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Change in Lifestyle.........


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#1 sugarbad

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Posted 08 November 2004 - 06:46 PM

CHAPTER ONE - THE EARLY YEARS

So 4 months ago I decided to change my life........Actually it was my lifestyle and eating habits that I decided to change. I have had periods during my life that were healthy.....some that were less healthy.....and some that were downright destructive...I have gone from being a competitive high school athlete and USCF Cat 4 Junior cyclist to a out of shape person in their late twenties, to a state ranked triathlete and marathon runner (PB = 4:10.00) to a out of shape person in thier mid/late thirties..It has been like a rollar coaster of fitness/out of shape/fitness/out of shape. The problem was that even when I was running marathons and competing in triathlons I never changed my lifestyle......What I did do was train my ass off......two workouts a day for years. I still ate what I wanted...drank what I wanted....If I gained a few pounds I just ran 10 more miles that week, or swam a few thousand meters more.....My weight always hovered around 180 with a waist size of 34 (at my early-thirties peak). My heart rate was always good (resting rate in the low 40's at my peak and now in the mid 50's), and my blood work (during my annual physicals) was always "within normal limits." I quit competing in triathons when I had a "overtraining" injury that sidelined me for 6 months....I was never able to regain my peak and was plagued by sore joints and stiff muscles for years. So, since my diet didn't change and now I wasn't exercising you can guess what my weight did.....I went from 180 to a peak of 220 (when I started "dieting") back down to around 200 and hovered there.....for several years.....I would always "diet" in May......get sick of dieting withing 30 days and then slowly gain the weight back..6 months ago I stepped on the scale and it hit 206. I am only 5"9 so that makes my BMI (body mass index) a 30.4. Now, I do not completely buy into BMI since it does not take into account muscle mass vs. fat mass, but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that I was WAY overweight. What did I do about it........Stay tuned for Chapter Two - What I did about it.

#2 sugarbad

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Posted 08 November 2004 - 07:04 PM

CHAPTER TWO - What I did about it.

I started researching what it meant to be healthy, longevity, quality of life, etc. What I found was that to put it simply......DIETING DOESN'T WORK. Let me rephrase that.....To temporarily change your eating habit to lose weight will have only temporary results.....Hence the rollar coaster I was on. About 4 months ago I thought I was clinically depressed. I had all the symptoms on the Zoloft commercial (I am being slightly tongue in cheek here...I actually am very familiar with clinical depression and have several people close to me who wrestle with it every day). My life was hectic and sometimes overwhelming, but nothing that should cause me to feel how I did....I wasn't sleeping well, I had muscle aches (dentistry is a chiropractor/massage therapists best friend). So the time had come to change the lifestyle....What I needed this time was not a "diet" but a lifestyle change.....Something more sweeping that just counting calories and watching to see if the needle on the scales drop a little lower ever morning. The funny thing is that what I actually did wasn't very dramatic at all...There was no emptying of the fridge...I started slowly and made small changes in my lifestyle. I stopped snacking at work and added fresh fruit to a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. I started watching the glycemic index of the foods I was eating so that I would not ride the carb-coaster all day long. My evening meal was a balanced meal of raw vegetables, cheese, nuts and a lean cut of meat (preferably fish). I started paying attention to portion size......funny how small a portion of steak really is. I started taking a concentrated fruit, veggie and berry extract that Kamala turned me on to when I met her in NC for the fall wreckdiving trip......Then just a couple of weeks ago I started taking the flax seed that has been talked about on the threads (again thanks to Kamala). The point is that I started slowly and added to the system as I could...No sweeping changes...Just basic lifestyle eating changes. What has happened in the last several months? Chapter Three is on it's way!

#3 nextariel

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Posted 08 November 2004 - 07:05 PM

I'm finding this very hard to believe since I met you in the beginning of October. Eating tuna, protein bars, drinking water, generally watching everything you ate and drank. AND looking VERY GOOD.
Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can. --Elsa Maxwell, September 28, 1958

#4 Marion1336

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Posted 08 November 2004 - 07:11 PM

:angel2: CHAPTER 3, CHAPTER 3......I'm on the edge of my seat!
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#5 sugarbad

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Posted 08 November 2004 - 07:27 PM

CHAPTER THREE - Where am I now?

To sum up the last two chapters.....I have spent the last 15 years trying be "in shape" without really knowing what that meant.....I tried "diets" that worked for a little bit...I was basically healthy but had a food control issue. In the end, and approaching my 38th birthday I felt terrible.....I felt old beyond my years. In the end it really didn't matter what my weight was....What mattered was that I was poisoning myself with trans fats and processed foods. My portions were out of control and didn't know it. So, I changed my eating habits to include raw fruitsand vegetables, more balanced meals (40-30-30 the touted Zone Concept) and added the extracts and Flax seed that Kamala informed me about. My total calories per day vary from 1800-2600 depending on what my evening meal consists of. I still eat out occasionally but I am very picky about what I order. What I found is that I am almost never hungry.....Not like I was when I was 'dieting"....Not waiting for 4 o'clock to roll around so that I can have 6 grapes to tide me over until my evening "lean cuisine." I get hungry, but it is normal hunger pangs telling me it is time to add fuel to the system. I didn't start this to lose weight...I started because I felt like crap! I did lose weight though...In the last 6 months I have lost 36 pounds...Most of the weight has come off in the last 2.5 months. I am now down to 170 (which is a BMI of 25.1) (25 is considered to be within normal weight guidelines) I went from a size 36 (tight) in pants down to a size 32 (comfortable) I went from a large gold shirt to a medium. My emotional status? I feel 20 again. No symptoms of depresssion....My staff at work have all commented on how much my attitude in the office has changed....I thought I had hidden my bad moods but, they saw through it and could tell when it changed for the better.....

How about exercise? Did I do any of this with epic feats of aerobic conditioning like I used to? Nope. I haven't run in the last 4 months. I did start taking a yoga class to help with flexibilty and core strength. I have also done some strength training with a bench press and Bowflex. I also built a small climbing wall at home to add some fun to my workouts. (I have rock climbed off and on since 1985 and actually worked at an indoor climbing gym setting routes to help put myself through dental school)

So there it is...It really does work. I go in for my annual check-up in 3 months....I am curious to see what the tests show....I will post them when I know them.

TO BE CONTINUED.....

#6 sugarbad

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Posted 08 November 2004 - 07:34 PM

I'm finding this very hard to believe since I met you in the beginning of October. Eating tuna, protein bars, drinking water, generally watching everything you ate and drank. AND looking VERY GOOD.

Thank You....I really appreciate the compliments...All positive reinforcement helps!...You saw me during the whole process....The only thing I have changed since then are the fruit, veggie and berry extracts and the flax seed. The weight loss was exponential....It started slowly...But once it got going it came off FAST!

#7 Marion1336

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Posted 08 November 2004 - 08:15 PM

That's a tremendous success story. :angel2: Thank you for sharing!
To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.
-David Viscott

#8 sugarbad

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Posted 06 January 2005 - 02:44 PM

A quick update for all of you who are starting your New Years Resolution......

I had my annual bloodwork done over Christmas......Everything was good (like it was last year) but they did see a drop in my LDL from 128 to 96! My HDL was unchanged. My weight is now down to 162 and stable......

Shameless Plug - I give a lot of thanks to Kamala for turning me on :thankyou: To the fruit, veggie and berry extracts and Flax seed......Over the holidays I spent some time travelling to see parents etc.....I was without my flax seed for a week, and didn't really eat as well as I should......I FELT MISERABLE....It has taken about 3 days to get back to normal.......I don't think I will try that anymore....

#9 jextract

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Posted 06 January 2005 - 04:11 PM

My weight is now down to 162 and stable......

Shameless Plug - I give a lot of thanks to Kamala for turning me on :lmao: To the fruit, veggie and berry extracts and Flax seed......Over the holidays I spent some time travelling to see parents etc.....I was without my flax seed for a week, and didn't really eat as well as I should......I FELT MISERABLE....It has taken about 3 days to get back to normal.......I don't think I will try that anymore....

Congrats! That's a loss of over 40 pounds!! Good for you!

And don't worry ... I think we all give thanks to Kamala for turning us on.... :thankyou:
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#10 glenn

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Posted 15 January 2005 - 02:27 PM

Excellent! Thanks for sharing. I'm inspired to continue on my own journey to good health. I maxed out at 240 lbs about 5 years ago. The weight really sneaks up on you in a cruel, seemingly inevitable way doesn't it? Well, after improving the diet & returning to regular exercize, I'm down to 175. Like you, I had a doctor's visit this past december. It too was great except blood sugar was a litle high. Those darn genes most of my family is diabetic so in the future, I expect I will be too. But, since I know what to expect, I'm determined to control it with diet & exercise.

Thanks again for your post

#11 WreckWench

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Posted 05 April 2005 - 07:42 AM

Hey SugarBad...how goes the journey? Any updates? Or anyone else have a success story in the battle of nutrition and health?

Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
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#12 Dennis

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Posted 05 April 2005 - 09:42 AM

A good story. Mine isn't nearly so dramtic, but I am now 50 and although my weight has stayed pretty stable over the past several years, I have been about 15 lbs overweight and my hypoglycemic level has slowly crept up to where I am close to borderline diabetic. Although, I do not have any of the classic symptoms of diabetes. I have the genes for hypertension and I have been taking blood pressure meds for years. I used to be able to control everything with excercise, but now that's not quite enough.

My Doctor told me to read a book by Dr. Willett, "Eat, Drink, and be Healthy". It's an interesting book and shows that processed grains are really bad for you and I have tried to switch completely over to whole grains. That's not everything in his book, but it's a large part of the current food pyramid that he says is very wrong. He uses a different pyramid. It's not always easy, but I am mostly there. I have tried to stay away from Trans Fats for a long time, but now I am more careful. I also quit eating chips and drinking sodas. I have lost about 7 or 8 lbs in 3 months. I haven't tried the Flax seed. I'll check it out.
DSSW,
Dennis
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#13 WreckWench

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Posted 05 April 2005 - 02:29 PM

Processed grains are in fact simple sugars and not good for the body. Whole grains are complex sugars (carbs = sugars) and because of the fiber slow the absorption of the sugar into the body so it can be converted to glycogen and immediately available as fuel.

TRANSFATS ARE TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS!!! They are hugely detrimental to the body and harmful. Fortunately manditory posting of transfats in foods was passed several years ago and we are FINALLY seeing it on packaging now.

Did you know that eating piece of bread has more glycemic LOAD on your body then eating almost any food that has a high glycemic INDEX??

If you are diabetic or borderline...you need to talk to me.

And Dennis I'm glad you have considered flax..it will help you with your pre-diabetic issues.

However when you go to buy flax you do need to be careful. Did you know:

1. One type of flax is grown for industrial use but is sold as food?
2. One form or flax lacks all the lignans and b vitamins and essential minerals?
3. One form of flax goes rancid the first time you use it?
4. Most types of flax are low on essential 3 omega fatty acids which is one of the primary reasons that we take flax?
5. Most types of flax are sold in bulk and therefore have acceptable rat parts per million?
6. One form of flax cost 5x more than the rest yet is missing many of the essential nutrients that flax has to offer.

Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
SD LEGACY/OLD/MANUAL Forms & Documents.... here !

Click here TO PAY for Merchandise, Membership, or Travel
"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
"Imitation is proof that originality is rare." - ScubaHawk
SingleDivers.com...often imitated...never duplicated!

Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
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formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906




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