Social 🍎 A Weighty Issue

[gREVUS]

Hi all, with Miket12's permission i am restarting this very important thread on health and mental issues.

A while back i thought i would be coming on here at some stage to post some good news. That being the huge amount of weight that i finally managed to lose and all about my new healthier lifestyle, mostly inspired by MikeT12 and others on the site.
Unfortunately, that was not to be.

I have lost somewhere in the realms of 25-30 kg. Mostly through diet changes and some increases in physical activity on a daily basis.
However unbeknownst to me, this came at a cost.

I didn't realise it at the time but late last year i started to lose my eyesight. I honestly didn't even notice this happening as it was very gradual. I found myself avoiding computer screens and struggling to watch TV, having difficulty driving at night etc. But i thought it was just the tiredness that i was suffering causing me to be a bit... foggy. I purchased new glasses at the start of this year and destroyed them in months just by continuous cleaning trying to fix my issues. I had plans to go back to the store and demand they replace them as it couldn't be my fault but that didn't happen.

About this time i picked up another issue, this one a little more sensitive in nature. One i didnt even know a male could get. When i finally went and spoke to my Doc about it he took one look and told me i had a problem.

Turns out i have Type 2 Diabetes.

I lost all that weight, but now i got sick and its not the type that gets better on its own.

Now the good news I am sitting at a computer looking at a monitor with nearly no issues. My personal health issue is long gone and not even a factor anymore. Yes i am taking a pill to help with my blood sugar issue, and i check my sugar levels 3 times a day. I am basically on a Keto diet now, but its not all that bad. With the changes in diet i had already taken to lose the weight, i really didn't have to make too many more.

I don't drink alcohol, fizzy drinks, eat pasta, rice, bread or potato, but i have recently found a Keto Icecream thats worth eating, and thank god im still allowed meat, though i focus on white meats mostly. And eggs, god so many eggs.

But the best thing is I can interact with my friends again on here. I can put up with losing a lot, but my eyesight isn't one of them.

So while i may not be on as much as i once was, expect to see me around a bit more than i have been recently.

Cheers all
Long live the rainbows and butterflies

total weight loss, somewhere from +128 kgs to last reading at 104 kgs and still dropping

 

[run_it_str8_again]

Go hard bro. Type 2 takes lots of managing. I observe my mother having it. I myself having propensity to get it if I had not taken the warnings my body has been giving as I age.

Seriously I just want to encourage you to persevere and keep finding your solutions.

All the best and blessings bro.

 

[miket12]

Thanks for starting this thread. Do what you need for yourself…. find out what works and stick to it.

Now, if only I’d followed my own advice. After Shayleen got sick, I put so much time, strength and effort into her recovery, I let things slip. Fitness went out the back door and old habits crept back in.

So I’ve cleaned up the type of foods again and while there’s not as much to go as before, there’s around 15 kg to go. But if I see another broccoli salad, I might just hurt someone.

The funny thing is, with more exercise and better food choices, I‘ve noticed my eyesights improved too.

 

[Pop Dukez]

Nice one bruv, keep it up….
Health is wealth

 

[Beastmode]

Hey boys

Any of you on the carnivore diet?

Basically 100% protein no carbs?

I’ve been doing it - not religiously but I can honestly say it’s been a game changer on my overall heath

Recommend for those looking to lose weight or with autoimmune issues to look this up.

 

[Akkerz]

This seems to be the year a few of us got the health shocks & have either started a better lifestyle or got back to what had worked previously. Mine was gout which hit just after Xmas - no surprises there I hear you say. but this year is no booze, very little meat & lots of sodding eggs. The great thing is we are still here- maybe not so mellow & laid back but healthier & stronger. Keep it going guys.

 

[WarriorDave]

Hey boys

Any of you on the carnivore diet?

Basically 100% protein no carbs?

I’ve been doing it - not religiously but I can honestly say it’s been a game changer on my overall heath

Recommend for those looking to lose weight or with autoimmune issues to look this up.

Interesting! I was always the opposite - struggled to gain weight at all eating a shitload of protein growing up - ended up meeting my fiance who was vegetarian at the time (ordered blue cod on our first date when I had no idea and she stuck with me for some reason!). Ended up making the switch too because she's not a fan of cooking and I am, and I couldn't be assed making two dinners.

Been veggie for 8 years now - made a massive difference to my physical and mental health, gained a bunch of weight which brought me up to a healthy level for my height.

Nothing against those who still eat meat at all! I miss seafood like crazy and I've had our Sydney trip circled in the calendar as my cheat week where I'm gonna gorge on tiger prawns in Darling Harbor the entire time we're there.

gREVUS glad to hear you're back on track mate!

EDIT: maybe not the opposite - maybe it was just that I was eating too much meat

 

[dean]

Interesting! I was always the opposite - struggled to gain weight at all eating a shitload of protein growing up - ended up meeting my fiance who was vegetarian at the time (ordered blue cod on our first date when I had no idea and she stuck with me for some reason!). Ended up making the switch too because she's not a fan of cooking and I am, and I couldn't be assed making two dinners.

Been veggie for 8 years now - made a massive difference to my physical and mental health, gained a bunch of weight which brought me up to a healthy level for my height.

Nothing against those who still eat meat at all! I miss seafood like crazy and I've had our Sydney trip circled in the calendar as my cheat week where I'm gonna gorge on tiger prawns in Darling Harbor the entire time we're there.

gREVUS glad to hear you're back on track mate!

EDIT: maybe not the opposite - maybe it was just that I was eating too much meat

Interesting. I've been vegetarian for 45 years although I eat seafood but really only if I catch it myself. I tend to overload on carbs, lots of pasta and rice but I've always exercised, often to extreme. Never missed meat. My wife eats quite a bit of meat and because I do at least half the cooking, I often cook her meat, it doesn't worry me. I've taken some stick, especially in the early days for not eating meat and forgotten how many times I've been asked why.

 

[Wellington Warrior]

Wow.. I always thought type 2 was the one that you could manage by way of weight loss.

 

[Beastmode]

Interesting. I've been vegetarian for 45 years although I eat seafood but really only if I catch it myself. I tend to overload on carbs, lots of pasta and rice but I've always exercised, often to extreme. Never missed meat. My wife eats quite a bit of meat and because I do at least half the cooking, I often cook her meat, it doesn't worry me. I've taken some stick, especially in the early days for not eating meat and forgotten how many times I've been asked why.

The carnivore diet = Keto diet, keto short for ketones/ ketosis which is effectively what your body uses for energy when starved of glucose / carbs. Ketones comes from fats/ proteins.

For me, I noticed whenever I had a heavy high carb lunch like pasta or rice, I always needed coffee after otherwise I would feel really drowsy and need a nap. I would also feel bloated.

Eating a 100% meat only lunch eg big piece of steak, I don’t get that massive crash or bloated feeling. I also find my appetite is consistent ie I don’t have massive cravings. These are so many benefits I can honestly attest to

1. Weight lost
2. Improvements to mood
3. Mental clarity, better focus
4. No food / sugar cravings
5. No bloating
6. Skin and complexion improvements
7. Increased immunity - I don’t get colds or flu

I’ve been eating like this for over a year now and believe my health has significantly improved from this diet. I’m not religiously strict though. But it’s pretty much meat only but do like avocado’s so will sometimes add that as a side

When first moving to a protein only diet, you’re starving your body of glucose (effectively what carbs convert into for energy) so initially you will have these massive sugar cravings. I think the first week I literally got out of bed and drove to the supermarket to buy a tub of ice cream to scoff down!

But once your body has adjusted after a couple of weeks, these cravings go away. I don’t eat any sweets nor crave for it now. I used to be a sweet and chocolate junkie.

And I didn’t jump in this diet because of health issues. I actually just love eating steak, chicken, lamb, bacon, ham. My sister and her husband are 100% vegans. The total opposite. So I was alittle weary thinking eating such a heavy meat diet can’t be healthy but it ended up the complete opposite after I did my research

Maybe its different for each individual but I would recommend people do their research, especially if they don’t feel healthy overall on their present diet and lifestyle, and see if this diet helps . There’s actually a ton of videos you can find on YouTube .

 

[Citygirl]

While we're sharing, here's my story. Lost 30kg bit over 7 years ago by doing weight watchers. Lost it in about 6 months. In hindsight probably too fast. I ate very healthy 100% of the time. Makes it quite tricky to maintain. I walked a lot, around 80km a week, give or take. Started running too and did a half marathon, but out of nowhere deveoped a medical condition called Transverse Myelitis and I can't run anymore and only walk much shorter amounts now. Put on a few kg which I'm trying to lose now.

 

[Evil_Mush]

Glad to hear you are effectively dealing with your health issues, though having to manage diabetes is a hard one.

My dad got it later in life (officially in his 50s) so it's certainly one of a bunch of potential hereditary health things I'll need to consider as I get closer to my 50s myself (turning 42 the day after we win the grand final ).

On the vege vs not vege diet, I was actually at my heaviest and shittiest feeling early on in 2020 doing the mostly vegetarian thing while in a relationship with a vegetarian (a lot of bad sugary stuff consumed during that time of course).

Cracked the 100kg mark for the first time in my life (being 5'6 that's pretty heavy) which was an eye opener, and as I delved deep into health and wellness podcasts since the pandemic, have been making more concerted efforts to eat less shitty things and do more exercise - particularly regular walks and resistance training (I've never been a runner and not starting that now either ).

Aforementioned relationship ended last year and I've been all in on the Meeeeeeat train since (got down to 84kg at the lowest this time last year but have been back at the 90ish kg mark pretty consistently - damn you Kit Kat Milo bars always falling in my mouth )

 

[MrFrankWhite]

I was always the opposite. Too skinny struggled to put on. The military fixed that. Anyway where Im going with this is..

When I returned to NZ at the start of the year, I was shocked and dismayed at how obese the entire country is getting. My good friend has had heart issues before and is ballooning faster than he is aging. I had to tell him goodbye when I left because there was good chance he would be dead before I got back. I wish I knew how to reach him . His father died early of weight related heart issues too.

Between that and vaping, NZ is facing a health crisis. At least in Australia gym culture is prevalent enough to help, but its creeping in here too.

 

[dean]

Interesting your comment about vaping. It was hailed as something far less harmful than smoking and that was a stupid message. I see lots of people vaping. I have a friend who is a smoker and is now constantly vaping believing she is doing something harmless. I know she is stupid thinking that but has been encouraged to a degree. I hate seeing kids vaping and it is popular given the number of vape shops ram raided.
Vaping and illegal tobacco will boom once the very low nicotine cigarettes are introduced.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Interesting your comment about vaping. It was hailed as something far less harmful than smoking and that was a stupid message. I see lots of people vaping. I have a friend who is a smoker and is now constantly vaping believing she is doing something harmless. I know she is stupid thinking that but has been encouraged to a degree. I hate seeing kids vaping and it is popular given the number of vape shops ram raided.
Vaping and illegal tobacco will boom once the very low nicotine cigarettes are introduced.

Vaping as a temporary method to quit smoking is fine.

But 4 years ago the vaping rate was 10% of the adult population. By all accounts its skyrocketed especially amongst youth. My guess would be 30-40%. I was in Queenstown and every 2nd person was huffing one, vapes all over the street. Mans just trying to have J in peace and these kids hogging all the good sesh spots fucking vaping hahahah.

 

[kos]

I was always the opposite. Too skinny struggled to put on. The military fixed that. Anyway where Im going with this is..

When I returned to NZ at the start of the year, I was shocked and dismayed at how obese the entire country is getting. My good friend has had heart issues before and is ballooning faster than he is aging. I had to tell him goodbye when I left because there was good chance he would be dead before I got back. I wish I knew how to reach him . His father died early of weight related heart issues too.

Between that and vaping, NZ is facing a health crisis. At least in Australia gym culture is prevalent enough to help, but its creeping in here too.

Frank I was at the game at Suncorp yesterday and a lot of our Polynesian Nzw supporters were obese. Not so much the Palangi Nzw supporters.The three guys beside me knocked over four beers and two bourbon cokes over at a cost of say $300
Aus Nz society has a problem with alcohol and junk food dependency which is going to see us as another Usa
I m preaching as a converted after getting diagnosed with diabetes two last year I gave up all “”obvious” sugar foods and all alcohol intake apart from two visits to husk distilleries at Tumbulgum twice a year their rum is awesome.
I went back to Nz in July first time in a year and family members tried to peer group prsssure me into sugar food and alcohol.
They failed and were disappointed but I see them getting the d2 diagnosis before long. In fact I was so disappointed in their attitudes I will skip visiting Nz next year.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Frank I was at the game at Suncorp yesterday and a lot of our Polynesian Nzw supporters were obese. Not so much the Palangi Nzw supporters.The three guys beside me knocked over four beers and two bourbon cokes over at a cost of say $300
Aus Nz society has a problem with alcohol and junk food dependency which is going to see us as another Usa
I m preaching as a converted after getting diagnosed with diabetes two last year I gave up all “”obvious” sugar foods and all alcohol intake apart from two visits to husk distilleries at Tumbulgum twice a year their rum is awesome.
I went back to Nz in July first time in a year and family members tried to peer group prsssure me into sugar food and alcohol.
They failed and were disappointed but I see them getting the d2 diagnosis before long. In fact I was so disappointed in their attitudes I will skip visiting Nz next year.

Fuck. I get you. Its sad as fuck waiting for a phone call to say X has died. (im getting a few of those lately but all suicide, another topiuc)

Alcohol is obvious a major issue. but its also the 3 things combined;

Poor diet + alcohol + sedentary lifestyle = obesity + d2

 

[kos]

Our society promotes alcohol as a way to feel happy and relaxed
In realty it causes more harm than good

The good news is attitude on an individual level can change a lot of stuff but boy peer group pressure makes it hard even more so in what I would call collective Polynesian societies

 

[run_it_str8_again]

I wish I had good sound qualifications to offer medical advice. Instead what I know is, my body feels immensely better with regular physical exertion and good food. My body feels better when I eat better and every single (YouTube) expert I've watched says eat a balanced healthy diet.

So my body feels great when I eat home cooked meat and veges. Takeaways are largely grossly unhealthy and I grew up enjoying it. After making a conscious effort to simply take time to prepare and cook at home has done wonders. Cutting right back on processed stuff has benefitted too.

I grew up in Gisborne with two working parents and we always had plenty of food. Looking back, most of it was healthy, full of fibre and abundant.

As I left home things slowly increased in cost and I adopted the approach of buying as much food as I could afford. So quantity was king. Now I buy as much healthy food as I can afford trying to get quantity and quality. I subsidise that by growing fruit and veg which helps to reduce use of chemicals, how far food has to travel to get to me and the number of sets of hands it goes through also.

Nobody is making it out of here alive so be as healthy as you choose to be and learn from each other what might work for you. Keep going team.

 

[snake77]

Wow.. I always thought type 2 was the one that you could manage by way of weight loss.

Often you can reverse it with weight loss.

I watch a lot of fitness and weight loss content. It is amazing how much your health improves when you lose weight.

I was only a couple of kilos overweight and started getting health issues related to weight. Lost a few kilos and things have improved a lot. Energy levels, complexion, digestion. This is why the body positivity stuff you see is so nuts. People saying they healthy when they are morbidly obese.

There have been a number of articles like this the last few years which have got my interest due to the headlines. I want to read to see what diet it is pushing or if it will end up about being healthy at any size. This one is excuses about set points and an obses lady doing yoga.

Dieting to lose weight? Don't bother, say experts

Sasha Borissenko does some myth busting in Chewing the Facts episode 4

www.nzherald.co.nz

We had a university lecturer here in NZ who would research being obese and healthy. The usual traditional health markers are not right. She had a good point during the pandemic about needing to use larger needles on obese people. She past away recently and it got a bit of attention here and around the world. Someone raised a good point the cause wasn't discussed as it was likely weight related which would have reflected bad on her research.