The General Health Discussion Thread

[Xeogred]

Others suggested it, why not... haha.

I'd quote everyone but basically a big ditto to what gtmtnbiker, Ziggy, bruno, CFFJR, and BoneSnapDeez said here. It's probably time for me to cut down on the carbs.

@bruno: I think the diet I want is to "feel human", haha. Right now physical shape is probably the last thing on my mind. All I know is that I could lose the gut, but I'm very happy at what I'm at now and wouldn't want to lose or gain much. Once I get this crap figured out, working out and getting into shape is probably the second biggest goal of the year for me. I got obsessed two years ago with shape, before the surprise hernia kicked in. So now I think my mindset is just that I want to get into a routine, exercising a few times a week, just to keep in shape and be healthy. Don't need to bog my mind down with the physical aspects, the shape and definition will come naturally and all. I'm really excited to do this sometime this year, but obviously the diet and other issues have to be fixed first so I can even "feel" like attempting this.

Probably time to buy a lunchbox to take with me to work and start doing sandwiches, other cooked stuff, get in some more fruits, etc. What do you guys think of granola bars? Decent way to cut back on the omega sweets like cookies and crap? Like Ziggy said in there, I definitely know I need to take this one step at a time. The first thing I could probably really crack down on is banning soda, and just getting in more water. I do keep pretty hydrated though, definitely had an issue with that a few years ago so I haven't made that mistake again. But, still could probably use more water. I've been drinking at least two glasses a day throughout work though for awhile now during my breaks, I would usually just get the soda or something else during lunch. But yeah, no more!

For a comical but semi serious question as well, what would you guys say about beer as an alternative drink? I basically just bring this up for situations like going out to eat with others at sit down restaurants and whatnot. Would it technically be healthier to go for a beer than soda? lol.

Is at least one fruit a day ever bad? I need my balance against fiber, if I can put it that way. I take the Probiotic Acidophilus (sounds horrible haha) to keep my system more normalized and it definitely helps. I bet a normal diet would help keep things working right in general though, but yeah. Always kind of had these problems, so the balance might be somewhat of a key thing for me when it comes to fiber intake.

I think what I'm going to do is probably get some easy quick blood tests done sometime at my local doctor (cheap stuff with our family plan), and get checked for anemia, celiac, and candida (if they do that). And just go from there.

The blood sugar thing is looking like it could be fine, I think I'll lay off tomorrow but do some more testing over the weekend and can really plan it out. Here's how today went though:
8:00 AM, woke up - 97mg
9:05 AM, one hour after Captain Crunch - 149mg
6:21 PM, got home - 87mg
9:30 PM, two hours after sandwich and pretzels - 88mg

So I guess this could be looking good so far?

Not sure what happened today, but I felt a lot better than Mon-Wed. Were those barbecue chips killing me those days? lmao.

Now the really funny thing is to be honest, I really thought about it today and looked more into it... but some of the extra weirder symptoms I'm having lately and all, could probably be traced back to Xanax, which as I've mentioned a few times I'm on right now. All that stress got to me last year, as some of you know how it went lol. I was already planning on weening off of it sometime this year. Well, if this is elevating some of my fatigue and weirder issues (worsened memory, vision, feeling like I want to faint sometimes, etc), then it's time to kill this. Good news is I'm on the lowest dose and only take it twice a day, I see a lot of others online say they go for it 3-4 times a day. Hell maybe I'll even start tomorrow and just try one dose in the morning, there has been a few times over the last few weeks where I missed a dose or went awhile without one, and things were great. I really have to reach a boiling point to accept meds, but once it gets me out of the rut I'm done with them.

So that could definitely be another culprit to all my weird junk lately, but obviously yeah the diet needs to change and I want to feel much better than this, and get in shape this year.

[harper]

I actually chuckled when I saw this thread pop up.

Good to see your blood sugar appears to be fine, at least you can possibly rule that out as a problem. I'm certain that diet could make a huge difference in the way you feel. The comment about the barbecue chips made me laugh too, because actually sometimes eating stuff like that (especially if it's that and nothing else) it can really make me feel like crap, and of course it's not exactly healthy so that doesn't help.

[brunoafh]

You should speed your metabolism up. This will get rid of all the junk in your system and get you feeling healthier overall. The basic rule here is to eat little and often instead of trying to have 3 big meals a day. So for example, try to have 3 smaller sized meals a day and 2 snacks. You don't want to end up consuming too little though or you'll just end up keeping it where it is/slowing it down. Other obvious ways to do this are to get exercise, drink a lot of water, be sure to eat breakfast, and don't eat anything 3-4 hours before you go to sleep.

Granola bars, some of them are as bad or worse as eating a candy bar. Go for the Kashi or TLC ones.

[Hazerd]

America really has peoples diets screwed up..., too much crap food easily obtained!

im pretty skinny, 165-170lbs, 6'2" and i have a gut starting to form, would like to switch my diet around, but hasnt been working too well, also i tend to have alot of gas.

I blame Dairy products, but hard to say.. living in Wisconsin i dont think i go a day without cheese.

[Xeogred]

You should speed your metabolism up. This will get rid of all the junk in your system and get you feeling healthier overall. The basic rule here is to eat little and often instead of trying to have 3 big meals a day. So for example, try to have 3 smaller sized meals a day and 2 snacks. You don't want to end up consuming too little though or you'll just end up keeping it where it is/slowing it down. Other obvious ways to do this are to get exercise, drink a lot of water, be sure to eat breakfast, and don't eat anything 3-4 hours before you go to sleep.

Granola bars, some of them are as bad or worse as eating a candy bar. Go for the Kashi or TLC ones.

Yeah my friend is doing this and it sounds like the way most of us should all eat. I can't stretch it out too much though, not sure if I stressed this before (one of my potential hypoglycemic concerns), but I can never miss a meal, especially breakfast. Going with this strategy though, I know I can probably cut down on the portions for sure. I know this isn't a win at all, but I never really get larges anymore from any fast food place, lol. It's a tiny baby step.

[harper]

You might be surprised at how much better you'll feel if you cut out fast food and soda completely. Just try it for like 2 weeks. Just that alone, you can even continue to eat crappy frozen food, and you'll notice a huge difference.

[s1mplehumar]

Training your metabolism is undoubtedly essential. Let's face it, this is a gaming forum. I hate to assume anything, but chances seem relatively high that most of the folks on here live a fairly sedentary life. You'd be amazed how a brisk 20 minute walk in the morning can engage your metabolism and keep it firing. Aim for small, nutritious meals throughout the day(like brunoafh mentioned). If you're going to consume - make it count!

Protip: Eat an assortment of fruits and vegetables every single day.

Protip #2: Get yourself a nice water bottle. Studies have shown you're more apt to drink from a bottle that isn't a re-used, crumpled Aquafina bottle.


Reference
_________

Associates Degree in Dietetics

...before I jumped ship to IT

[Michi]

Probably time to buy a lunchbox to take with me to work and start doing sandwiches, other cooked stuff, get in some more fruits, etc.

I always used to bring my lunch to work when I still had a place to sit there (I work from home now). It usually consisted of a peanut butter sandwich, some pickled okra, and a cookie or two. Not exactly the healthiest thing to eat, but at least it kept me from being tempted to eat a bunch of junk.

If you want some fruits, I'd suggest something snack-able, like grapes. That way you can save a few of them and snack on them during the day.

And if you want to sub out the sandwich for something else, the various greek yogurts are chock full of protein (plus fruit). Very yummy and surprisingly filling.

What do you guys think of granola bars? Decent way to cut back on the omega sweets like cookies and crap?

I think brunoafh said it best. Kashi and TLC are probably best. My mom switches between the Kashi and Fiber One in the morning for breakfast. It's not too bad. She gets the Fiber One 80. 10g of fiber, 80 calories, and still tastes like honey. Best of both worlds.

The first thing I could probably really crack down on is banning soda, and just getting in more water. I do keep pretty hydrated though, definitely had an issue with that a few years ago so I haven't made that mistake again. But, still could probably use more water. I've been drinking at least two glasses a day throughout work though for awhile now during my breaks, I would usually just get the soda or something else during lunch. But yeah, no more!

It'd be okay to have a soda/beer or two during the week (you have to live a little, damn it), but it sounds like you're doing really well. Water is always best, but don't dismiss tea as a viable option. I always used to hate the stuff myself, but then my mom started buying fresh tea instead of just dropping a bag in a cup and my eyes opened . I'm now a big fan of the green, roobios, and white teas. Yum Yum.

[J T]

I read this good article today about the dangers of sitting for long periods of time and how to counteract the effects:

http://lifehacker.com/5879536/how-sitti ... nteract-it

[Xeogred]

It'd be okay to have a soda/beer or two during the week (you have to live a little, damn it), but it sounds like you're doing really well. Water is always best, but don't dismiss tea as a viable option. I always used to hate the stuff myself, but then my mom started buying fresh tea instead of just dropping a bag in a cup and my eyes opened . I'm now a big fan of the green, roobios, and white teas. Yum Yum.

Haha yeah, I'll probably still have a soda/beer or whatever every once and awhile, but yeah gotta cut it out with it being a daily thing for sure.

And I was wondering when someone would mention tea. Not a fan at all myself, but as you said... I've probably only had crappy mixed stuff, so maybe I'll have to experiment and try out some more sometime. It's definitely been years since I've had any though, so maybe I'll like it now.

Never got into coffee, not that I'm complaining. Sounds worse than soda!