Social 🍎 A Weighty Issue

[Tragic]

I haven't been able to any real exercise for about a year because of an ankle problem I am waiting for surgery on. That's scheduled for December. But anyway I weighed myself after reading this thread and I am 95kg which is about 8kg more than I want to be. So I started the fast 800 diet today, 800 calories a day for 2-12 weeks (whatever you choose to get to your goal) then you go into a more manageable maintenance phase. Nothing compared to what some of you are doing but will see how it goes.
Today wasn't so bad, I don't eat breakfast so didn't get hungry till afternoon then had a small lunch and about 450 calories for dinner - bit of steak, peas and spinach, watched everyone else eat chips jealously.
100 of my daily calories wool come from almond milk I drink with my coffee, impossible to give that up.

 

[Bruce]

I haven't been able to any real exercise for about a year because of an ankle problem I am waiting for surgery on. That's scheduled for December. But anyway I weighed myself after reading this thread and I am 95kg which is about 8kg more than I want to be. So I started the fast 800 diet today, 800 calories a day for 2-12 weeks (whatever you choose to get to your goal) then you go into a more manageable maintenance phase. Nothing compared to what some of you are doing but will see how it goes.
Today wasn't so bad, I don't eat breakfast so didn't get hungry till afternoon then had a small lunch and about 450 calories for dinner - bit of steak, peas and spinach, watched everyone else eat chips jealously.
100 of my daily calories wool come from almond milk I drink with my coffee, impossible to give that up.

I don't know the perfect diet, what I do know is that one size does not fit all.

 

[gREVUS]

Yes I realise it is ineffective in the long run and not recommended for normal dieting.

My situation as far as weight gain is abnormal, I am battling against side effects of things like steroids etc.

All I know is my metabolic system is wrecked by treatment for another condition and I have limited choices.

Stomach stapling is out, too risky. Exercise is out.

I have to lose fifty Kilos.

So after lots of failed diets (I gain weight anyway when I am eating the likes of weight watchers because of a medical issue) I decided I am going to lose the only way I have not tried and that is to combine three strategies at once.

i dont know what takeaways are in your area, but anything that pushes lots of veges, like a salad, and a small helping of protein like fish, chicken or steak, (ie non processed meat, without sauces) would be what i was looking for in your diet. Ie if i was in your shoes.
Giving up bread, rice etc isnt easy, the gains i have seen have been massive in my months of being diagnosed. The cravings still hit me, but i am now in a position where i can steal from my wifes chips occasionally, so i tend to subscribe to that - all things in moderation rule much more than i used to.
However i recently found a range of icecreams that have next to no sugar content and more flavour than another glass of water, which i am having a bit of trouble saying no to.
I also was originally eating mixed nuts by the handful daily, but as time goes by the cravings are getting less and i am eating way less, with entire days of none.

 

[miket12]

Guessing since I started this topic pre the Turk attack that it's time I came clean on this topic.

When Shayleen got sick, I started not doing things for me but concentrating on her, then I fell back into some bad habits with eating and reducing my exercise. Slowly, the weight I had lost came back on and I started to get depressed and eventually got to the point with what I've since found out was Carers Fatigue, which led to some large mental health issues and counselling. The weight gain effected my blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels. The walking and other exercise wasn't doing enough so the beginning of August, I went back to the eating plan I'd used previously to reduce weight.

Last time, there was nearly 50kg to shift, this time it's 30kg..... and I'm nearly half way there. Funny how this weekend, most are looking forward to the holiday on Monday, I'm looking forward to the following weekend which is a Cheat Weekend!!!!

Like I said previously in this thread, find what works for you and stick with it. If what you try isn't working, keep looking until you find something that is.

And, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy those celery sticks.... it's one of the few foods which takes more energy to eat and digest it than the energy the food puts into your body!!!

 

[miket12]

World-first NZ study: How new gene editing tech can boost smart cancer drugs​

It’s one of the biggest breakthroughs of our lifetime: clever drugs trained to harness the power of our own immune system and unleash it against cancer cells as they attack us.

But, while immunotherapies like the well-known Keytruda are revolutionising cancer treatment, they’re still only effective in about a third of patients - and scientists don’t yet know why.

“When immunotherapies are successful, they’re super-successful - but there’s still a massive 70 per cent of patients who don’t respond to therapy,” said Dr Hilary Sheppard of the University of Auckland’s School of Biological Sciences.

To help solve that mystery, her team plan to turn to another of our generation’s biggest game-changers - Crispr Cas-9 gene editing - to deeper explore an immune cell pathway that most immunotherapies target.

Their new study, just awarded a $940,000 grant from the Marsden Fund, could ultimately help improve the effectiveness of these drugs - with implications that reach well beyond cancer treatment.

“What we’re interested in is this particular pathway, called the PD-1 pathway, that’s activated in any situation of chronic immune stimulation - whether that’s cancer, chronic infection, or autoimmunity,” Sheppard explained.

“If you’re healthy, your immune system can kill rogue cancer cells.

“But cancer cells can also fight back using a suppressive mechanism that we can think of as a lock and key system - that is, locks on the cancer cell, called ligands, that engage with keys on the immune cells, called receptors.”

When the lock and key are engaged, it effectively dampens down the immune system - and the roving hunter-killer T-cells within it - as it tries to stamp out cancer cells spreading in our bodies.

Within the PD-1 pathway, cancer patients have been found to have varying levels of a key molecule - and just how these different levels affect treatment outcomes, or establish lasting immunity, remains a mystery.

“While you’d think that patients whose PD-1 pathways are very active would respond very well to immunotherapy drugs, that isn’t always the case,” Sheppard said.

“Then, in other patients where that pathway doesn’t seem to be as active, the immunotherapy drugs can work - so there’s a lot we don’t understand about it.”

This is where Sheppard and her team planned to employ Crispr Cas-9 – a system that can be used like molecular scissors to splice and snip genes, or insert new ones - on in-vitro samples in the lab.

“Using the standard techniques that we employ to understand gene expression, we either knock out a gene completely, or we over-express it at wildly high levels, way beyond physiological levels,” she said.

In this case, the team didn’t want to edit out the troublesome pathway completely, as this could cause adverse effects like auto-immunity.

“Rather, what we’re trying to do is fine-tune the system to find that sweet spot that’s going to allow for the specifically targeted killing of the cancer without having any adverse effects.”

As far as Sheppard was aware, this sort of editing had never been performed on endogenous genes before - nor in human T-cells.

But more exciting was the study’s potential to unlock major new insights into a vast range of diseases and disorders involving our immune system - all of which could advance new clinical treatments.

“Understanding this pathway has implications for multiple immune conditions.”

How new gene editing tech can boost smart cancer drugs

Can gene editing help unlock the power of ground-breaking immunotherapy cancer drugs?

www.nzherald.co.nz

Reading online, there are some amazing advancing being made with immunotherapies and genetherapies. While the science is pretty much only in it’s infancy, it’s hoped that a number of cancers currently dealt with by chemotherapy would instead would use these new treatments which are far more tolerated than chemo.

The Malaghan Institute in Wellington are currently running trials on CAR T-cell treatments for some cancers.

CAR T-cell therapy

www.malaghan.org.nz

 

[Akkerz]

Question : Does anyone on this forum have coeliac disease. Been having gut trouble for years & in Sept a new Doc suggested I might have this gluten problem. Not knowing not much about we did a shed load of research on line & immediately replaced most of the items in the pantry - that was an eye watering exercise cost wise.
After a multitude of tests I finally got the diagnosis in Oct . So it's all been gluten free from then on & the hospital nutrionist reckons I'm doing OK with the food choices etc.
Just wondered if anyone on the site has any experience and maybe has a few tips. I'm handling the change of diet OK and have lost 3kg but it sure stuff's up holiday plans etc as far as eating out or hotel / restaurant meals are concerned.
Good news is I can drink cider & spirits & eat most chocolate & icecream - gout permitting.
Can see it's going to be a very Merry Xmas again haha

 

[miket12]

Question : Does anyone on this forum have coeliac disease. Been having gut trouble for years & in Sept a new Doc suggested I might have this gluten problem. Not knowing not much about we did a shed load of research on line & immediately replaced most of the items in the pantry - that was an eye watering exercise cost wise.
After a multitude of tests I finally got the diagnosis in Oct . So it's all been gluten free from then on & the hospital nutrionist reckons I'm doing OK with the food choices etc.
Just wondered if anyone on the site has any experience and maybe has a few tips. I'm handling the change of diet OK and have lost 3kg but it sure stuff's up holiday plans etc as far as eating out or hotel / restaurant meals are concerned.
Good news is I can drink cider & spirits & eat most chocolate & icecream - gout permitting.
Can see it's going to be a very Merry Xmas again haha

Shayleen doesn’t have full coeliac but she does have a slight gluten intolerance meaning she can have a small amount off gluten occasionally and suffers if she has too much. Because she’s not full coelica disease, I don’t know if this will help you but she found she could tolerate buckwheat flour and sourdough bread products.

 

[Akkerz]

Thanks for that miket12 - there seems to be a lot of this about now. I asked if it had anything to do with C19 when we were all baking bread, cakes & such. The Doc said not really ,they just didn't test before & it's still such a small percentage of the population abt 1%- yeah right. She also said it was genetic but no-one in either side of the family had this although stomach cancer abounds. Not impossible that one leads to the other
It seems to be more prevalent in those who have other existing conditions. As if your Shayleen or I need more discomfit.
My mum moved in during Covid & never left lol but I'm bloody pleased to have her around to sort this stuff out for me. She's brilliant

 

[dean]

Question : Does anyone on this forum have coeliac disease. Been having gut trouble for years & in Sept a new Doc suggested I might have this gluten problem. Not knowing not much about we did a shed load of research on line & immediately replaced most of the items in the pantry - that was an eye watering exercise cost wise.
After a multitude of tests I finally got the diagnosis in Oct . So it's all been gluten free from then on & the hospital nutrionist reckons I'm doing OK with the food choices etc.
Just wondered if anyone on the site has any experience and maybe has a few tips. I'm handling the change of diet OK and have lost 3kg but it sure stuff's up holiday plans etc as far as eating out or hotel / restaurant meals are concerned.
Good news is I can drink cider & spirits & eat most chocolate & icecream - gout permitting.
Can see it's going to be a very Merry Xmas again haha

My best friend is coeliac, diagnosed about 40 years ago. Two of his kids are as well but not to his extent. I have cooked for him many times and these are precautions and food substitutes that have to be incorporated into food and preparation.
Rice flour or pea flour for batter.
Tamari instead of soy sauce.
Heinekin beer only. Red wine is fine.
Gluten free crackers with cheese only.
Every product needs to be checked for gluten.
He eats lots of rice, veges and meat. My wife introduced him to polenta and he enjoys that.
We prepare a separate butter dish for him so no crumb contamination from general use. We thoroughly clean the toaster and reserve one side for his toast.
Also we don't cook anything with gluten with his food. I can't fry his fish in the same pan as fish with a flour based batter.
If he has even a crumb of flour based bread or soy sauce in a dish or flour his guts go crazy and he will be on the toilet until its all gone. He gets pretty sick.
Don't know if they still exist but the used to be the Coeliac Society, my friend was very active in this group at one stage. Anyway, they are there to support people and help with diet change. They may be worth looking up. Good luck.

 

[sup42]

So I think I am starting to win the 50kg war. Although it's still early days.

My crash diet to shift my metabolic syndrome disorder, caused by drug side effects would not let me drop weight at first.

So I added fast days, and once or twice 48 hour water only

Finally the sydrome broke a bit, before my mental will broke for the 100th time.

I lost 10kg rappidly which while not sustainable and unhealthy gave me the kick start.

Then I plateaued, fell off the Wagon from KFC on my birthday, had some bad weeks, then fought back.

So today I am 14kgs down and feeling good.


Another 20kgs to go before I can do physical rehab safely, which should mean being able to do long walks as a lifestyle rather than have breathing issues.

Glad I read the thread the day I did and got started, thanks Mike, Greevus, Snake and all you others.

 

[Akkerz]

My best friend is coeliac, diagnosed about 40 years ago. Two of his kids are as well but not to his extent. I have cooked for him many times and these are precautions and food substitutes that have to be incorporated into food and preparation.
Rice flour or pea flour for batter.
Tamari instead of soy sauce.
Heinekin beer only. Red wine is fine.
Gluten free crackers with cheese only.
Every product needs to be checked for gluten.
He eats lots of rice, veges and meat. My wife introduced him to polenta and he enjoys that.
We prepare a separate butter dish for him so no crumb contamination from general use. We thoroughly clean the toaster and reserve one side for his toast.
Also we don't cook anything with gluten with his food. I can't fry his fish in the same pan as fish with a flour based batter.
If he has even a crumb of flour based bread or soy sauce in a dish or flour his guts go crazy and he will be on the toilet until its all gone. He gets pretty sick.
Don't know if they still exist but the used to be the Coeliac Society, my friend was very active in this group at one stage. Anyway, they are there to support people and help with diet change. They may be worth looking up. Good luck.

Thankyou dean, yes it's a hell of a mission so I admire what you do for your friend. From what you write it seems we are doing well on the contamination front. Separate cooking & benches, utensils etc for food prep. Didn't realise soy could be a problem too. I'll watch out for that.
Most of the time Mum has the same food as me to keep it simple. But she's not buying in to the g/f bread lol. The Coeliac Society has been our first port of call if we are not sure so after Xmas I will definately join up. It's an excellent site. It's amazing the info you get off a sports forum

 

[dean]

Thankyou dean, yes it's a hell of a mission so I admire what you do for your friend. From what you write it seems we are doing well on the contamination front. Separate cooking & benches, utensils etc for food prep. Didn't realise soy could be a problem too. I'll watch out for that.
Most of the time Mum has the same food as me to keep it simple. But she's not buying in to the g/f bread lol. The Coeliac Society has been our first port of call if we are not sure so after Xmas I will definately join up. It's an excellent site. It's amazing the info you get off a sports forum

Gluten free bread is awful, so I don't blame your wife for not going there.
At least the range of food is so much better than even ten years ago. The gluten free section in supermarkets is way bigger.
Another issue for my friend is, it took him five or six years of constantly feeling crook in his early 20's, diahorrea after eating etc and bad pain. By the time he finally got diagnosed he had done damage to his colon. Luckily we are more onto it now, but my advice based on watching my friend is, take it seriously as you are and eliminate all gluten. My friends reaction has got worse with age.
I'll have a chat to him when he is here over Christmas and if he can add any advice, I will PM you.

 

[dean]

So I think I am starting to win the 50kg war. Although it's still early days.

My crash diet to shift my metabolic syndrome disorder, caused by drug side effects would not let me drop weight at first.

So I added fast days, and once or twice 48 hour water only

Finally the sydrome broke a bit, before my mental will broke for the 100th time.

I lost 10kg rappidly which while not sustainable and unhealthy gave me the kick start.

Then I plateaued, fell off the Wagon from KFC on my birthday, had some bad weeks, then fought back.

So today I am 14kgs down and feeling good.


Another 20kgs to go before I can do physical rehab safely, which should mean being able to do long walks as a lifestyle rather than have breathing issues.

Glad I read the thread the day I did and got started, thanks Mike, Greevus, Snake and all you others.

Great effort. Keep it up.

 

[miket12]

So I think I am starting to win the 50kg war. Although it's still early days.

My crash diet to shift my metabolic syndrome disorder, caused by drug side effects would not let me drop weight at first.

So I added fast days, and once or twice 48 hour water only

Finally the sydrome broke a bit, before my mental will broke for the 100th time.

I lost 10kg rappidly which while not sustainable and unhealthy gave me the kick start.

Then I plateaued, fell off the Wagon from KFC on my birthday, had some bad weeks, then fought back.

So today I am 14kgs down and feeling good.


Another 20kgs to go before I can do physical rehab safely, which should mean being able to do long walks as a lifestyle rather than have breathing issues.

Glad I read the thread the day I did and got started, thanks Mike, Greevus, Snake and all you others.

While this won't be for everyone, and nutritionists around the motu will throw up (no pun intended) there hands in horror with what I'm about to say.

One of the main things that is keeping me going is "cheat weekends" where the idea is to reset your metabolism with as much fatty food as you can eat over two days and then eat nothing but apples and broccoli for three to four days to "clean out" your system. We schedule our cheat weekends every seven weeks but are pushing it back to nine weeks this time to coincide with Christmas.... I'm not missing out on Christmas lunch for a plate of chicken, broccoli and celery for no one.

If you, or anyone for that matter, are down in the Kau and want to go for a walk, PM me..... I'd be glad for the company!!!

 

[sup42]

While this won't be for everyone, and nutritionists around the motu will throw up (no pun intended) there hands in horror with what I'm about to say.

One of the main things that is keeping me going is "cheat weekends" where the idea is to reset your metabolism with as much fatty food as you can eat over two days and then eat nothing but apples and broccoli for three to four days to "clean out" your system. We schedule our cheat weekends every seven weeks but are pushing it back to nine weeks this time to coincide with Christmas.... I'm not missing out on Christmas lunch for a plate of chicken, broccoli and celery for no one.

If you, or anyone for that matter, are down in the Kau and want to go for a walk, PM me..... I'd be glad for the company!!!

Thanks for the korero Mike.

Yeah I believe in cheat days too, and in the past when I was working, before the meds, I had one every week, but that was offset by doing non pro power lifting, martial arts, and skipping etc.
If I get to the stage where I'm into walking again I'le be bloody rapt bro.

Dean Bell used to train on Hiltop road eh, he used to go on about how it was in his mind what set him up to become a professional footballer.

 

[sup42]

Great effort. Keep it up.

Thanks dean, one day I would love to do the pinacles walk, I never made it past the overnight hut up there because the weather kicked in and we were stranded in the hut for all our time.
My Grandad as a young fellah knocked around up there, Kauri logging (him and his Cousin Rei Hammond became conservationists as adults).

Rei of course was a famous artist R.I.P.

But yeah, my dream is to go bush up Coro one day because I feel home in the bush up there and the ocean, I know u know that feeling being from those parts

 

[miket12]

Thanks for the korero Mike.

Yeah I believe in cheat days too, and in the past when I was working, before the meds, I had one every week, but that was offset by doing non pro power lifting, martial arts, and skipping etc.
If I get to the stage where I'm into walking again I'le be bloody rapt bro.

Dean Bell used to train on Hiltop road eh, he used to go on about how it was in his mind what set him up to become a professional footballer.

Times I’ve struggled with my breathing but its gotten better with losing weight. My dad died after complications caused by COPD; even though he hadn’t smoked a day in his life. He got hydatids as a teenager and had most off one lung removed. Brother has been tested and while he doesn’t have it, tells everyone he‘s got what he calls “Dad’s lungs“. One of my sisters has it but hers is thought to have been caused by chemical exposure at a plant she used to work at.

 

[dean]

Thanks dean, one day I would love to do the pinacles walk, I never made it past the overnight hut up there because the weather kicked in and we were stranded in the hut for all our time.
My Grandad as a young fellah knocked around up there, Kauri logging (him and his Cousin Rei Hammond became conservationists as adults).

Rei of course was a famous artist R.I.P.

But yeah, my dream is to go bush up Coro one day because I feel home in the bush up there and I know u know that feeling being from those parts

It is a haunting place.
I saw tragedy there though, two of my nephews dead and my ex brother in law molesting his own kids and others. When I have gone back a dark feeling comes over me and I can't stay.
Sad really because I spent so much time rock fishing the coastline from Whangapoua to north of Kennedy Bay entrance, I felt like I knew every rock and gut for miles. I felt at home.

 

[Wrighty]

I weigh 108.6kgs as of this mornings scale reading. My news resolution is to lose weight. Will post in this thread how I am getting along so that I feel some public pressure to keep my goal.

My waist line is 50 inches

Goal is to one day get to 80kgs and less than 40 inch waistline.

I have purchased an expensive treadmill to use at home. The key I am telling myself is not to over do it on the first day and pull a muscle and be out of exercising for 3 months afterwards.

Thanks for starting this thread Grevus. Sorry to hear about the diabetes. That is what I am trying to avoid.

 

[marv.]

I weigh 108.6kgs as of this mornings scale reading. My news resolution is to lose weight. Will post in this thread how I am getting along so that I feel some public pressure to keep my goal.

My waist line is 50 inches

Goal is to one day get to 80kgs and less than 40 inch waistline.

I have purchased an expensive treadmill to use at home. The key I am telling myself is not to over do it on the first day and pull a muscle and be out of exercising for 3 months afterwards.

Thanks for starting this thread Grevus. Sorry to hear about the diabetes. That is what I am trying to avoid.

go wrighty!
best of luck man.