Not necessarily looking at my weight, but I have cleaned up my diet since the calendar turned to doing a lot of Whole 30ish concepts (somewhat ketogenic).

Wednesday I go for my consultation to (potentially) begin testosterone replacement treatment.

1 hour ago, bugatti said:

Not necessarily looking at my weight, but I have cleaned up my diet since the calendar turned to doing a lot of Whole 30ish concepts (somewhat ketogenic).

Wednesday I go for my consultation to (potentially) begin testosterone replacement treatment.

I assume you already know where you fall on your T levels from your bloodwork?  

And I am no expert but I would hold off on that as long as possible. 

3 minutes ago, theguru said:

I assume you already know where you fall on your T levels from your bloodwork?  

And I am no expert but I would hold off on that as long as possible. 

I do not have them yet... will get those numbers on Wednesday. I had it tested several years ago when my wife and I were doing fertility treatment and they were a smidge lower than they should have been for my age, but nothing alarming. Curious to see where it is today. A couple of people I know who have done it (active people like me) swear by it from a recovery and joint pain perspective.

1 minute ago, bugatti said:

I do not have them yet... will get those numbers on Wednesday. I had it tested several years ago when my wife and I were doing fertility treatment and they were a smidge lower than they should have been for my age, but nothing alarming. Curious to see where it is today. A couple of people I know who have done it (active people like me) swear by it from a recovery and joint pain perspective.

I am on the lower end of acceptable.  I feel great and my workouts have been very productive but recovery and joint pain are becoming more of an issue for me.  I am normally on an "Old Man Alert" a couple of times a week.   Please let us know how it turns out.

In May of last year I had my 4th Pulmonary Vein Ablation (PVA) to address a-fib that was persistent.  It seemed to work finally and after that I committed to dropping the pounds.  I went from around 235 to a low of 206 in 3 months. 

Things that seemed to make a difference:

1. Eliminating wheat (mostly) from diet.  Wife was diagnosed with EOE and wheat (not glutton) was a primary trigger of episodes for her.  Her throat would constrict during a meal sometimes - making for scary moments) .  So, I just synched up with her diet since it did not make sense to cook two meals anyway.  We continue with a very low carb, somewhat carnivore / keto diet.  No specific strategy or program but almost no bread, no bagels, no rolls, little pasta.  What we do in way of those is glutton-free (usually rice-based). 

2. Eliminating the late evening snacking.  That late evening spoon of peanut butter and milk had to end. 

3. Eating early dinners.  In combination with item 2, this led to an intermittent faster period.  We would eat around 6 p.m. or earlier most nights.  Not having a breakfast until 8 a.m. gives the 14 hours that most say you should shoot for. 

4. Basic workout in mornings before breakfast using dumbbells and exercise balls.   Working out before breakfast causes the body to get its energy from stored fat instead of recent meal. 

5. Walking and swimming. in evenings, usually after dinner.  This helps burn the evening calories before they get stored. 

6. Eliminated as much processed foods from meals as possible.  Frozen glutton-free pizzas are still a weekly or so item though.  Look for and eliminate items with high-fructose as sweetener.  That means going organic for a lot of things. 

7. No soft-drinks.  I do water, coffee, tea and small amount  (4 to 6 oz) of OJ in mornings. 

Weight result is noted above (almost 30 lbs in 3 months).  Another major data point was improvement in blood glucose levels.  I get regular blood work done, and I always tracked above 100 as long as I can remember.  Since last summer it has been tracking below 90 the last two cycles. 

Recommendations include:

1. Be comfortable with being hungry.  When you do the intermittent fasting you will feel it if you are used to late night snacking.  And you will be hungry when you wake-up.  Its noticeable at first.  Eventually it becomes normal.  

2. Stay in the overall routine and make it a daily routine. But vary what you do inside the routine.  Workouts vary each morning.  Some nights we would walk, some nights we would swim, some nights we did both.  But we always did one or the other each night barring weather.  I can tell I am missing the swimming during the winter months for sure. 

3. Age makes it harder and it may take longer, but it should not be a limiter to results.  At 62, I feel I am in the best shape I have ever been in.  Certainly, the best since early college days.  And this after 4 PVAs, 17 cardio-versions and a few years of light smoking before that.  Along with exercise you  will also need to work on flexibility if you are older.  Learn the basic yoga moves - they go a long way.  

 

 

 

 

On 1/22/2024 at 12:11 PM, theguru said:

I am on the lower end of acceptable.  I feel great and my workouts have been very productive but recovery and joint pain are becoming more of an issue for me.  I am normally on an "Old Man Alert" a couple of times a week.   Please let us know how it turns out.

I like the place I am going to.

My T-level number was solid. However - and I am going to screw up this part - I am only utilizing a fraction of my testosterone that I should be. Something hormonally is not fully activating, so it is overly "binding" in my blood so as not to fully release the testosterone. The physician did not want to prescribe testosterone to me until we see if we can naturally get this to unbind on its own. I am trying out DHEA (hormonal stimulant) for three months to see if it has an effect. Hopefully, it will activate things and then I do not have to do the testosterone, or we can at least have a better plan. If the DHEA does not work, she said they would prescribe testosterone, but my readings would be super high (1,200 or so). While it would be high, I would only be realizing the effects of a normal person.

The talk was also kind of upsetting getting back to the infertility stuff we dealt with several years ago. The doctors at the time checked my levels, but that was it. Nowhere near the in-depth analysis of what I had last week. Something that simple could have made a difference for us. C'est la vie.

2 hours ago, bugatti said:

I like the place I am going to.

My T-level number was solid. However - and I am going to screw up this part - I am only utilizing a fraction of my testosterone that I should be. Something hormonally is not fully activating, so it is overly "binding" in my blood so as not to fully release the testosterone. The physician did not want to prescribe testosterone to me until we see if we can naturally get this to unbind on its own. I am trying out DHEA (hormonal stimulant) for three months to see if it has an effect. Hopefully, it will activate things and then I do not have to do the testosterone, or we can at least have a better plan. If the DHEA does not work, she said they would prescribe testosterone, but my readings would be super high (1,200 or so). While it would be high, I would only be realizing the effects of a normal person.

The talk was also kind of upsetting getting back to the infertility stuff we dealt with several years ago. The doctors at the time checked my levels, but that was it. Nowhere near the in-depth analysis of what I had last week. Something that simple could have made a difference for us. C'est la vie.

This and in large part our healthcare system has my vote of no confidence.

2 hours ago, bugatti said:

I like the place I am going to.

My T-level number was solid. However - and I am going to screw up this part - I am only utilizing a fraction of my testosterone that I should be. Something hormonally is not fully activating, so it is overly "binding" in my blood so as not to fully release the testosterone. The physician did not want to prescribe testosterone to me until we see if we can naturally get this to unbind on its own. I am trying out DHEA (hormonal stimulant) for three months to see if it has an effect. Hopefully, it will activate things and then I do not have to do the testosterone, or we can at least have a better plan. If the DHEA does not work, she said they would prescribe testosterone, but my readings would be super high (1,200 or so). While it would be high, I would only be realizing the effects of a normal person.

The talk was also kind of upsetting getting back to the infertility stuff we dealt with several years ago. The doctors at the time checked my levels, but that was it. Nowhere near the in-depth analysis of what I had last week. Something that simple could have made a difference for us. C'est la vie.

I am interested in learning a little more about DHEA.

3 minutes ago, theguru said:

This and in large part our healthcare system has my vote of no confidence.

That's just the tip of the iceberg of what we went through, spending a lot of money that we did not need to spend... but that is for another thread. The only thing I've learned about healthcare - and I am incredibly grateful for those in the field - is that you must be your own advocate.

10 minutes ago, bugatti said:

That's just the tip of the iceberg of what we went through, spending a lot of money that we did not need to spend... but that is for another thread. The only thing I've learned about healthcare - and I am incredibly grateful for those in the field - is that you must be your own advocate.

Same and while I am also grateful I get frustrated when I advocate because not all healthcare providers handle constructive criticism well. 

On 12/24/2023 at 8:15 PM, sportsfan41 said:

I'm trying to drop 20 by April 1st.  I think it's doable as long as I keep my alcohol intake down on the weekends.  It's the food that comes with that alcohol that tends to get me.  

A client of mine stopped drinking first of November. Lost 15 pounds by the end of the year.

17 hours ago, Bluegrasscard said:

In May of last year I had my 4th Pulmonary Vein Ablation (PVA) to address a-fib that was persistent.  It seemed to work finally and after that I committed to dropping the pounds.  I went from around 235 to a low of 206 in 3 months. 

Things that seemed to make a difference:

1. Eliminating wheat (mostly) from diet.  Wife was diagnosed with EOE and wheat (not glutton) was a primary trigger of episodes for her.  Her throat would constrict during a meal sometimes - making for scary moments) .  So, I just synched up with her diet since it did not make sense to cook two meals anyway.  We continue with a very low carb, somewhat carnivore / keto diet.  No specific strategy or program but almost no bread, no bagels, no rolls, little pasta.  What we do in way of those is glutton-free (usually rice-based). 

2. Eliminating the late evening snacking.  That late evening spoon of peanut butter and milk had to end. 

3. Eating early dinners.  In combination with item 2, this led to an intermittent faster period.  We would eat around 6 p.m. or earlier most nights.  Not having a breakfast until 8 a.m. gives the 14 hours that most say you should shoot for. 

4. Basic workout in mornings before breakfast using dumbbells and exercise balls.   Working out before breakfast causes the body to get its energy from stored fat instead of recent meal. 

5. Walking and swimming. in evenings, usually after dinner.  This helps burn the evening calories before they get stored. 

6. Eliminated as much processed foods from meals as possible.  Frozen glutton-free pizzas are still a weekly or so item though.  Look for and eliminate items with high-fructose as sweetener.  That means going organic for a lot of things. 

7. No soft-drinks.  I do water, coffee, tea and small amount  (4 to 6 oz) of OJ in mornings. 

Weight result is noted above (almost 30 lbs in 3 months).  Another major data point was improvement in blood glucose levels.  I get regular blood work done, and I always tracked above 100 as long as I can remember.  Since last summer it has been tracking below 90 the last two cycles. 

Recommendations include:

1. Be comfortable with being hungry.  When you do the intermittent fasting you will feel it if you are used to late night snacking.  And you will be hungry when you wake-up.  Its noticeable at first.  Eventually it becomes normal.  

2. Stay in the overall routine and make it a daily routine. But vary what you do inside the routine.  Workouts vary each morning.  Some nights we would walk, some nights we would swim, some nights we did both.  But we always did one or the other each night barring weather.  I can tell I am missing the swimming during the winter months for sure. 

3. Age makes it harder and it may take longer, but it should not be a limiter to results.  At 62, I feel I am in the best shape I have ever been in.  Certainly, the best since early college days.  And this after 4 PVAs, 17 cardio-versions and a few years of light smoking before that.  Along with exercise you  will also need to work on flexibility if you are older.  Learn the basic yoga moves - they go a long way.  

 

 

 

 

Thank you for sharing this, I needed it. 

In my first week, I lost 9.4 pounds. This past week I only lost 1.4, and I was immediately disappointed. After I got out of my feelings, I realized that was still over 10 pounds in two weeks and a great accomplishment. I plan to start adding in a workout routine this week so hopefully that keeps going as well. 

As one who is often asked for dietary tips, I believe the best advice is to eat as real as possible. If you see a product label littered with chemically named things, stay clear.

Eat natural, a lot of protein, throw in some leafy greens, salt for electrolytes, resistance train 3-5 times a week, and move your body, the pounds will take care of themselves. Aim for "eating correctly" 80% of the time and results will show almost immediately. Don't count calories, count quality.

2 minutes ago, bugatti said:

As one who is often asked for dietary tips, I believe the best advice is to eat as real as possible. If you see a product label littered with chemically named things, stay clear.

Eat natural, a lot of protein, throw in some leafy greens, salt for electrolytes, resistance train 3-5 times a week, and move your body, the pounds will take care of themselves. Aim for "eating correctly" 80% of the time and results will show almost immediately. Don't count calories, count quality.

I agree on all counts and I get asked for advice on occasion too.  I go with:

1.  Never eat out.

2. Quit drinking and/or drinking sugar.

3. Resistance training and walking.

4. Get plenty of rest.

54 minutes ago, theguru said:

I agree on all counts and I get asked for advice on occasion too.  I go with:

1.  Never eat out.

2. Quit drinking and/or drinking sugar.

3. Resistance training and walking.

4. Get plenty of rest.

I refuse to follow #1, I just like food too much. ?