my accountability thread Day one

Well, back at it. 100% of my "issue" is due to insulin release when I eat after dinner. Since the body can't use the food for energy immediately, there is an insulin release and the body stores the food. Thus, 200 calories extra all goes into fat. Staying away from carbs and food in general after 3 meals must be a bright white line. If I eat extra food after dinner I will immediately get a craving for more even if my belly is full. So, choices.

Some reassuring news, which I knew but nice to have reinforcement: Dr. Anthony Jay is a Ph.D. biochemist who studied fats and cholesterol as his main focus. If all indicators of health such as triglycerides, blood pressure, testosterone, vitamin D levels, etc. are good, then don't worry about cholesterol unless it gets above 300. Especially if the genetic family baseline runs a bit high. My cholesterol runs 210 to 310, LDL around 180. I like to keep it around 260 total with weight control and exercise, and there is no correlation with this level and heart problems. This is based on a study of 12.8 million people looking at death from all causes and correlating this with total cholesterol levels. The whole ballgame of health management is reducing inflammation in the body as much as possible, and lots of exercise.

Hello Fellow Fitness Pals!
I have had a very bad mind set lately. I don't seem to care and I want to eat in abundance. No doubt I've been feeling sorry for myself and I can't seem to shake it. I go for a walk and feel better but it doesn't last long. My weight hasn't increased much, but I can definitely tell I'm getting soft in places that used to be firm and toned. I try to think of our summer vacays but am concerned I will not have full range of motion in my arm to hike up mountains that I sometime have to use my arms. I'm hoping that putting this on paper will help me change my attitude. I am so blessed in so many ways. Hubby is working in the yard now that the weather is nice, but there are so many things that I have to restrict doing. Ok. Thanks for listening. Greg, it sounds like you are doing good, keep it up! You are an inspiration to me. I'm going to look into Dr. Anthony Jay. And I don't really understand the "inflammation" thing. I just understand healthy foods and exercise are good for me.
I hope Everyone has a Great Day!

Good Morning All!
Thank You Greg! I’m happy your boat is making the turn. Today I commit to grabbing the wheel on mine✔️ We have a short trip today to take some firewood down to some friends so I have to cut it short. Have a good and healthy day!

Good Morning! Good to hear from you Sarah! I woke up feeling much better than I have been. I'm anxious to hear how the Y went. Hubby is finally ready to get back to going to the gym. I've been wanting to try the stationary bike, but I don't have enough range of motion in my arm to drive to the gym. Greg, I started watching Dr. Berg on UTube! I am really enjoying it, learning a lot. I'm not big on cutting out whole food groups from my diet, but I can definitely cut down. I'm going for a long walk this morning. I hope everyone has a Blessed Day!

Good Morning!
Just checking in to say I am thinking of you!

I'm getting back to being serious about my health. Listening to The Ultimate Human podcast and also @gregphopkins recommendation of Dr. Berg. I am running and love that I still get the good feeling from that exercise.
I hope everyone is doing good.

Good morning…I have not been here for awhile. I have gotten discouraged by my weight. I am having to come to terms with not being able to do activities like I did when younger. I have never been athletic or a fast walker but I got out this morning. Not a power walk, but for a senior with arthritis felt I did really well and I feel so much better mentally. I am also logging my food, so keep fingers crossed for a tinny tiny loss. Have a great day everyone!It is in my plan to log once a week.

60 year old man here. Need to lose about 50 pounds. I go back to doctor for annual wellness check at end of September. I want to be able to have started well on my weight loss journey by end of September. Working up the discipline to log my food and my progress each day.

God bless and good luck to everyone out there on this shared journey towards better fitness.

Greg here, slinking back after months of absence. Sure as *kitten*, I got down to my goal weight and then started the old patterns again. Nuts, toasted pumpkin seeds, cheese, and things like crackers and homemade cookies are the demons. They're "healthy" per se, but all add extra calories. I'm in good shape overall, but up about 10 lbs over ideal. Yeah, I could rationalize and get away with it, but 180 sets off an alarm, plus I have a good 6 inches of belly fat. I do OK on 1900 calories a day, and with some awareness I'll get back in the game. Winter is always tough, but I've been doing ok actually with short bike rides, time on the rower, and some new routines with weights. I'm turning 70 the end of this month, and I don't want to go into a deep downward slide.

Struggling forward. Not sure I'm accurately logging everything. The calorie count keeps coming up lower than I suspect it is. Bringing more awareness to what I'm eating is helping. It's easier to resist something I don't need when I'm physically full and I have more than fulfilled my calorie count. I went on a short walk after dinner, dark and cold, but saw a presepi (a nativity scene with lights) and things are looking like the holidays (Italy). Pleased with my exercise routine and I'm doing as much as I can since that's part of the mix.

I got to the bottom of my struggle with food. While traveling with my daughter, who has many food allergies and follows a low fodmap and keto regime with no fruit and very low carb consumption, mostly meat, I discovered that my hunger and cravings simply didn't arise when I ate in this manner. On the last day of travel I had two boiled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast, and I was good all day with no lunch and no hunger. I didn't eat until 7 at night. Last night, my wife made pho with a ton of thin rice noodles, and a broth she made by boiling chicken legs. I ate three huge helpings, about 5 cups of cooked rice noodles. Right after dinner I had strong cravings and I ate a half bar of dark chocolate and a bit of tahini, and I was rummaging around for food even though I was obviously physically full. I'm sure if I had had a lean hamburger and broccoli or green beans, or a small salad I would have been sated with a third of calories. The struggle is two-fold. I have to convert to keto (or very close to mostly protein and vegetables) to lose weight, and I have to split away from how my wife eats. Her body and metabolism is completely different than mine, and she is very thin and her cholesterol numbers are low and here blood panel values are in the normal range. But, this presents a feeling of isolation. Emotionally, I do not have enough connection in my life so the food rears up as a bad substitute for stimulation and pumping out dopamine. A larger-scale cure has to include more things to look forward to, more "love and belongingness" needs met, and more connection with like-minded people--which is easier said than done.