Sorry! Long post=long reply!

Wow. First of all, You. Are. Awesome. I can imagine that was not easy to write. Congrats. You’ve taken your first step on this new journey.

Below is a list of things that can help you get organized, but first, a solution to your problem could be this: you need a why. Calorie counting, Keto, etc are difficult for sure, but that being said, any significant change in your diet will be. So you have to start with the why you want to make this change in your diet. It needs to be a mission statement for yourself. Put it somewhere you can see it. Take 5 mins each morning to write down some goals for the day. Make them small and manageable. Stave off binges by allowing yourself small portions of things you normally binge on. Better to have a small piece or two of chocolate once a week (or whatever goal you set) than to try to abstain until that stressful day happens and then you fold and eat too much. Sustainability is important in your nutrition choices, so learning to spend a few hours in your kitchen each week will help you keep on the healthier side of the food track by preparing food in advance and having healthier snacks around to bridge those times when you're hungry and dinner is still cooking! While you should do the diet that you think works for you best, I’m a big fan of just sticking to clean, whole foods. Lots of veggies, some protein, minimal to no added sugars, minimal alcohol, minimal dairy. That’s what I do though, but you have to find what works for you. Because of your level of motivation right now, I’d honestly suggest doing an elimination diet, such as Whole30. It will teach you so much about food and your relationship with it, not to mention, help you start meeting your goals with weight. At the bottom of this post is a link to a book that you should truly buy and read it through. It will give you a solid foundation to start your journey.

Sometimes when getting started, it’s best to focus on one thing at a time. While exercise is an obvious choice to assisting you to get in shape, starting the diet alone can be exhausting and if you think it will be too draining to do both, always start with diet. Once you start having a consistent diet with balanced foods and proper nutrition, you’ll have more energy for working out and you’ll be less likely for injury. Due to your knee issues, focus on low impact. Ellipticals, swimming, water aerobics, or walking even. Look up some couch to 5k run schedules. They have great measured starts, where you walk for 5 mins, run for 2. Then 4 and 3. Etc etc.

Before I get into some tips and tricks for diet below, please don’t just use the scale as your only benchmark for success. Remember, if you create a sustainable, healthy diet, weight loss is the by product of health and nutrition. The goal should be to get healthy. The result is to lose weight. When making your goals keep that in mind! Take body measurements, use before, during, after photos, take note of how your clothes are fitting. Also celebrate little things, i.e., grabbing almonds or veggies or fruit for a snack instead of sweets or junk food. The importance of journaling cannot be understated. Write down positives each day. Talk about your goals and whether they have been successful or are they now areas of opportunity (AOO)? If it’s a AOO, what can you do to tweak the goal so it becomes a success?

With regards to being healthy, below is my down and dirty quick starter list.

1. So let’s talk protein, carbohydrates, and fats for a second, which are called macronutrients. I am sure you’ve seen all sorts of advice with these online. Don’t eat too much. Make sure you get enough. ETC ETC ETC If we use the keep it simple method, this is the best advice I can give you: eat clean, whole foods. Bam. That’s seriously it. Now when you reach your initial health and fitness goals and then you want to zoom in and really get technical, you can start to break down whether you need to count macronutrients or calories or what and when you should eat.
   
2. I know this sounds counter intuitive because of the diet culture we live in, but seriously, listen to your body. Eat when you’re hungry. Eat slow enough that your body can recognize when it’s had enough nutrition. Hormones will be released while you’re eating to tell your brain, hey! I’m full!!! Then stop eating. If you’re following step 1 of clean, whole foods, you can’t eat too much anyway. Yes. I’m serious. Your body will thank you for the fresh food and it will let you know when you’ve had enough. If you have a serious wave of hunger hit you in the middle of the day, drink some water and wait 15 minutes. See if that helps. Sometimes, we're just thirsty and we're misreading the signals.
   
3. What is the difference between listening to my body and cravings? Cravings are more than likely psychological. So keep in mind, when I say, listen to your body, that doesn’t mean listen to your cravings. I hope that isn’t too confusing. Cravings can occur due to habits (see #4), due to stress (which you are definitely experiencing now), due to numerous other physiological conditions too. When I heard someone say, listen to your body, I used to think to myself, what the hell does that even mean? It sounded like a cop out. But over time, balancing out my diet, educating myself more, and experiencing an elimination diet, I am proof that one can learn how to pay attention to the signs the body gives. Food is often an after thought. A means to satisfy hunger instead of nourish our bodies. Refocus your relationship with food and that might help you immensely.
   
4. Find a way to balance cravings. As an example, one of my toughest battles is after lunch and dinner, I ALWAYS want sweets, because for the longest time, I always ate something sweet after lunch and dinner. I love ice cream, I love chocolate, I love sweets! So, to hit that sweet tooth, I will eat strawberries, bananas, or apples. You can also google lots of recipes for ‘healthy’ desserts. That doesn’t mean it has to be completely absent of sugar or taste, but it can be controlled and if it’s cooked at home, it will often be healthier than something store bought.
   
5. What is clean, whole foods? Another easy tip: When you go to the grocery store, avoid the center of the building. That’s where all the processed foods are. Clean foods are mostly in your produce section, they are single ingredient items. When I go grocery shopping now, about 80% of my cart is produce. I pick up a variety of proteins, fish, chicken, pork, and beef for example. Variety in foods is important to get all the necessary nutrients. I cook a couple different meals on Sundays for the beginning of the week and pack those up in Tupperware. So that morning of work, all I do is grab the Tupperware, throw it in the lunch bag with a few healthy snacks, and I’m ready to go.
   
6. Organic, not organic, pastured, cage free, ect ect ect…. Look, you can delve into the world as food as much as you like. The majority of foods we eat is NOT healthy. Even foods that LOOK healthy aren’t always. This is where label reading comes into play. This seems complicated and sometimes, it is. I'm not sure whether you’re just getting started or how experienced you are. At this point, focus on trying to eat cleaner foods. Try to get away from the processed and junk foods. However, it’s not worth getting stressed about all of it. Do organic if you can afford it. If you can’t buy all organic, then things you eat often, get organic. Also, foods that don’t have a peeling on them are more susceptible to pesticides than foods that do, i.e., strawberries absorb everything, get organic, however, oranges, we don’t typically eat the peeling, so if you had to choose, you can forgo the organic there. If you eat a lot of chicken, try to get the higher quality. But if you’re check book can’t stretch that far, don’t panic, it’s not the end of the world. Your body will thank you for buying anything that is freshly cooked as opposed to something like Tysons Chicken Nuggets that are highly processed.
   
7. Lastly, to save money on clean, whole foods, look for local farmer’s markets, CSA’s (https://www.localharvest.org), or talk to a local butcher/farm for buying whole animals, i.e., a whole chicken costs $15-25, and you can typically visit the farm to see where it is raised, it’s conditions, and it’s quality.
   
   Most important, keep it simple! It can be easy to get overwhelmed, but take small, measured steps that will lead to little successes. Over time, this will build up to huge successes. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience”.
   
   Remember too, you’ll have setbacks. Everyone does. Don’t get discouraged. You’re on the journey of a lifetime. You’re trying to fundamentally change your dietary habits. This is no small feat. It took you a long time to get to the point you’re at now, it’s not going to be fixed overnight. Patience and humility are great allies in this journey. And if you have or start having doubts, look back at the little victories (a journal works great for this… write down things you succeeded at each day to help on those tough days!). Believe you can do this and you can. Motivation is born from a decision. You’ve made the decision. You’ve got this!
   Check out the book It [Starts With Food] (https://www.amazon.com/Starts-Food-Discover-Whole30-Unexpected/dp/1628600543). I love this book. It is a great intro to food and its effects on the body. Educating yourself is important because it helps solidify your goals and gives you better understanding why you're not eating 'x' or add 'y' to your diet. Also, a great resource for minimizing sugar is: www.iquitsugar.com. This Aussie can give you some fantastic information on what sugar does to the body and how to minimize or quit sugar altogether.
   
   I wish you the best of luck!

General advice:
You are what you make of yourself. Study hard (but within reason - have time for socializing/relaxing), exercise, eat right. Acknowledge criticism from those you respect. Almost everything is matter of priority and the effort you are willing to put in: grades, popularity, sex, etc

On being popular:
It's overrated and very hard to predict (other than being physically attractive has a high positive correlation; exercise and diet rear their heads again). Aim for not being picked while having a core group of genuine friends and being, if not friendly, at least on speaking terms with people in your classes. Humor is good but only as long as it is mainstream.
Edited for formatting and size

On Grades:
Spend a few months figuring out what you learn easily and what takes time. Find out what study habits work best for you. Experiment with this until you have a sustainable study habit which maximized learning while minimizing time spent. If a topic refuses to stick, talk to the teacher or someone other Adult Authority Figure^(TM) and explain in non-whining manner that despite your best efforts you need help with it. Double the amount of time you think it will take you to write a paper.

On Health and Sports:
Your teenage years are the best to get into an exercise habit. Take care of your body for a few reasons. It's the only one you have, it'll extend your life, you'll never have more free time to devote to setting a baseline of percent body fat, and it'll help attract someone for the next section. Decide on the type of body you want now instead of pining for it later. The body type portrayed in the media as hot or attractive is a mix of a swimmer and a soccer/lacrosse player. If you are not tall (</=5'5") consider a wrestling build. Exercise doesn't necessarily mean sports but they go hand in hand. I recommend team sports as they include socializing, teamwork, and may get you invited to parties (the two main sources of parties, in my experience, are sports teams and the drama club/theater people).

On dating and sex:
It'll happen or it won't, the former mostly depending on you and the latter depending on you and (at least) another person. Everything in this section should be taken with a large serving of YMMV and "it's complicated, these are broad generalizations." Oh, I'm assuming male heteronormity; if you're female or gay then let me offer my support and well wishes because you're going to have it very rough though for different reasons that would take an entire other post to address. First, never assume a girl is into you because she's being friendly. Teenage body language is very unreliable both in projecting and reading because of hormones so don't rely on that. Words, however awkward, are more reliable. Always be respectful and courteous and hope for the best.
Second, the main problem is having the stones to ask someone out in the first place especially because isolating a girl in high school is nigh impossible so you'll be asking in front of other girls. Having the courage to ask is 80% and being apathetic enough to not be an emotional mess if she turns you down in public is the other 20%. If you get hit hard by it, bury it until you get home, and then let the emotions out and put it behind you. When you do ask, ask if they'd like to do some activity you two have in common; preferably in a semipublic place she'd feel comfortable (a local coffeehouse, rock climbing gym, skate park, etc).

The a couple of times you two do something like this, assume it is as friends. After that you need to directly state something along the lines of, "Hey, I really enjoy hanging out with you. Would it be okay if I came over sometime or you came to my place and made you dinner, you know like a date?" The best result would be your place as then you could attempt to sell the evening as a night of the house to your parent(s). In a conversation before the night in question mention to the girl that your parent(s) won't be there and give her the opportunity to back out. Practice making whatever you plan on making (something simple that you know she likes would be best).

Plan the evening being dinner and watching a movie on the couch. Either sit down first and let her choose where she sits or sit about a handspan away from her with room for her to move away or get closer. Stay relaxed and let the night progress as it will. At some point, if she cuddles in, take a minute or two to just stare at her face. Wait until she notices and looks at you. Say the most romantic thing possible in the situation, "You're beautiful; may I kiss you?" Asking permission to kiss both bold in its directness, gives an immediate answer of if she's into you, and is (so I've been told) extremely potent to a teenage girl. Take the first kiss slow and easy, stay relaxed, keep your eyes open, and for her sake, be gentle and don't slobber.
Sex (in all its permutations) is tricky. The most basic piece of advice I can give is: you have no right to it but it is a blessing if you get it. Read the wikipedia entry on rape culture and think about the shear Punisher levels of violence you would visit upon the shit-stained syphilitic cyst effluvient if they raped the most beloved female figure in your life.

Feeling a little off or violent? Good. Now think about coming home after a really bad day to a warm cookie and a glass of cold milk. Internalize that warm fuzziness of a good deed towards you; not the cookie or milk, but that someone cared for you enough to make the cookies and pour the milk. Magnify that by a ridiculously large number. Larger. Larger. That is the feeling you get when a girl asks you to be her partner in having sex.
The key is that she wants to have sex in the first place. The best you can do to reach that scenario is be the person she can invest in emotionally and trust enough to feel comfortable with at her most vulnerable.
That being said, you can stack the deck in your favor, and here is where things get kind of... skeazy. Learn how to arouse a women during the course of making out. The human body is a finely tuned machine and knowing the user's manual helps. Read up on erogenous zones (especially the ones not located at the chest and crotch so you have places to put your hands while kissing), massage techniques, and other clothes-on no-penetration methods of causing arousal. Learn the signs of female arousal: increased heart rate, flushing of the face and upper chest, and sometimes slight tremors of the arms and legs. If you can achieve that from kissing and petting then you ask the second most physically romantic question a guy ask:

"Would it be alright if I helped you orgasm?" Again, bold in its directness, gives her a clear opportunity to stop where things are, and places the power in her hands while stating that you aren't giving her an orgasm like a gift but helping her achieve something as a partner. At this point, instead of graphic advice on digital and oral sex I'll point you in the direction of The Four Hour Body. Find a copy at your local chain bookstore (or library if you're lucky) and read the chapters 'The 15-Minute Female Orgasm-Part Un' and 'The 15-Minute Female Orgasm-Part Deux' (and don't just go, "Hur hur, naughty bits," be clinical in your education and passionate in your application).
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT take any hints on sexual performance from porn as odds are you aren't watching the right type. Never ask her to perform a sexual service to you unless she has already done so at least twice by her own design.

If you're lucky, after showing you are trustworthy, kind, compassionate, and capable of facilitating her please, at some point she may inform you that she wants/think she is ready for sex. Don't immedietely run for the condoms. Hug her, kiss her, and say your honored and ask if she is sure. Assuming she says yes, set up when. If she informs you by locking her door,

First of all, congratulations on taking the first step towards better health! This is a difficult decision and it is no small feat what you are trying to accomplish, so seriously great job! Let’s dive into a few things I see here though that might help you out.

1. Do you have any experience in the kitchen? If not, I’d recommend finding some easy online recipes that utilize fresh foods to cook with. A simple google search of “quick easy fresh recipes” will give you more than enough options. IMPORTANT Do not get overwhelmed, do not try to do too much. If you have minimum experience in the kitchen, that’s okay! Start easy and work your way up. Some people watch Food Network (I’m a sucker for Chopped!) and think there is no way I can cook, but it’s truly not hard to cook clean, whole foods!
   
   
2. Cooking is important. Based on what you’ve listed for food for the day, you must be extremely hungry. While it’s important to cut back on the not so good foods you listed, it’s also important to make sure the body is getting proper nutrition. For instance, it looks like you’re increasing your activity by walking more, but your protein intake looks to be non-existent. This is not going to help your aches and pains as your body needs the protein, and in some cases, carbs, to help rebuild muscle/tissues.
   
   
3. So let’s talk protein, carbohydrates, and fats for a second, which are called macronutrients. I am sure you’ve seen all sorts of advice with these online. Don’t eat too much. Make sure you get enough. ETC ETC ETC If we use the keep it simple method, this is the best advice I can give you: eat clean, whole foods. Bam. That’s seriously it. Now when you reach your health and fitness goals and then you want to zoom in and really get technical, you can start to break down whether you need to count macronutrients or calories or what and when you should eat.
   
   
4. I know this sounds counter intuitive because of the diet culture we live in, but seriously, listen to your body. Eat when you’re hungry. Eat slow enough that your body can recognize when it’s had enough nutrition. Hormones will be released while you’re eating to tell your brain, hey! I’m full!!! Then stop eating. If you’re following step 3 of clean, whole foods, you can’t eat too much anyway. Yes. I’m serious. Your body will thank you for the fresh food and it will let you know when you’ve had enough.
   
   
5. What is the difference between listening to my body and cravings? Cravings are more than likely psychological. So keep in mind, when I say, listen to your body, that doesn’t mean listen to your cravings. I hope that isn’t too confusing. Cravings can occur due to habits (see #6), due to stress (which you will at some point, if not already, be going through), due to numerous other physiological conditions too. When I heard someone say, listen to your body, I used to think to myself, what the hell does that even mean? It sounded like a cop out. But we don’t pay attention to that so much these days. We live in a world of eating out constantly, eating what we want, and not considering repercussions. We don’t listen to our bodies because we’re too consumed with other things. Food is an after thought. Congrats my friend, your eyes are beginning to open to the idea that food is important.
   
   
6. Find a way to balance cravings. As an example, one of my toughest battles is after lunch and dinner, I ALWAYS want sweets, because for the longest time, I always ate something sweet after lunch and dinner. I love ice cream, I love chocolate, I love sweets! So, to hit that sweet tooth, I will eat strawberries, bananas, or apples. You can also google lots of recipes for ‘healthy’ desserts. That doesn’t mean it has to be absent of sugar or taste, but it can be controlled and if it’s cooked at home, it will be healthier than something store bought without question.
   
   
7. What is clean, whole foods? Another easy tip: When you go to the grocery store, avoid the center of the building. That’s where all the processed foods are. Yes, that even means your campbells soups. BUT, don’t stop reading yet!! There’s better news!! You can make fresh, AMAZING soups easily! As an example, I cook a couple different meals on Sundays for the beginning of the week and pack those up in Tupperware. So that morning of work, all I do is grab the Tupperware, throw it in the lunch bag with a few healthy snacks, and I’m ready to go. Clean foods are mostly in your produce section, if they are not in produce, they do not have ingredients in them you can’t pronounce. When I go grocery shopping now, about 80% of my cart is produce. I pick up a variety of proteins, fish, chicken, pork, and beef for example. Variety in foods is important to get all the necessary nutrients!
   
   
8. Organic, not organic, pastured, cage free, ect ect ect…. Look, you can delve into the world as food as much as you like. The further you go, the more you realize Americans have their eyes covered to the realities of the food we consume. For almost all Americans, the majority of foods we eat is shit. It is NOT healthy. Even foods that LOOK healthy aren’t always. This is where label reading comes into play. This seems complicated and sometimes, it is. You’re just getting started. At this point, focus on trying to eat cleaner foods. Try to get away from the processed stuff. The store bought soups have so many extras in them, including sodium and preservatives, which is something you will want to cut back on too. However, it’s not worth getting stressed about all of it. Do organic if you can afford it. If you can’t buy all organic, things you eat often, get organic. Also, foods that don’t have a peeling on them are more susceptible to pesticides than foods that do, i.e., strawberries absorb everything, get organic, however, oranges, we don’t typically eat the peeling, so if you had to choose, you can forgo the organic there. If you eat a lot of chicken, try to get the higher quality. But if you’re check book can’t stretch that far, don’t panic, it’s not the end of the world. Your body will thank you for buying anything that is freshly cook as opposed to something like Tysons Chicken Nuggets that are highly processed.
   
   
9. Lastly, to save money on clean, whole foods, look for local farmer’s markets, CSA’s (https://www.localharvest.org), or talk to a local butcher/farm for buying whole animals, i.e., a whole chicken costs $15-25, and you can typically visit the farm to see where it is raised, it’s conditions, and it’s quality.
   
   Most important, keep it simple! It can be easy to get overwhelmed, but take small, measured steps that will lead to little successes. Over time, this will build up to huge successes. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience”. Remember too, you’ll have setbacks. Everyone does. Don’t get discouraged. You’re on the journey of a lifetime. You’re trying to fundamentally change your life. This is no small feat. It took you a long time to get to the point you’re at now, it’s not going to be fixed overnight. Patience and humility are great allies in this journey! And if you start having doubts, look back at all the little victories (a journal works great for this...write down successes each day to help on those tough days!). Believe you can do this and you can. Motivation is born from a decision. You’ve made the decision. You’ve got this!!
   
   Check out the book It Starts With Food . I love this book. It is a great intro to food and its effects on the body. Also, a great resource for minimizing sugar is: www.iquitsugar.com. This Aussie can give you some fantastic information on what sugar does to the body and how to minimize or quit sugar altogether.
   
   Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Good luck!!!

Hi, /u/DeceptiveSpell --

So happy to hear you're invested in learning about where your food comes from and it's far reaching impacts. Really awesome that you're open and aware to a different way of living :)

A few thoughts from me. (I've been Vegan for 1+ year, after being Vegetarian for 3+ years.)

• I don't know if everyone will agree with this analogy, but when making changes to my diet I've always found that it's kinda like someone trying to quit smoking. Yes, you can tapper off the cigarettes, or start taking Nicorette, but in order for it to truly stick, you really have to WANT to quit. Because it's a real lifestyle change. You have to really make that decision within yourself and...commit. Just.. quit. Just don't do it anymore. Not saying it will be easy or you won't have cravings for a while (which will pass over time, I assure you). But gradually tapering off may not actually be the "easier" way to go about committing to this.
  
  
• After 3+ years of being Veggie, the thing that changed my heart, my intention, and my commitment to this way of eating was research. Educating myself. I love learning, and reading more about these subjects forever changed my mindset. It was almost like The Matrix - once I knew the truth in my heart, I could never go back to the time before I knew that truth. Highly recommend the books [Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows] (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Dogs-Pigs-Wear-Cows/dp/1573245054) and The Humane Economy as starters.
  
  
• See if there are Vegan variations on the foods and recipes you enjoy eating. I for one love jackfruit and eat it often as a shredded meat alternative in things like burritos, nachos, pulled pork, etc. Also I adore Beyond Meat which you can get a Whole Foods for ground beef alternatives. Just made an awesome spaghetti bolognese with it! Lots of Indian and Asian can be easily made with no meat. And falafel sandwiches are another favorite. I promise as your body detoxes, you will crave meat less and less. With the exception of lox and bagel, which I still crave and am trying to find Vegan alternative, I honestly have no cravings for meat, cheese, etc. anymore. Just that damn lox...
  
  
• Be warned, the first couple months of transitioning to this kind of diet is not particularly easy on the gut. The struggle with gas is real, but your body normalizes after a few months. Haven't had any issues with it for a while.
  
  
• Finally, even though I stand by my first point, transitioning is not 100% easy 100% of the time. Don't be too hard on yourself if you take a misstep and say, eat a sandwich without realizing it had a mayo aioli on it. We all make mistakes, and our mistakes are valuable because they teach us, so that next time you remember to read the label more carefully, or ask the waitress a few follow up questions.
  
  Good luck! Happy to help if you have follow up questions - just PM me :)

I don't really want to get into a reddit discussion today but I would argue that happiness, peace, and justice are almost entirely cultural achievements (animals don't choose to be happy or sad, it's a reflection of their environment/situation), and technology has the power to affect those three principles in a very profound way. Our culture also largely dictates our direction and use of technology. So I do agree that "being just" and "being technologically advanced" are divorced, but they still can affect one another greatly, which is why I think that pre-civilized cultures can be "truly progressed" without advanced technology. What I mean is that technology can be a real boon and a great weapon against our progress towards betterment. I mean just one immediate example would be that we may destroy ourselves in a matter of decades if we keep up global warming -- that's a direct result of our advanced culture and could literally destroy us. Is that advanced, true progresson?

A definition of culture:

> "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society."

covers a great deal of peace and justice because we literally cannot exist without a culture because we cannot divorce ourselves from our neighbors in a meaningful way.

You mentioned peaceful and advanced... again, you haven't described what "advanced" means. Do you just mean technologically advanced when you say that?

I'd also recommend checking out some books and documentaries on (isolated) indigenous people if only because it often describes just how incredibly healthy and happy they frequently are. Not all of them, of course, but there are many good examples. Plus it's just interesting to see totally different cultures from our own. One I've read recently that had a very strong impact on my worldview was Nutrition and Physical Degeneration -- I've never had any interest in dental health but still found the book just amazing (my mom is a nutritionist and had it laying around).

I'd doubt the total veracity of this video, but it was also incredibly interesting. Plus boobs.

And some favorite movies/documentaries that illustrate my point: Koyaanisqatsi (which is part 1 of a trilogy), Baraka, and Samsara.

This all looks fine to me. HR training it super simple, you just want your heart rate in that zone. I don't think taking breaks is going to have a big impact at all.

Objectively, the best thing you can do is lose some weight so running becomes feasible. That 10 mile walk is a great idea, but it isn't really training your aerobic system.

You might also want to add in some "extra" stuff. For ultrarunning balance, strength, and coordination are all essential. There's tons of resources out there to help you build a program, but I'd recommend mixing it in now. If you can commit to it before you start running you have a really good chance of avoiding injuries.

I'll briefly go over some crosstraining basics, these are just my opinions. Most athletes are good runners, but most runners aren't good athletes. IMO this simple fact explains why 80% of runners encounter an injury sometime in their career. If you want to race ultras the safest way to do so is to start treating yourself like an athlete.

1. For strength training, go low reps high weight. Runners don't need tons of muscle mass, but the muscle they have needs to be strong. This can be dangerous if you lift without proper form so with movements that feel easy. I wouldn't encourage you to jump into squats and deadlifts if those feel uncomfortable. The leg press machine, bulgarian split squats, weighted lunges, and calf raises are good examples of simpler, less stressful movements. You don't need to do a ton of sets of these, or even do that many of them. I normally lift 1-2 times a week, doing three sets of three exercises for 3-5 reps.
   
2. Hate weightlifting? No problem, bodyweight exercises are also awesome. David Roche's 5 minute mountain workout is a great example of an unweighted routine that works your balance, coordination, and musculature. I would strongly recommend working some bodyweight stuff into your routine. Anything on one leg is awesome, anything involving squatting is great, and anything that challenges your core is great. The more muscle groups you need to recruit the better
   
3. Actually finding good exercises can be daunting. A good starting place is Jay dicharry's anatomy for runners. It'll help give you a handle on the strengths and weaknesses of your body, and start you down the path to improving them.
   
   This is an ongoing process that'll follow you across your career as a runner, but stick with it and I guarantee it'll pay dividends.
   
   One other note. Because you haven't started running yet you haven't had a chance to make the mistakes most novice runners run into. I'll list those out briefly, this is just what I've seen in myself and other runners.
   
   

• Slow cadence. I was running with slow cadence for years, and it caused all sorts of problems with my stride. I was bouncing too much which stressed out my calfs, I was leaning to the right which stressed out my quads ect. Cadence is a personal thing, but generally you should try to stay above 170 steps a minute.
  
• Bad programming. The number one way runners get injured is too much too soon. Adjust your weekly mileage slowly and be patient. The best way to get faster is to slowly build up your mileage without getting injured. You're doing a ton of aerobic training now but that's not running training. When you actually start running I would recommend doing couch to 5k, then taking it super slow from there. You have a whole running career infront of you!
  
• Poor glute engagement. Buy that book from dicharry, it'll go into better detail on this than I can. The long and short of it is many runners don't engage their glutes when they run, shifting more work to the calves and quads. This slows them down and makes them way more injury prone.
  
  Good luck!

A great first step is to follow the mantra "don't drink your calories" (whether soda, alcohol, juice, or milk). They really do add a lot of calories. The only thing that's slowed down my weight loss in the last few couple weeks has been drinking alcohol more than once a week (in those weeks, I've gained 5 pounds instead of losing ~1 pound). I've quickly snapped back, but it made it really clear to me.

Since making a more concerted effort 5 years ago, I'm about 40 pounds lighter. But I've also gained muscle mass, so I've lost more fat than that and feel great even though I could certainly get in even better shape (and I plan to). It's not setting any records, and I'm sure I could have gotten there faster with greater effort and better techniques.

I'd tried losing weight over the years before that and have been involved in sports for much of my life (though taking breaks off-season, just going to the gym on my own in college, then slacking for a few years, etc.). But one of the major inflection points was ~5 years ago.

The first big change was (re-)joining 24-Hour Fitness and taking 3 hour-long cardio classes per week with my girlfriend as sort of a challenge and to impress her. I knew I could force myself to adjust to it over a few weeks or months since I had some discipline left over from high school sports. You might want to start with 1 class, then 2, then 3 over a couple months. (She's now my wife, so it's not the only good thing that came out of those classes :)

I gradually worked in some running, to the point of 4 work-outs per week (usually 3 classes and 1 10k run).

After a few years of that, I found a Groupon for LA Boxing for kickboxing classes, which looked like fun, so I took that up. I first did it once a week, then gradually replaced my 24-Hour Fitness classes, since it was fun and burns about 1,000 calories per class. Group (kick)boxing classes which focus on endurance and intensity are great. You'll definitely lose a lot of weight and get in better shape if you stick with it, though it can be tough at first (even coming from the 4 weekly workouts above). Note that I'm referring to classes which focus on a fair amount of technique, high-intensity cardio, real boxing gloves and bags, as a contrast to "cardio kickboxing" at 24-Hour Fitness which is not bad in the grand scheme of things, but burns fewer calories and is essentially choreography.

I've hit a new inflection point in February by following a slow-carb diet. I'm also an ova-lacto vegetarian, but that's never done much directly to help me lose weight in the 15 years I've been doing it. I'm part-way into the book The 4-Hour Body which covers the diet (though I'd read about it from his other books and online before this and started on the basics of minimizing carbs and increasing protein back in February) and other minimum-effort ways to lose weight. You might be able to skip some of my steps above by going straight to this.

I've also recently switched all my exercise to a fight-technique-focused kickboxing gym 3 times a week with a 20-minute bike ride to and from. This new gym definitely raises my heart rate but it's less focused on sustained cardio than on correct form. It's only been 4 weeks, so it may be hard to say, but the slight reduction in cardio (and mostly reducing to 3 weekly workouts from 4) hasn't slowed my progress much as I had slightly feared (the diet is probably helping counter any minor losses I may have otherwise had).

Use MyFitnessPal as others have suggested. Keep a paper journal (Moleskine or one of those .99 composition notebooks, whatever) if that helps; whichever you can commit to better.

Eat CONSCIOUSLY. Most people eat so many grams of sugar and carbs without thinking about it that just knowing roughly how much you're eating can help to curb that nasty habit.

Eat things that are more fulfilling and nutrient dense - vegetables are your best friend, even if you have to slather them in cheese/butter to get yourself to enjoy them at first.

Cutting down on sugar will be immensely beneficial. It's an addiction. Treat it like an addiction. Consuming sugars and carbs trigger reactions in our brains very similar to consuming drugs. It's scary. Once you break your addiction to sugar/carbs you'll start finding that you no longer have a taste for things that are loaded with either of those things.

Read books like The 4 Hour Chef and The 4 Hour Body.

Do yourself a favor and keep reading this subredditt as well as places like /r/progresspics ; know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. It's not going to be an easy journey, but you can absolutely do it. It took you many years to get to this point, and it's not too late to live a healthy life where walking long distances isn't a daunting task. You'll be able to run and play with your son.

Speaking of your son, try your best to instill good habits in him. Fast food is bad. If you don't have the time to cook dinner, choose healthier "fast food" options like Chipotle WITHOUT THE SHELL, Boston Market WITHOUT the stuffing, sweet potatoes, cornbread, desserts. Encourage him to go outside and play, join a sports team, and not allow him to get on a path to obesity and bad health.

Desserts should be for special occasions only - however, you don't have to constantly tell yourself no. If you're absolutely craving something and find yourself thinking about nothing else, go ahead and have a bite of something sweet. Portion control and self restraint are key here.

Do not buy unhealthy foods. If it's in your house, you're going to eat it at some point.

Don't buy into the "low fat = good for you" marketing. Fat is fine. It's those carbs and sugars that are your enemy when consumed in excess.

You're so overweight right now that you could find the pounds melting off at a very quick rate if you change your habits.

If you can't commit to eating cleanly 100%, that's okay. Start out with easy stuff like no soft drinks - if you want, drink diet soda instead to make it easier. The chemicals in there aren't ideal but they're a hell of a lot better than the loads of sugar in regular soda.

I could go on and on. It's a wonderful thing that you're reaching out for help. Remember that you're never alone. If you need some help with motivation or advice, there are people here that will always be around.

Also, last but certainly not least - see a doctor. I'm not a doctor so the advice I've given you is not to be taken as such. I know it may be difficult, but it's important that you know where you stand as far as your heart etc. are concerned. You don't want to over strain yourself or injure yourself from exercising beyond your body's current limits.

Keep with it.

You can do this.

I understand what you mean when you say you feel like you're dieting when on keto. I was on keto for about four months and while it yielded great results very quickly, I was upset that I wasn't able to have oatmeal or apples or bananas, which are healthy themselves but not keto friendly.

A healthy diet is ultimately subjective to the person as everyone has different goals, but as a general idea, everyone can agree on a couple of different points. First off, having a large amount of vegetables and whole, unprocessed foods is healthy. This thread on this sub is a good starting point. It is up to you whether you believe dairy, meat, eggs are healthy and want to continue adding them into your diet.

I would also reccomend looking into How to Not Die by Dr. Michael Greger. In my opinion, he gives a scientfic and unbiased way of how to eat for your most optimal health. It is a thick book because he provides so many sources and different sides of the arugement.

Ulitamtely, a healthy diet is whatever makes you feel your best while maintaining some sanity. I eat health 95% of the time (healthy for me is lots of fruits, vegetables, oats, lentils, beans, etc.) while allowing myself to have "unhealthy foods" (sugar-filled processed foods, alcohol) 5% of the time when I'm out with friends because as compared to keto, being healthy and happy is a lifestyle, not a diet. Balance is key and your happiness has to be considered and heavily weighted. :) If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me!

Good luck on your journey and congrats on the 50 pound weightloss!

Looks like you got a jump on the basics but depending on how much you've researched the ethical topics below are some great resources to help keep you motivated. And once you understand the ethical necessity of a vegan lifestyle you'll find it is really a breeze!

earthlings - very graphic film but helpful to remove any doubts one might have regarding how we treat animals

eat like you care - a short and concise framing of the logic behind the ethical rational for veganism

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows - another relatively easy read which lays out a bit broader argument

There are loads of other great books and films out there and I really suggest taking the time to educate yourself about the way we use animals as it will make the transition so much easier.

Good luck and welcome!

Yeah, she was "in DKA." That's what we say. Tough few days I'm sure, but I hope you have been able to take a deep breath and see that as nuts as this all probably seems right now, you'll learn to live with this and it will be ok.

I was also 6 when I was diagnosed, and almost 32 years later I am doing just fine. I identify as a person with diabetes--that's part of my identity--but it is just one aspect of who I am. Everyone has their struggles, and this happens to be ours, but it certainly didn't ruin my childhood or anything. The technology is so much better now too.

One thing to keep in mind is that you and she have plenty of time to learn how to get this under control. Until you have a feel for it, her control is not going to look like the superstars with the A1c's in the 4's and 5's that you sometimes see on here, and that is totally, perfectly ok. Insulin needs may also change a lot in the first year or two as she exits the honeymoon phase. Obviously you'll want to do what the doctors say, but in the near future there is no need to beat yourself up at all over BG control that isn't quite dialed in yet. Focus on getting used to T1D and integrating the treatment into your lives. That mindset sort of continues into the long term too: there are tons of things that impact BG, and there are going to be days that look really ugly control-wise. That's totally fine. The key is to focus on average BG and time in range over weeks and months, and not to get too hung up on the individual days. This is really hard, but just try to keep celebrating the good days and approaching the bad days with a sense of curiosity about how to do things differently next time, never with any blame or guilt.

I think the single most important thing for me early on was developing a great relationship with my endocrinologist and especially my diabetes nurse educator. I stayed with them for 25 years--grade school, high school, college, graduation and my first job... if it's good, that relationship can be hugely impactful.

Inevitably you'll have some thinking to do about CGM and insulin pumps at some point. I personally love my pump and CGM and wish that I had access to them (particularly the CGM) 31+ years ago. At the same time, I think it would have been very difficult for me to have my parents remotely monitoring my BGs all the time, especially as I got older. I don't know the answer for that situation, but something to keep in the back of your mind. As far as having a thing attached to me with a tube, it's part of my life. I don't really notice it that much. It beats having to carry around an insulin pen.

This community is extremely supportive, as are r/diabetes_t1 and r/diabetes. As far as books, lots of people recommend Think Like a Pancreas, and I think Bright Spots & Landmines is a good one too. Good luck, and hopefully we'll continue to see you around as questions come up.

Just remember, the stone has already been rolled away so we don’t need breakthrough, we have it.

Some background info-fasting surpresses the carnal voice in our lives and helps us to see clear. It helps us to learn that the “spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” is before Jesus died, and now that he died and rose again, our spirit is willing and our flesh says amen. Fasting gets rid of “cobwebs” so to speak and makes things clear. It’s truly amazing. The self control I have grown in from fasting is so awesome-it really changes your perspective on things. It teaches you not to live sensual and not to let your flesh be in charge. Not to mention the physical and health benefits from fasting. The important thing about fasting is that fasting and prayer must go together. With fasting we put off the old and with prayer we put on the new. I can’t even begin to talk about all the good fruit I’ve seen in my life with fasting. It’s truly a powerful tool God has given us.

I highly recommend you check out The Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Fung. It's a very informative book and has lots of great info on fasting. I do practice a fasted lifestyle and do extended fasting, I have a podcast episode here I did on fasting, if you'd like some spiritual tips.

For longer fasts, It's ok to take supplements when you fast-potassium, magnesium, and sodium are great. Check out the r/fasting sub, too. Lots of great info there :)

Trainers can be good, but be aware that personal training is a totally unregulated field, so you can have any piece of paper and be a "certified" trainer. Men's Health can be a good magazine, but a few issues and you're good. I've found that they repeat a lot of their older routines and label them as new, or combine two and do the same thing. As a matter of fact, I recommend Men's Health books more than the magazines. Their Big Book of Exercises is a great resource, especially if you want to try your hand at making your own routine. I also agree that looking on blogs is a great idea. I'm going for my certification in personal training right now and haven't quite been brave enough yet to make my own routine, but I just recently finished this Shortcut to Size and really liked it. If you just google exactly what you want, chances are you'll find a great routine that you'll love.

Hope this helps!

you can exercise in general but you may want to reduce the intensity and it also depends on how you feel.

maybe you should stay off of the oils for now. straight up food is a cookbook i have and it's sos free. (no salt no oil no sugar )

the carrot cake was surprisingly yummy and tasted just like a carrot cake.

the complete fasting by Jason fung also has several yummy recipes

i have a bean burger recipe too thats simple to make.... i eat it in lettuce instead of bread.

dr esselstyn mentions oil is unhealthy for you nd not needed. i was having heart issues and followed his advice in general. mainly stopped eating oil and junk foods. i found some healthy alternatives... they weren't the best but they were better than what i was eating.

i like recipes that are easy to make without alpt of hassle. the forks over knives recipe books seem like too much of a hassle to me personally.

straight up food (there is also a website with recipes)

Straight Up Food: Delicious and Easy Plant-based Cooking without Salt, Oil or Sugar https://www.amazon.com/dp/0997636904/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_c5FSzbXN6Y9DD


complete guide to fasting by Jason fung

The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600012/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_L6FSzbEV05VXJ


most people make veggie patties complicated. i have an easy recipe from rip esselstyn. it may sound complicated but i can condense it if you like
http://engine2diet.com/blog/top-engine-2-recipes-plant-strong-burgers/

let me know if you need help on seperating iceberg lettuce leaves to use in place of a bun

It's been said a million times, but as a woman, the odds of your "lifting heavy and getting big" are slim to nil. There are tons of testimonials on fittit from women who've started lifting and discovered they don't get big, they get awesome.

As a somewhat recovered cardio freak (competitive swimmer as a kid, cycling, rowing, backpacking, etc. as an adult), discovering strength training was a huge, huge epiphany.

Look over the benefits:

Lori Incledon's online book, "Strength Training for Women"
http://www.healthline.com/hlbook/strt-benefits-of-strength-training-for-women

Stumptuous:
http://www.stumptuous.com/lies-in-the-gym

"The New Rules of Lifting for Women": http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess/dp/1583332944

Short version (from Incledon's book):
Increased Strength
Increased Muscle Mass and Decreased Body Fat
Increased Bone Density
Improved Immune Function
Reversed Effects of Aging
Improved Mood and Increased Confidence
Improved Quality of Life

Just sayin'.

I've read so many books that I honestly cannot say that any particular one is the most important. However, here's a list of really good ones:

• Starting Strength. Mark Rippetoe. I've read all three editions. The books have greatly influenced the way I lift, especially in the obvious sense of proper form for barbell lifts.
  
  
• Practical Programming For Strength Training. Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. Simple explanations of a lot of things related to training even nutrition.
  
  
• Beyond Bodybuilding. Pavel Tsatsouline. Amazing book filled with numerous lifts with the goal of using strength training to develop mass.
  
• Relax Into Stretch and Super Joints by Pavel as well. If you have issues with mobility or flexibility, these books are awesome.
  
• 5 3 1. Jim Wendler. I'm fairly certain the majority of people know what this is, but if you haven't read it, I encourage reading both editions and the one for powerlifting, especially if you're running 5/3/1 right now. All three books are a huge resource for determining how to program assistance and conditioning.
  
• Easy Strength. Pavel and Dan John This was a great read. It was filled with tons of things from articles written by Dan John as well as just a massive look at how to appropriately program strength training for people at numerous levels.
  
• 4 Hour Body. Tim Ferriss. This was an amazing read. It, like Pavel's Power to the People, was a great read on complete minimalism of training towards a goal.
  
  I've read so many more books than that. Since these are the only ones that I can think of off the top of my head, I'd say that they are the ones that have made the biggest impression from reading them.

Lifting will give you some test boost, but will not make a miracle. Your test is pretty low for your age, maybe you should consider TRT. If you go the TRT route, get the BEST doctor you can get, if you screw with your hormones, depending on what you do, theres no going back. And research a lot before doing it. Read books, good articles. Clomid is a nice help for now.

Some things other than TRT to check:

• Check your vitamin D levels. Make sure its way above 30 ng/ml. If you supplement with vitamin D3, make sure you also take vitamin K2 (research about this).
  
  
• Eat brazil nuts, red meat. Whole eggs. Brocolli is high on a compound that lowers estrogen naturally, eat a fuckton of it. Eat only real food, something like paleo style is good. Make sure you are getting enough healthy fats, you need it for hormones. This will also help with fat loss. Also check on intermittent fasting, theres research showing it increases growth hormones and lots of other benefits.
  
  https://www.amazon.com.br/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012
  
  
• Make sure you are not overdoing volume at the gym. Lifting HARD for 1h30 is too much unless you are on the juice.
  
  
• Make sure you have enough zinc. Consider taking ZMA before bed or take a good multivitamin.
  
  
• Sleep well, reduce stress, make sure your cortisol levels are low. Look into meditation.
  
  http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/01/18/how-to-increase-testosterone-naturally/
  
  https://www.t-nation.com/pharma/complete-guide-to-t-replacement?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article4341
  

I would REALLY recommend reading the book It Starts With Food as it not only explains, in simple terms, what Paleo is all about but also goes in to our psychological relationship with food.

It might also be worth checking out the free resources on their website;

• Shopping List
  
• Meal Planning Template
  
• Guide to Sneaky Sugars
  
  If you're interested the Whole30 Program is a great introduction to Paleo - though it's not an easy challenge. I would recommend anyone new to Paleo at least have a look at it.
  
  In regards to your questions;
  
  

1. This depends on your goals but, honestly, if you're completely revising the way you eat then I would focus on that and try to avoid anything else at the moment. Once you have the hang of the food then I would start introducing more exercise.
   
2. I haven't found any apps that are that good. My strategy is to sit down on a Saturday to make a meal plan for the whole week. I browse through my favourite Paleo sites and choose recipes, then write the entire shopping list. I spend Sunday shopping and prepping food for the week. I've found that preparation is the key to not falling off the wagon.
   
3. If your diet has included a lot of sugars and you're going pretty strictly Paleo then you'll notice headaches in the first few days. If you're a coffee drinker then keep drinking coffee, just have it black, you don't need to add caffeine withdrawals to sugar withdrawals. Give it a week and you'll be fine. After two weeks you'll be feeling better and after three you'll feel like a new person.
   
4. Like /u/skullydazed said, drink beer or cider if you want to but don't try to pretend it's Paleo. If you're really looking to lose weight and you NEED to drink alcohol then drink something like Vodka + Soda Water + Fresh Lime. I would recommend skipping the alcohol at least for a few weeks to see the difference it makes. Beer is full of crap your body doesn't need and it really can be hard to lose weight without removing beer from your diet.
   
   Most importantly; figure out what works for you. 80-90% healthy but maintainable is better than 100% healthy but unrealistic.

I've found the biggest reasons people quit veganism after deciding that it's the right thing to do is:

1. Not knowing what to eat or how to prepare it
   
2. Losing motivation
   
   I think that #1 is most important to nail down, because if you're already convinced that veganism is the right thing to do, you shouldn't have much problem sticking with it unless you run into food-related problems. This video covers just about everything you need to know about vegan food. Basically:
   
   

• Eat enough calories
  
• Have a few go-to recipes for each meal
  
• Use happycow.net to find vegan-friendly restaurants (virtually everything at Asian restaurants can easily be veganized)
  
• B12!
  
  Eating vegan won't feel hard or restricting at all if you know how, and what to cook. Just like non-vegan food, vegan food can taste disgusting or flat-out amazing. Don't be discouraged if the first vegan food you make turns out terribly, because it probably will. Figure out what you didn't like about what you made, and try to improve it for next time. Vegan cooking can be very different, and it will probably take getting used to.
  
  If you're willing to buy a cookbook, But I Could Never Go Vegan! should be perfect. It's recipes are split up based on common excuses or worries people have when it comes to vegan cooking ("But I love sea food!", "What about cheese?", "Why does vegan food need to be so healthy!", etc). Thug Kitchen also has a lot of great, and healthy, recipes. They have a trailer if you're interested in seeing the, uh, "tone" of the book. Lastly, there's Isa Does It. I'd say her recipes are a bit fancier and take a little more effort to prepare, but if you're willing to learn she'll teach you everything from what to stock your pantry with to how to the different ways to chop tempeh. There shouldn't be any problem following anything in any of these books if you're willing to read the directions.
  
  I don't personally watch a lot of vegan cooking channels on youtube, but it might be worth checking out TheVeganZombie, Peaceful Cuisine for asian food, and the channels here.
  
  On staying motivated, I think it's pretty much required to constantly be reminded by why you want to be vegan in the first place. Regularly visit vegan communities like here, watch vegan, environmental, or animal rights-related documentaries like cowspiracy, earthlings, or Forks Over Knives, subscribe to vegan youtube channels like Bite Size Vegan or The Vegan Activist. It takes a lot more willpower than most people have to stay vegan in a community where everyone around you hasn't given the ethics or environmental aspects of meat production much thought. Worst of all, they might even view you as... weird... for even bothering. Just try to keep in mind the reasons other people get defensive, or even hostile when bringing up veganism, stay calm, and all will be well.
  
  I wish you the best of luck, hopefully you found some of this wall of text useful :)
  
  
  

So, there's a book that goes along with it that i'd say is worth a read or two before getting into it. It's not so much a "diet" as it is a lifestyle moving forward.

Results: Acne has calmed down, I was like a 1 small pimple kinda guy, now its pretty much zero ever. I've lost around 20# of body fat, total lost is 35, but i account 15 to water/whatever. My energy "feels" more stable. No longer have the downtime in mid-day or after meals. I feel hungry less often. I don't crave sugar, or stress eat.

I sleep way better. I wake up with way more energy and focus.

My fiance's results; Keep in mind, her goal was only to be supportive and try and clean up her sugar intake. She went from 120 to 110lb, but only lost a bit of bloating/fat. She was tiny, she didnt need to lose anything, but she did. She feels better, but still has major chocolate cravings. I think she's maintaining 110-113 now, which for 5' is adequate I believe.


The best part about this eating style is that it's not about portion control or counting things. It's about just making a good decision and evaluating your decision on "is it good or bad for me body". There's no neutral in that argument. I think the thing I miss the most is probably my 1-2 beers a week. Once I hit my goal weight, right around 225#, I think I'll reintroduce occasional beers and maybe some cheese / rice.

Also, It appears, for me, that eating well is my "key" habit. When I eat well, I tend to work better ( minus reddit) and when I work better, I go home happier, when I am home, i feel more positive and am cheerful about washing dishes, laundry, cleaning litter boxes.

> I have had MS since Christmas of 2014.

Wow. Merry Christmas! :)

You're about the same age I was when I was diagnosed, with the big difference that I have testicles and you don't.

> At my last appointment I made it a point to point out I can't raise my leg past my other legs ankle.

My first attack started in my left hand and eyes with some mental issues.

Of course, every case is different. My eyes and mental issues cleared up pretty quickly. But my left hand was essentially useless -- mainly cosmetic :) -- for about a decade. Then it started to recover and today I can snap my fingers and have some pretty substantial feeling in it (but it's still numb, clumsy and tingly).

In short, things do change, especially at your age. Let's hope it does with your legs. Research says to exercise/stretch/move them and that makes a slight positive difference in disability.

> but I'm diabetic and

I don't know anything about you and diabetes, other than a lot of overweight people have it.

Since myelin is fatty tissue in the brain, and since I tried alternative treatments for MS after neuros started suggesting "experimental chemo" (no one wants to hear chemo coming from a doctor's mouth, and it's even worse with the word experimental in front of it!), I deliberately tried to gain weight and so I put on fat. (It didn't work for MS but I did have to have my gall bladder removed.:)

After the fat thing didn't work I also tried some MS diets. That did ID the fact that gluten does impact my health/how I feel.

But the godsend was a semi-paleo diet, which I still do. That allowed me to shed weight and to keep it off without even trying. Eating tons of greens improved my vision from slightly worse than 20/20 to better than 20/20. Sadly, it wasn't a cure-all for MS, but I liked the other benefits so much that I stick to a semi-paleo diet. (The gluten thing is definitely a keeper for me and I think there's truth in the "Grain Brain" idea.)

> So FINALLY he took me seriously...

Wow! You had the same neuro that I did! I thought she would've retired by now but she must've gone trans. :)

Please re-post a summary about the steroid jell if/after you do it. I did bee venom therapy for a while and it did give me small increases in my energy level (bee venom also contains steroids).

Edit: Typos, clarity.

I haven't read some of these books, but they seem to come from credible sources and be generally well-received. Anyone with personal experience with them should chime in.

From professional organizations, if that is your thing:

The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating

American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide

A more in-depth textbook style book with a focus on accessibility and practical application:

Nutrition

Sports Nutrition/Geared towards active lifestyles:

Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook (One of the books that kicked off my interest in nutrition many years ago)

[The Men's Health Big Book of Food & Nutrition] (http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Book-Food-Nutrition/dp/1605293105/ref=tmm_pap_title_0) (not perfect, but probably one of the simplest and most straight-forward options, with recipes included)

Precision Nutrition (Personal favorite. Complete toolkit, amazing recipes, easy to understand, can't say enough good things about it. Best 50 bucks you could spend.)

I hope that helps you at least get started thinking about it, and I hope others have more suggestions.

I’ve spent the last 5 years or so fighting that slippery slope from being naturally “skinny” to slowly gaining a few lbs every year. I’m also having a baby so I did a lot of looking into how to best pass on healthy habits to young children—French Kids Eat Everything (And Yours Can Too) by Pamela Drucker is amazing for this! It’s even very useful for changing adult eating habits too imo. I’ve learned to like foods like wasabi and blue cheese that I had previously hated and my mentality about meal structure and snacking has completely changed.




Also check out First Bite: How We Learn to Eat by Bee Wilson. I saw it recommended somewhere on this sub before and it’s amazing! First Bite summarizes a lot of what I’ve learned through trial and error. It’s unfortunate that most people don’t learn how to eat for health at a young age but it is completely reversible. My husband for example went from complete junk to quality proteins, fats, loads of fruit and veg with some whole grains and we eat processed foods, baked goods, or dine out only on occasion. His identical twin on the other hand eats much like a preschooler given free rein.

I also (when not pregnant) practise water fasting, to balance my weight once in a while, and for the health benefits like autophagy. (Check out Dr Jason Fung’s The Obesity Code )The biggest benefit however has been learning self control. I don’t snack in between meals and if I can’t find good food when traveling or etc I just wait until I can and eat more later on.

Anyway, the topic of learning or changing how we eat in a fundamental rather than forced way fascinates me. I’ve read other books but found these three to be very very helpful :)

I do the weights at the gym one day/week but most of my strength and core training is bodyweight because BALANCE is where the strength comes from (see LeBron article below). One leg bridges, straight leg deadlifts, etc are a couple of the exercises runners should be doing to strengthen their drive.

You can find most of these exercises in https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Runners-Unlocking-Potential-Prevention/dp/1620871599. It helps to get some bands and maybe an exercise ball. If you can get a couple of dumbells that helps too.

Heres's some other great bodyweight exercises for runners, specifically for strengthening glutes: https://www.popsugar.com.au/fitness/Workout-Sleeping-Butt-Syndrome-44485654

And this one is interesting. LeBron James is one of the strongest, fittest guys in the game but he had some injuries and performance issues to fix. This video shows some of the body weight training he trainer put him on using bands and exercise balls. And he says this is what turned everything around for him. http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22778062/how-lebron-james-fixed-back-track-play-all-82-games-nba

.. and he paid the former Navy Seal $1 million US for this training! That says a lot about the value of bodyweight training. :)

I know the frustration with things like MFP, as I've begrudgingly used it off and on for 3 years. I'm a big fan of having simpler rules to follow for diet. I'm just coming off a 9 month liquid diet run by a bariatrician (optifast), and this week is the start of my transition to real food again. I haven't had anything but tea and chocolate shakes all year. I loved the simplicity of the liquid diet, because you just had to follow the rules. You don't get decision fatigue, because there's no decisions left to make. Unfortunately I've been getting sick, and I really don't think going this long on the diet is healthy for me, no matter what the doc says. It required monthly tests for kidney and liver function, because your body can overload from being so extreme like that. You'd think losing 190 lbs would make you feel great, but I'm as sick as I've ever been. I definitely understand the appeal of a juice fast, but I think it's really easy to make healthy eating seem unsustainable that way. Since I had so much extra time without that whole cooking and eating thing, I spent a long time thinking about what I wanted to do for whenever I got to eat again. My biggest goal is to be healthy, but I do hate anything that's too fussy.

I found an app that I'm a big fan of that guides you through dietary choices for a plant based diet. I'm a huge fan of a website by Dr Michael Greger. He runs a non profit to keep that website updated daily with news about nutrition science, and he's a big supporter of the health benefits of whole foods, plant based diets. He's got a free app now called Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen ( android or iphone ). Instead of measuring and weighing and tracking calories, you stick to a sheet of approved foods and just check off boxes as you go. Each line of food gives you examples of what counts and how to measure the serving size. The core of it is whole foods only, plant based, and no added oils or sugars. By eating less calorie dense foods, it's easier to self-regulate your consumption and any mistakes or over eating aren't so bad.

The important thing to note about the app is that it isn't built as a weight loss tool, but rather a general health guideline. It's trying to get diversity and basic nutrition, but it isn't supposed to be where you stop eating. If you eat just the daily dozen, you'll likely get between 1300 and 1600 calories, which is generally too light. The food on the list is already pretty restricted, so you can add more servings of those foods without a problem. He's said in videos before that if you're having a problem losing weight, just make sure you don't have extra portions of nuts and seeds, and instead of whole grain breads or pastas, try moving to actual whole grains like brown rice or barley. He's got a book where all this daily dozen explanation originally comes from, but it's all over youtube too. I know he's writing a cookbook now (won't be out for a year and a half), but he did mention a nice website that will try to cater to plant-based food restrictions. It's called Lighter, and might be a good source of ideas if you do try to get into plant based food. I think the number of recipes that fit his guidelines are a little light right now, but a free account can score enough recipes and ideas to get you started. Also, there's /r/PlantBasedDiet/ which follows very similar guidelines.

So if your husband doesn't want to go on a formal, portion-restricted diet, maybe this would be a step in the right direction? It's certainly full of healthy foods, and it's more lax about portion sizes. He might not have to feel "restricted", which is something that the juice fast avoids by saying "all you can drink". If his weight is problematic, then it should be easy enough to get him there even if it's a little slower than actual CICO. If it's general health you are concerned about, then even the heaviest day's overeating would be healthier than cheeseburgers. Plus unlike a juice fast where it's all in, you could just slowly move over a meal at a time towards that style of food, and try out a bunch of recipes before fully committing.

I think you implicitly equating pace times with worthwhile knowledge is a bit superficial (which perhaps is why some feathers got ruffled), but as you encountered in your previous thread, people telling you simply to focus on training/fitness and forget about stride length are simply incorrect. Yes, stride length, just like cadence, may be misleading or even unhelpful taken in isolation, but as part of a holistic program (as one can infer you're working on), these can offer meaningful gains.

I've read about 500 pp. recently from two expert-level books, Jay Dicharry's Anatomy for Runners and Running Rewired. My wife first heard him at a USATF Level III distance running clinic, then we went to his lab in OR. He works with Olympians, Ironman champs, etc. etc. Anyway, he says stride length boils down to two things:
* Increased muscle fiber recruitment. IIRC, this comes from plyos.
* Increased muscle size and strength. (From weight training.)

He makes the point (and I think this is really what you're getting at) that most runners will get more gains from doing strength workouts dedicated to helping the above, rather than just doing another run. All that to say, I'd highly commend both of those books to you (as you are clearly serious enough to have the appetite to wade through; AFR especially is not beach reading), but Running Rewired has more targeted workouts per your question. Cheers!

If you've never done an extended fast before, I would highly recommend easing into it with shorter fasts first. I recently wrote a results thread about finishing my first extended fast (I went for about 10.5 days). There were some aspects that aligned with my expectations, and others that were virtually opposite from what I've read in others' experiences, and in hindsight I wish I had eased in by doing shorter fasts first. My original intention was to fast for 21 days, but based on how my final 5 days went (very low energy, muscle weakness, constant nausea, etc) I felt I had no choice but to be satisfied with 10 days and to stick to shorter fasts in the future.

I would also recommend reading Dr. Fung's Complete Guide to Fasting. It should give you a great basis to start from. For specific questions you may have, use Google to search this sub rather than Reddit's search. For example, to look up information on electrolytes, put this into Google: electrolytes site:www.reddit.com/r/fasting. Just substitute "electrolytes" for your specific keywords.

Speaking of supplementation, I'll either dissolve Celtic Sea Salt on my tongue or take small sips of Pickle Juice for sodium. For potassium, NoSalt has a good amount per serving and can be mixed with water and taken as a shot. Magnesium can be supplemented in pill form, a lotion/spray, or by soaking your feet in Epsom Salt. These will all be most beneficial on a longer fast, although I find that supplementing sodium starting on Day 2 of my own fasts has made me feel better (less brain fog and dizziness, improved mood, etc.)

Best of luck to you. :)

I would strongly recommend Phinney and Volek's book I linked. I have not read Dr. Jason Fung's book but it appears to be strongly recommended as well. There are also a few MDs here who do recommend or follow the keto diet. /r/ketoscience is also a great place that your wife would be able to dig into actual research articles and make her own decision.

I am a nurse who lost 45 lbs in 3 months plus 10-inches off my waist a couple years ago and easily maintained that weight loss until I stopped emphasizing a keto diet. I did this while several of my co-workers told me what I was doing "could not work" or "was dangerous" and over the same time they struggled to lose 10 lbs I lost 4 times as much. My cholesterol panel is perfect regardless of my diet or weight, so good genetics there with a small improvement on keto.

During that time I was able to discuss the diet with cardiologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, and internal medicine doctors:

• Out of about 10 MDs probably half were against it but did not substantiate why beyond "I don't like low-carb/keto diets" (I'm sure the objections were valid however these were hallway conversations with busy men and true discussion probably wasn't reasonable at the time)
  
  
• A nephrologist didn't like it but admitted that in an otherwise healthy individual it did not pose a risk to kidneys and no amount of protein intake in an otherwise healthy individual would pose a risk to them
  
  
• A cardiologist admitted that as long as your cholesterol profile was not at risk it was probably safe as long as it did not raise your profile
  
  
• An internal med doctor discussed it at length with me because of my weight loss and confirmed he had heard it was effective for weight loss, did not raise cholesterol, and had several questions as well as asking who I had discuss it with
  
  
• The strongest supporter I had was an endocrinologist who strongly supported low-carb diets for his patients and was also a Crossfit guy and had been low-carb (although not necessarily keto) himself for over 10 years.
  
  Ultimately, your wife may not be swayed that this is the best way. But at least she may realize it should not be dangerous to try.

Everyone can do it. Here is my advice:

Preparation

1. Do not jump straight in. First understand what you are doing, why and how it works, and what the risks are. Spend at least a few days on this section.
   
2. Keto In A Nutshell contains useful material. Read it.
   
3. FAQ Contains a lot of information. Read it, then read it again.
   
4. reddit.com/r/keto Contains a lot of real life questions and answers, experiences and support. Search here to see if others have had your question (they probably have).
   
5. Watch some YouTube videos on Keto. There's a lot of good stuff there.
   
6. Watch some general-audience movies about eating better. I recommend FatHead and That Sugar Film as starting points.
   
7. Get a good book. I recommend The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, and The Big Fat Surprise
   
8. Be aware that there is a lot of conflicting information on the internet, and not everyone knows everything.
   
   

   Planning
   

9. Commit to a 30 day trial period. Weigh yourself and take a candid profile selfie as your starting point. If you want, you can get blood drawn and have the LDL/HDL/Triglyceride values as your starting point.
   
10. Give away all the sugar and flour, cereals and pasta you have in your house. You don't need them and they will be temptations.
    
11. Consider any trips you have during this time. You will need containers to take your own food with you.
    
12. Take a look at /r/mealprepsunday - many people on keto like to do their weekly shopping and preparation at the weekend.
    
13. Take a look at the Keto Calculator, play around with it and get your values. Plug these into MyFitnessPal or some other tracker, so that you can track everything you consume.
    
14. Think about your habits. Do you drink sugary drinks? Are you a bread addict? What will you do instead? Don't be surprised about this.
    
15. Get familiar with the macronutrient content of foods. This site http://nutritiondata.self.com/ helped me.
    
    

    Grocery shopping
    

16. Green leafy vegetables, cauliflower are always going to be needed
    
17. Eggs (fried, scrambled, devilled, poached, boiled...) are your friends
    
18. Meats and organ meats of all kinds, especially the fatty cuts are the best.
    
19. Butter, ghee, lard, tallow, olive oil are some of your better choices for fats
    
20. Many people do well with cheese, greek yogurt, full fat cottage cheese etc.
    
21. Bones for making broth
    
22. Take a look at (cheap) electrolyte salts for supplementing during your 30day trial.
    
    

    Doing
    

23. Don't accept meals / cookies / doughnots / cake from family and co-workers. Your response could be "I'm reducing my sugar intake".
    
24. Don't go hungry. It will take a few days for the natural satiety of this diet to take effect.
    
25. Eat a traditional 3 meals a day. Only skip a meal if you are confident you can make it to the next meal. Don't add additional meals or snacks. Don't get side tracked by all the talk of fasting. Fasting is not mandatory.
    
26. Track your food intake honestly in a food tracking app or tool. This includes calories, but is more useful to you as a history of what caused satiety and what caused hunger.
    
27. Focus on high fat, low carb food items such as eggs, avocados, meat as being the center of your meal, with veggies filling out the plate for taste and volume.
    
28. Never drink anything with calories. You are going to be a tea-totaller during this month. Black coffee and teas are fine, as is water.
    
29. You may test your pee with ketostix if you wish, during the initial period, but there are problems with this kind of testing. Also: don't tell us about your results.
    
30. keep a journal of your sleeping habits, dream intensity, well-being, energy levels, hunger levels etc.
    
    

    Correcting
    

31. If things are not going as planned, ask here for advice. Especially:
    
32. Skin rashes or zit outbreaks, racing heart, headaches, lethargy.
    
33. If you eat something you shouldn't have, don't worry. Figure out what your kryptonite is and plan for a better response next time.
    
    Good luck!
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

What I've found is that changes in diet impacted (in a good way!) my energy levels and gave positive changes in some other MS symptoms. I don't buy the line that diet can "cure" MS, but I'll happily accept positive changes. :)

> I've been trying to lose weight

For me I have to wrap my head around things before I can make the changes a lifestyle change.

Key factors for me was reading the Grain Brain book and also reading about anti-inflammatory diets.

Discovering in myself that I am sensitive to wheat/gluten was huge (I can eat wheat with no stomach issues, but it definitely factors into "cog fog" for me) -- that convinced me to be gluten-free.

Reading about the fact that for centuries we've fattened animals for slaughter by feeding them grain, meant it was a short leap for me to just avoid grains. I'm not religious about that, but if given the preference I avoid any grain.

It's the same thing for heavily processed foods. If it doesn't "rot" and comes in a package that is processed to sit on a shelf for months and months, I don't want to eat that.

FWIW, this mainstream MS-specializing neurologist/doctor has a couple of videos on diet (examples: 1, 2). I love that guy's videos and often will play them as "background noise" while doing other things around the house. I've heard those same sentiments about diet echoed by other neurologists and doctors.

> Sometimes I mix them with baby spinach to get a different green in,

Oh yes, that's great. I routinely throw a bunch of "weird" veggies or greens into my salad. With that Subway-type cutting/chopping bowl, it's easy to cut them up.

I wasn't going to say anything until I saw this:

> Most of your skills are due to your size don't forget that

And now I feel compelled.

> Most runners are already lean and mean, so it seems taboo to talk about weight in these circles.

When you don't wear your insecurities on your sleeve it's easy to talk about your weight, and we do it all the time. There's a series of books about it.

> Flash back to me running at a lean 190, or 80lbs ago. Running was still hard, it's something I've never been good at.

Because you were overweight then too, with a BMI of around 26. As you later point out, it does not matter if it is muscle or fat. It's extra weight that you must move, requiring greater energy expenditure.

> but I am still much stronger than I was running, especially in the legs from squats and deadlifts

I bet your power-to-weight ratio is worse, not better. But you'll never know, so you can believe what you want.

> Some of you hear 270 lbs and picture me as this huge obese guy, but honestly i'm not THAT big, I have more a of a powerlifter body nowadays so it isnt 270lbs of straight fat.

Every fat man who goes to the gym once in a while is a power lifter.

> I was basically just granny power walking with the very little bit of glycogen I had left in my legs.

You were not out of glycogen. Nothing in a couch-to-5k program is going to put you in that position.

> I wasn't even remotely tired from a cardio perspective, its just my legs can NOT handle this weight.

Were you wearing a heart rate monitor? I am willing to bet you were in at least zone 3 if not zone 4. Lower body discomfort tends to drown out cardio vascular discomfort.

> Put a 75-100lb vest on, and we're in the ballpark.

Actually, no. This is not remotely accurate. As you also pointed out previously and know to be true, because you weigh 270 pounds your legs have adapted to moving that weight just to function day-to-day. I can barely walk while carrying 100 pounds, and I'm willing to bet you would have almost as difficult of a time. I guarantee that you would not be running with a 100 pound weight vest on if you can't handle couch to 5k.

> Imagine how embarrassing it was to see me come in limping across the finish line with a 21:45

For someone who weighs 270 pounds and is only in week 4 of C25k, a sub 11 minute mile is not terrible.

> disgusted with my performance, breathing like I had just run a marathon

But you just said that running doesn't make you tired "from a cardio perspective" so why were you breathing heavy? Also, by the way, marathon pace doesn't induce particularly hard breathing (except maybe in the sub 2:30 elite class?) or particularly high heart rate because it would be unsustainable for the time it takes to run a marathon. You mean breathing like you had just run a 2 mile speed trial. It never gets easier, you just get faster.

> Is it my cardio? Not really, I wasn't even really tired up until the last half mile and I gutted it out

If you weren't breathing hard until the last half mile it means you were not running at the right pace. For a two mile time trial, you should start breathing very hard almost immediately because you should be running above your VO2 max threshold for that short of a distance. It also means that yes, yes, it is very much your cardio. You are not nearly as fit as you think you are. You're fat. The two are mutually exclusive.

> because personally I believe cardio is largely mental.

You would be wrong. Cardio fitness is an incredibly well studied aspect of human physiology. It is not mental.

> y theory is once you reach a certain weight(and this weight is largely based on your height, amount of muscle mass, and training experience) you are absolutely fucked(and I mean bent over the kitchen counter fucked) as runner. I mean it really didn't make sense.

Why wouldn't it?

Did you take high school physics?

This is not rocket science. Try running up a hill. Is it harder than running on a flat surface? Yes it is! Why? Because you have to fight against the force of gravity. Lifting a weight is a lot harder than rolling a barbell around on the ground for the same reason. You must overcome gravity to perform work. When you move a heavier mass it is harder.

> And yet I was still like 20x faster than I am right now

No you weren't. You did not run a 2 mile time trial in less than 1 minutes.

> despite me being much stronger and a more experienced runner.

You cannot become less experienced in running over time. You can lose conditioning but not experience.

> I used to run like a runaway hospital patient. No grace, no form, no technique, no breathing, nothing.

So you were not an experienced runner then? You were a rank amateur? Got it.

> I have breathing down to a T

Which explains why you didn't start breathing hard (e.g., 1 breath per step) for your two mile time trial until the bottom 800 meters, right?

> my legs are stronger,

(but your power-to-weight ratio is lower)

> I have pretty much mastered the POSE technique

The what now?

> and I personally think I run pretty sexy for a massive powerlifter.

Again, you are wrong. I promise you that the way you imagine your fat sloshing around while you run is not the way it actually sloshes around.

> Mostly because I was in the target weight zone

You were about 60 pounds heavier than your ideal racing weight of around 155, or BMI of 21. Show me an Olympic runner in any distance (not sprinters) with a BMI of 26 and I'll eat my words.

> As your weight decreases your running performance goes up. This is what I have seen.

To a point. Most people will tell you that their race PRs are usually at higher-than-usual weight (though typically only 2-3% higher than their normal BMI which is probably 21-23). This is usually because PRs come from tapering down mileage in preparation for an event which causes temporary weight gain due to lower mileage for the same eating habits. And there is certainly a point at which your BF% is so low that weight loss equals muscle loss. It's all about power-to-weight ratio.

> Don't ever get fat.

Preach bruh.

> I am not even closed to being one of the most experienced runners on this forum

But that doesn't stop you from spouting advice now does it?

> Most of your skills are due to your size don't forget that.

... And this is why I'm bringing you back down to earth, because this is literally the least informed thing anyone has ever said on this subreddit and if you've been here for more than the 10 seconds it took you to find the "Text Post" button you'd know that's saying a lot.

Running skill takes discipline, putting in the hard workouts that most people won't do. It means constantly putting yourself in physical discomfort over extended periods of time to work toward a goal.

The beautiful thing about this is that it is almost impossible to put in the level of effort to become a skilled runner and stay fat. All I need to do is look at you and I know instantly that you are not a skilled runner and have not put in the work. You might have been a skilled runner in the past but you sure as shit aren't one now.

> Dont ever talk down to big runners and say they are not trying hard enough.

You have not tried hard enough for long enough or you wouldn't still be big.

> and running fat and being overweight is by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life.

It never gets any easier. You just get faster.

I just read Jason Fung's book on fasting, and I really like his approach.

He recommends that you flexibly incorporate fasting into your life, working around your schedule. Maybe you normally fast on Mon/Wed/Fri, but a friend is having a birthday party Friday. Why not shift the Friday fast to Saturday? Maybe you normally skip breakfast and lunch, but some friends invite you to a weekend Brunch. Why not skip dinner that day?

Your case is different because you are talking about a long-term fast. Five days is already a great first fast—congratulations! There is certainly nothing wrong with stopping this fast for the weekend and starting a new one next week. (However, be aware that this is two short fasts and not one long one.) Did you have a goal? I'd recommend that if you want to do a really long fast (a week or more) that you plan it around your schedule. Like find a free weekend and put that in the middle of a 12 day fast.

I'm currently in Monk Mode myself. I'm probably only going for at most a 3mo. term at this (Started Dec. 1st). It sounds like you have a good plan. I'm focusing on the following things:

• Meditating: the best way to re-program your brain IMO ("Wherever you go there you are")
  
• Teaching myself Jazz piano
  
• Diet (Here's my diet)
  
• Fitness (Here's my fitness bible)
  
• Career Development (This)
  
• Productivity & Time Management (too many books to mention, OP PM me if you want this list)
  
• Not watching Porn & Masturbating less frequently (Highly recommended /r/NoFap)
  
• No Alcohol
  
  For learning to cook I highly recommend this book.
  
  For addressing approach anxiety I recommend The Rules of the Game.
  
  This is an excellent book on habit change. (OP this is how you start to break down those "masturbatory" habits)
  
  Also, Monk Mode is basically an exercise in stoicism. This book is awesome.
  
  
  Since you'll have plenty of time to read here are some other Books I recommend:
  "No More Mr. Nice Guy"
  "Models: Attracting Women Through Honesty"
  "The Talent Code"
  "Man's Search for Meaning"
  "Flow"
  
  Final thoughts OP. 6 months is definitely a worthy goal however studies show that 90 days is usually what it takes to create new habits and routines. You have to be consistent though. Just food for thought.
  
  
  (Edit: I suck at formatting)
  
  
  
  
  

OP I'm here to help you out. You want real advice? You want to avoid the filthy hatred of the other opinions here?

Brendan Brazier. Look him up. Check out his bio.

He has a free site up called Thrive Foreword with a lot of very helpful videos.

He's released probably the best damn nutrition guide ever.

He's also released a Recipe book. and a Fitness Exercise book. I myself was not really impressed with the Fitness book, but the recipes are awesome.

All that said. This is intelligent, well rounded advice for Vegan athletes. Granted, his own techniques were developed for Ironman Triathlon (which is nothing to scoff at), so you'll get a full body strength as opposed to top heavy swole.

But, the advice and ideas in the book are fantastic anyways. It'll help you understand what health and diet really need. You'll just need to work in a better upper body workout on top of this.

Yep, love it! Intermittent fasting has changed my life for the better in a number of ways and I've lost 30kgs using it. Not for everyone, but there's many forms of intermittent fasting you can use based on your goals, existing condition, and current lifestyle.

Our introduction to the topic was the 5:2 diet Michael Mosely wrote about in "The Fast Diet" (https://www.amazon.com/FastDiet-Weight-Healthy-Intermittent-Fasting/dp/1476734941). But the thing that made it all click for me was "The Obestiy Code" by Jason Fung (https://www.amazon.com/Obesity-Code-Unlocking-Secrets-Weight/dp/1771641258) as that went into more detail about obesity, insulin resistance, and how fasting can be used as a tool.

Following on from that Jason Fung has a great podcast with Jimmy Moore called Fasting Talk (http://www.fastingtalk.com/), and together they wrote a book called "The Complete Guide to Fasting" (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=T8ZVNTT4TWP9E76C1RJW) which I've not got around to reading yet. It came out after I started fasting but I hope to get my hands on it soon.

As a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting go hand in hand another one of Jimmy Moore's podcasts I've found helpful is Keto Talk (http://ketotalk.com/)

Can't stop raving about IF, hope some of those links help :)

You spent 40 years accumulating that mass dude. Fasting is not easy mentally nor physically. Religious fasts had a community aspect to help push through. Fasting burnout is common. Day 3 can be especially annoying to push through, ESPECIALLY if you are not keto adjusted.

Jason Fung's idm protocol has two rules of thumb for really motivated folks who are interested in longer fasts. 7 day fasts he recommends doing once every 4 weeks. 14 day fasts he recommends doing once every 6 weeks to allow the body to readjust.

You haven't mentioned if you take medications. Do you have diabetes? If so, its highly recommended you work with your pcp to adjust your medications. Do you have heart issues? This can be potentially dangerous.

The dude who fasted for 382 days did so under the DIRECT supervision of a doctor. He was also TWENTY SEVEN years old, meaning his heart didn't have as much time to calcify. I'm not trying to be a negative nancy, but fasting is an extremely powerful tool and should be implemented cautiously.

I want you to succeed. I don't want you to burn out. I don't want you to injure yourself. I don't want you to kill yourself and I especially don't want people to blame Fasting for killing you.

edit: Continuing
Okay, you're still here. Sorry for being snappy. But I get scared looking at all these posts with people who plan on 30 day fasts but then [deleted] by [deleted] shows up later. I really encourage you to read though the side bar. If you have the money+inclination, I'd really recommend you download Jason Fung's book on fasting protocols.Complete Guide to Fasting. Amazon referral link remvd Its only 10 dollars and it really lays out exactly what you need in an easy format to refer to.

Watch Megan Ramos's Ketofest speech video in youtube. She is Jason Fung's partner in the idm protocol. The first 15 minutes is basically her personal story from obese to healthy since she was patient 0 of Jason's fasting protocol. 24 mins in is basically a step by step guide on how to do it properly. 33 minute 45 she covers some possible common side effects and what you can do to help avoid them. All in all one of the most useful videos for what you are about to embark on.

Since you're 40 years old, when you do break your fast, metamucil is highly recommended past a 7 day fast. Dislodging an impacted stool is one of the more unpleasant possible side effects of this. Having to go to a hospital setting and have a nurse shove her arm into your rectum to remove a stool is NOT what I consider a fun exercise(unless that is your kink, i'm not trying to shame here). Please be careful to have lots of fiber before the fast and also after. Some folks recommend fiber during as well, but if you're doing a 7 day( what I think is a great target for a first fast ) you probably don't need to consider laxatives/bulkers for your stools.

Make sure you join the discord on the side bar. Theres some old guys like splat who's like 50 years old.

• References to consider:
  
  • I recommend understanding some of the science behind fasting, as it will help you understand what is happening with your body when fasting. If you're up for it, I found the following references from Dr. Jason Fung really great. His take on diabetes and obesity I find quite fascinating and has answered a lot for me when choosing to incorporate intermittent fasting into my life. He has a couple books - I've read the Obesity Code, but he also has a very similar book with a bit more emphasis on Diabetes called the Diabetes Code. With your use of metformin - the latter might have a bit more meat to it for your situation.
    
  • Prior to diving into those books though, you can access some YouTube videos online to give you a taste of his perspective on Obesity, Weight Loss & Diabetes:
    
    • Good intro into his material regarding Obesity: Fasting as a Therapeutic Option for Weight Loss (1hr,11m)
      
    • Goes into more depth on Diabetes: Novel Management of Diabetes and Insulin Resistance (42m,53s)
      
• Other advice:
  
  • Choosing an IF protocol: Our natural circadian rhythms are such that hunger hormone is the lowest in the morning. That makes adopting a 16:8 protocol of 16 hours of fasting with an 8 hour eating window fairly easy to adopt since we are naturally just not as hungry in the AM. Still, some people work up to 16:8, and instead try 12:12 first. I'd sooner address carb/sugar intake and aim for 16:8, than try 12:12 with loads of sugars/carbs with the occasional attempt at 16:8.
    
    • That said, there are so many alternatives - but whatever protocol you choose, just recognize the first couple days are the worst... Ghrelin (hunger hormone) levels actually SPIKE! Expect to feel like crap for the first few days. Thereafter though, it should get much better as Ghrelin tends to reduce over time with a fasting protocol.
      
  • Feel free to ignore everything I've just said! :) I'm just a stranger on the Internet with my own perspective. I'm not a woman, and not diabetic and have not struggled with obesity. Not much to relate to for you I'm sure. I'm a Dad with a couple young daughters (2 & 4) which have been a blessing, but have also shifted my life around such that I haven't slept well for 4 years, have overeaten to compensate for the lack of sleep/exercise - because hey, energy had to come from somewhere. Finding IF for me has been amazing, because it has shown me I can lose the weight and feel much better without solely relying on exercise, which I used to rely on heavily before. I just can't work in gym time with my life & kids at the present time - so IF for me has been huge, and literally a weight lifted off in more ways than just the fat.

Yes!!!! Like the other post says - unless you're an athlete protein isn't really a concern, assuming you eat a fairly balanced, healthy diet. If you are an athlete I can't recommend this book enough. Actually, all of his books are great.

I went vegan over 4 years ago and have never felt better or been healthier in my life! Plus it's nice to know that I'm doing my part to help animals and the planet. Here's a list of some other books/resources that have helped me immensely along the way, for anyone else who might be considering the transition:


Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet

How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease

Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

The Forks Over Knives Plan: How to Transition to the Life-Saving, Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure

Oh She Glows (Food Blog)

Keepin' It Kind (Food Blog)

It takes work and is difficult at first, like most things in life that are worthwhile, but I promise you that it is very, very rewarding once you understand that you have made the commitment to live in a healthy and kind way. :)

When I first started tracking my heart rate, resting HR was around 75. (I'm mid 30s female, thin, but not really athletic. I just walk for exercise.)


Anyway, I started reading a book on diet called How Not to Die and it inspired me to eat better. I already didn't eat too badly, but I cut out meat and started eating way more veggies. My resting heart rate dropped down to 60 after a couple weeks of eating like this!! It blew my mind.


Another fun heart rate incident: my SO and I had to babysit a friend's kid for a month last year, and going back over my HR statistics, I noticed there was a sharp spike that whole month. I certainly didn't feel like I was more stressed, but my HR showed something else. I find it all very fascinating!


I'm 5 months pregnant now, so my heart rate is back up in the 70s, but a rise in HR is normal during pregnancy, so I'm not too worried about it. As far as I know, having a resting HR in the 60s is nothing to worry about.

Here's the book: Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin--Completely Revised and Updated https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738215147/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_32I6wb343CAPD

I absolutely love my Dexcom. However I have insurance that pays for all durable medical equipment and I definitely wouldn't be able to afford the sensors otherwise. I do get 10-12 days out of one sensor though so it still may be worth you getting a price estimate from them!

I do have a child! Pregnancy with diabetes is far from trivial, but it is doable. You'd be amazed at the amount of motivation that appears out of nowhere once another life is involved! This is a good intro and reference to pregnancy with diabetes: Balancing Pregnancy with Pre-existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby https://www.amazon.com/dp/1932603328/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_d7I6wb4NHH7NZ . I also was hugely inspired by Kerry Sparling's blog, SixUntilMe. Look it up, she's amazing (and very real)!

Someone private messaged me between the posting of my ongoing fasting log and my completed fasting log. I am going to copy and paste my response so others can benefit from the questions and answers.

***
"Sorry I didn't respond sooner.

>First I would like to say what a tremendous achievement!!!! Hats off to you for the sheer determination through a remarkable journey!!! I have looked at a lot of your posts. You were the inspiration for me starting keto and fasting!!! Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thx!

>Not sure how to put my log in here I did it in word.

I am using the reddit table formatting option.

Here is some general info on how to do that.

/r/tabled/wiki/table-format

And the source to one of my smaller tables.

http://imgur.com/a/noOmg

>When do you take your salt, mag pills, multivitamin during the day? Noticed in your log it said too close together sometimes and shart. (Should I increase my sodium Himalayan)? Also I feel better now when I take the salt but 5 trips to pee in an hour after?

When I am normally eating (not fasting) I eat around 7am, noon and 7pm. I usually go to bed around 10pm. So those are the 4 approximate times I take my electrolytes. If I miss my electrolytes and take a round later and get them too close to one another they seem to cause flushing of the bowels. I just follow the /r/keto and /r/ketogains recommendations on electrolytes whether keto or fasting. It seems to work for me. If you look at my previous fasting logs and the dialogue with other redditors I have addressed a lot of your general questions.

https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq#wiki_how_do_i_replenish_electrolytes.3F

https://www.reddit.com/r/ketogains/wiki/index#wiki_electrolytes.3A_sodium.2C_potassium.2C_magnesium_intake_for_ketogenic_diets_.2B_sports_.28and_all_about_the_.22keto_flu.22.2C_heart_palpitations_and_cramps.29

>When do you exercise? If you could give me your typical day w times would be great.

I have been a stay at home dad for a little over a year. I exercise in the morning normally and try to do an hour of machine weights. With no set schedule the time varies in the morning and sometimes gets pushed to the afternoon.

>I would like to do this to lose at least another 20lbs but I do lawn maintenance starting may 1st and based on your lack of energy and dropping the weights I am concerned. when do you think I should stop fast and start refeeding? What have you done pleas be specific your refeed since you just finished 6wk fast and how do you feel?

You can stop a fast at any point if you don't feel well. If I was not a stay at home dad I would have probably had to break this last fast due to energy levels. You are going to gain some of the weight back immediately after an extended fast so if you have a goal weight loss you need to over shoot your fasting weight loss a little bit. Depending on many variables this can be 5 to 10 pounds you need to overshoot to get your final desired weight after refeed. The best info I could source from other experienced keto extended fasters was that refeeding should be done with high fat and low protein with absolutely no fiber. After both my 6 week fasts I had problems with diarrhea during refeed. After listening to all the Fasting Talk podcast it seems that diarrhea during and after a extended fast is not uncommon. I feel a lot better during and after refeeding. I got my energy back.

http://www.fastingtalk.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fasting-talk/id1192105323?mt=2

>Today weighed the same as yesterday 222.8, first time that happened on water fast. I had a family visit yesterday and did not exercise? out of ketosis?

I try to drink a gallon of water whether fasting or not. A gallon of water weighs little over 8 pounds. I don't know if the family visiting caused any stress but I have had stressful days translate into higher weight the next day. Don't pay attention to the daily weight swings pay attention to the trend.

>I become very alert at 10pm (think this started day 1 as I was up late looking stuff up). How do I get into 7am start and 11pm bed?

During an extended fast you will need less sleep. I went from going to bed about 10pm to going to bed at midnight to 1am. Just try to do something constructive with this extra wake time.

>You just got your dexascan results did you lose any bone or muscle since last scan?

http://imgur.com/a/qUvOk

>I just found this by Dr Berg on fatty liver while fasting what are your thoughts? Did you see an increase? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8dWWoADCFM&list=PLVLP-bhbxACY47_uAThXuS-7bxdBisiwC&index=27

I can't find a reference but the best of my knowledge was this was not an issue and fasting should help clear a fatty liver sooner than just a standard keto diet alone. I believe this is what I heard/read from Dr. Jason Fung.

>How do you put your log in the messages?

Answered previously.

>In closing, I would like to say that not only have you changed your life but you should also feel so good about how you have impacted other people!!! Looking forward to your response.

Thx!

Make sure you check out the Fasting Talk podcast (mentioned previously) and Dr. Jason Fung's material for more guidance.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1628600012?sa-no-redirect=1&pldnSite=1

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/

https://www.dietdoctor.com/authors/dr-jason-fung-m-d"

Me: 49 y/o female, 5'8" 147 lbs (working on getting down to 140).

I've been a gym rat for years. Rule number one is stay interested in staying active.

a) Yes, you can go to the gym everyday, just make sure at least one day a week is very easy or even take a day off (uhh, so maybe you don't go every day).

b) Lifting weights is almost essential. I do about 10-25 minutes of weights about 5 days a week. Say, Sunday, Wednesday & Friday I do core/abs/legs. Then on Monday and Thursday I do upper body/arms/shoulders. The following week I switch so I do 3 of upper body and 2 of core/lower body. Learn how to lift from a trainer or a friend who knows how. A great book is The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift like a Man, Look like a Goddess

c) Depends. Even though I've done this for years, I feel great almost every day. It can take 6 weeks minimum for the body to register the adjustments you're making, so it may rebel and not like the changes. I think it takes about 6 months for the body to really "get it" that you're exercising for life.

Oh, lifting isn't tedious. It's really fun. There are so many different things you can do and ways to do them. The book I mentioned will help give you ideas.

Enjoy!

You'll be fine.

It's going to be a bit of a life change but it's totally manageable. The best thing you can do is learn as much about your condition as you can because you're going to be the one managing it day-to-day.

Start by learning to carb count so you can match your insulin dose to what you're eating. There's info on the internet but the book Think Like A Pancreas was a godsend to me when I was diagnosed and I recommend it. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Think-Like-Pancreas-Practical-Managing-Diabetes-Insulin-Completely/0738215147

Hypos can be very scary but as long as you have good hypo awareness (i.e. you start to feel like crap when your blood sugar is low!) they're nothing to be afraid of. Find a hypo treatment that works for you and make sure you always have it with you. I find running gel works for me.

Alcohol can mess up your blood sugar levels overnight but you can still drink alcohol. Maybe take it easy until you get the hang of managing your blood sugar.

There's a lot of bad information about diabetes on the internet. This sub is one of the good places to learn :-)

Best of luck!

I'm old, have gained & lost a lot of weight over the years

what is critical for ME for successful weight loss is a weekly IN PERSON weight loss support group

it may be because it "sets my intention", I'm very competitive or something else - don't know, but it works

I did a class at my local YMCA and now am in TOPS. both are far from perfect (all the diet advice is the counter-productive mainstream garbage), but I only lose weight when I commit to going. TOPS is cheap, it's a weigh-in, games singing, etc https://www.tops.org/tops/TOPS/FindAMeeting.aspx

sounds like OA might help you too, it's 12 step, no weigh ins https://oa.org/

ICYMI, this is the best weight loss book ever written https://www.amazon.com/Obesity-Code-Unlocking-Secrets-Weight/dp/1771641258/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

and here's a terrific blog :) https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/clbrto

Yep, grains cause inflammation in the body. Its pretty much a proven fact. Consistent results in lab mice, and anyone who honestly pays attention to their body can tell a difference. Don't get me wrong, I still eat bread and grains every once in a while, and thinks there's a place for them in an active persons diet, but there's no denying grains cause inflammation. This guy http://www.drperlmutter.com/ thinks all carbs, including grains, are bad, which is a bit overboard if you're an athlete or a moderately active person, but his book is quite interesting https://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surprising-Sugar-Your-Killers/dp/031623480X There's a lot of pear-reviewed data about carbohydrates and inflammation in the book. A super interesting part of the book is when he started doing research on India, and noticed a large portion of Indian diets consists of carbs, but they have super low incidences of inflammation based diseases (Alzheimer's being the primary disease focused on), he finally made the connection that people in India also consume a huge amount of turmeric in their diet, turmeric is pretty much the best natural anti-inflammatory in the world. I could go on forever about diet and diet-related research. Anyways, glad you've made a connection with grains and your inflammation. If you noticed the dramatic difference as you stated, you very well may have a legit gluten intolerance. Maybe get tested? Here's the catch-22: if you keep going down the rabbit-hole of reduced gluten/grain intake, it will make it worse and worse each time you try to go back to eating bread/grains.

Hi, T1 here. Look up typeonegrit on facebook. Also the Dr Bernstein group too. Every T1 has their own way of managing things though, and it can depend on other health factors. Low carb or keto, varies per person. Also, if she is recently diagnosed and could be still in the honeymoon phase, things can be quite volatile, as in bg changes rapidly, I:C ratios and correction factors can change a lot too, as do insulin requirements. If low carb is a big dietary change for her, she needs good resources.

Look up Dr Bernstein Diabetes Solution--he is an octogenarian type 1 who has zero complications. Was an engineer who became an endo after diagnosis in middle age, helped get blood meters into common use and much more. I can't recommend his work and book enough. Look up the book Think Like a Pancreas for general type 1 info, and also Sugar Surfing (Dr. Stephen Ponder--not low carb but has great resources and a good book) too.

It is a fact that low carb can help with the roller coaster of type 1. There are over 42 factors affecting blood glucose levels, with only about 3 that one can control (food, medication, exercise). The rest are often a surprise. Eventually, she may find she needs to bolus for protein but that can take a good while to figure out as that ratio is absolutely not the same as a carb ratio (mine, for example, is 30% of my bolus). Many endos don't even know this because they usually do not treat low carb type 1's. It will take a lot of trial and error again, especially if she is in the honeymoon phase. Also if she's a woman, her cycle will greatly affect her insulin sensitivity and resistance throughout her cycle, depending on what the progesterone is doing in the body. So leading up to her period, she can experience extreme highs, or low, depending on the day. So you can feel like your i:c ratio is not correct, but it's just our other hormones messing things up. Most type 1 info seems to be geared towards the male body, and a high carb diet. It's a bit harder for women to get the correct info. Also, most people will have different IC ratios for different times of the day, but not all people. Is she pumping yet or on MDI?

One more thing: https://diatribe.org/42factors

There's also a couple type 1 specific subs on reddit if she's not there already--check out diabetes_t1, although not specifically low carb, some of us there are.

I cannot state this enough--if she's honeymooning things can be tough and change a lot.

Hope this helps!

Edit: some endos will think you're nuts or mostly not be supportive if you go low carb and many dietitians will push high carbs--mine wanted me to eat more carbs than I ever have in my life sometimes smiling and nodding helps, then confound them with good results and say "hmmm, lucky I guess?"? so...keep reading and finding the resources you need and a good endo/team.

Edit 1: yes, she should talk to her endo in case there are other concerns and massive dietary changes need to be done slowly and carefully. Anything weird happening, talk to the endo asap.

Edit 2: she needs to basal test regularly--carb reduction can result in a need to lower basal rates, even if its 1 unit for example, so basal tests are an absolute must.

​

PS: https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Ketogenic-Diet-for-Type-1-Diabetes-Ellen-Davis/9781943721054?redirected=true&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=Base1&utm_source=CA&utm_content=The-Ketogenic-Diet-for-Type-1-Diabetes&selectCurrency=CAD&w=AF4BAU9603F04YA80TR7&pdg=kwd-309174813119:cmp-710395099:adg-40837325721:crv-163852249878:pid-9781943721054:dev-c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3JXtBRC8ARIsAEBHg4mj7BkbBFvRSpL-223vh1ZXz745TrN_FsxICdkmwtRopsy6vVhuG6saAt9BEALw_wcB

http://www.diabetes-book.com/

http://www.diabetes-book.com/about/

https://www.sugarsurfing.com/

https://www.amazon.ca/Think-Like-Pancreas-Practical-Insulin-Completely/dp/0738215147

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ11OJynsvHMsN48LG18Ag

You should check out this book if you have some time and a spare $10.

Ignore the vegan part if you like, but the rest is amazing info, and it sounds like you're headed in the direction the book suggests.

The reason you are not hungry and feel better is you are eating foods that provide a net energy gain because they take very little energy to digest. The book has a ton of info on other grains, pseudo-grains, legumes and such that I think you might enjoy adding to your meal plans.

msg me if you want to know more, I've been on the diet for a while now and it's amazing. Esp the morning smoothies.

So here's what you do:

Get her one of these, they're grip strength trainers and you can get her one for about $4$8 or a pack of them for $10$20 (sorry, they've raised their prices). They're especially good for rock climbers but make great tools for working out in the car or at the office.

Then, get her a used copy of a book on sizism or which serves to humanize the kind of people she mindlessly hates. Two easy to read but good young adult novels are "Fat Kid Rules the World," by K. L. Going (which Matthew Lilliard has made into a film, partially because of its punk environment) and "Big Fat Manifesto" by Susan Vaught (this one has a female protagonist). Another good choice would be "Fat: The Anthropology of an Obsession" by Don Kulick. This one is more for adults and might be slightly more academic. You can get all of these for less than $2 apiece on Amazon, and you may even help to diminish some hate in this world. Good luck!

[Edit]: If you are really against pointing out someone's faults through an anonymous gift exchange, you could also get her a fitness book like The New Rules of Lifting for Women, which is highly recommended for female fitness geeks, especially if she doesn't yet lift weights.

Part of growing up is getting used to the idea that what you choose for yourself, who you are, and how you live your life, are not always going to be understood and accepted by others. That is especially difficult when those people are ones we love and respect.

Try to have a good understanding of what you need to be healthy and strong through adolescence. Talk about it with your mom, so she doesn't get freaked out when your grandfather calls with his concerns. See if you can have a consult with a dietician/nutritionist, who can talk to you about making sure you're getting what you need. Then you or your mom can reassure your grandfather that you have consulted a profession on the matter.

If you grandfather is a reader, maybe get him a copy of one of the plant based nutrition books. If he like documentaries, then maybe you can get him a copy of one that looks at plant based diets. Or, even better, get the book/video for yourself, read it, then loan it to him so you can discuss it.

Finally, if you are struggling with depression talk to your doctor. Be proactive about doing what is necessary to be healthy. Depression that is treated (not necessarily w/ medication) in adolescence is less likely to re-occur throughout adulthood.

The best proof that you can give your grandfather that a vegetarian diet is good for you, is to be healthy and happy.

How Not to Die; Forks Over Knives or the FOK Video -- check you local library for copies

Super, super sketch. If there's hope that it's actually going to work, there are easier ways of getting the info... The site lists these "factors" that result in having a smaller butt: 1. Hormonal imbalance during time of puberty, 2. Low fat genetics, 3. Low muscle genetics, 4. Natural body shape, 5. Physical activity, 6. Diet, 7. Lower body strength

Well, these actually boil down to the things we already know:

• Genetics
  
• Muscle
  
• Diet
  
  First, genetics can't really be controlled... with time and effort, you can look like the very best version of you. (You can't make yourself look fundamentally different, but you can fulfill your genetic potential.) If you think you have a hormone imbalance keeping you from having a bigger butt, seeing a doctor might help.
  
  Second, muscle is awesome. Check out strength-building programs such as Starting Strength or NROL4W if you have access to a gym with free weights. The compound lifts work multiple sets of muscles at once, and the basic lifts are squats, deadlifts, bench press, and overhead (military) press. Or look into Convict Conditioning if you want to use your body weight. These programs are balanced. These are well-researched. These are non-gimicky. If you follow the program, you will get stronger.
  
  The complete list of movements to build glutes are listed here at EXRX. They boil down to two main lifts - squats and deadlifts.
  
  The way to build strength and muscle mass is to lift heavy enough that the 3-5th repetition is really hard, and keep lifting more each time. If you never increase the weight, your muscles won't adapt to lift more. Progressive overload builds muscle.
  
  As an aside, doing lots of abdominal work can build your abs, which may make your waist-hip ratio smaller. If you're shooting for a killer butt, overdoing it with extra ab work (on top of the stabilizing work your abs do on heavy lifts) can't help you much in this quest. Spot reduction is a myth. See the "Brittany Spears Effect".
  
  Finally, in terms of diet, you can build muscle if you get enough protein. If you need to lose fat, eating enough protein and cutting out "junk" calories might be enough. If you need to gain fat, eating plenty of calories while you're lifting may be enough. If you don't need to lose fat, just focus on getting enough protein and eat sensibly when you're hungry.
  
  As you build strength in the posterior chain, you'll fill out looking like a goddess with "dat ass".
  
  TL;DR: No need for gimmicks - squats and deadlifts.

Yeah - I would say step back a for a week at least. By like 20%. Just my two cents but doing that now will be loads of prevention against the potential of a more serious injury if you keep hammering away.

You might also consider following a base building plan that would work out a more conservative build. Faster Road Racing by Pfitzinger has good ones that many here have followed. At the very least I've personally been best served by adhering closely to the 10% rule up to a certain point - letting the mileage/intensity settle, and build a little more.

Something else to consider: How the body adapts to increased load is a bit tricky. There are periods where neuromuscular development is at hand (4-6 weeks if I remember) before muscle fiber strength really starts to pick up. Many injuries will become severe in a load increase (which could entail either time, distance or intensity) in the 4-8 week time frame. Because the neuromuscular development surpasses what the muscle strength can support if you push too much. I.E. - tendinopathies are often the result of a muscle weakness or imbalance that puts load on the tendon(s) where that muscle should have absorbed the stress.

I love this book by Jay Dicharry if nothing else the first few chapters really give you an idea of HOW the body adapts to increased load and that in of itself can help you from getting injured and not being able to run.

But I'm probably older than you, and I'm not a medical professional or a certified coach. This is just info I've picked up after breaking myself down ignoring all conventional wisdom and just being genuinely curious about exercise physiology. So grain of salt et al.

Some people do fat fasts, where they eat BPC / HC, others do only water fasts, they each have different benefits. Accidentally eating is tough, cause it can break some benefits of prolonged fasting.

This book by Dr Fung (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500587651&sr=8-1&keywords=dr+fung+the+complete+guide+to+fasting ) is a good read, about different types and benefits of fasting. I am currently on day 32 of a 50 day fast. I am doing it for weight loss, autophagy, and to adapt to ketosis for endurance athletics. I have read that 2 weeks of water-fast is supposed to be good for auto-immune rejuvenation, and others claim cancer prevention benefits. I find when i exercise, and do hot sauna, it really helps a lot with weight loss and metabolism.

I would not get caught up on the "purity" of the fast as long as it works for you, and to understand benefits for you, i hear a lot that the best fast is one that works for you, and even if your eating and it isn't technically "fasting" it is still a form of fasting.

I have seen a lot of interesting challenges, like an "egg fast challenge" or "steak fast challenge", where you only eat "eggs" or steak, etc.. for 30 days, and those are interesting threads to follow as well. Congrats on the progress and keep at it. I've only got about 20 more days to, then i have to figure out the best way to get off my fast.

You'll find that this sub is extremely supportive - no berating or humiliating here at all, just encouragement and sometimes tough love.

Others have said this, but it can't be stressed enough that food should be your #1 priority. What you're doing in MFP is absolutely the right thing - if you keep eating at a deficit, you will 100% lose weight. (And the fact that you already have a MFP account and have been logging what you're eating shows that you are past the point of "literally no concept of health or weight loss!" You know what to do, the trick is making yourself do it, which is why we're all here, haha.)

Once you get the ball rolling, you can start to add in exercise, but that's not the priority upfront. By all means start walking a little more, but really focus on your calories and don't try to jump immediately into intense workouts - it's not necessary right now.

Ultimately, as everyone will tell you, this needs to be about a complete lifestyle change - you can't think of it as dieting. What helps me is reminding myself what's literally happening in my body when I eat certain foods. I really recommend the book It Starts With Food - regardless of whether you actually want to do a Whole 30 (30 days of eliminating a bunch of foods that tend to give people issues), the book is an excellent overview of how what you eat effects all of the organs in your body, both positively and negatively. Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food is another great choice.

You can do it! Good luck!

Actually, if you are reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, you can skip Metabolic Typing Diet. MTD is just another system to help you determine how your body processes fats and carbohydrates, which imho is the big variable when it comes to diet. But GCBC covers that along with updated information.

IIRC, GCBC also recommends starting with a super low-carbohydrate diet for a few weeks and then introducing carbs until you start to feel funky again, then pulling back til you feel better. This is pretty common practice for a lot of dieticians now. Incidentally, Taubes wrote a follow-up called Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It.
which is a bit of a rehash of GCBC but focuses more on putting the knowledge into practice. IMHO both are worth reading.

I'm also a huge fan of David Perlmutter's Grain Brain, which talks about the link between carbs and the brain and brain disease and imho is really worth a read. It has a couple of follow up books too (Brain Maker about the vital role that gut flora plays and Grain Brain Cookbook).

Since embarking on my nutritional journey, I discovered I have a gluten allergy (explains all those times I fell asleep at the wheel after eating a sandwich). I cut out grains for the most part and eat primarily protein and veg, very little sugar, definitely no refined sugar.
My mood is better and more consistent, brain fog is gone, weight is easier to maintain, and I have more lasting energy.

It's unfortunate that institutions like the FDA and AHA (who are backed by industrial farming corps) hammered the American public with the lie of the one-size-fits-all Food Pyramid and low-fat, "heart-healthy" diets & that the word "diet" carries a connotation of weight-loss instead of health.

Our generation is paying for it with our health.

Watch This! :) I also have this and really like it. The balance balls come in sizes based on height. My SO has the blue ball and I have green/teal, and the purple ball is the smallest. What's great about it is, if you feel you need more of a challenge than the band is providing you can buy dumb bells as you increase in strength.

Also, if you've interested in strength training I really recommend this book. It has a plan and for those who do not have access to a gym, there are modified exercises. I've read it a few times, marked it up, and passed it along to a friend who is going to be doing it with me. If you haven't heard of it yet lurk around r/fitness. It's full of some awesome, supportive ladies!

By the way, you look great!

This website nutritionfacts.org has a wealth of information on human health. It is run by Dr. Michael Greger, author to the bestselling book How Not to Die. He also has an amazing talk uploaded on YouTube talking about chronic illness. Here is the link.

Also Dr Caldwell Esselstyne done a brilliant short lecture on heart disease for TedTalks

Please don't listen to the people telling you meat and eggs are healthy. You are at a very dangerous level of cholesterol. Your at a very high risk of having a heart attack from the symptoms that you have described. And the so called paleo diet is the cause of this. Please do some research and go plantbased. You can reverse the damage you have done if you overhaul your diet. It will change your life I promise.

If you want anymore links or have any questions please just ask. I really wish you all the best man and hope you do what is right for your health. Good luck.

Athletic vegan lady here. I love it.

I have been on a long, long journey. In my early 20's I was 5'8" and topping 230, ate like I was a garbage truck. Became pescetarianism for a few years, then switched to a plant-based-diet (though now I would call myself vegan) two years ago.

Started taking fitness serious 6 months ago. Went from unable to run 1/4 mile to easily running 5K. Have noticed major definition where I never had it before, much faster than I ever gained it before.

I also do yoga, pilates, bodyweight, bicycling and have started getting into lifting.

I supplement my diet with vitamins and make sure that I start every day with a super loaded up breakfast (oats or cereal with chia & flax seeds, nut butter, berries, and hemp protein powder).

You should check out the book Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life

You can absolutely be healthy, happy, and strong while being vegan.

Welcome and congrats on your decision!

Here are my tips on getting started:
There is a great plant-based diet you might be interested in, it's called "The Starch Solution by Dr. McDougall":
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/shopping/books/starch-solution/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_7rrkG3xYk

1.1) Learning new recipes
It takes a few weeks to learn new recipes and get to know new products.
Also, there is quite a bit of misinformation in the area of nutrition.
It will take a while until you see "through the fog". Just hang in there :)
http://www.chooseveg.com/switchnditch (get their free guide on the homepage!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmnPM6QzDTw
https://www.youtube.com/user/thevegancorner
https://www.youtube.com/user/hotforfoodblog
veg restaurants: http://www.happycow.net

1.2) Doing your research (health, ethics, environment)
No worries, 3 documentaries and books and you are fine :)
http://www.forksoverknives.com/the-film/
http://www.cowspiracy.com/
http://www.nationearth.com/earthlings-1/ (graphic)
Watch these with your husband, if possible, so that he is part of your journey and understands the basics.

http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Animals-Jonathan-Safran-Foer/dp/0316069884
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/shopping/books/starch-solution/
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Dogs-Pigs-Wear-Cows/dp/1573245054/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457183607&sr=1-1&keywords=why+we+love+dogs+eat+pigs+and+wear+cows
Also has a great TEDx talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0VrZPBskpg
(I am not affiliated with amazon, btw)

2) Really, no need to worry about protein
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/vegan-sources-of-protein/
http://www.forksoverknives.com/slaying-protein-myth/
http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/protein/
You can enter your meals into http://www.cronometer.com just to be safe.

And finally some basic help on getting started:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2k4NHjAP84
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htf5eCgyt5Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o9uzH_vrXA

That will keep you busy for a month or two, but it will also get you over the hump :)
Let me know if you got any questions or need help.
Good luck!

Definitely not more important, if you are prone to a particular acute ankle injury, have joint laxity issues, etc. but I'd argue it is perhaps equally important.

What was initially described in the OP sounded less like it was actually about an acute deficiency in that area, and more about overall fatigue and weak form leading to a situation in which perhaps an ankle rolls. A lot of trail runners don't seem to think they need to strength train or work on muscle memory exercises much or at all. Ask me how I know 😭

In my case, I had deficiencies all over the damn map and had already addressed ankles a while back with a battery of good exercises. While completing PT for a knee injury, I (thankfully!) had the opportunity to work with some great folks who addressed my knee issue with core hip, and glute strengthening amongst other things. I have found that as a result of this, I feel way stronger and more stable on the trail.

The number one resource I would recommend in this department is Anatomy For Runners by Jay Dicchary. I read it at the recommendation of one of my therapists and it's was pretty engaging and enlightening. I won't get into all the details here, but its worth a look for just about anyone who runs seriously.

Kev, we all try different paths to get us to where we want to go. If this works for you that's great, but for me it wouldn't be sustainable long-term. HcG just seems a little scammy to me, however if you're committed to it, I would throw in some vitamin D too. Breaking 500 is a great first step (it is nice to see the numbers drop!). I do worry that you're not getting enough real food with this diet.

I started well above where you are now so I know where you're coming from in wanting to get it done with (I still don't like to tell others how bad I got). I've tried most of the diets and fads out there, but what finally turned me around was reading Tim Ferris' 4hr body, Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories, Rob Wolff's Paleo Solution, Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet and Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint. I've culled what works for me from these and have been eating pretty much Paleo/Keto since November. I've dropped over 50lbs since then at about 2000-2200 cals day. I know it's not biggest loser territory, but slow and steady wins the race. Most of all, it's something I can live with long term. So far my only exercise has been walking and some stationary bike.

What made the change easier for me was I found a lifestyle rather than a diet to follow. That's not to say I haven't had the occasional setbacks (god I miss pizza and beer), but I'm getting there and you will too. Best of luck on your quest...

tl/dr - Plan's not for me, don't be afraid to try something else. Knock em dead kid!

I know this might sound strange, but have you considered adding fasting into your keto?

The great thing about fasting is that you don't need to do or eat anything. You do need to take water, electrolytes, and maybe the sporadic multi-vitamin, though.

You said you're 264. Assuming you're trying to reach Onderland, that's ~64 pounds of fat that your body could use as food. (approx 224,000 Calories!) -- That's ~3 months worth of energy.

/r/fasting is a good place to start.

Also, this book on fasting has been amazing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MF8SC2X/

Only $9.99 for the Kindle version, which you can read via the Kindle app on your computer or phone.

Dr. Jason Fung has plenty of videos on YouTube as well. This is a good one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Aw0P7GjHE

Good points. The water fasting is not my specialty, but I know a little bit about it and have done a few. I did an internship (rather than visited as a patient) at TrueNorth years back when in medical school. It's not going to appeal or be appropriate for everyone, but it does seem to be effective, especially for some conditions with a strong inflammatory component like Rheumatoid arthritis, large blood pressure drops (perhaps no surprise there) and Lupus. You have to have a bit of basic knowledge before embarking on something like that. It's still to gain widespread acceptance within the mainstream, but there is a growing evidence basis for it.

If you are thinking of water fasting I'd suggest going to TrueNorth, reading the Pleasure Trap, or Fasting and Eating for Health.

I see things in almost the same way as you do. Cheers, it's good to know that there is someone else who thinks and feels in the same way as I do.

#1 God - You may find Pascal's Wager food for thought.

#2 Soulmate - There is absolutely no such thing or person to any other. The universe is indifferent to you and to what you make of it. Every person is simply the result of an egg cell fusing with a sperm cell, end of story. Every living thing is simply the manifestation of a successful reproductive cycle. All the tamasha around it is because humans want so badly to give meaning to meaninglessness. Stanley Kubrick puts this very nicely into words. Also - pick up "The Manipulated Man" by Esther Vilar from your bookstore - I'm sure you will enjoy every moment of reading it.

#3 Needing to get married - hmm, what's the need? Marriage is a construct of the human mind that makes it socially acceptable that one person may fuck only one other (polyandry/polygamy out of scope of discussion at the moment, even though it is the same principle but with larger numbers), and it exists primarily to stop everyone from fucking everyone/everything else - that is the core reason, all else is mental masturbation. For all the folks who glorify marriage as an "institution", the layers and layers of customs and beliefs and laws are built around this singular core. Life as we know it has been around for millions of years without the need of this "institution" for all except a fleeting moment of geological time in which human society evolved.

Some more fuel for your brain :)

#4 Laws around marriage: Immoral != Illegal. For all the holier-than-thou "civilized" people holding humanity, human intelligence and human morality to a higher ground, this FUBAR'd society that we must tolerate everyday is a direct outcome of all that "humanity, intelligence and morality."

The fun part: your kids get to revel in it and screw it up further and tighter for everyone else as much as themselves. Enjoy the products of your thoughts and actions - and don't whine about it since this is just what humans wanted, right? /s

#5 All forms of life are valuable, even if only to themselves and at their own scales, men/women included. We humans cannot judge the value of other life forms and decide that a chicken's is less valuable than a cow's, or that a fish's is less valuable than a plant's, or a woman's over a man's. One form of life must kill another if it wants to survive - जीवो जीवस्य जीवनम् | There is an interesting book by Melanie Joy that explores this thought further (albeit from a western perspective.)

One observation about (corporate) jobs today: In colonial times, it was necessary to physically control the people of a colony in order to control its production and profits. In today's times of economic colonialism, being physically present to lord over your subjects is no longer a necessity to drive exactly the same outcome - though both forms are equally coercive and equally dehumanizing.

Username relevant.

It's true! She really made me feel positive and hopeful about advocacy. This talk gives you a bunch of simple tools that you can use to start making a big difference.

You can probably write to her through her website here. Or on her facebook page here. She seems super approachable and I'll bet she'd love to hear from you. She seems to be on a lecture tour...maybe she's coming to a city near you.

She has also written a book Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism.

And if you search for Melanie Joy on youtube, you can watch a few more of her presentations and interviews.

As a person with a newly diagnosed kid, I can agree that everything is super overwhelming in the beginning and help from friends is welcome. The thing we needed most was the space to learn about our new life, and someone to just talk to about everything. Seems contradictory, but I would reach out with no expectations and wait to hear back.

In terms of more tangible things, you could pitch in to hire a temporary cleaning service, even if only once during the 1st couple weeks. or help buy some of the items they will need such as a quality digital food scale, Frio insuling cooling case, or books. The two books I've found to be the most helpful are Think Like a Pancreas, and Sugar Surfing.

Also the JuiceBox Podcast is really wonderful, and I highly recommend it.

Hi there!

This comment's going to get fucking buried, and you'll probably never see it, but I've gotta fucking try anyway.

You've just had a "Harajuku" moment: You're fat, and you'll stay that way unless you do things differently.

So, you need two things.

First, you need real data about yourself.

Second, you need some system in place that can give you immediate results that are compelling enough to keep you committed, which is easy to implement, and which doesn't rely on willpower. Because fuck willpower.

So, the first thing you need to do is take measurements. get a tape measure and measure various parts of your body: I started with biceps, chest, belly, hips (at the widest place) and thighs. Take these measurements every day, because they'll make the bad days better and the good days excellent, no matter how scary it seems at first.

Tracking weight is better than nothing, but be aware that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you go the exercise route, you'll see weight gain when you're actually losing fat and gaining muscle. So I use a tape measure for preference.

Second, you need to keep track of your eating in as lazy of a way as possible: I recommend using your phone to take a picture of every meal before you eat it. Put your hand on the table next to your plate so you have some idea of the scale.

I recommend getting this book, because it covers every aspect of whatever your goals might be- sex, steroids, bodybuilding, fat loss, biochem diet hacking, and a lot more. Like I said- fast results that are compelling and will help you stay on track. I've got over 100 lbs to lose and this has got me well on the way.

Steal this book if you have to. Pirate it- it's available online- if you have no option. Pay the author back later if you have the opportunity. But get it, because my data shows better results from this than anything else I've seen or tried, with less effort, and no willpower.

Hope things get better for you.

• Motivation: Life isn't a sprint, its not a walk its not even a single step, its a inch-by-inch fight Just make sure inch in the right direction a little more each day.
  
  
  

• Sleep
  

  Make sure you don't have a condition. Beyond that wake up the same time everyday, cut out lights when it gets dark. Get lots of light regular light everyday.
  
  

• exercise
  

  All exercise is equal for purposes of health.
  
  

• food
  -> in a nutsehll: its probable best to each lots of vegetables/fruits of various colors, good fats and lean meats.
  
  
• diet
  Summery: All diets are good assuming you consume less calories**, i personally find it easier to consume less if i eat just those things aforementioned.
  
  
• health
  
  good luck
  
  
  
  **within reason...

The FINAL answer is whatever works or you, and depends on what camp you subscribe to.

For your best bet if you want a FINAL answer, I suggest reading The Complete Guide To Fasting (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012). Dr. Fung is cited a lot on here, and he makes a lot of good points in that book including why he sees fasting as either water only or water/tea/coffee without additives fasting.

There are several things to take into account:

Whether or not diet sodas are truly 'bad' for you not is still up or debate-the long term effects of some of the ingredients are unknown.

Whether or not the sweetness affects insulin levels.

Whether it affects what you eat while you're not fasting. For me, I LOVE Diet Coke, but I know I drink it I'm MUCH more likely to crave and then binge sweets and carbs later in the day, so I choose not to drink it during my fast. Occasionally I'll have it as a treat.

​

I wish you luck on your fasting journey. You've got this!!!

Eating Animals was a great expose of the meat industry but Foer isn't vegan, which irked me. He is more of an apologist, who advocates for welfarism. I'm more in the "total liberation" camp. Singer is good, but he argues that animal testing is necessary. (It's not)

I also recommend this one for understanding to the psychology of speciesism: Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy, PhD.

She has great TED Talks, too.

She has a unique perspective.

She was a vegetarian for 25 years, so she has a ton of personal experience with that way of eating.

Now she is an advocate for the LCHF diet, & has been able to maintain a lower weight in middle age (as well as better blood work) on that diet versus the vegetarian diet.

Her book "The Big Fat Surprise" is not a diet book, but rather a history/research book. The whole book details how we got to the conclusion that dietary fat (& saturated fats) raise cholesterol & cause heart disease, through flawed epidemiological studies & data. She subsequently details why that information is most likely incorrect, & how the resulting low fat diet advice issued by the government has likely led to the obesity crisis we face today.

Reading her book will definitely let you know that she's done her research on the subject. It is extremely detailed to say the least, & takes you through the history of the subject step by step by step....

If you'd like to look at her work in more detail, I'd start by taking a look at these items:

Book

The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet

Most recent OP-ED

NYTimes.com - Counting calories won't reduce obesity. So why are we requiring restaurants to post them?

Videos

ABC Nightline video piece

Joe Rogan Experience podcast - Nina Teicholz


& here is her BIO from her website

>Nina Teicholz is an investigative science journalist and author. Her international bestseller, The Big Fat Surprise has upended the conventional wisdom on dietary fat–especially saturated fat–and challenged the very core of our nutrition policy.


>The executive editor of “The Lancet” wrote, “this is a disquieting book about scientific incompetence, evangelical ambition, and ruthless silencing of dissent that has shaped our lives for decades…researchers, clinicians, and health policy advisors should read this provocative book.”


>A review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said, “This book should be read by every scientist…[and] every nutritional science professional.”


>In the BMJ (British Medical Journal), the journal’s former editor wrote, “Teicholz has done a remarkable job in analysing [the] weak science, strong personalities, vested interests, and political expediency” of nutrition science.


>The Big Fat Surprise was named a 2014 Best Book by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Mother Jones, and Library Journal. Teicholz’s writing has also been published in The BMJ, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The Independent, The New Yorker, and The Los Angeles Times among others.


>In addition to these credentials, Teicholz is the Executive Director of The Nutrition Coalition, a non-profit group that promotes evidence-based nutrition policy. She has testified before the Canadian Senate and U.S. Department of Agriculture about the need for reform of dietary guidelines.


>Teicholz attended Yale and Stanford where she studied biology and majored in American Studies. She has a master’s degree from Oxford University and served as associate director of the Center for Globalization and Sustainable Development at Columbia University. A former vegetarian of 25+ years, from Berkeley, CA, Teicholz now lives in New York city with her husband and two sons.

Here's a review from Amazon.Com:

> Keep Your Insulin Down and Learn Why "Being Fat Makes You Fat"
>
> December 26, 2017
> Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
>
> I've known about low-carb diets since I was a kid in the 70s and my parents went on the low-carb "Atkins Diet," but I've avoided them because I love carbs (who doesn't?), but earnest to lose 40 pounds at the age of 56, I started to investigate the role of insulin in weight gain and Dr. Jason Fung's The Obesity Code proved to do an excellent job of driving home several important points between the role of carbs, insulin, and weight loss.
> For one, Fung gives us a narrative to show that doctors were making the claim that too many carbs led to obesity as early as the 19th Century, but these claims were eclipsed by the non-scientific Eat Low Fat, Watch Your Calories Diet, which Fung shows does not work. No amount of willpower can fulfill the expectations of a low-fat, low-calorie diet because carbohydrates high on the Glycemic Index stimulate insulin and high insulin results in two horrible things: fat storage and constant hunger.
>
> Fung makes it very clear that lowering one's insulin mostly by eliminating all processed sugar and carbs and eating in their place whole foods one can control one's appetite, which goes off the tracks when one eats breads, waffles, pancakes, pasta, etc. This research is also supported by Dr. Robert Lustig, author of Fat Chance.
> The book does not offer extensive prescriptions for daily amount of carbs or detailed menu plans, so I read some other books on achieving a state of ketosis for weight loss, and what I find is that the prescribed carbs per day tends to differ. For strict "orthodox" ketogenic, low-carb champions, such as Amy Ramos, author of The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners, the amount is usually a mere 20-50 for the "first phase" followed by a maintenance level between 75-100 grams. However, some authors, such as Michael Matthews, author of Bigger, Leaner, and Stronger, say one can eat as many as 150 "good" carbs a day, or even more for some. By good carbs, I am referring to carbs from whole foods, not processed flour and sugar. Some authors, such as Amy Ramos, will say you can't eat quinoa, sweet potatoes, beans, or legumes of any kind, but other authors, such as Michael Matthews, are less dogmatic on this point.
>
> From reading The Obesity Code, I would suggest one experiment to find the right carb threshold and correct mix of ingredients since Dr. Fung, Dr. Lustig, and others seem to differ on this point.
>
> Additionally, I'd say one should experiment with the sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans, and legumes. If one isn't making weight loss goals with these ingredients, then take them off one by one.
>
> One point that Fung makes that is in contradiction with a lot of nutritional advice I've heard over the decades is that snacking is usually a bad thing because we are constantly stimulating our insulin. Fung observes that the low-carb craze of 2004 sank, not because low-carb diets don't work, but because the snack industry got involved and created all sorts of low-carb snacks, including chips, protein bars, and other snack foods, and this constant snacking kept people's insulin at a high level and brought in too many calories.
>
> Fung seriously examines the benefits of long durations between meals and encourages eating only 3 meals a day, and even fasting every now and then. However, he is not dogmatic. He points out that if one must snack, one must be careful to focus on whole foods and not processed "snack foods."
>
> By focusing on the role of insulin and showing that "being fat makes you fat" because a fat person is in a constant state of high insulin and high appetite state, Fung has made me very mindful of the carbs I put into my body. Highly recommended.
>
> Update:
>
> I've been following The Obesity Code, eliminating sugar, gluten, potatoes, and rice, for the last 6 months, and I have lost 50 pounds. My neuropathy burning pain in my left foot is 100% gone. I'm a believer in this book, and I will be adhering to it for life.

https://www.amazon.com/Obesity-Code-Unlocking-Secrets-Weight/dp/1771641258/

It's not nearly that straight forward, because weight loss is hormonally driven. Therefore, as we all know, a calorie is not actually a calorie, certainly when it comes to weight loss. It's why most of us are on r/keto in the first place.

EDIT: There's also the case of Sam Feltham's 5700 calorie experiment, where he ate over 5700 kcal of food every day for 2 weeks. The first time he ate high fat, low carb, and low protein, and only gained 3lbs. He did a second 2 week run where he did the same number of calories but with high carb and low fat, and he gained 16 lbs in the same period. So it's clear that overeating of certain foods will cause you to gain weight, while overeating of certain other foods (ie high fat, natural whole foods) will not cause the same weight gain.

This experiment was referenced in Dr Jason Fung's book The Obesity Code, which I highly recommend.

Hey man, first of I want to say I'm not a doctor, I've haven't researched what Im about to mention and I could be completely wrong.

But, although I haven't heard of anything that can reverse Alzheimer's I have heard from multiple sources some things that can slow down its progression.

The thing I've heard about most is MCT oil, this a concentration form of coconut oil, taken daily can apparently slow down the development of Alzheimer's and one person even claimed it stabilised her husbands condition (meaning it wasn't progressing at noticeable rate anymore atleast in comparison to how it was previously).

The next thing would be to cut out gluten. I know this sounds like hippy bullshit and it may well be but its pretty much accepted now that Alzheimer's is basically 'type 3 diabetes' and is influenced by diet (not implying that it is 'caused' by diet but that diet can certainly exacerbate it and make you more likely to develop it if your already susceptible).

One book that I have recently read that talks extensively about it (also listing many studies which many be of interest to you) is a book called Grain Brain.

Normally I would be very hesitant to even mention things like this as I haven't researched the topic extensively but if I was in your position I would probably want to explore all avenues and its in my humble opinion that this area might be worth a week of your time to look into.

I wish you and your family all the best man.

So eating Paleo (read Grain Brain) is a diet all about reducing inflammation in the body. It also gives a list of supplements that are recommend by the neurologist that wrote the book. A lot of people with Autoimmune, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Diabetes, Gluten Intolerance and other allergies have had amazing results on this diet. All of which are linked by inflammation. This changed my life (Gluten & other allergies) and my Dad's (Parkinson and arthritis) life. Grain Brain

Two additional things that will help.

1 order gluten free gelatin from Amazon and make home made jello. This will help your joints like a miracle.

Gelatin Supplement

2 Take a melatonin supplement. It's what your body makes to help you sleep but sometimes when are bodies are sick and exhausted it doesn't produce enough. It will force you to get deeper REM and wake up more rested. Start with 5mg and tweak it to your needs. I have been taking it for about 10 years and I now take 20mg. I am 30, 5'7" & weigh 155.

Melatonin Supplement

Remember just like meds you may have to tweak brands and dosages in order to find the most effective results. But you should get relief within about a week of doing at least these two things.
A combination of all of this though took me from incapable of functioning and working a job to almost completely normal and now very successful at work and still improving.

I'll drop a few links to science that I think are quite compelling. To get a complete run-down I'd recommend just reading a book like Nina Teicholz's Big Fat Surprise. She really gets into the history of where the mainstream recommendations came from.

Please keep in mind that nutrition science is a mess. For every study I link that concludes fat is fine you can find some that conclude the opposite. Locking people in a cage and feeding them an exact diet until they die is really hard to do these days so 'hard proof' about nutrition is rare. But they did it a few times, as summarised here:

The effect of replacing saturated fat with mostly n-6 polyunsaturated fat on coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

One high profile example is the Minnesota Coronary Experiment. Ancel Keys, the guy who first blamed fat, was a leading contributor but the results were not what they expected and the data was buried. The data was recently dug up and published. Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat successfully lowered cholesterol but resulted in much higher rates of death. Critics say that's because it was probably confounded by transfats in the unsaturated group... but that would admit that advice to reduce saturated fat directly contributed to harm... and also that cholesterol is an unreliable risk marker.

Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73)

People with a low cholesterol still get heart disease. Look at table 2 in the following paper, the group with the lowest representation was people with high HDL. Unfortunately the authors conclude that "I guess we just need to lower cholesterol even more".

Lipid levels in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease

>In a large cohort of patients hospitalized with CAD, almost half have admission LDL levels <100 mg/dL. More than half the patients have admission HDL levels <40 mg/dL, whereas <10% have HDL ≥60 mg/dL

Evidence from epidemiology (observation studies of various populations, shows correlations) is quite mixed. Some studies show that cholesterol is even a positive thing.

Is the use of cholesterol in mortality risk algorithms in clinical guidelines valid? Ten years prospective data from the Norwegian HUNT 2 study.

>Our aim was to document the strength and validity of total cholesterol as a risk factor for mortality in a well-defined, general Norwegian population without known CVD at baseline... If our findings are generalizable, clinical and public health recommendations regarding the 'dangers' of cholesterol should be revised. This is especially true for women, for whom moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial.

Figure 1, figure 2 and Figure 3 from that paper are good to look at.

Ten-Year Survival in 75-Year-Old Men and Women: Predictive Ability of Total Cholesterol, HDL-C, and LDL-C

>Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were not significantly related to prognosis in either sex. HDL-C was associated with dismal prognosis in men but not in women. Elderly men with HDL-C <40mg/dL deserve particular attention for cardiovascular prevention.

Cholesterol, lipoproteins, and coronary heart disease in women.

>LDL did not prove to be powerful in predicting cardiovascular disease in women.

Women have naturally higher HDL than men and high HDL basically always wipes out the risk of LDL in these epidemiological studies. Having a high HDL basically indicates that you're healthy in general and have a well-functioning lipid sysem. HDL particles generally do cleanup, but they also happen to indicate that your LDL particles are working better. LDL particles that are larger are better and cleaner, when LDL particles shrink they're much more likely to get damaged, oxidised and stickier.

When your LDL is measured in a blood test, they measure the total mass. It doesn't tell you how many particles there are or how big and healthy they are. 2 people with the same LDL might have wildly different particles counts and health status.

LDL Particle Number and Risk of Future Cardiovascular Disease in the Framingham Offspring Study - Implications for LDL Management.

Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein as Biomarker for Atherosclerotic Diseases.

And how do we increase our HDL and the healthfulness of our LDL particles? Eat a high-fat diet. It makes sense right? You're burning the cholesterol as energy, meaning you have a high turnover of particles and you're keeping them fresh. People with high LDL and low HDL (diabetics) are basically having an energy crisis between fat and sugar and letting their particles get damaged and stagnant, and that's when you really have risk.

There are many trials comparing low-carb to low-fat diets and low-carb always wins. This is mainly because people tend to spontaneously eat less because they're more satiated. They also demand less insulin from your liver so they're better at reversing the damage of diabetes. These diets consistently raise HDL and LDL particle size. Total cholesterol usually goes down because the subjects were fat and diabetic to start with, but they tend to ultimately have a higher cholesterol than other diets. That's because the particles are bigger and healthier, not because there's more of them.

Randomised Controlled Trials Comparing
Low-Carb Diets Of Less Than 130g Carbohydrate Per Day
To Low-Fat Diets Of Less Than 35% Fat Of Total Calories

Note that they're still eating up to 30% of carbs, i.e. you don't need to go full keto to see benefits.

The conclusion of all this is that Low-HDL-and-High-LDL is bad because it indicates you have diabetes and have a sick metabolism. It's not because LDL itself is bad. This means you could just ignore cholesterol numbers and directly test for diabetes. Markers of insulin resistance are powerfully stronger predictors of heart disease than anything to do with cholesterol.

Comparison of two surrogate estimates of insulin resistance to predict cardiovascular disease in apparently healthy individuals

Added sugars drive coronary heart disease via insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia: a new paradigm

I think I'll leave it at that. Sorry for the word bomb. Let me know if I can clear anything up!

According to the Nutrient Timing System, the ideal recovery beverage consists of the following:

• 13-15 g whey protein
  
• 40-50 g high-glycemic CHOs
  
• 1-2 g each of leucine and glutamine
  
• 60-120 mg vitamin C
  
• 80-400 units vitamin E
  
  I stick very closely to this because 1) they take a lot of care to quote a lot of research, a lot of which comes from the University of Texas and Vanderbilt University research departments and 2) I've had outstanding results with it. My "antidote" is 20 g whey, 12 oz milk and 4 oz frozen mixed berries and that's pretty close.
  
  But I'm lazy, so generally, I'll wash down a combo capsule with 500 mg vit C and 400 units vit E with 20 g whey in water followed by a soda rich with delicious HFCS.
  
  The amazing thing is that, before I started that, I got 2 colds/year, every year. Since, I get sick once evry 2-3 years and it's generally so mild I hardly notice it.

Here is what happened to me and what I have been doing. In August I was driving in SLC when a woman who was speeding ran a red light and t boned into my side. I bounced my head off the window real hard. TBI. I couldnt even talk without stuttering, real problems communicating. If regular fish oils bother your stomach, truthfully it is probably your diet. I started eating lean meats and vegetables and that is basically it. If I needed something sweet I would eat an apple. Read the book Grain Brain. Grains, wheat and sugar will fuck you up especially with a TBI. Get something called Digest Zen from DoTerra essential oils. Its got ginger, fennel, and a few other things that are awesome for your digestion. It you cant take the taste of the oil they make caps. Order some Lemon Balm, Passion Flower, and Kava (all of these are cheap on amazon) They really help me with sleep and mood. The thing that really made a difference and even improved my speech was acupuncture. Give it a try. My advice is to find a straight up Chinese guy as they are usually trained in Scalp Acupuncture. If you are getting the feeling that LSD can help, Micro dose at first. like half a tab. Test the waters before diving in. I hope this helps.

8% is not too low. Given how far out you are right now, you are 100% correct in focusing on fueling for performance. With the volume you're going to be training, you may still lose more weight (maybe not to the 8% goal, but 10% wouldn't be unreasonable to see happen).

> but now that I am approaching "race weight" I'm finding I lack energy and am starting to get sick easily.

This is worrisome and obviously indicative of some problem. While it may be due to consuming too few Calories in general (perhaps you have significantly increased your activity level throughout the day?), it could also be due to failure to consume enough of some nutrient. If you log your meals, go back through and see if you're getting enough of everything. If you don't, you could try tracking for a while and see if you can figure out where you're lacking. Of course the best course of action is to take health concerns to your physician, who may very well send you to a nutritionist to help come up with a plan.

I'd also recommend giving this book a read. It's a very good source for understanding weight management in the realm of endurance athletics and does a pretty good job of giving detail without being inaccessible to people without science backgrounds.

Yeah there's plenty. None are going to work as well as going to the gym and lifting heavy shit and putting it back down though.

I was using this routine when I was recovering from back surgery and getting myself ready to get back in the gym. Here it is. BTW this is customizable and you can create your days as you wish. I was given three different work outs but I used a combination of them to make something that worked best for me. You might have to look some of these up, but trust me they work. I lost ~12lbs of fat with this and after that I gained ~20 lbs muscle. I'm over it though, and I totally prefer to lift heavy shit, because that's what makes your muscles big.

Workout A

• Body-weight Bulgarian split squat 3x10-12, 1 min rest
  
• Pushup 3x12-15, 1 min rest
  
• Hip Raise 3x12-15 1 min rest
  
• Side Plank 3x30sec, 30 sec rest
  
• Floor Y-T-I Raises, 3x10, 30 sec rest (first set Y, second T, third I)
  
  Workout B
  
  
• Iso-explosive jump squat, 4x6-8, 1 min rest
  
• Iso-explosive pushup 3x6-8, 1 min rest
  
• Single-leg hip raise 3x12-15, 1 min rest
  
• Inverted Shoulder press 3x10-12, 1 min rest
  
• Prone Cobra, 2x1min, 1 min Rest
  
  Workout C
  
  
• Jumping jacks 2-5x30 secs, 0 rest
  
• Prisoner squat 2-5x20, 0 rest
  
• Close-hands pushup 2-5x20, 0 rest
  
• walking lunge 2-5x12, 0 rest
  
• mountain climber 2-5x10, 0 rest
  
• inverted hamstring 2-5x8 0 rest
  
• t-pushup 2-5x8, 0 rest
  
• Run in place 2-5x30sec, 0 rest
  
  Notes: The point here is to gain weight. I don't feel like I have the authority to change what was written in the book, so I'll just add this appendix. IMO workouts A and B are the most useful. The third says to start at 2 sets and work your way up to 5, IMO that's for weight loss and/or endurance training. You want something concise and heavy. Substitute everything for the hardest way you can do them. My routine was like this:
  
  
• Iso-explosive prisoner squat 3x8 - This means a prisoner squat, but you hold the bottom for 5 seconds, activating all muscle fibers, then all of a sudden EXPLODE up and jump as high as you can off your HEELS (using your toes will use your calves which isn't what we want here)
  
  
• Iso-explosive swiss ball push ups 3x8 - There's a lot of progression here. I started with regular pushups, moved to push ups with my feet raised on a solid platform (chair, table), to those same push ups with the iso-explosive element added, and finally started using a swiss ball which makes the hold a lot harder and hits your core in a beautiful way.
  
  
• Iso-explosive single-leg swiss ball hip raises 3x8-12 - self explanatory
  
  
• Swiss ball side planks 2x30 - This was the only way I could figure out to target my obliques really at home. I would dip my hip down and lift it, so it's not a static hold, but there are actual repetitions.
  
  
• Floor Y-T-I raises 3x10, first y then t then i, this is all about form and explosiveness. Don't let your arms rest on the ground and hold for 5 seconds at the bottom exploding up. Try to go really far up, keep your thumbs pointed at the sky, and let them down slowly.
  
  
• Inverted shoulder press 3x8. Again, use the same progress as you would with push ups. I'd do these wide grip on days that I'm doing my push ups narrow grip, and alternate with the push ups.
  
  My final note is that form is key in all of these. You want to make it hard, you want to flex the muscles you're working. You want to make a low set/rep count mean something. I kept the reps low because I wanted to get stronger. You and I aren't the same, I've been training since I was a kid, one way or another. You might need more core work than I do. Swiss planks may very well be out of the question for you, and you might want to incorporate the prone cobra more often than I. The main idea is to make it hard. Every work out try to make it harder in some way.
  
  Source: http://www.amazon.com/Mens-Health-Big-Book-Exercises/dp/1605295507 <- I own this book and these workouts are listed in the back.

Yep. People are sooooo ingrained with their ideas of OMG you're gonna starve! They don't have the patience or inclination to sit down and read the research about how amazingly healthy it is to fast sometimes. I usually either laugh it off (like grab my hips and say look I promise I'm in no danger of starving) or I make a comment like "many cultures around the world have a tradition of fasting sometimes such as Catholics (Lent), Muslims (Ramadan), Jews (Yom Kippur), Russian orthodoxy, Hindus, buddhists, Native Americans etc and they've all survived for millennia. The body is designed to be able to be ok during periods of less food like winter or bad hunting."

If you want to learn more about the science of it so you can better explain that aspect,


https://www.amazon.com/Fasting-Eating-Health-Medical-Conquering/dp/031218719X (Great overview of why fasting)

https://www.amazon.com/Fast-Diet-Intermittent-Fasting-Healthy/dp/1780721676 (by one of the first doctors to publicize fasting)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1501140183 (More like funny memoir of experience with fasting and a layperson's understanding of the science)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ourbrokenplate/our-broken-plate/rewards (In a few months should be available- brilliantly researched)

Documentary https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihhj_VSKiTs

https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Die-Discover-Scientifically/dp/1250066115 (Not solely on fasting but so comprehensively researched that I highly recommend it - everybody should read it. Truly and literally life changing)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684131/#!po=27.9661 (Not a book, but some good info)

[Health And Fitness: Running] The BibRave Podcast | Episode 27: Weirdest. Half Marathon. Ever

SFW

iTunes

Episode Summary
In Episode 27, Tim and Julia chat about a recent track Half Marathon they both ran. Yup - 52.5 laps, in the rain and cold, and it was awesome (at least Tim thought so. Julia however...).

Then they move to their second favorite subject, food! Tim and Julia talk about foods they are willing to spend more money on for quality, some of the differences between high/low quality foods, and they close with a bunch of useful takeaways on how they shop, plan their meals, and set themselves up to make good decisions. As often as possible... 😇

Episode Show Notes:

• The Bill Aronson Track Half (and the BATH reviews on BibRave)
  

• Run Oregon's BATH report
  
• Tim's 3rd place finish at the 20176 BATH
  
• Racing Weight
  
• Omnivore's Dilemma (not specifically discussed, but very relevant)
  
  Podcast Summary
  The BibRave Podcast is a show about all things running and racing! We cover a random assortment of topics, (almost) all of which relate in some way to running, runners, health, fitness, nutrition, races, and GEAR! If you like what you hear, please subscribe in iTunes and tell your runner buddies about us. Thanks for listening!
  
  Twitter //
  Instagram //
  Facebook

Sure! When you look at the ingredients, the first few should be fairly recognizable but as you go on, there may be words you're unfamiliar with. Just because your don't recognize a word doesn't mean it's necessarily bad- that not scientific at all. But if you see any of these 56 names for sugar now you'll be able to spot the hidden sugars. Other ways that sugars are often hidden in processed foods is by researching HOW some of the foods we are used to are made. Bacon, for example, is often cured in sugar. So it may seem like a sugar free option but usually, there's some hidden sugar in there. Same with deli meat. And hot dogs. There's a documentary called The Sugar Film (I think?) and they said that roughly 80% of grocery store items have added sugars. If you take the list I linked to and start looking through the stuff on the shelves, it's truly appalling at how many items have sugar by another name.

The World Health Organization says that healthy adults should get no more than 10% of their daily calories from sugar. That's less than 200 calories from sugar for most people. When you factor in all the hidden sugars in processed foods, that doesn't leave much at all for dessert. Linky The WHO also emphatically states that cutting that in half is even better.

The fittest people I know don't eat processed foods. It requires a good deal of planning ahead, food prep, etc. But it is possible to have a truly sugar free diet with careful shopping.

[It Starts With Food](It Starts With Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628600543/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gHLPyb2QT23XV) is my go to for an introduction to basic nutrition. I can't recommend it enough.

Be there for him and help support him emotionally. Help him have fun.

I would also buy your brother this book as it would help him greatly.
https://www.amazon.com/Fasting-Eating-Health-Medical-Conquering/dp/031218719X

I have seen lot's of people heal arthritis through lifestyle changes.

“People do not get diseases, they earn them!” With few exceptions, (accidents do happen!) our daily choices—the foods we eat (or don’t eat), the activities we do (or don’t do), the thoughts we harbor (or release), the actions we take (or don’t take) are what create the body in which we reside, and determine if it is healthy or diseased. The adage “By age 20 you have the face that Nature gave you; by age 50, you have the face your choices gave you” is, indeed, true—and holds throughout the body. By age 50, we have the arteries, the heart, the skin, the colon and the brain that our choices have given us."

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating

by M.D. Walter C. Willett

The book discusses a wide range of health impact from diet, most-import first. They cite primary research and discuss as effect sizes for each recommendation, and present a discussion of the strength of evidence. In fact, the entire Chapter 2 is dedicated to deepening the reader's familiarity with issues of strength evidence.

In my humble opinion, this book is vastly better than The China Study. Eat, Drink draws from a wider base of studies, and it deploys methodological care to ensure that each of its recommendation is delivered with a thorough description of the scientific evidence.

Go plant based! And read the book How Not to Die - it's the most comprehensive book I've found on food as medicine and contains information on what to eat day to day to reverse and minimize risk of dying from the top fifteen killers in North America. If you're eating plant based, as long as you're eating a lot of whole plant foods (good carbs) you can eat a quite a lot of food without surpassing your daily caloric requirements, meaning you won't feel hungry or unsatisfied like you could with calorie restriction on a diet. Plant based isn't a diet - the science is pretty firm that diets don't work. Going plant based is changing the way you eat and look at food (as medicine and fuel), and can help to heal a lot of the damage to your heart, liver, other organs as well as is the best diet to lower your cholesterol, blood pressure and reduce your risk of dying from heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease, kidney disease etc. Pretty life changing, I'd highly highly recommend it.

There's a lot of suggestions for the app MyFitnessPal but I'd recommend cronometer, https://cronometer.com/ it's excellent for tracking your vitamin, mineral and protein intake and breaks down your macro nutrient data very clearly.

Some vegans feed their pets vegan, others don't. It's not a huge deal since most pet food is scraps off the slaughterhouse floor and "meat not fit for human consumption." Most of the time it's not like your further supporting the slaughter of animals. Dogs are easier fed vegan than cats. I saw one post of a guy who successfully fed his ferret vegan. It's probably floating around google somewhere. Anyway. What you feed your pets isn't the main focus of veganism.

Yes....you should go vegan. Why aren't you one yet?

Best Speech You Will Ever Hear on Veganism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4

Earthlings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce4DJh-L7Ys

Vegucated: http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/vegucated-2/

Mercy For Animals: http://www.mercyforanimals.org

Vegan Outreach: http://www.veganoutreach.org

Vegan Kit: http://vegankit.com

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Dogs-Pigs-Wear-Cows/dp/1573245054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375333626&sr=8-1&keywords=why+we+love+dogs+eat+pigs+and+wear+cows

Cool. Focus on ramping up your miles per week, you really should be higher than 20 right now for a Oct marathon. You have to watch out too, ramping up mileage too quickly can cause injury, which is what happened to me on my first go. Every other workout you're doing is fine, but when it comes to marathons it's all about the mpw.

As for 3:45 - so that's 8:34 pace. On your long runs start doing race pace tempo work. If you're doing 15-18 miles, do a 3 mile warmup at a slow pace, do 10-13 miles at 8:30 pace non-stop and then do a cool down to wrap up your milage. You want to get to the point that when you start your marathon at 8:30 pace you're so comfortable it feels like you're dragging, but at mile 20 trust me you'll be in a whole new world.

Nutrition-wise, you have to experiment on your long runs. Find what works for you and change nothing on race day. For general nutrition I follow this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Weight-Lean-Performance-Series/dp/1934030996

good luck!

Does your nutritionist specialize in athletic nutrition and/or clients who are struggling with disordered eating? If not, I strongly recommend finding one who has significant experience with both. Endurance athletes have different nutritional needs than the population most nutritionists deal with on a daily basis, and people struggling with disordered eating (which it sounds from the comments like you are and recognize that you are) have different needs in terms of approaching nutrition than people who have a healthy relationship with food. A nutritionist without training or experience in these areas is likely not to have the necessary tools to effectively help you.

Others have already suggested eating more, so I won't waste space repeating what they've said, but if you are having difficulty believing it's okay to eat more, I strongly recommend talking to someone who specializes in treating disordered eating. And if you would like a basis for what healthy eating for a vegan runner might look like, I recommend the No Meat Athlete blog and the book Thrive.

Oh, did you check the link in my comment? Well, here's two videos on his website: click here, and here's another one on kidney stones.

Sadly, the truth is disease rates has skyrocketed over the last few decades, and conventional treatment only makes us sicker. There are thousands of studies to support a plant-based diet to help prevent and reverse most diseases in the world.

I caution to have a lot of trust in our current system (here's a video discussing conventional thinking, so you might understand how our wrong view has created many problems. I advise to research more on diet instead of having too much faith in our current healthcare system. This may greatly benefit you.

There are many misinformed conceptions to clear up, and it's better to read authoritative sources of nutrition if you're interested in reading further.

There's some ugly truths, but trust me, it will do a world of good = )

Again, highly recommend the book

that. sucks.

check out this book.

the title is misleading but the information within is amazing. the authors premise is - rest doesnt solve the problem...it helps the symptom to pass. find the problem and strengthen / retrain to actually fix the problem.

the author is not a quack and his book is filled with great stability and strengthening exercises that will help the reader to run better.

Follow the diet recommended by "Grain Brain".

Just reducing calories in order to become thin is not wise. It's hard and it's not healthy.

As for exercise, you should be doing a full regiment of weight resistant as well as cardio.

Weight resistance should be done to address all the muscles in the body, for proper health and longevity, but not in a manner to build bigger muscles. If you can't lift the weight 100 times, it's too heavy. So...low weight/resistance with higher reps is best. And don't do a CrossFit style workout.

Again, low weight...lots of rep.

Weight lifting also builds mental power and confidence, which has a lot of benefits in life.

Cardio doesn't need to be much more than 20 minutes a day, and should not involve anything extensive. Don't beat the body up. Treadmills, Stairmasters...etc. are really good for this. Running and walking is good too, but running on hard surfaces for long distances over a long period of time can damage the body. And walking is often not enough of a workout, unless you do a fast walk. Skating is good too but you can't push it too hard or it will build too much muscle.

And no sprinting or hill intervals.

Do this and you'll get crazy thin, naturally, and be in the best health - physically and mentally.

Hey! I know you didn't message back but I was just looking at cookbooks to buy for this next year (this is my next 'get my shit together' year and hopefully it works this time!) and I saw one for vegan athletes by a professional Ironman triathlete and it made me think of you so I thought I'd send you a link:

• His guide
  
• His first cookbook
  
• His second cookbook
  
  I just wanted to let you know there are vegan options for you that fit with your lifestyle, whatever it is, and it would mean a lot for me if you could help me find the perfect resource for you so you can try to make a change. Thanks for reading :)

Using Insulin by John Walsh has a great section on carb counting and a good carb factor list.

Pumping Insulin also by Walsh.

Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner will help you wrap your head around how insulin works and what you need to do as your own external pancreas.

Scheiner also wrote: The Ultimate Guide to Accurate Carb Counting.

And, he has very affordable online "classes" in T1 management. The link includes a free video on how to dose for pizza :-)

In the meantime, this is a fantastic list of carb factors and an explanation on how to use them.

Get thee a food scale. Nothing fancy required.

edited: formatting

There are many doctors who believe in the health benefits of long fasting. There is a subreddit /r/fasting that has a lot of peeps and if you google water fasting there is a ton of positive info. I've fasted 10 days before and it was a great experience and at some point I'd like to repeat it. It was at a time that looking back I did not have the spare fat to lose but the dysphoria at the time told me otherwise. But it did not hurt me or my progress and I felt better at the end. No problems with HRT or anything and it got rid of the last remaining "boy" fat on me.

Guide to Fasting is a good resource.


Jason Fung Blog


The Obesity code book by Jason Fung has a lot of good info.


Complete Guide to Fasting is also good.

It's basically a combo of what Weston Price recommends in Nutrition and Physical Degeneration and Ellie Phillips in Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye. Price found out how to prevent and regenerate cavities through nutrition. Ellie Phillips found out (or at least put together with ton of scientific articles) how to prevent and regenerate cavities with modern dental products. I figured that for maximum effect, you need both.

On the nutrition side

• Cod Liver Oil - Take some every day. This will up your levels of Vitamin A and D.
  
  
• Natto/Grass-fed Butter - Weston Price recommended grass-fed butter in his book because it had Activator X (an unknown nutrient at the time discovered later to be Vitamin K2) in it, which activated Vitamins A and D. But Natto, a food from Japan that is essentially fermented soybeans has so much Vitamin K2 in it as well as other awesome things like Nattokinase that you should eat it instead. It's far cheaper, and is the single greatest food source of Vitamin K2. You can find it in Asian food markets in the freezer section. Look for a 3 or 4 pack of little square Styrofoam containers. You might as well get some grass-fed butter too, because it's damn good.
  
  
• Milk - Because you need calcium and phosphorus. If you don't have it, it won't bind to your teeth. Vitamins A and D allow this to happen after K2 activates them.
  
  
• Eat nutritionally dense foods - Grass-fed beef (especially liver), pasture-raised chicken/pork, organ meats, fish, vegetables, nuts, fruits, etc. Basically, stuff that is good for you.
  
  On the Dental Care side
  
  
• Xylitol - S. Mutans can't metabolize it, kicking its ass by forcing it to eject it from itself so it can pick up real sugars. In doing so, it wastes energy. Get 7-10 mg of Xylitol per day. More than 10mg per day doesn't do anything more.
  
  
• Listerine - Kills off S.Mutans to an extent. Use 1-2x a day. Realkalize your mouth immediately after use.
  
  
• Alcohol free ACT fluoride rinse - Follow up on the Listerine immediately with this to get fluoride on your teeth. It's a dilute fluoride solution, which is supposedly the best kind. You might be thinking, "but I just used the toothpaste!" This will get whatever spots you missed. Will also realkalize your mouth.
  
  
• Mouth Alkalinity - After eating or drinking anything acidic (or hell, after using Listerine--yes, it makes your mouth acidic), you must make your mouth alkaline again to prevent decay simply from your mouth being acidic, from giving favorable conditions to S. Mutans, and to keep your mouth in the remineralization state. The best ways to do this are to use Closys (apparently. I haven't tried it myself), ACT fluoride rinse, finishing your meal with milk, or Xylitol. Xylitol/milk tends to be the way to go though; you can eat what you like and then keep the acid at bay by using either of them immediately after. If using Xylitol, either eat a spoonful or pop 2-3 Xylitol mints/gum. Apples apparently have the same effect too, but Apple Juice has an acidity of 2.2 pH, so I don't trust them.
  
  
• Toothpaste that uses Sodium Fluoride and no abrasives or whitening - Because apparently Sodium Fluoride is the best kind. Whitening naturally will occur as the layers of enamel return to your teeth; whiteners tend to damage the teeth. Actual whitening comes from having so much enamel, light cannot completely pass through your teeth.
  
  
• Checking your water's pH - Some tap water is acidic by default. You should be aware as to whether or not drinking it will make your mouth non-alkaline.

I know that feeling, our college nutritionist recommended 2000 calories a day no matter how many miles you're running. Legitimately clueless. Unfortunately this seems to be the norm when it comes to distance running and nutrition.

My best experience has been reading about nutrition, and the book I strongly recommend is Matt Fitzgerald's "Racing Weight", which does a great job of outlining almost every aspect of nutrition from base mileage all the way to racing, and really I think the title does it a disservice because it's much more encompassing than just racing. It goes through all of the carb/protein/fat ratio of calories questions, whole grain vs white flour, whole milk vs skim, etc.

I think it's a pretty easy read and it's the best resource I've found for running nutrition. In terms of actual recipes it's pretty light, but it does have example weeks of a nutrition plan. For recipes, Shalane Flanagan's books are pretty popular, run fast eat slow and her other one.

Link to book: Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance (The Racing Weight Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1934030996/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_n3ZWCbD2QCX48

If you are going to be nursing during pregnancy you need to take extra care of your heath/nutritional needs. You are asking a lot of your body. It can be done but needs to be done properly. You are growing a new baby, maintaining your body and feeding a growing child. That is A LOT. You are a ultramarathoner of motherhood.

You need to be eating a nutritionally dense diet. Every calorie counts. I mean that the amount of calories in a bowl of cereal, toast and banana may be the same as an egg, bacon and avocado but the nutritional content is VERY different. The meal with eggs and bacon has much more in the way of nutrients. The cereal meal has calories but not much more than that. Your body needs vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins to make a healthy baby. Your body can't create what you don't provide it. Put the meals into a nutritional calculator and see the difference. Your babies can not afford for you to cut corners when it comes to nutrition. Here is a good guide for pregnant/nursing moms.

Another resource is The Healthy Baby Code.

The best book that I have ever read on this subject is Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.

I've done counting calories on-and-off in the past. And what I've really taken away from it is I can be good at tracking...tracking all those extra calories I didn't need 😝

But I've had my biggest success with food this past year after discovering and reading about fasting.
The Complete Guide to Fasting, by Dr. Jason Fung (Amazon Link) is very informative and easy to read.

You don't need to do long fasts, I never have and don't plan on doing anything past a day. But following a 16:8 (16 hour fast + 8 hour feeding window) had helped me immensely. It's basically skipping breakfast (just get some coffee (black or with a little cream, NO sugar)) and delaying lunch so it's more of an afternoon snack, if anything, then dinner as normal. Following a 16:8 schedule really helped me get out of snacking at work... Which is my greatest challenge. I simply tell myself I can have that afternoon snack, but not till 3pm. By then that 2pm craving had subsided... But if it's still there then it falls within my feeding window.

The best thing about fasting is that there are so many protocols to follow, some are even do popular they have a common name (leangains, warrior diet).

I don't track calories, but I do yet to make smarter food choices (low carb, less sugar, etc...). This year I have gone from about 150 to ALMOST 140. And it's been pretty easy. No stressing, no debating if I can have this, no determining what do I have to sacrifice in order to have an indulgence. The 10# may not seem like much for nearly half a year, but I succeeded with that along with managing a of stress at work, which led to lots of junk food, a long distance relationship, and a cross country move for work.

If you don't want to commit to a $20 go check out a copy from your local library or check or out some of the subreddits to learn more:
r/fasting r/intermittentfasting r/leangains

I did lots of research back in high school while I was trying to get my health in order, and I discovered one of those sodium studies. It showed that, if you feed Americans about 10 times their usual sodium intake, it increases their blood pressure by about 1/1. This was a statistically significant result, but in most cases hardly the determining factor for heart disease.

You're more likely to have cardiovascular disorders and clogged arteries from a carbohydrate-rich diet, usually heavy in sugars and wheat. In low-to-moderate quantities (0-600 cal/day, for me), carb sources like potatoes, carrots, and fruits appear essentially harmless, but one has only to look at the average American to see the impact of high carb intake.

Tom Naughton's "Fat Head" documentary is an excellent introduction to the subject of proper nutrition. It's also worth checking out the Doctors Eades' blogs and the books Wheat Belly and The Big Fat Surprise.

Ketosis itself will help address oxidation, inflammation, blood sugar, and insulin. As for cholesterol, the link between it and heart disease isn't as strong as you've been led to believe. The Big Fat Surprise (recommended by the keto calculator guy in the sidebar) covers this in detail.

That said, there's a pretty strong case for supplementing Vitamin D, and taking Vitamin K2 alongside it. They complement each other. I'm at work, so I can't dig up links at the moment. But there are some interesting lectures on Youtube about K2 and D that are worth a watch.

Dr. Jason Fung made his career out of treating people with Diabetes of both varieties.


You can also look at the work of Gary Taubes. Not a doctor, but he's made his career out of tracking dietary studies and research.


We've known for over a century that caloric restriction based diets do not work. Most people can't hold to them, some people legitimately go crazy on a CICO diet, and even among it's success stories most people still fail in the long term. CICO diets are still aggressively promoted though because they have the all the sheen of a rigorous, scientific driven diet with people proclaiming that the laws of thermodynamics still apply to your gut.


Except the human body is not a furnace, and the mechanism for weight gain is insulin. We've known that much for decades- the most common side effect of prescriptions for insulin is weight gain.


The CICO diet doesn't work. It's too simplistic, it has no long term plan to keep weight off, and for some people it is simply harmful to aggressively market that sort of diet to them.


And of course even a cursory google search will flood you with dietitians (not nutritionists! Board certified dietitians) and other researchers who all agree CICO is unwise.


For a more bite size version of all this I would direct you to this video on youtube. Sources are in the description. We've known for over 200 years that if you want to lose weight, you regulate the intake of carbs, not calories, and the hard modern science is that if you want to keep the weight off, a really simplistic, old diet- the whole food diet- is what you use.



>But the Japanese! Okinawans have the highest life expectancy in the world and eat like twigs!


Correct! But you need to appreciate that your body's weight drives it's hormones. You get hungry because you're fat, and your body actively encourages you to keep eating because you're fat. It's also worth remembering that the Japanese diet typically has very, very few refined carbs. Tons of veggies, some seafood, a salt-based sauce to make it palatable, and then they'll have about a cup, maybe two, of cooked white rice.

Switching to forefoot striking will be uncomfortable at first if you've been heel striking. It'll require muscles/parts of your leg that weren't used before. They'll strengthen with time. I don't think I'm a better PT than yours but I want to recommend Anatomy for Runners. The book will help you understand biomechanics and your body better so hopefully you can find out why your injuries are occurring. Good luck.

I read a great book before getting into medical school called, "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy" by Walter Willett, MD. It does a great job of turning the food pyramid on its head and giving more of and evidence-based approach to nutrition with biochemical data and illustrations to help demonstrate the material. I highly recommend it for personal reading. Here's an Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Drink-Be-Healthy-Harvard/dp/0743266420#productDescription_secondary_view_pageState_1416024688805

I've read various "tales" of hunter gatherer using astral projection to watch over their bodies as they sleep, so that they don't get eaten.

Can you prove it? No. Does it make sense that people who lived in constant communion with the earth, whose intuitive abilities were often far beyond our own, who perceived no separation between the worlds of spirit and matter, between self and other might have no need of a formal type of meditation or "union".

Most hunter gatherers societies had loads of free time, smoked hallucinogens or ate mushrooms, had highly cultivated sense of intuition, and talked directly to their various gods in and out of altered states, knew dreams as part of a single continuity and not some "brain fart" or something to be ignored as many of us do in modern civilized society.

There were also highly barbaric groups that did horrible horrible things to each other, some of them while high on mushrooms, as sacrifices to their gods.

It is fair to say that formal meditation comes with the farmer/settler lifestyle.

In my biased view, the consciousness of hunter gatherers ( and I may be way off on this) but the pre-industrial tribal cultures before they encountered agriculture, technology and what have you, lived somewhat closer to how animals live (and this is NOT meant as an insult) in that they would more directly perceive their environment, and be able to pick up on many things that we would rely on technology for, or intellect and reasoning to "work out". Where as tribal cultures often were able to see stars much further away than we can, they had better eyesight, often could find water and food sources by first seeing in their dreams or out of body states, and then travelling there (a far more efficient method that guessing) as well as being able to directly feel various electro-magnetic currents that run from the earth and into our bodies through our feet, such as modern water diviners are able to sense.

I don't idolize hunter/gatherer society, there are many aspects to it that I find horrific and repellent, cannabalism being one of them. However, in all physical respects, primitive tribes are our physical superiors in nearly every way, for anyone who reads "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Weston Price with its numerous records of pre-industrial h/g societies and photographs of skulls and skeletons which show better bone formation, wider jaws, lack of tooth decay and vastly stronger bones from diets higher in bio-available calcium (not synthetic) this is self-evident

http://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Physical-Degeneration-Weston-Price/dp/0916764206

Please don't accept anything I have to say, but look into it for yourself.

• How Not To Die Cookbook is a phenomenal cookbook that accompanies the How Not To Die book (a recommended read, IMO).
  
• Forks Over Knives cookbook is also a good one, as is their website
  
• Engine 2 Cookbook is the last cookbook I'll recommend.
  
• If you're on Facebook, check out the groups Whole Foods Plant Based No Oil Recipes & Tips, Dr. Michael Greger fans - How Not To Die, and Whole-Food-Plant-Based-Diet.com
  
• Happy Healthy Vegan has a nice and entertaining selection of videos on YouTube. They're primarily WFPB, but not exclusively. Also very informative videos on why and such.
  
• Simnett Nutrition has quite a few What I Eat videos where he shows you what he makes and eats throughout the day. He is fitness oriented, so eats a lot, and you'll see workout montages and such, as well as quite a bit of rambling, but his rambling is either relevant and helpful info, or just entertaining and silly at times.
  
• NutritionFacts.org YouTube is all of the science and studies broken down and analyzed to get you a good grasp of what and why WFPB is the way to go.

Thank you for this explanation. I used to pay attention to calorie count, but now I realize it's not about calories but the quality of food you put in your body.

Food is your first and most reliable medicine. Eating a healthy plant-based diet, even if you eat 3000 calories a day, will result in a healthy body.

This wasn't obvious to me until I started doing my own research. One helpful step in the right direction is What the Health. Another one is How Not To Die. I recommend both.

I'm relaying this information because not only do I care about your health, but I now see that a healthy population is the only way to save our planet. Factory farming and omniscient pesticide use in conventionally grown GMO foods is not just hurting our health, but the planets, even more than fossil fuels.

Most people start with 16/8, meaning eat during an 8 hour period, and abstain for 16 (including sleep). For most this means skipping breakfast and no snacking.

Another version is 20/4 sometimes called the warrior diet. All food consumed within 4 hours.

Still another is eating one large meal a day (normally dinner, although i have done lunch). OMAD. Basically 23/1.

Here are some resources i have collected that are helpful to people getting started. Good luck.

Intermittent fasting - good intro video:
https://youtu.be/dFT2IKmwyfg

Good second video (rewind if needed).
https://youtu.be/tIuj-oMN-Fk

Good write up
http://www.burnfatnotsugar.com/intermittent-fasting.html

DietDoctor website:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting/guides#basic

Brad Pilon website:
https://bradpilon.com

Dave Asprey website:
https://blog.bulletproof.com/bulletproof-for-beginners/

Third video. Interview with Fung. https://youtu.be/jXXGxoNFag4

Great book - The Obesity Code (can likely get at library)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1771641258/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_FkAyCbGNPWEXN

I'm so sorry! Being stiff is miserable! I have disc herniations in my back and neck, and that pain comes raging back with carbs. Scientific studies are great and all, but I'm also a big believer in just paying attention to how you feel! If you're up for it, a good book about how studies aren't the be all end all is the Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz. Well, its actually about low carb, but you can see how unreliable most studies are due to the way they're conducted http://www.amazon.com/Big-Fat-Surprise-Butter-Healthy/dp/1451624425
The only hard part about restarting Keto when pregnant is doing it gradually....the cravings don't disappear as quickly if you don't do it cold turkey. But you can totally do it! Its worth it not to be so moody :) best of luck to you!

I totally agree with C. Those are great threads.

heres my two cents:

I was 150-155 over the spring, running 30-40mpw and not really eating "clean" or consciously. I was essentially eating whatever came to my plate. Starting in June, i cleaned everything up and started to eat increased fruits / vegetables / non fried foods. Then, I increased my mileage. Suddenly, I started to drop pounds like crazy. I ended the summer around 137-140 after 8 weeks of 50-60 mpw. More importantly, I felt better.

So, my thoughts for you: is there anything you can change in your diet that could help you? Anything you could cut out / cut down on? And, do you think that increasing your mileage / training would help.

Heres a book that might help: Racing Weight

>Can I drink water or unsweetened tea...

All you want!

If you want a really great resource, read Dr. Jason Fung's Complete Guide to Fasting.

It has all the info you need to fast safely and comfortably. It's also great motivation!

This article is the best I’ve read on the subject.

It’s a fantastic piece, and I would recommend that all women read it, but tl;dr – Intermittent fasting works until it doesn’t. Women as a whole seem to have a harder time with it than men, though there are plenty of women who thrive on it. As with anything in fitness, take it if it works for you and makes you feel healthy, and leave it if it doesn’t. Don’t try to force it if it’s not making you feel good.

That said, the fact that you’re concerned about an eating disorder being triggered is a red flag for me. Is this just a general fear because of not eating, or do you have a history? Because if it’s the latter, I’d be cautious. Personally I enjoy it largely because it means spending less time prepping food, and as a busy person find it easier to go about my work day without thinking about food all the time. I’ve also never been a breakfast person so IF feels liberating, that I suddenly have validation/permission to skip it.

If you want more details on the how, when, and why, I recommend this book. Personally I try to eat in a 1:30pm to 9:30pm window and fast otherwise (most of the time), but that obviously wouldn’t work for a lot of people. You do you.

I had a similar injury that took a very long time to heal. What I think finally cleared it up was mainly two things:

1. Taking better care of what I put in my body. Started eating a lot more vegetables and taking a vitamin D supplement. Source: Harvard's Nutrition Source
   
   
2. Changing my form and doing the exercises (mostly hip work) to help facilitate that. For form, I shortened my stride, shifted my foot contact from forefoot to more midfoot, and increased my stride frequency a little. Source: Jay Dicharry
   
   Don't worry about drinking milk. Calcium probably isn't the problem. And I'm really not convinced that soft surfaces help much. (If someone has some real data on this, I'd love to see it.) I think it's at least something like 98% running form and having a strong enough musculoskeletal system to handle training.

Until you're on a pump, the mySugr app is a really great tracker for logging doses and food.

Your doctor will likely slowly ramp you into the current best practices for insulin management, so don't worry if you don't get info about carb counting and ratios and things like that that you might see around here. Just go by their recommendations for now; eventually you'll be tuning everything yourself when you're comfortable.

This book is a really great comprehensive overview of how the disease works and how we typically manage it.

As mentioned by others, start looking into Dexcom availability in your area (and if it's available, look into whether your insurance will cover it; if so, it's a no-brainer — if not, probably still worth it, but might have to move some things around financially.)

We used a OneTouch Verio Flex glucometer when we started, which did a decent job of Bluetooth syncing to an iPhone. The Contour Next is also really popular.

Our kid has had this case for all his gear for two years now, and it's held up really well.

We've had similar long-lasting life out of his RoadID bracelet. (Select the "rugged" faceplate when customizing, to get one with raised edges — prevents the text rubbing off over time.)

It's from this book, I have it digitally on Google Play. It's very good and goes into a lot of detail on a lot of diseases and the foods that correspond to a lower chance of the disease or make the disease have less of an effect (spoiler: it's plant food well over 99% of the time).

All profits from the book go to charity, so I can't recommend it enough.

If you can't afford it, let me know, I'll try to fetch you some parts you might want. Most of the information is just condensed from his website where he condenses a lot of journal papers about nutrition. There's also a talk he did that you can watch that has some of the more interesting parts of the book, as well as an app that reminds you to eat the foods that are most common in reducing the chance and effects of many diseases (Daily Dozen, iOS, Android)

Have you read that book "Where the Downvotes Come From"? It's an amazing book.

There's a passage that explains that some downvotes come about because of the discomfort of people when they hear the truth about a subject that secretly bothers them, but they have no courage to admit it. Or, sometimes, because it is the mainstream way of thinking.

Some get aggressive; some joke (see below); some downvote.

Very entertaining, really.

Of course, there's this other book people should REALLY read, that's called "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows".

Yes. there is a book (link below) called "It's starts with food." It's basically a hardcore Paleo diet. You don't necessarily need to read the book. But it does a pretty good job explaining how and why it works. And how your body (and mind) respond to what you put in it. I found that informative, helpful and motivating. YMMV

https://www.amazon.com/Starts-Food-Discover-Whole30-Unexpected/dp/1628600543

The biggest challenge is having the right foods available all the time. I just dedicated my Sunday afternoons to shopping, prepping and cooking food to have for the week.

This is my take on it.

===

On the one hand, people shouldn't be made to feel ashamed of their bodies. It's thinking that society needs to incentivize good behavior through punishment that leads to this (this is not the only place this thinking shows up). There are obvious and well-researched problems with this approach.

===

On the other hand, being healthy is obviously better for the individual (and for the rest of society in terms of health care costs and the general productivity of the individual). There's no disputing that being overweight is bad for your health.

===

What can be disputed, however, is whether people can control their weight or if it is genetic destiny. I think people can absolutely control their weight, but that it is not as simple as the "energy input/output" model would suggest, and that touting this model does a great disservice to people who are working EXTREMELY hard to lose weight but are struggling to do so. The body is extremely complicated, and what you eat influences (among many other things) your metabolism and your hormones, which play important roles in whether or not you put on weight. Energy input/output is certainly a factor, and maybe the dominant factor, but some people have so many other imbalances that without making changes to address these other issues, it is impossible for them to restrict calories and exercise enough to produce changes in their body.

===

I think a whole-foods plant based diet is the way to go personally, and I'd look at Dr. Greger's How Not To Die. Another interesting book I have read on the subject but which does not advocate a plant based diet is Dr. Shanahan's Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food.

===

Good luck in attaining improved health.

Cardio X and Plyo X are easy mode compared to Insanity. If you thought you were good at Plyo or thought it was high impact Insanity will give you a harsh reality check.

It is a real good work program but you can easily injure yourself if you don't stretch properly, work past your limit, or have bad joints. I had started doing it to add some variety to the P90X routine (third cycle around it gets a bit dull) and I was not a fan of Plyo X or Kenpo X, and wanted to trade out Stretch X. The exercises are only 20 ~ 30 minutes long but good lord you will be on the floor in a pool of your own sweat 15 minutes in.

As for diet, I never really paid much attention to the nutrition suggestions in the books, in either program, and just upped the amount of protein I took in with eggs, chicken, beans, and peanut butter. I also had a good amount of pre and post workout supplements, found at any store, to go along with my whey protein and creatine.

Now I do P90X, 10 minute trainer Abs (in place of Ab ripper X), and 50 ~ 75 35lbs kettlebell swings as a daily routine.

You should also checkout The 4-Hour Body by Tim Farriss. It has some good ideas to aid in improving your diet and general fitness. It seems kind of goofy or gimmicky but I was actually quite surprised.

If following evidence-based nutrition gives vegans a bad rap then so be it. If you ever want to read some of the science behind it check out this book that cites thousands of studies.

From your post history I'm guessing you've never looked into the science. A simple example is your quote here:

>The only possible carcinogens that come from animal based food is SUPER processed foods, but that isn't just meat. And I think you mean that red meats and other high fat meats can increase your chances of heart disease lol not cancer

The World Health Organization classifies processed meats as "definitely causes cancer", while classifying other meats as "probably causes cancer". I'll go with the WHO, unless you think that's a vegan conspiracy too.

I constantly recommend Think Like a Pancreas to my family and friends who ask to learn more about diabetes. It's a great book written by Gary Scheiner. He also writes with a very conversational tone, jokes, and is honest with how he handles type 1 for himself and recommendations for his patients.

Friends who have completed a 40 day fast, a handful on this sub here and here, as well as many over at curezone. I've read Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Book, whom you say you're a fan of. If you click on this amazon link, you will notice that the first bullet point states "How to use fasting to lose weight".

It seems as though you believe fasting is reserved for those with a disease? Well, the American Medical Association has declared obesity as a disease.

You also seem to need the approval of a doctor for an extended fast. I guess I trust my body to be able to take care of itself and burn the fuel that I've abundantly stored on my body as fat.

edit: Spelling.

Buy regular US standards he probably does have a "good diet." My extremely fit cycling mentor mentioned above also had a "good diet."

That's actually part of the point. People with "good diets" and who exercise a lot [quite fit] can still have heart attacks, producing the logical question of what exactly is in this "good diet" and how does that differ from populations were heart / atherosclerosis related illnesses are nonexistent?

Check this book out or listen to some of his talks, it could change and unquestionably lengthen your life.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Die-Discover-Scientifically/dp/1250066115/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484214545&sr=1-1&keywords=how+not+to+die

Watch 10 minutes of this and tell me if you think it was worth your time ... Comments at 3:15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0Eg0WL6NCE

Huge congrats! One book I STRONGLY recommend that you read in your next steps down this plant-based journey is "How Not to Die" by Michael Greger. It really digs into the science behind the benefits of plant based diets and makes some great recommendations.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Die-Discover-Scientifically/dp/1250066115

"In defense of food" and "Game Changers" started me down the path, but this book solidified in my mind that plant-based is truly the way to go. It will change your life, I guarantee it.

1 - 8.6 while not great, is really not that bad. Small improvements can probably make a HUGE difference for you. Read Think like a Pancreas and then maybe Pumping Insulin. Sugar Surfing is also another good one but that method requires CGM usage.

2 - getting a CGM and seeing the impact that things have on your BG, from food, to activity, to even things like stress, can help you have better strategies to manage things.

3 - good diabetes management is primarily about taking action when necessary, and far less about being compliant and doing what your doctor told you to do. You need to learn to be the one in charge and take control and direct your own management.

You're obviously unaware of and didn't notice the article's reference to the work of the dentist Weston Price, DDS. If you've an inquiring mind, have a read of his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration and you might gain a few new facts (includes photographs taken in the field and his conclusions from first-hand research) to ponder over.

The other book that was mentioned, Nutrition and Disease by Professor Sir Edward Mellanby GBE KCB MD FRCP FRS, looks interesting as well.

Here's a bit from Chapter 11, on teeth:
>It is now possible to produce at will in animals teeth of all grades of structure—from perfect texture to the greatest degree of imperfection—by making small variations in the food ingested. Thus, if growing puppies are given a limited amount of separated milk together with cereals, lean meat, orange juice, and yeast (i.e., a diet containing sufficient energy value and also sufficient proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins B and C, and salts), defectively formed teeth will result. If some rich source of vitamin D be added, such as cod-liver oil or egg-yolk, the structure of the teeth will be greatly improved, while the addition of oils such as olive or arachis oil leaves the teeth as badly formed as when the basal diet only is given (Fig. 11). Not only are the defects in the dentine and enamel obvious on microscopic examination, but external examination reveals the surface enamel also to be badly formed (Fig. 12).
>
> -
>
>Since the days of John Hunter (1728-1793) it has been known that when the enamel and dentine are injured by attrition or caries, teeth do not remain passive but respond to the injury by producing a reaction of the odontoblasts in the dental pulp in an area generally corresponding to the damaged tissue and resulting in a laying down of what is known as secondary dentine. In 1922 M. Mellanby proceeded to investigate this phenomenon under varying nutritional conditions and found that she could control the secondary dentine laid down in the teeth of animals as a reaction to attrition both in quality and quantity, independently of the original structure of the tooth (Fig. 19) 7,8,9. Thus, when a diet of high calci­fying qualities, ie., one rich in vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus was given to the dogs during the period of attrition, the new secondary dentine laid down was abundant and well formed whether the original structure of the teeth was good or bad (Fig. 19 (a)). On the other hand, a diet rich in cereals and poor in vitamin D resulted in the production of secondary dentine either small in amount or poorly calcified, and this happened even if the primary dentine was well formed (Fig. 19 (b) and (c)).
>
>These results showed that teeth, apart from their primary structure, have a second line of defence against injury, one in fact which is dependent on its nutritional supply.

I think the article's "no nuts" advice is a bit sweeping; nuts are a valuable source of minerals, and can be made easier to digest by soaking them before drying (deactivates enzyme inhibitors).

>Will I Ever Qualify For Boston?

It's 100% up to you! This may sound a little controversial, but I think almost all healthy persons can BQ if they really want to. It's all about priorities! How bad do you want it? What is important for you?

>Is there anyone hear who has gone from a 4:30+ hour marathon to a 3:30ish marathon?

Not exactly, but I went from 4.35 to 3.55 in 1 year. This year my goal is sub 3.30, and I am pretty sure I will make it if I avoid serious injuries.

Overall I think you are running too few miles. What if you gradually build up your weekly milage to your previous peak at 50 miles? What if you run 6 times a week instead of 4-5? What if you don't drop your weekly milage when you don't have a race coming up soon?

If you decide to increase your weekly milage you will have to slow down, and drop some tempo runs. To be honest, I don't think you need many tempo runs to hit 3.30. You can add them after you have increased your milage and got used to it.

Also, you will need to sort out your injury. You might need some rest and possibly some other running shoes?

Another question is weight? Are you at your optimal racing weight? If no, then I recommend Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance by Matt Fitzgerald.

If you're interested, there's a book called, "How Not to Die", which basically is a fairly rigorous look at some of the evidence in support of the health benefits of eating plants.

It appears that your main motivation may be ethical, but if there are health benefits as well, then even better!

To have fun while learning, try The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. I also like Prescription for Nutritional Healing for a reference.

I prefer to see studies backing claims. Maybe not everything below is relevant, but here are some places I like to read online, too: Examine.com, Stronger By Science (mostly strength training studies), Strength Sensei (Charles Poliquin is an Olympic strength coach and knowledgable in nutrition), Suppversity, ss.fitness

Ignore mainstream nutrition. If you're interested some books are The Big Fat Surprise, The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living, either of Taubes' books, or you can watch Youtube lectures by Phinney, Volek, Taubes etc. This page is also fairly good on fats.

Fats are extraordinarily complicated in structure, oil composition, metabolism, etc. The best bet is to eat older fats and not newer processed oils because we quite literally evolved eating animal fats exclusively, not shortening hydrogenated from the refined oil extracted from the unused excess seeds that fell out of cotton plants.

Omega 3:

• Omega 3 and Omega 6 are both required to be ingested by the body as we have no metabolic way of creating them (whereas Omega 9 can be created from Saturated Fat).
  
• They should be consumed in a one to one ratio, which is the ratio found in grass fed animal fats, eggs, milk, butter.
  
• It is important to note that the need for these essential fatty acids is relatively small, so in the case that you're consuming 80% of your calories from fat you should primarily worry about the ratio of the fatty acids in your food (IE eat animal fats). You can overdo Omega 3 consumption if you consume an excess of fish oil supplements in addition to fortified foods etc.
  
• The so-called "polyunsaturated oils" like soybean, cottonseed (commonly called "Vegetable"), rapeseed (commonly called "Canola) etc are very high in Omega 6 while being low in Omega 3. The result is that most people in the US consume vastly more Omega 6 than Omega 3, and studies have shown that many inflamation markers and chronic diseases are improved as that dietary ratio moves closer to 1:1.
  
• Grain fed livestock is much higher in Omega 6 than Omega 3, just like the so-called polyunsaturated oils.
  
• Lard is fairly high in Oleic Acid, the monounsatured fatty acid that Olive Oil gets all the praise for.

good post, you've got some good tips in there.

on the nutricion i would add, don't forget about the fats. through paleo your main energyresource will still be sugar. and i believe that fat is the best fuel for humans. mostly animal (who have had their natural diet)

Weston A Price discovered this through observation en studying primitive people and their diets. He was also a dentist and intreged with primitive, way better teeth than modern man.

http://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Physical-Degeneration-Weston-Price/dp/0916764206

My advice is to buy and digest Racing Weight. And also cut out/down on the refined sugar.

I started off by calorie counting and creating a small daily deficit. However as I also started eating the best I could I lost too much weight. So instead bought, read, and followed the advice from that book. I eat a lot more (high quality foods), but I'm not putting on weight and I'm stronger.

Are you doing HIIT on the turbo? I found I lost a lot of weight when I dropped my volume and focused on the turbo during the week. I've also introduced double-days as I continue to build volume. Some times these are both on the turbo. Other times I'll go out on the road for an hour or two of endurance after a vO2 Max workout in the morning.

> The other major advantage is that your metabolism is fired up twice. Following a workout, the body continues to burn fat – the harder the workout, the longer the burn. So it makes sense if both workouts are high quality, the fat burn is going to be greater than one session where half is quality and the rest is substandard.

To get an idea of the kind of workout I do during the week it's probably easiest to look at my Strava profile. Usually Tuesday and Thursday are a roughly hour long HARD turbo session. Occasionally I do two sessions a day. Weekend one endurance ride of 4-5hrs and a short recovery ride Sunday.

At the start of the year I was 57-58kg and I'm now 54-55kgg depending on what time of the day it is ;-).

A friend of mine has also written a few guest posts on my website about nutrition that might interest you.

Theories on nutrition are numerous and it's worth your time to do some reading on sports nutrition, with a training schedule as dense as yours. IMO the two most important things are: as an athlete, make sure your [daily protein intake] (https://www.strongerbyscience.com/athlete-protein-intake/) is on point (1.5g/kg/bw is ok, 1g/lb is better), and favor more carbs [near the exercise window.] (https://www.amazon.com/Nutrient-Timing-Future-Sports-Nutrition/dp/1591201411)

If your muscles seem to start to run out of glycogen during training, it's probably because you are not refueling muscle glycogen stores adequately between training sessions. If you get hypoglycemic during training, it's probably because you did not eat enough solid carb/protein food 2-3 hours before (I find that light snacking like bananas or protein shakes 1 hour before also works, if you can't get a full meal in sooner.)

10.5 hours/week is a pretty high density training schedule so you need post-training carbs to [put that glycogen back] (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905295/) into your muscles. Generally a good idea to get a protein/carbs meal in 2 to 3 hours before training if you can.

For water, about 1 ounce of water per kg of bodyweight per day is a common base recommendation but I find that on training days that is more like 1.5oz/kg.

As a heavyweight, I solve this somewhat complex problem by just eating all day, every day. Hope this helps.

My advice:

1. Drink coffee with a sugar substitute (I like Splenda, it functions and tastes exactly like sugar) and a dash of heavy whipping cream (you don't need much to lighten the coffee up a lot).
   
2. Diet soda - any kind - is fine.
   
3. Watch this video for an "Explain Like I'm Five" approach.
   
   Bonus advice:
   
   

• Only weigh yourself once a week.
  
• If you weigh yourself two weeks in a row and you haven't lost any weight, make sure you're counting your carbs. 50g is the max, 20g is the ideal. So maybe say, "Okay I will only have 35g of carbs a day" and try that for two weeks and see if it starts the weight loss back up again. If not, lower them.
  
• If you've lowered your carbs down to 15 or 20g and you're still stalled, try limiting the diet soda. Maybe two cans/day for two weeks, then one can/day.
  
• If you're still not losing, cut the soda out completely. For some people, it triggers insulin secretion even though there aren't any carbs in it, and high levels of insulin can stall fat burning.
  
• If cutting the soda out doesn't help, cut all artificial sweeteners.
  
• Next step would be to start limiting dairy. Then perhaps caffeine and/or nuts.
  
  I'm a big fan of the "slow and steady" approach. Make little changes, take some time, observe how it affects you. There's no rush to dump weight off; it's more likely to be permanent if you're not obsessing and just "keeping calm and ketoing on".
  
  Bonus resources, if you want to have a deeper understanding:
  
  
• Why We Get Fat is my favorite intro book.
  
• The Art & Science of Low Carbohydrate Living is a very thorough explanation of the diet.
  
• The Big Fat Surprise explains why scientists and public health officials act like fat is bad for you, even though the scientific evidence doesn't support that belief.
  
• Good Calories, Bad Calories is a more detailed & scientific version of Why We Get Fat
  
• New Atkins for a New You is a very easy-to-follow instructional guide if that's what you need (written by Eric Westman, the doctor in the video I linked above).
  
• Here is a list of great keto videos to watch.

My sister has cytochrome P450 deficiency and my dad has diverticulitis. It's no wonder i also have nutritional issues.

Our modern food supply is compromised in a variety of ways and that does not help people like us. Irradiation, pasteurization, and antibiotics in foods disturb or just destroy natural bacteria, enzymes, and other things that help us digest food.

Your best bet is to follow the paleo line of thinking and eat whole, unprocessed foods as much as you can. I myself spent many years unlearning the junk food mentality and it was hard, but very much worth it.

The paleo people and the naturopath people have some good advice. They can be hit or miss, but there are a few of them who respect actual science. Here are a few people to look into:

Dr. Rhonda Patrick ( my favorite, and she is a real aspie science geek )
Robb Wolf ( one of the most science minded paleo guys out there )
Eric Berg ( very hit/miss, and gives out faulty advice regularly but has some good leads for starting your own research)

And if you want some information on what vitamins deficiencies can cause, check this stuff out. It will blow your mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvQ5F6GCfgI
https://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Physical-Degeneration-Weston-Price/dp/0916764206/ref=sr_1_1/145-3313227-7006032?ie=UTF8&qid=1494665888&sr=8-1&keywords=weston+price

oooooo I am down to talk about fasting any day u/okaybutfirstcoffee!!

I can't recall what my longest fast was. 68 hours, something like that? I'm planning to do 2-3 day fasts regularly starting at the end of August.

I love Dr Fung's book, Complete Guide to Fasting. His blog is fantastic. This is one of my favorites because it explains the hunger cycles.

Regarding your question about weight loss, extended fasting is more effective because it ramps up human growth hormone. Basically the longer you fast, the more you reverse insulin resistance, and the more resilient your body gets. After about six months of doing OMAD most days, I now notice, for example, that if I have a "sabotage day" I just. can't. eat as much as I used to. I am straight up not hungry. Whereas before if I, say, ate a bagel I would be starving an hour later. I had one last Monday and I was so full I didn't eat again until dinner. Fasting FIXES your body and I fucking love it for that because I didn't even think that was possible.

I ordered this book on someone's recommendation (still in mail, so can't comment on how good it is): The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises. Now I know you're probably thinking the same thing I was thinking - it's by men's health mag so is it any good or is it just a way to sell the magazine? I trust the person who recommended this to me and have seen him go from being skinny-but-unfit to very-fit doing mostly bodyweight exercises and said that this good is good. I am at a point where I need to look up good exercises to design my own workout, so it was the one he recommended to me.



> though some diet stuff wouldn't hurt

I haven't read it yet, but Good Calories, Bad Calories sounds like a good one to begin with. I'm definitely going to read that soon.

Make your own snack bars! This is from the Thrive Diet book.

Chocolate Blueberry Energy Bars

High in antioxidants and flavonoids, these bars help reduce free radical damage in the body and improve cellular recovery.

1 cup fresh or soaked dried dates

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup blueberries

1/4 cup roasted carob powder (or cacao to make 100% raw)

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/4 cup hemp protein

1/4 cup unhulled sesame seeds

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon zest

Sea salt to taste

1/2 cup sprouted or cooked buckwheat (optional)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

In a food processor, process all ingredients except the buckwheat and blueberries. Knead buckwheat and berries into mixture by hand. Roll them into balls and let 'em dry. That should make about 12 of them.

Can't second it enough. Cutting (processed) sugar and carbs is good. Going whole foods vegan is better (for the environment and animals too). It really helps wonders with diabetes and heart disease issues. Alternatively I can also recommend the book 'How not to die'.

Here's a short bit from Dr. Jason Fung's book "The Complete Guide to Fasting".

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012

Well worth the money.

>When food intake goes to zero (fasting), our body obviously cannot take BMR down to zero—we have to burn some calories just to stay alive. Instead, hormones allow the body to switch energy sources from food to body fat. After all, that is precisely why we carry body fat—to be used for food when no food is available. It’s not there for looks. By “feeding” on our own fat, we significantly increase the availability of “food,” and this is matched by an increase in energy expenditure.

>Studies demonstrate this phenomenon clearly. In one, fasting every other day for twenty-two days resulted in no measurable decrease in BMR. There was no starvation mode. Fat oxidation—fat burning—increased 58 percent, from 64 g/day to 101 g/day. Carbohydrate oxidation decreased 53 percent, from 175 g/day to 81 g/day. This means that the body has started to switch over from burning sugar to burning fat, with no overall drop in energy.

>In another study, four days of continuous fasting increased BMR by 12 percent. Levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline), which prepares the body for action, increased by 117 percent, keeping energy levels high. Fatty acids in the bloodstream increased over 370 percent as the body switched over from burning food to burning stored fats.

Jason Fung also runs https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/ which is worth checking out.

First, let me say, I cannot really provide a solution for you, but I can share what has worked for me. I have not been as overweight as you but I have at times in my life been significantly overweight (not in mass but in % body fat) and as I am becoming older, I had found it increasingly difficult to control. My point is, you need to try things to see what works for you. Keep a daily journal of how you feel (energy, attention, brain function, etc) so you can do some experiments on yourself.

What has worked for me is adopting (what appears to be the latest fad) the paleo/evolutionary fitness model for diet and exercise. I eat little or no processed foods (e.g. read Pollan, and other rules of thumb...if it doesn't spoil, don't eat it, never shop in the inside area of the supermarket, if it comes out of a box, don't eat it, etc.). I don't drink soda, juice, or anything with sugars (just unsweetened coffee or tea, water). I eat a lot of meat, eggs, fish (no worries on fat content...my favorite lunch is a sandwich from the local deli called the Three Little Pigs, without the bread, it is smoked ham, pork bbq, and bacon). I eat some dairy, primarily full fat and fermented, like Fage Total plain yogurt (with a little fresh fruit and shredded raw coconut). I eat all my favorite vegetables slathered in full fat butter (from the farm if I can get it). This may sound like a low-carb, Atkins type diet, but it isn't. That isn't to say going low carb won't help you lose fat quickly. Nevertheless, it isn't the main point. The main point is to eat as our ancestors did some 10,000 or more years ago, as evolution has not caught up with our recent use of grains in our diet and certainly not processed foods. Another thing I do is intermittently fast. At first somewhat forced, but now just because I am not hungry. I can typically eat dinner (say around 5pm) and not eat again until around lunch the next day.

As far as exercise, I avoid long aerobic activities unless in pursuit of yard work, handling the kids, or sport (like tennis). No treadmills, distance running, or biking. I do walk or ride a bike for transportation, but I am not getting winded. I do lift weights, usually once a week, using only large muscle groups and free weights, and very intensely. It takes about 20 minutes, but given its intensity it is brutal...but over quickly. I introduce a bit of randomness into the exercise frequency and variety of exercises (e.g. maybe twice in one week, maybe I will do a bunch of pull-ups one night or push ups). Sprints are intermingled with this, sometimes just as part of playing with the dog. Again, the point is to expose the body to stresses in an irregular but intense pattern, as perhaps were encountered by our ancestors.

The result is that I am probably a month away (after approximately 9 months total) from having washboard abs, I have great energy levels, stamina and focus. I no longer wake up with aching joints. I don't get low energy levels after eating (unless I really stuff myself). Keep in mind, I am in my 40s. I was 210 and very soft and pear shaped when I started, now I am 185 and back to a youthful V shape.
The only negatives I can speak to is a diminished ability to find quick and convenient food sources and missing bread, pasta and a pizza once and a while. I really don't miss sweets, but I don't think I was that hooked on them in the first place.

Finally, let me give the sources that drove me in this direction. Take a look and see if you are interested in trying it. As I said, I can't say that it will work for you, but it has worked for me.

Websites:

Art Devany http://www.arthurdevany.com/ Evolutionary Fitness

Keith Norris http://theorytopractice.wordpress.com/

Mark Sisson http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Richard Nikoley http://freetheanimal.com/

Seth Roberts http://blog.sethroberts.net/ (more about self-experimentation and the value of fermented foods)

Weston A. Price Foundation http://www.westonaprice.org/

Books:

Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories

Little, McGuff Body by Science

Weston A. Price, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration

Mark Sisson The Primal Blueprint

I've seen this conversation going on for some time, but haven't read all of it. This is the second time, though, that I've seen you push the long debunked idea that eating meat leads to heart disease. There's simply no truth to it. Heart disease results from elevated blood sugar and insulin binding to it. Here's a pretty accessible article on it: http://preventdisease.com/news/12/030112_World-Renown-Heart-Surgeon-Speaks-Out-On-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease.shtml

You are trying to perpetuate the same fraud that Ancel Keys pushed all those years ago that has been widely debunked. I recommend Good Calories, Bad Calories from Gary Taubes (or any of his YouTube lectures). I also recommend The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz.

I went to a pump because I have a HUGE Dawn Phenomenon that MDI was unable to address adequately.

That said, in your case, I would hold off on a pump until you get the basics under your belt. Doctors usually start conservatively on insulin dosing and then dial the doses in as things progress, as the number one concern they are going to have is minimizing hypo events.

If you're looking for a good reference for managing insulin, I highly recommend Think Like a Pancreas.