Bad news is that I'm not coming off the meds and I may be on them for life, no matter how healthy/slim I get (genetics).

Good news is that my Losartan Potassium has gone from 100 to 50 mg (Amlodipine Besylate staying at 5 mg) so at least I'm getting a reduction.

Even better news is that neither is known to cause ED, those are diuretics and something else (I forget).

Still, I want to get off meds completely if possible (these are my only ones) as every med usually has *some* side effect. Our GP is in his late 40's, very fit and trim, loves our attitude and progress. Wife continues to be med free. Follow-up appointment at the end of May.

Two evenings in a row now, on real pavement (vs. the treadmill), we've run a half mile (.8 km) twice (1 mile separated by a break), the rest of 3+ miles just brisk walking. I know it's not much for the runners here, but we're getting back some cardio we've been neglecting. Yoga (not me, yet) is great for core and flexibility, weight training for strength, but cardio has been best for burning fat and bringing down my blood pressure (taken every other day).

I don't particularly enjoy running (jogging), it's tolerable to me only if the music is right, and I know it's hard on the body. I just want one decent official 5k time in my lifetime (not like I'm running that far) and then I'll become more leisurely with it, sticking with the much softer treadmill for any running. Brisk walks I'll always enjoy.

Our sites are now set on the annual Baton Rouge Zoo 5k in August, we plan to run it complete and I'll post our times (we'll be numbered and chipped). Hope it's not as hot as last time.

What is it with all the ~90 day programs? P90X, Body for Life (12 weeks), ~90 days seem to be a regular occurrence...

http://www.livestrong.com/article/365392-90-day-workout-plans/

Well, in 90 days I turn 50, and today I've started following my own plan, now going balls out on healthy eating and especially workouts. I may not reach my BMI goal but that's ok, I know that body fat percentage and waist measurement are more important. Wife is ready to ditch the scale anyway, she goes by her clothes now, weight is irrelevant (and we get weighed at least annually anyway for our physicals...shoes and clothes on). I just can't seem to get out of the 190s and I know too much of it is still in the belly.

90 days full throttle, I hope I don't hurt myself.

I'm no fan of short intensive programs. They may be too much for you to sustain, and in any case, even if they work if you consider them 'done' and revert to bad habits once you are done they haven't really accomplished much.

Better to find a balance where you can bear to sustain it 'forever' with modest allowances for misbehaviour, and to keep at useful and sustainable things (e.g build a garden wall, use a mechanical pusher mower, replace shopping by car with bikes or a rucksack - or replace commuting to work by walking or cycling (if you *must* drive or use public transport because of distance/terrain, then parking some reasonable distance away and walking a significant part of it is still better than door to door). If you get in your 'minimum' recommended activity in your daily movement to and fro, then failure to be consistent with additional 'fitness' training is far less damaging than if you structure things so you *have* to do the 45 minutes on the exercise bike or lifting weights. You can still try to do both, but have the flexibility to modify activity and diet to suit what you actually find yourself doing.

might seem a basic question but where does a 698 year old man start,,Been sitting on my ass since my mate passed and in horrible shape..what are the basic excesses I could use to stretch out things.. not looking to be Arnold but need some guidance as to where to start ..i'm not over weight at 6'3" 180 but having troubles moving around and decided it's not to late to feel good,,Thanks for any basic advice

Lieste...

Oh, I agree with having a consistent maintainable healthy lifestyle. But from what I can tell, systems like P90X and Body for Life aren't really for beginners, but for people who are already in half decent shape (assuming they're already living a reasonably healthy lifestyle) but just want guidance to help them kick it up a notch. I use Body for Life as an example because I have the book (purchased from a Goodwill for either $1 or $2) and it has given me some ideas.

I thought the timing was good for me to give it that final push, not just because I'm in my final days of my 40's, but because right now I'm really feeling pretty good. Whatever roaming aches and pains (maybe inflammations) I had have all but disappeared, I can comfortably sleep on my sides now and push myself harder on my workouts. Only my feet remain sore the next day when I'm hard of them, causing me to limp a little, a problem I believe is still weight related.

One of the changes I made this morning, for example, is drinking my two cups of coffee black (vs. a couple of packets of artificial sweetener and plenty of half-n-half). I can deal for 90 days, maybe I'll even acquire a taste for it, or at least cut back what I've been adding. I've acquired a taste for several foods that I didn't eat until my 40's, some I thought I didn't like and others I'd never tried before. So it can happen.

rwatson, I'm very sorry to hear of your loss.

I think most of my just-do-it attitude and motivation is knowing my wife's family history. Her father died of a heart attack in his sleep at age 32 (she was 2). He was a very thin man (5'-11" [180.3 cm] and 130 lbs.[59 kg]) but wasn't at all frail from what I've been told, a hard worker with a hearty appetite, but also had a heart defect and was a heavy smoker (and was warned). His brother (also an extreme ectomorph [really skinny]) is still alive, even after having open heart surgery a few years back. Even with our current healthy lifestyle (since 2008) and routine cardiology checkups, I worry a little. Every morning is a sense of relief when she moseys over to me (I usually sleep too deep to hear her phone alarm).

Pic showing how lean my wife's father was...




Man, you're sure not fat (BMI: 22.5)! I'd have to weigh 153 lbs. (69.4 kg) to match that! My brother (age 55) is now in the 150's (same 5'-9" [175.3 cm] height) and still has a beer belly (or so he claims) so we're figuring out that we really don't have the same body type as I once thought. His wrists and ankles are smaller than mine, apparently he's more of an ectomorph which would explain why he never got fat with his often poor diet, and how it's difficult for him to put on muscle as he's been working out as well.

I don't know where I'd start, I've always been more about weight loss and that's not a problem you have. I think I would start with long walks [and stretches] and if you have the room, look into getting a small set of dumbbells. My father is about to turn 79 and has no interest anymore in laying on a bench doing presses or barbell overheads and curls, but almost every evening he does a small workout in his bedroom with dumbbells. He says it helps his arthritis in his shoulders, as well as keeping his strength up. He's always kept his physique in check though, also still kayaks and canoes.

Dad in 1977 (brother, dad, sister and me, mom taking pic)...

Mark I have started some stretching excersies Got myself some rubber bands from Amazon,,good enough to get started..And take mt 80# Lab for a brisk walk twice a day,,I know I'll never get back to Marine Corps standards but I feel I'm wasting away and it's time to get off mt arse and get down..I've managed to skip the butts for a month now and breathing well and wish to bring it to the next level

rwatson, fantastic with the smoking. I was encouraged to stop when I started dating as a teen, before it became a problem. I'm thankful for that now, sometimes it's not so bad to let a woman change you.

Still, while I've never intentionally went looking to breathe in second hand smoke, I've always enjoyed a kinda seedy smoky bar-like atmosphere (unless I'm eating), I actually miss it.

++++++++++

Continuing to work on moderation, showing (first pic) my mid-morning trailmix snack bowls getting even smaller (now ~1/4 cup [28g] or one serving size)...

++++++++++

The bench I want was in the Sunday sale paper at Academy (second pic)...

I don't like the looseness of the squat station holders, but that can be fixed with holes and pins. Just not enough room yet, but I'm pretty sure this is the one I want. If I were just getting started, I might have considered this entire set (gyms are expensive, too far away and I really don't like them).

The price on dumbbells is pretty good. My Coscto set (also CAP brand, like most) was $0.99/lbs. but included the stand. Still, my heaviest weight is 30 lbs. and this price goes up to 50 lbs. so I'm thinking of adding to my set.

My father found the rest of his iron weights and we'll be refurbishing them as soon as they're settled in. Two of the plates have much larger holes than normal (just a screw-up) but it's so much weight already, I may never need them.

Broke down and joined a gym up the road not huge place but got the necessary stuff..Lot of college kids go there but I'm up at 4 AM I take the dog and tie her to a post outside where I can see her,,Hell the cnight cop knows her name but not mine.., and we take a walk after...Wish I knew my family history but never met any of them..feel good enough to go mow the lawn but not stupid enough to do it in this heat..Still not smoking and was crazy to start back up after 5+ years quit...Not a fan on some of the nature foods I just eat sensible and no junk crap usually a pizza once a month..

I wouldn't mind a small gym late at night or early morning when it's quiet. Weights aren't that expensive but a decent treadmill will cost you. I like ours but it's not really heavy-duty gym quality, nor is my weight bench, of course. If there was a smaller gym nearby, I would have probably gone that route, maybe keep a cheap weight set in case I couldn't make the gym.

The thing about family history, as in my wife's case, is that back then they didn't have the technology they have today. Who knows how long her father (who died in 1970, my pic above was his last driver's license) would have lived with today's medicine? She's had a heart murmur (as do her siblings) since her late 30's, so she takes everything heart-related extremely seriously. I have my own potential problems to look forward to, we're just trying to be proactive and preventative as possible.

She was also told then that she'd likely need a valve repair, possibly replacement, when she turned 60 (about to turn 50). That has since been rescinded, don't know if modern medicine has changed or if our lifestyle since 2008 has made that big a difference (she was also taken off Lipitor, no longer needed). I'm thinking the later, diet and exercise has made the difference, because some of my problems have also disappeared (macular degeneration). Heck, my eyesight even improves sometimes on my checkups (been in glasses since 2nd grade, wearing contacts in the early 90's lasted only a year)!

About junk food, I can live without it now (and we bought our first house partly because of convenience to fast food alley, listed on our house-shopping checklist as a big plus). But when we do splurge, it's darn good. Sometimes it upsets my stomach, sometimes not, but it always makes me want more and I know I have to wait weeks, if not months until the next splurge (nothing convenient to our house really helps allot). We don't waste a rare splurge on McDonald's or Burger King though, we have our favorite more upscale burger and pizza joints, and we savor every bite.

This evening we decided to walk/run the track behind the hospital in Zachary (closest real town to us) as we needed to hit the Home Depot nearby. We didn't see it going but coming back, wife screams, "Captain D's!"

Yup, they must have built it quick, was a complete surprise (normally we know when something's coming). Of all the fast food in town (the usual suspects) the one thing we never had was a Captain D's, the most tempting to us. Oh man, the fried clams, hushpuppies and fries, soft buttery breadstick (plus another instead of slaw), dipping into cocktail and honey mustard sauce. The fish is...ok (still better than Long John Silver's, IMO, which I never cared for) and the shrimp is too expensive IMO for fast food quality. The fried clam dinner, however, when D's is on top of their game, is a pretty good value.

Going to have to do it once, maybe this weekend, to see if this one is any good, then try to forget about it (like we did our new Zaxby's). It won't derail us or anything (nothing could at this point) but it's just another example of temptation that we have to constantly deal with, you can't help but smell these places when you drive by them. There were times at the airshow when I was ready to give in, just the smell of all the deep frying made it tough to avoid.

EDIT: Just checked, this is the only Captain D's in the Baton Rouge area and the only one within 80 miles of us. We haven't had D's in over 10 years (Jax, FL).

MarkG, I want to encourage you to keep up any and every diet and exercise related endeavor you engage in. I just got out of the hospital for a stroke (not massive) and you definitely want to avoid that (duh, right?).

Anyway, back on-topic. My diet now consists of low sodium, low fat, and low sugar. I just started so I'm keeping it simple. Whole wheat bread, smart balance spread, sugar free Smuckers jelly, and so forth. My new best friend is lean ground turkey - in moderation it goes excellent with some whole wheat pasta and heart smart Prego sauce.

As for the rest, I simply stick to the dietary suggestions and restrictions on the print-out my dietitian gave me. I was pleasantly surprised to see a daily allowance/limit of two beers on there, but that will have to wait as I stay away from alcohol until I have gotten my weight, blood pressure, and blood work results to satisfactory levels.

As for exercise, bicycling is my favorite.

So there it is, heart-healthy diet in moderation and moderate exercise.

Oh. I almost forgot - monthly trips to my new favorite candy store - CVS pharmacy. I'm currently taking 7 medications all of which center around controlling my blood pressure and cholesterol.

By the way MarkG, I just read your Captain D's temptation post and it reminded me of a similar but relatively odd experience I have had, except it is not a restaurant-related. Instead it is the Game of Thrones books. If you haven't read them, let me tell you something. While the HBO series is known to show a lot of skin, the books are not as graphic. I mean, you know the sex is going on but not really in detail. Now the meals - that's a whole other story. George R. R. Martin, unlike any other author I have read so far, puts an obscene amount of detail into what the characters are eating. That's the real porn - except you can't just rub your belly to make this hunger go away - if you get my drift (nudge nudge, wink wink). Once or twice I even tried to emulate a couple of dishes he described in the books. Oh well, back to my regularly scheduled stomach growling.

Woah, letterboy1! Sorry to hear that. Here's to a full recovery!

My brother-in-law (wife's older brother by a couple of years) had a major stroke in his mid-40's (undiagnosed diabetes) that almost killed him, went to a Houston rehab center for a while, eventually made a full recovery. Been about four years since we've seen him (unfortunate situation) but to my knowledge, sadly, he's still not doing anything about his weight and lifestyle. I hope he starts turning it around, I really do, as well as others in our family. I know how hard it is, been almost a decade for me now and it's still a struggle, always will be.

Food porn?! LOL. I know that I'm going to have to go the rest of life always being a little hungry, especially when turning in for the night. I think it's the extra fat cells my body created, you can shrink them but you can't lose them (without liposuction), and they're also sending messages to the brain that they want to be fed.

I limit myself to three alcoholic drinks a week (1 drink = 1.5 oz. shot, beer or glass of wine). My wife's limit is two, which has her feeling pretty good, although her cardiologist allows for more. Usually on date nights and all at one time, getting a nice relaxing buzz which last for no more than a couple of hours, one of the simple pleasures in life. My days of heavy drinking (and eating), even on a cruise ship, have long since been over.

I normally ignore these internet poster thingies, but this one made me chuckle (find whatever motivation you can to keep that heart strong)...

I was thinking about this thread the other day.
I had to do some physical therapy for a torn bicep a couple of months ago, and I sneaked in trying out some extra exercise machines while there and found I liked it. Added in some walking. My diet isn't bad, but I stepped it up. Watching the calories, fat etc a lot more closely and keeping around 1600-1800 calories a day. Nothing that comes frozen or in a wrapper. I've already cut out salt as I'm on some blood pressure and water pill meds. Lost about 13 lbs. so far.
Continuing my PT at home, but also joined the Y a couple of weeks ago. Used to enjoy cycling, but not so much now. Really like the recumbent stationary bike at the gym and the programs it can do, so that works out. They have a ton of machines that I like a lot more than free weights and resistance bands, so that's good for holding my interest. Going three times a week for about an hour and a half a session.
I don't drink much these days, but I made my weekly reward allowing myself a soft drink on Fri, Sat and Sun. I'm not out for crazy fast weight loss but something steady and sustainable I enjoy. So far so good. I doubt its coming off fast, but I'm feeling pretty good over all regardless.

There isn't anything fundamentally wrong with frozen. More with processed fast foods. It is arguable that frozen vegetables last longer and have better nutritional value than anything except freshly harvested - most which have been displayed at a store and then kept for a few days at home are less fresh than frozen veg.

I only tend to buy fresh veggies as a 'walking snack' and use (nearly) exclusively frozen for regular at home use.
Fresh fruit is something I buy in small amounts as it is much easier to use by browsing and rarely go to waste.

Confession...

The month of June (mainly the last 3 weeks) has probably been our worst month with diet and fitness since we started working on it back in 2008! We quit working out, lost our small amount of jogging stamina (half-heartedly tried yesterday evening, we could only walk, although it's been very hot and humid) and we've been eating terribly (both quantity and quality). This morning I had to go digging through my larger size clothes containers to find something to wear, both shorts and t-shirt (glad I didn't give them away, I'll always keep one or two larger sizes just in case).

Wife...I usually only mention the positives when talking about the Mrs. (I'm not totally stupid ). But she's been hitting the drive-thrus and restaurants with me (oh man, our new Capt. D's is consistently good!). She's having the same problem with her clothes as I am, back to the clothes containers.

Oh man, the damage just a couple of weeks or so can do! Seriously. What blows is that we've been really busy moving and cleaning stuff so it's not like we're just sitting on our asses! But apparently it's not enough to offset constant take-outs and (when we're not too scuzzy) sit-down restaurants, some days eating 2 out of 3 meals out, and not even trying to be healthy with it. The joy of turning 50, you can rack up some weight *quickly* (in absolute gains or percentages). Even my father is getting a gut and that's not like him at all.

Not panicked though! We know why it happened and now that my parent's move is over, we can get back to our healthy routine...but not until July 5th.

You fall off the wagon, have some fun with it, then get back on it before it gets totally out of control.

Approximate damage assessment as of this morning: Me 14 lbs. (6.3 kg) and wife 5 lbs. (2.2 kg). Not the end of the world (includes lots of sodium induced bloated water weight, I'm sure) and we wanted to enjoy that one last splurge in our 40's, possibly for the last time ever as I don't see the situation of the past 3 weeks being repeated (house moving, cleaning and closing). No one's had the time or energy to cook so we've been eating most meals out. There's a restaurant only 1/4m from my parent's house called "DC Grill" and oh man do they have good poboys (fried shrimp, oysters and catfish) and onion rings.

What I learned the past 3 weeks is...

1. You *have* to eat at home. I can eat out once in a while and relatively healthy, but I can't sustain it over weeks. For example, my homemade salads rock, most fast food and restaurant salads do not. They can be as (or even more) expensive as the less healthier stuff that you have to smell while waiting for your salad. Usually it's just not worth it, and often not even healthier.

2. Once you get use to healthier eating at home, outside foods might seem too salty or sugary rich, but you quickly get use to it, and then you crave it. I'm having withdrawals right now just thinking about fried seafood and hushpuppy leftovers, sitting overnight in a styrofoam container in my refrigerator, soaking up etouffée juices. Damn. All that was missing was good homemade, slightly burnt on top, mac and cheese (even a box of Kraft would do). And a couple of Dr. Peppers.

3. When you stop working out and walking/running you start feeling lethargic, especially in the evening, even after just 3 weeks. Wife's back is becoming sore again, partially from the physical work with my parent's house, but mainly because she's not in yoga (at least once a week). She's going to have to start slowly to get back into it, been over a month now, I think. I wonder if we'll have to reduce our weights tonight when we workout for the first time in weeks. I dunno, but I plan to do more stretching than usual because my back and body aches as well. In fact, I had to take an Ibuprofen when I went to bed last night.

4. If the love life is good, even if for a long time, it can start heading down the crapper in a heartbeat. Then you become more easily irritated and start arguing over little things that you would have normally compromised on or let slide. Some extra stress maybe (for reasons why your routine was disrupted in the first place) but you start losing those feelings, just enough to notice a change. I don't like change, especially this one. So I'm happy to be getting back on the wagon, the occasional hunger pains bad cravings are worth it. But I cannot deny that having that slightly overstuffed feeling while rubbing my belly does feel awfully satisfying...at least at that moment.

I'm pretty frustrated. Had a goo drop in weight 2 weeks ago, but as cramped up as I was, I was probably dehydrated, explaining most of it. Went up the next week, then down the next. I think I'm going to change my weigh in to every 4 weeks instead of weekly to get a better idea. Going to step up to 4 days a week at the Y instead of 3, even if its just an hour on the bike. Breakfast is now grapefruit, banana and strawberries w/ some whipped cream. Surprisingly, it holds me off better than a bowl of healthy cereal. And raw local honey, a tbspn twice a day, kind of an experiment for allergies.
Hoping to fend off getting discouraged, I figured with my diet so much better and working out for the firt time ever that things wold go faster. It's all a learning experience!