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Spartan or Jabba the hut?
So I recently had blood test results which showed I am pre diabetic and have some liver something or other in the 90s when it is supposed to be in the 30s.
So clearly for health reasons I need to make some lifestyle changes. ultimately other then working I have for the past few years been pretty sedentary.
My take is I need to start regular exercise and eat more healthy less junk food does not mean never just less and more healthy meals does not mean every single meal but more often.
My girlfriends take is I need to exercise 3 hours a day now I can never have junk food ever again maybe for like Christmas and birthday but apart from that no. Not even slightly unhealthy or even dubious it has to be healthy and anything unhealthy immediately needs to be cut out.
I wont see significant improvements unless I live like a spartan, I am not actually even exaggerating we have had a blazing argument over this and are at an impasse on this one.
I mean am I in the wrong here? do most healthy people exercise 3 hours a day and never have potatoes ever?
So clearly for health reasons I need to make some lifestyle changes. ultimately other then working I have for the past few years been pretty sedentary.
My take is I need to start regular exercise and eat more healthy less junk food does not mean never just less and more healthy meals does not mean every single meal but more often.
My girlfriends take is I need to exercise 3 hours a day now I can never have junk food ever again maybe for like Christmas and birthday but apart from that no. Not even slightly unhealthy or even dubious it has to be healthy and anything unhealthy immediately needs to be cut out.
I wont see significant improvements unless I live like a spartan, I am not actually even exaggerating we have had a blazing argument over this and are at an impasse on this one.
I mean am I in the wrong here? do most healthy people exercise 3 hours a day and never have potatoes ever?
Comments
You don't have to live like a Spartan-but the changes need to be significant.
The answer is pretty simple. You and your girlfriend should agree on certain goals-weight loss being a major one.
Then you both agree that you start with what you consider to be sufficient. And agree that, if progress is insufficient, you gradually increase the effort until the desired effects are attained.
You should also be considering exactly what exercises she can help you with
Good luck.
PS-everyone is different. But I am now 5 stones lighter than I was at my heaviest. And, during all that time, I rewarded myself with an ice cream every day, and alcohol once a week.
@Essexphil
...and I bet that ice-cream tasted a whole lot better than they ever did when you ate them all the time. There are so many positives to self-denial.
edit i read that wrong...
good luck with the lifestyle changes, always a struggle at first but everyone i know who exercises loves it, and all say once they got into the habit of it, it became the most important thing they do.
I assume @Essexphil is joking about the daily Ice-cream? that been said I am sure having things in moderation from time to time is not a problem obviously say ice-cream would be for the purposes of improving fitness but if I had ice cream like on the odd occasion I dont think it would be an issue.
I may have mentioned that my accounting job did not work out. This was for many reasons but suffice to say I am now doing two 14 hour shifts a week plus occasional extra bits here or there. That may sound extreme but I like the idea of getting all my work out of the way in two or sometimes 3 days. Then I have 4 to 5 days off to do whatever I want. However maintaining healthy eating on those two days I work may be a challenge. I guess cut out the carbs and go high fat that sustains for the day. Instead of energy drink to get through butter coffee.
before people knock it butter coffee is a thing I have done it before if done right it is awesome and the SAS referenced it as something highly effective it beats the **** out of energy drink its just effort and etc.
The advice was that, for a man of my age and weight at the time, to lose 1 pound a week, I should consume 2,500 calories a day, and no more than 10% of it should be what may be termed "empty" calories (hence the ice cream). I started with 1 of the major healthy food delivery firms until I had lost the first 2 stones.
Exercise? Like you, I detest a lot of traditional "exercise", but I got a dog. And probably take him on walks for approx 10 miles a week.
If you are working really long shifts, you need to take pre-prepared food with you.
Butter coffee? Are you insane? The clue is in the name
Energy drinks are also incredibly bad for you except as a very occasional treat.
Firstly exercise. You cannot out train a bad diet so exercise has to be done with consideration to that. Exercise is usually split into 2 types, strength and cardio and each serves very important roles.
Strength training IS NOT just for gaining muscle or size, it contributes vastly to general health and wellbeing, giving benefits to the musclo skeletal system, as well as improving defence against degenerative physical defects.
Cardio training improves several of the organs of the body by increasing their ability to work harder for longer and also to recover from exertion more quickly. We gain from this in such ways as improved circulation, increased lung capacity, better cognative function and prolonged endurance.
A balanced exercise regimen is called for and it is the quality of training rather than quantity that is the most important feature.
4 0r 5 well constructed sessions of no more than 75 minutes a week will yield much better results than 3 or 4 poorly organised sessions of 2 hours or more. Break strength sessions into complimentary areas such as training chest and arms together or back and shoulders. I always keep legs separate as a good leg session will incorporate 6 exercises, 3 compound activities (deadlift, leg press and squat) and 3 isolated activities (leg curl, leg extension and hip abduction / adduction)
Similarly, keep cardio fresh by using a varied set such as such as 15 min bike, 15 min row, 15 min cross trainer, 5 min ski erg, 10 min stepper and 10 min treadmill.
Also consider doing functional sessions which combine both such as circuit training.
It is worth using a Personal Trainer to develop a basic programme then you can adapt and vary it as you wish. I use a PT once a fortnight just to ensure that I don't get sloppy or to take instruction on new techniques I book blocks of 3 sessions for about £45 but prices vary.
Okay lets examine diet. Diet is what we eat and when we eat. Simple as.
Now our diet should provide 1 of 3 things, either a calorie deficit if we wish or need to lose weight. A calorie maintainence, should we wish to keep our weight where it is, or a calorie surplus should we need to gain weight.
ALL eating plans, weight loss diets, cutting programmes, hard gaining plans or whatever else you call them adhere to these 3 basic pretexts. All that changes is how these plans, diets, programmes etc. are delivered.
Remember that no 2 people are the same, what works for person a may well not work for person b. The only sure way to long term good eating is to find a method of eating that you enjoy otherwise it is not sustainable. personally for me that's 16 / 8 intermittent fasting. I don't eat my first meal until 1pm and have my last food by 9pm. If I'm training in the morning which is usually Mon, Wed, Fri I train fasted, not that it's any more beneficial, I just prefer it.
There are exceptions obviously, like if I'm going on a long hike early doors I will have some food about 90 minutes before hand. However, the fundamental message is find what works for you be it, Paleo, plant based, intermittent, set routine, atkins, weight watchers, cambridge, slimming world etc. etc.
DO your OWN research and AVOID the miracle claims, especially from online influencers etc. Have fun, don't be afraid to try different things and listen to your body. Don't be put off by others negativity.
I look at it like this, if the average person is sitting on his sofa eating Dorritos and take away whilst watching Netflix and I'm training and eating sensibly then I'm already above average and that feels great.
Unfortunately the scientific community are not the objective saints they would purport themselves to be. That is they are highly corruptible by funding from big industries and political ideologies of the time. the Sugar lobby are very powerful and pushed hard to demonize fat and promote carbs. so a lot of healthy fat foods were thrown under the bus as been in the same category of eating arsenic I exaggerate slightly but you get the drift.
butter coffee is healthy I have done it before and it is much more potent then energy drink. The SAS have recommended it. Where people may be getting confused is if your type one diabetic this sort of stuff can kill you. However I am not type one diabetic, I am pre type 2 diabetic.
just if your going to do this sort of thing you have to pretty much cut out carbs. Like sure if you have a netella sandwich with Ice Cream and then have a butter coffee the butter coffee is bad for you. However if your in ketosis or this is helping you maintain ketosis its healthy.
I have just got out the bath after coming home from a 13 and a half hour shift. I was near gone at the end, but this is because I have only recently switched over to the Keto diet so couldnt have butter coffee just yet so had to forgo the energy drinks I was previously used to and make do with normal regular coffee.
I struggled to cycle up hill to the bus stop (got beril bike to bus stop from work) so need to work on fitness I am on two day next week and off till then. then on three days the following week and dont know after that. but probs follow similar pattern. Since I have quite a few days off till I am next in I can get some fitness before I am back at work need to allow at least a full recovery day before working.
Regarding the diet, all I've done is cut out snacking between meals and in the evenings. Have your 3 meals a day (keep an eye on portion sizes), if you must have a snack then eat a piece of fruit and drink plenty of water. I have stopped drinking (well almost, I've had 4 pints since 18th March) but I still have a takeaway every Saturday.
Exercise wise, I go on the exercise bike 4 times a week (30-60mins depending on free time) and walk the dog.
With this routine, I've lost 2st 5lbs. I'm not losing it at a rate of knots, but I believe losing 1-2lb a week is the best way to go. There are fancy diets/fasts etc. where you can shed the pounds a LOT quicker, but I think you're more likely to end up putting the weight back on that way.
Good luck.
@waller02
"With this routine, I've lost 2st 5lbs."
Fabulous news, well done mate. As you note, slow & steady is exactly right.
@waller02
Bet there is a tremendous feelgood vibe now that your clothes fit comfortably, or you go into a smaller waist-size.
Today for breakfast I had Coffee good helping of cheddar cheese chicken and pickles. I am 5 foot 9 weighed myself and 14 stone and half a pound.
pre diabetic levels were 42 and liver number was in the 90s but supposed to be in 30s. Blood test will be on 8th of august and can take 10 days to get results.
Guess I will turn this into a mini blog and map my progress a lot of people are very hostile to the keto diet, because of effective lobbying from the sugar industry I hope to post results that shock but I will stick to the facts and not lie.
if whether is better tomorrow I think my plan will be wake up lateish do the timed tournies with breakfast then head out for cycle then come back and do the satalites for the major to try and bank the £110 (because I am already in) and if up to it play a tourney day on sky.
Kid lying in the cycle path perfectly sensible I have to swerve to avoid running over the kid I mean he picked a great spot near a corner turn so he not visible to the last few seconds then, four dogs jump at me little dogs but still i assume from the irresponsible family of the child, nearly go over but didnt they laughed they didnt apologise they laughed. Well that is good parenting isn't it. Anyway 25 minutes on the exercise bike yesterday and 40 mins real cycling today.
Protein does several things.
1, It allows the muscles of the body to recover and repair meaning you lessen the risk of injury.
2, It causes a feeling of satiation, therefore meaning you aren't as hungry
3, It creates increased thermogenesis, meaning that the body uses more calories to absorb protein than either fats or carbs.
4, Any excess is secreted out in the urine so protein is never stored by the body
5, Protein lends itself to several feedings per day so say 50% through food and 50% through drinks.
If you are doing Keto beware of using protein bars as they are usually carb laden
As a rough guide aim for 1 gram of protein per 1 Kg of bodyweight unless you are very heavily overweight, like me. in which case 1 gram per cm of height is recommended. I am 175cm so I look to take in between 160 and 190 grams of protein per day.
Keep with it buddy, here's hoping you hit your goals.
anyway for breakfast today I had cheese nuts and seeds with black coffee no butter in the coffee this morning wasnt feeling that had two butter coffees yesterday.
Weighed myself after toilet and eaten today and It was 13 stone 10 and a half pounds. so since the 22nd I have lost 2 and a quatre pounds not really much but two days you know. will be going for another cycle on Tuesday will be working Thursday and Friday I believe but that is variable because that place is a bit chaotic so days could change.
A pound a week is a good consistent loss, yes people can and do lose vast amounts over very short periods but these are unsustainable and controlling weight and related issues through diet and exercise requires sustainability.
2.25 lbs over 2 days is actually a lot, unless you are cutting to make weight for a contest or shredding for a show, both of which see participants endanger themselves, then that is unsustainable over more than a few days.
Also weighing every day is not a good indicator as some days you will retain water and the body does not metabolise at a constant rate so exercise, sleep, bodily functions, food and even body temperature can all affect the scales. so some days you will weigh heavy for no apparent reason.
Get into good habits and the rest will fall into place. Routine, routine, routine should be the mantra, everything follows from that. Although try not to get too regimented, you don't want to reach a stage where having your morning coffee 45 minutes later than usual throws your whole day off.
You have made a good start, keep it going.