really makes you crave a :corndog:when you see the x-rays of clogged arteries.


JB
 

David Wright

New Member
When I questioned a few doctors on their pill pushing they replied that basically people don't want to do the lifestyle changes that will vastly improve their health. Most rather take drugs and continue with their poor eating and drinking habits.

I have seen this attitude in my family with cholesterol drugs and such.
 

WildWestDesigns

Active Member
When I questioned a few doctors on their pill pushing they replied that basically people don't want to do the lifestyle changes that will vastly improve their health. Most rather take drugs and continue with their poor eating and drinking habits.

I have seen this attitude in my family with cholesterol drugs and such.

I think that is it right there. I don't think, especially with the younger crowd, that they want to make the effort to do things. People are always wanting the magic little pill and not to have to worry about things.

It's a market that people are willing to shell out money. There is no magic pill, it has to come through hard work. Even if you have a pill that will help, typically you have to put some effort into it as well. Most just don't want to do that. I know at one time I was obese, I busted my *** to lose weight and I still have to bust my ***. I love to eat, but I watch what I eat more (but I still will go for that Pizza every now and then) and I workout a lot more then when I used to when I was in high school (dam this getting older, it is horrible). It's gotten to the point now though, I always feel better right after working out. Might take me 5 minutes to get warmed up, but once I'm done, I'm glad that I did it.
 

Custom_Grafx

New Member
Good thread.

I've also recently made some changes. Not so dramatic though. I do believe every body is different, but for me, I've found I feel best when things are just more well balanced. By balanced I mean bulk of food is not processed or meat. I think the human body isn't designed for a majority meat diet.

I seem to feel best when I have something like 20-30% meat, with the rest of it being vegetables/fruit. Carbs of any sort just seem to be a total waste for me (except the stuff in its natural form such as in veges). Stuff like bread, rice, pasta etc... I have really cut a lot of that stuff out and feel better for it.

Anyways, good luck with it, as long as you make healthy changes you'll see the benefits.
 
J

john1

Guest
We are all going to die. End of story. lol

You can eat normal everyday food and not have health issues. I personally think being active in the gym is a big part that most people overlook.
 

Brad Knight

New Member
I'll throw my 2 cents in here... maybe even a few more...

First of all, I'd tell you to take a look at Bob Harper - of Biggest Loser fame - he went down the 'V word' road - and eventually went off of it for health reasons. Now, he's big into crossfit (which is a crazy program - intense!!) and he looks like he's a beast!

As has been said, we're omnivores. Our bodies are designed to take in a wide variety of foods... and we NEED a wide variety of foods to keep healthy. Going all vegetarian doesn't make any more sense to me than going all meat - we need a healthy mix of proteins, carbs, and fats. The trick is to get a good balance.

The input is only half of the equation though - the output is just as important.

All the diseases you listed can be helped with good cardiovascular conditioning... or at least mitigated. You can eat a perfect diet, but unless you condition your cardiovascular system... in the same way you condition the rest of your body... it can and will fail. If, on the other hand, you do regular cardio training, your body will not only strengthen your existing blood vessels, it will also grow new blood vessels to increase your circulatory capacity over time to accommodate the 'good' stress that exercise puts on your body.

As far as the diet goes - proteins are the basic building block of your tissues - you need it to build, and repair muscles and other tissues. You can get some protein from vegetarian sources, but nothing like what you get in good lean meat.

Someone mentioned dairy... dairy - at least the lower fat dairy - is actually very good for your metabolism. The calcium has a thermogenic effect, which will slightly raise your baseline body temperature - burning more calories over time... not to mention help maintaining bone structure. (I was actually REALLY shocked myself because I believed the ‘they said’ crap, until I read the actual studies)

I’d also recommend looking at a few other things – 1 capsaicin; it’s the chemical that makes spicy food hot – it’s found in everything from black peppers to habaneros and everything else… it also has a thermogenic effect and will serve to increase your metabolism. 2 cinnamon; helps regulate blood sugar and eliminate sugar ‘spikes’ – it also has a bunch of other benefits.

Now, I sit here writing this, having lost 30lbs this year by eating a BALANCED diet and working my butt off almost daily (when not travelling) - dropping from 210lbs to 179.8lbs as of yesterday morning.

Long story short – you’d be better off eliminating processed foods than meat – if you can’t pronounce it – or if your grandmother wouldn’t recognize it as food – avoid it… and conditioning, conditioning, conditioning… it will save your life.
 

Dilemma

New Member
At age 38 I was starting to lose control of my health. I was 5'11" and 225. I watched a few different documentaries also ("Food inc.", "Forks over knives", "Food Matters", "Fat, Sick, and Nearly dead") All available on netflix.
After watching these I chose to make big changes. I became Vegan. I lived this 100% for a little over 4 months, I felt a little off for the first few weeks then began to feel a lot better. I was dropping weight like crazy. After the 4 months I noticed my muscle mass was shrinking along with my fat. So I made a decision to change my eating habbits again. I now continue to eat a majority of vegetables with small portions of meat. If I am at a restaurant and I want a steak (rarely but on occasion) I will get an 8 oz. I am now full before I have finished half of a restaurant meal. I used to have an appetizer, Meal, and desert.
This change was the best thing I ever could have done. I currently weigh 165 and I am as fit or more than I was at 20. The pains that I thought were old age were actually my body telling me I am not giving it what it needs. I am honestly blown away by the difference this has made in my life. I do also get out and move around. This change was not diet alone.

I highly recommend giving this topic serious thought. It has changed my life. I am also more conscious of the way food is prepared and animals are treated.
 
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