Re: Human Nutrition

Andy writes:

I retired 5 years ago, and stopped exercising every morning since
the
fitness center was part of the site where I worked. About 2 years ago
or
so, I really started going downhill. I was up to about 250 pounds,
tired all
the time, out of breath ---- a very poor specimen indeed.....

At my checkup this Feb, my doctor told me that I would be diabetic
in
2-3 years and damn near all the chemicals in my blood were near or in
red line territory...... That was a wake up call...

I started by dieting --- a couple hundred calories a day,
vegetables only.
When I got down to 220, I started feeling a lot better. I started
walking a
couple miles each day. A real "***" workout, but I needed to start
slow.

At about 210, I started jumping rope and doing a short "step
aerobic" workout
on some steps I built...Six minutes was all I could manage at first.

At 200 I was jumping rope for 10 minutes and wearing weights. My
step
aerobic workout had increased from 6 minutes to one hour, continuous.

Now, at 180, I am riding my bike 18 miles a day at 12 mph, and
jumping
rope for 11 minutes...... I am also doing situps, wearing weights to
keep the
number down to 35-40, and have started pushups and isometrics. My
workouts
are running about 1200 calories, and take about 2 hours. ( Ten years
ago, it
only took me one hour for 1200..... such is the ravages of age )

I now eat at least 1500 calories a day, and have a couple
beers once in a while.... I still avoid bread, potatoes, pasta, peanut
butter, and
a number of foods that are very very high in calories. I thrive on
turnip
greens, okra, tomatoes, cantalope, cucumbers, lettuce --- ALL of which
I
grow in the garden beside my house...

Right now, I am healthy as hell. At a checkup 4 weeks ago, my
doctor said
I looked, and had test results, like a completely different person.
All blood work
showed normal or better, and there is no indication at all that I will
be at risk
for diabetes..... ( Liver function good, too, which is important since
I like an
occasional adult beverage :>)))) )

So, for good health, one MUST combine diet and exercise. Diet
will cause
effective weight loss, but exercise will keep a person's BMR ( Basal
Metabolic Rate)
high enough so that the decrease that comes with age will slow down
less, or
reverse, and one will tend to put on less weight. If you do a
Google on
BMR there are a number of websites that explain it.........A young man
needs
around 3000 calories a day or so, while a man my age only needs 1700
calories.
So, unless we eat only half as much, we put on weight. Bummer. I like
to
eat......Exercising heavily in the morning raises the BMR for most of
the day....

I just wanted to carry on for a bit..... sorry if I got off
topic......

I must go now. I am hanging *** rock in a room I am building in my
attic,
and want to finish off the ceiling this week....... It's a little
harder to do without
any help, but gives me a good feeling of accomplishment, and damn good
exercise...... I may end up dripping in sweat, but my dog likes the
smell.....

Party on,
Andy in Eureka, Texas

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