When Reality Slaps You Upside The Head: Life Mis-Adventures

[Bailey Guns]

I've had a few rough years with injuries, dealing with old injuries, divorce, moving 1/2 way across country again, etc. Those things were an excuse, once I got settled in here, to kind of get in the mode of "I'm happy just to hang out here and live out my life." Turns out, that's not the best of approaches to healthy living.

I had blood work done back in Feb and everything was pretty much normal. Cholesterol wasn't high but it was at the upper limits of normal...same with A1C.

The VA doc called me in for follow up blood labs the last week of September when I was getting checked out for a knee injury. Results were less than stellar. I'm 59 (a month shy of 60), 5'8" and was up to 228 pounds, cholesterol was still "normal" and unchanged at 198 (HDL 60...so pretty good), A1C was 8.7 and glucose was 168.

BAM! I'm diabetic. And it's completely my own fault. I wish there was someone else to blame and someone else to fix it but there isn't.

So, suddenly I have a choice. Continue on and suffer the effects of diabetes or make some serious lifestyle changes. I've chosen not to gain more weight, make my situation worse, potentially go blind and have extremities amputated, etc.

First the diet changes... I have a friend who's really into the keto diet. I educated myself and found it happens to be a good plan to follow as a diabetic but I don't do a rigid keto diet. Pretty close. Almost no foods/drinks with any added sugar. That's tough...cuz I like sweet drinks and foods. But, even harder than cutting out the sugar is cutting out the carbs. I could live on breads and pasta and things like that. I'm finding perfectly acceptable low-carb substitutions for pretty much everything except breads. Still looking for something that's as tasty and good as a warm baguette that's fresh outta the oven with some butter. Overall, the diet change was a little difficult to figure out at first but it's starting to fall into place and it's really not the end of the world. There are actually some really good keto/diabetic friendly things like certain ice creams and sodas that are actually quite good. And there are other things like vegetables that you can pretty much eat as much as you want. And I like veggies so that's a bonus. It's basically just retraining myself on what I'm gonna eat.

The next thing I did was start exercising. I used my injuries as an excuse to avoid this because it always hurt. Waaa....

I started exercising. Simple things like walking and some basic sit ups and pushups to start. It's .27 miles each lap around my block. At first I could only manage to make it a quarter of a lap before my legs, knees and back started hurting pretty badly. I could manage about 2 or 3 situps and couldn't even do a complete pushup. After a week I was up to a full lap and 10 each situps/pushups. That was right around the first week of October. Today I did 7 laps around the block in under 30 mins and I'm up to 20 each situps/pullups. At weigh in this morning I was down to 212. 16 pounds off in roughly three weeks. I can actually see results now, too, which is very encouraging. It's one thing to see a number on scale, it's another to realize the web belt with my jeans has to be pulled tight about an extra inch from where I normally wear it.

So, just a word of warning for those who may need it. You're not gonna be in your 30s and invincible for your entire life. If you need to, start making the lifestyle changes now, while you want to, instead of later when you have to. I'm lucky I got the chance. Some people don't.

[Irving]

I hear that the longer you obstain from eating foods, the less you'll crave them. Obviously not the case in the beginning, but hopefully the new diet becomes easier to maintain. Good job on getting over the mental blocks to actually start putting work in. Sounds like pretty great results already.

[roberth]

Keep up the good work man!!

[StagLefty]

Yeah I was there a few years ago Bailey. It's not as hard as it sounds, I discovered it was more mental than anyhing else. I do worry a little more with stay at home advice nowadays as a result of the virus. Hang in there and enjoy the new diet and excercise !!!

[20X11]

Years back when I went the low carb route, I learned to hate hamburger buns. Used whole iceberg lettuce leaves in their place. Have to lean over the plate because of juice runoff, but I still prefer my burgers that way. Michelob Ultra was a life saver as well...only 2.6 carbs per bottle.

[Great-Kazoo]

Keto, means more red meat.

At 5'10" one year i topped out @ 225 and did not like myself / overall health. Slowed down on the foods i eat and dropped back to 180-185. That weigh gain was still no or low sugars, carbonated beverages, caffeine etc.


I'd be curious how your results are after 60 days of no sugar and keep the breads on the table.

[Bailey Guns]

I'm going back in 90 days (from the last labs) for a follow up. I'm hoping to be a little under 200 by then and I'm anxious to see how the glucose level is. I'll update in mid December when I have results.

[Sawin]

Thanks for the reminder and word of advice, BG. I’m definitely more sedentary during this WFH phase of life, and snacking too... so need to cut back and not gain too much over winter. It’ll be nice when our basement is back in order here soon and I’ll have a place to do something other than “sit” when it’s too cold out to take the kids to the park or on walks.

[Aloha_Shooter]

I can empathize with you. Had a hacking cough for months and the eventual diagnosis was that diabetes was causing excess water production in my system. My blood glucose wasn't quite as bad as yours but enough to demand dietary changes and some pharmaceuticals. Add cholesterol in the wrong proportions of HDL to LDL and it was a mess. Picked up sciatica just as the pandemic was kicking into gear. Was going high protein, low carb until gout kicked in.

Growing old sucks -- but it's better than the alternative.

[GilpinGuy]

Good luck on your changes BG. Low carb/keto can have miraculous results. It's more of a "change of diet" than "I'm on a diet", which implies it's temporary. Irving is right. After a while the thought of a pizza is almost gross.

Way back when I was at my heaviest at 256 lbs and went hardcore low carb for several months and got down to 204 - just couldn't break the 200 mark! My doc was impressed and told me to keep doing what I was doing and to ignore the negative low carb propaganda out there. Do it!

[DFBrews]

Awesome good to hear you are taking it head on.

Look into some simple yoga to augment your current routine.

It has been a integral part of my weekly life for a couple years now. The stigma is what it is... pull the shades down roll out the mat and get er done.
I will tell you 20 min twice a week will have you sweating hard each time.
I?m a Mid 30?s diesel mechanic and it?s made that Friday morning shift much easier

[GilpinGuy]

Awesome good to hear you are taking it head on.

Look into some simple yoga to augment your current routine.

It has been a integral part of my weekly life for a couple years now. The stigma is what it is. but I will tell you 20 min twice a week will have you sweating hard each time.
I?m a Mid 30?s diesel mechanic and it?s made that Friday morning shift much easier

I did a little yoga a while back and was amazed at the amount of sweat that was pouring out of me and how hard it was.....when I was hardly moving. It's not just about the pants. [LOL]

[Bailey Guns]

Well, I'm not at the point where pizza sounds gross, that's for damned sure! :)

But I am at the point where cravings for things like that are les and less intense every day. When I get a craving like that now I'll grab a healthy snack...maybe some veggies I have sliced up or something like that. If I have to have something sweet I'll have some blueberries and strawberries with some lite Greek yogurt spooned over the top. Once I solve the feeling of really wanting something to eat the craving for a particular food goes away.

One thing for me... My diet wasn't always about unhealthy stuff. It was also about eating way too much. Intellectually I understood "portion control", but emotionally it just didn't seem to matter. I ate as much as I wanted. Now I'm actually measuring portions either in a measuring cup or on the scale and it makes a huge difference. I also now read the label on EVERYTHING I buy at the grocery store. I am getting to the point that when I pick up something I would've normally bought I read the label and I'm disgusted by how many calories, carbs and sugar so much of that stuff has. More disgusted with myself that I didn't have the inner strength to take better care of myself at a much earlier time.

But, live and learn.

And I'm thankful for the encouragement from everyone. It helps. Especially to know that I'm not the only one out there going thru this.

[Bailey Guns]

It's not just about the pants. [LOL]

Yeah...I'll just have to find some that don't allow my thong to show thru. [panic]

I've never considered yoga but I'll certainly take a look at it. I'm about as flexible as a 4x4 oak post so it might help with that, too. I do have a new girlfriend, though... Maybe learn it together?

[MrPrena]

My input is also higher than my output as well. I need to increase the output more. Planning to increase 3-4x week to 5-6x week. Then I am planning to decrease my input

[Irving]

Downward Dog is a great yoga app. That's just my opinion from someone whose only experience with yoga is online. I like yoga a lot, but actually do it very little. I'd like to do it a lot more.

[Grant H.]

Glad you caught it early.

I was 31 when I had my wake-up call about health. Having hospital staff tell you that if you had waited another 12-24 hours to come in, they weren't sure they could keep you alive changes some things.

I'm still far too heavy, but it's a process.

Take care of yourself!

[tactical_2012]

Well check out Bavarian Bakery goods. They are in Longmont but there stuff is sold in King Soopers Bakery section. Their Kaiser rolls are awesome and under 8g Carb

[TRnCO]

congrats Bailey, on getting your health moving in the right direction.

My wife is a yoga teacher. Although I don't do yoga, yet, her doing yoga is one of my motivators to do my own work outs to stay healthy. I've been skinny all my life, BUT here lately I've been noticing that my metabolism is slowing down and if I'm not careful, I'll get a belly in short time. Finding the motivation to workout doesn't come easy, that's for sure. As I was told, one big reason that working out is hard is because we don't see results quickly. We have to think about the long lasting effects of working out, or the lack there of. And that's the hard part.

Good on ya for finding that personal motivation. Keep it up.

[BladesNBarrels]

Gave up alcohol and high sugar foods like cake, cookies, and ice cream about 5 years ago due to high blood sugars.
I added walking about 3 miles a day in under an hour.
Tested blood sugar twice a day.
Found I needed to add some carbs to stabilize the blood sugars.
Kaiser had a good class for diet, exercise, and personal planning.
Like everything else, each person needs to find a balance of what works for them.
Good on you for starting at a young age.
Feel good!

[CHA-LEE]

Losing weight will have a significant positive impact on your A1C number. Get the extra weight off and don't be surprised if your A1C number drops back to normal. The trick with this is that just because your A1C is back to "Normal" non-diebetic level doesn't mean that you can revert back to your old diet and work out habits. What you are doing now with an improved diet and workout IS what is keeping your A1C down.

[rondog]

83459

No comment.....

[Bailey Guns]

Losing weight will have a significant positive impact on your A1C number. Get the extra weight off and don't be surprised if your A1C number drops back to normal. The trick with this is that just because your A1C is back to "Normal" non-diebetic level doesn't mean that you can revert back to your old diet and work out habits. What you are doing now with an improved diet and workout IS what is keeping your A1C down.

That's what I'm hoping for...getting the weight down to make this more easily manageable. I want off the meds as soon as possible if I can control this thru diet, weight loss and exercise.

[ruthabagah]

Go buy an electric bike. You will lose weight, exercise and have fun at the same time. I have been riding them for years, and took a friend in your situation last year for a ride. He bought one, dropped 45lbs in 3 month, and loves it so much he started a bike shop just before the pandemic.... The last time he rode a bike before that was as a teenager.

[Bailey Guns]

I know nothing about an electric bike. What is the attraction to them?

[BladesNBarrels]

I know nothing about an electric bike. What is the attraction to them?

They're very stimulating

[BPTactical]

https://youtu.be/yVjFwcdQlN0

[ruthabagah]

I know nothing about an electric bike. What is the attraction to them?

Do you remember your first bike? The joy of riding, wind in your face, freedom from parents? Then one day you tried to climb a hill, and it sucked... Then at 16 you put your butt in a car and never looked back. Now, imagine, with an ebike, the hill won't suck anymore.... Ill bet you a case of beer, if you try one, it'll take hours to lose the grin on your face after your first ride.

[Gman]

I hear that the longer you obstain from eating foods, the less you'll crave them.
That's worked for me and vegetables. [Coffee]

Take care of yourself, BG! Hope things continue to improve!

[Aloha_Shooter]

Yeah, I’ve been thinking about an e-bike. Not keen on the prices I’m seeing but Louis Rossmann (does a popular Apple MacBook repai channel on YouTube that has had diversions into the stupidity of NYC real estate and Hizzoner the mayor there) uses one for his daily commute and it looks great (as long as you don’t buy stupid batteries that catch fire). I’ve been trying to get details on the setup he uses (or maybe used ... don’t know if he’s settled on a replacement yet).

[Bailey Guns]

Do you remember your first bike? The joy of riding, wind in your face, freedom from parents? Then one day you tried to climb a hill, and it sucked... Then at 16 you put your butt in a car and never looked back. Now, imagine, with an ebike, the hill won't suck anymore.... Ill bet you a case of beer, if you try one, it'll take hours to lose the grin on your face after your first ride.

At my age, flat terrain sucks! It's something I'll look into a little more. I have watched a few YT videos and they look pretty cool. Cost may be prohibitive at this point, though. I'll check out a few options and see what they're all about.

ETA: A friend and I are contemplating buying a smaller, used 5th wheel and just travelling around for a while. These might be fun to pack around with us.

[roberth]

Outdoor Gear Lab e-bike Information

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/biking/best-budget-e-bike

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/biking/best-e-bike

[roberth]

this is cool

https://www.revibikes.com/products/cheetah-the-cafe-racer?variant=14256370384939

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2721/7242/products/077A3519_deb8f190-d8f5-4c29-9cda-e7f07a7db4be.jpg?v=1597906039

[Bailey Guns]

That's cool... Love the styling on that. Don't care too much for the price.

[Irving]

How's the yoga coming? Can you do the splits while standing yet?

[Irving]

Remember this video? Be even cooler on an e-bike.


https://youtu.be/M8mhIdZoVow