Healthy Eating and Living

[John A Arkansawyer]

You may think vegetables are safe, but this Is. Not. So.

[phungi]

reading this thread has me wondering how long it would take to completely detox from a Homecoming weekend, or if it is even possible to reverse the potentially toxic effects...

my guess is that it is going to take more than a few weeks of quinoa and coconut oil...

[Cole Younger]

If I was single, I would eat so much better. Left to my own devices, alcohol and the occasional weekend breakfast potatoes would be to sole sources of high carb food. My wife sometimes makes large pasta dishes for multi-day consumption and often orders pizza (and brings half of it home) when she bartends.

Iowan if they didn't know what you meant when you said you would eat better if you were single I did.

she keeps things like cookies and Little Debbie's in the house because she lets our daughter have one a day. I've gotta get back on it. Being out of shape sucks. And I know I'm not going to stop drinking beer.

That's exactly my problem. When I single and living alone in college, I didn't bring any junk food into the apartment and I never missed it. Once I got married and had kids, now it's in my house and like Cotter, I don't have the willpower to ignore it. I've gained about 50 lbs since graduating from college in 2002 and probably gained 30 of those since being married in 2005.

It's always the wife's fault. Love it.

At least you didn't blame me

Not blaming her. She don't make me do a thing she just lets me. But she doesn't exactly make it easy either.

[one belt loop]

I try but it's hard. Here are the things I stick to or try harder at sticking to:


skipping breakfast is better for you than eating breakfast because most breakfast food is sugar

This is pretty much bullshit, honey. I have never seen a study, serious or casual, that recommends skipping breakfast. Certainly don't make your Fruit Loops (no relation) the way they do in Where's Poppa?, but eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit, and, of course, coffee, in any combo are a good way to get your day started. If you don't eat, you will be ravenous by lunchtime and more likely to go way out of bounds when you finally do eat.

Feed that baby breakfast, girl.

[LBRod]

Here is what I get from this thread so far.
Moderation in all things, including moderation.
Don't get all hung up worrying about it.
Glad I'm not married.

[scotto]

To me that's one of the keys to healthy living: relax and let go.

I fully support this as it applies to all the nonsense we can get worked up about. But there are stresses that do not allow for relaxing about or letting go of.

Agreed. I'm neither religious nor a 12-stepper, but their serenity incantation is a good road map, especially that "wisdom to know the difference" part.

[Flea]

reading this thread has me wondering how long it would take to completely detox from a Homecoming weekend, or if it is even possible to reverse the potentially toxic effects...

my guess is that it is going to take more than a few weeks of quinoa and coconut oil...

That really depends on whether you bring home the 40 Watt Cooley Bird Flu.

[Flea]

I try but it's hard. Here are the things I stick to or try harder at sticking to:


skipping breakfast is better for you than eating breakfast because most breakfast food is sugar

This is pretty much bullshit, honey. I have never seen a study, serious or casual, that recommends skipping breakfast. Certainly don't make your Fruit Loops (no relation) the way they do in Where's Poppa?, but eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit, and, of course, coffee, in any combo are a good way to get your day started. If you don't eat, you will be ravenous by lunchtime and more likely to go way out of bounds when you finally do eat.

Feed that baby breakfast, girl.

Kind of agree; plenty of good stuff to masticate without added sugar. I generally have toast of homemade bread with hummus and a bit of REAL cheese (not that crap that's wrapped in cellophane), seasoned with copious hot sauce. Excellent wake up call.

[Iowan]

I eat breakfast every day and it almost never involves sugar. Sometimes I eat regular food like cottage cheese or salad when I wake up, but it's often savory oatmeal. I take plain, unflavored oatmeal and add hot sauce, Cavender's, and a little shredded cheese. Excellent.

[phungi]

I try but it's hard. Here are the things I stick to or try harder at sticking to:


skipping breakfast is better for you than eating breakfast because most breakfast food is sugar

This is pretty much bullshit, honey. I have never seen a study, serious or casual, that recommends skipping breakfast. Certainly don't make your Fruit Loops (no relation) the way they do in Where's Poppa?, but eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fresh fruit, and, of course, coffee, in any combo are a good way to get your day started. If you don't eat, you will be ravenous by lunchtime and more likely to go way out of bounds when you finally do eat.

Feed that baby breakfast, girl.

Breakfast like a King/Queen
Lunch like a Prince/Princess
Dinner like a Pauper

[Cotter]

YEAH!

Being from Wisconsin, this is the best news I've heard in a while!

"Go ahead, finish off that wheel of Brie, that brick of cheddar, or that blob of mozzarella. Your heart may thank you.

Last month, a group of Danish scientists investigated why the French don’t seem to suffer from cardiovascular disease as much as their high saturated fat, high cholesterol diets would suggest."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/body/ ... =nova_next

[Smitty]

I've been trying to meditate for at least forty minutes a day and it's started to change my whole outlook on life for the better. I also gave up all alcohol and am phsing out caffeine; I'm also trying to cut out all pain & sleep medicine and switch over completely to herbal remedies.

[beantownbubba]

I've been trying to meditate for at least forty minutes a day and it's started to change my whole outlook on life for the better. I also gave up all alcohol and am phsing out caffeine; I'm also trying to cut out all pain & sleep medicine and switch over completely to herbal remedies.

You just never know what you're gonna see when you log on to 3dd. Enjoy the new you.

[Flea]

I've been trying to meditate for at least forty minutes a day and it's started to change my whole outlook on life for the better.

I try to do the same, but I call it a nap.

[Clams]

I've been trying to meditate for at least forty minutes a day and it's started to change my whole outlook on life for the better. I also gave up all alcohol and am phsing out caffeine; I'm also trying to cut out all pain & sleep medicine and switch over completely to herbal remedies.

You just never know what you're gonna see when you log on to 3dd. Enjoy the new you.

Sounds like Smitty's gearing up for a move to Portland too.

[Duke Silver]

I've been trying to meditate for at least forty minutes a day and it's started to change my whole outlook on life for the better. I also gave up all alcohol and am phsing out caffeine; I'm also trying to cut out all pain & sleep medicine and switch over completely to herbal remedies.

Dude, you have a bunch of kids. How do you find time to meditate? I have 1 and I have to hide in the shitter to get 5 minutes alone.

[bovine knievel]

^^^^^^
Smitty failed to mention that his wife is pissed at him 35 of the 40 mins.

[Iowan]

^^^^^^
Smitty failed to mention that his wife is pissed at him 35 of the 40 mins.

Maybe he's banking on pulling the "but I quit drinking!" card to neutralize any female anger?

That's gotta buy a man a decent amount of spousal leeway.

[LBRod]

The key is using the proper "herbal remedies".

[Flea]

The key is using the proper "herbal remedies".

I like the way you talk, mmm hmmm.

[Smitty]

I've been trying to meditate for at least forty minutes a day and it's started to change my whole outlook on life for the better. I also gave up all alcohol and am phsing out caffeine; I'm also trying to cut out all pain & sleep medicine and switch over completely to herbal remedies.

Dude, you have a bunch of kids. How do you find time to meditate? I have 1 and I have to hide in the shitter to get 5 minutes alone.

It's a, umm, process I have a couple hours to myself each morning between dropping my oldest off at school and the girls getting up, and I usually stay up a little later than them (not always, though).

[Cotter]

I also gave up all alcohol

You are now dead to me.

[Smitty]

I also gave up all alcohol

You are now dead to me.

I've actually drank twice in the last couple years; once at a work function in Missouri (free beer!) and I bought a sixer on NYE and drank one before I decided I had lost the taste/desire for it. I got nothing against it and am not making a "statement" and I'm certainly not in recovery or anything like that, but it's just a personal choice for me. I've cut down a lot on cigarettes too and hope to cut them out altogether soon, although that's the hardest thing I've ever attempted.

[Beebs]

To me that's one of the keys to healthy living: relax and let go.

I fully support this as it applies to all the nonsense we can get worked up about. But there are stresses that do not allow for relaxing about or letting go of.

[John A Arkansawyer]

Like Justice Potter Stewart, I know it when I see it:

[Iowan]

Rewind to last year. I've spent the past year going sideways then packed on about 10-15 lbs this winter, just enough to make my suit too tight. That was it. I finally got the wife on board with keeping good food in the house, reduced the beer intake, and am down 10 lbs in the past 3 weeks. I've learned that to lose weight, I have to be insanely disciplined about my food intake and really cut down on weekday beers. I can still drink liquor, but I like beer a lot more, so I just drink less.

Being in the field helps, because I pack all my food in advance, and work 80+ hours per week which limits going out to eat and/or boozing all night. I'll be able to keep making progress through the summer (I'm very active) and fall (again, field diet). Winters the bitch.

[Clams]

Rewind to last year. I've spent the past year going sideways then packed on about 10-15 lbs this winter, just enough to make my suit too tight. That was it. I finally got the wife on board with keeping good food in the house, reduced the beer intake, and am down 10 lbs in the past 3 weeks. I've learned that to lose weight, I have to be insanely disciplined about my food intake and really cut down on weekday beers. I can still drink liquor, but I like beer a lot more, so I just drink less.

Being in the field helps, because I pack all my food in advance, and work 80+ hours per week which limits going out to eat and/or boozing all night. I'll be able to keep making progress through the summer (I'm very active) and fall (again, field diet). Winters the bitch.

Good for you, Iowan. I'm happy to report that I'm down about 12 lbs from this time last year, and I'm even happier to report that I've done it without any decrease in my beer and alcohol consumption. I attribute 90% of it to exercise - I'm a runner and the past 12 months have been my most successful (read: injury free) since probably 2008. I've also been biking lately too. Running 4 or 5 miles a few times a week will do wonders for you, even if you do cap it off with a fat IPA and/or a pale ale or two when you're done. The other 10% I attribute to fruit - I try to eat it instead of regular snacks (carbs, fats, etc) whenever possible. So yeah, here's to actually losing weight and not giving up the shit you love.

[Iowan]

Rewind to last year. I've spent the past year going sideways then packed on about 10-15 lbs this winter, just enough to make my suit too tight. That was it. I finally got the wife on board with keeping good food in the house, reduced the beer intake, and am down 10 lbs in the past 3 weeks. I've learned that to lose weight, I have to be insanely disciplined about my food intake and really cut down on weekday beers. I can still drink liquor, but I like beer a lot more, so I just drink less.

Being in the field helps, because I pack all my food in advance, and work 80+ hours per week which limits going out to eat and/or boozing all night. I'll be able to keep making progress through the summer (I'm very active) and fall (again, field diet). Winters the bitch.

Good for you, Iowan. I'm happy to report that I'm down about 12 lbs from this time last year, and I'm even happier to report that I've done it without any decrease in my beer and alcohol consumption. I attribute 90% of it to exercise - I'm a runner and the past 12 months have been my most successful (read: injury free) since probably 2008. I've also been biking lately too. Running 4 or 5 miles a few times a week will do wonders for you, even if you do cap it off with a fat IPA and/or a pale ale or two when you're done. The other 10% I attribute to fruit - I try to eat it instead of regular snacks (carbs, fats, etc) whenever possible. So yeah, here's to actually losing weight and not giving up the shit you love.

Right on!

The other main thing I'm doing is actually getting on the scale every week and keeping tabs. I think once I get farther down the way, I can still enjoy my beer and tweak other things.

[Duke Silver]

Nice work, fellas. I gained a bunch of weight after my daughter was born a couple years ago. About a month ago I finally committed to a diet and exercise plan and dropped 14 pounds in a little over 3 weeks (190 down to 175). My goal (by July, hopefully) is to get down to and maintain somewhere around 165-170. I don't think I've seen 165 since high school.

As far as diet, I'm basically counting calories and replacing sweets (my Achilles heel) with fruit. Oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, light salad for lunch, chicken or fish and a vegetable for dinner, a banana or grapes for snacks, and lots of water. Most days I end up around 1,200-1,300 calories. (I'm also cutting out the weekday beers, which blows.)

The real key for me is always finding an exercise routine I can stick to. Right now it's a stationary bike, Netflix and podcasts. I ride about 45 minutes every night, right after the kid goes to bed. Probably switch it up at some point, but for now this is working.

[Iowan]

I haven't been 165 since I was 5'8" (probably 9th grade).

I'm 6'1" now.