Health, Good Practises, and Exercise

[hawkeye_a]

Fish isn’t meat. It’s pretty much a vegetable.

I have noticeably less joint pain since I’ve been adding a Vicodin slurry to my soups.

On a serious note I’ve tried the supplements and nothing has made much difference in joint pain for me. In fairness to supplements though, this body has taken quite a beating over the years.

Hah! Back home 'shrimps' are referred t o as 'prawn meat'!

I'm pretty averse to 'supplements' and such.... not a vegan/fanatic about it, but i prefer meet/fish/vegs. I'm no dietitian, but I think there's a link between collagen and joint & skin health.

I do weight training 5 - 6 days a week..... need to start jogging/running too.

 

[0388631]

Can you clarify your statement (bolded)? You made me look up adipose (fat). Unrelated, at least not a counter to your post, I’ve found that light weight training, a combination of free weights and machines has helped me avoid shoulder injuries when swimming. As I’ve aged I also noted that although I have the energy to swim 60 laps, it has resulted in complications (injuries) so I am currently swimming 40 laps and doing the light weights along with stretching.

Excess body fat is bad whether you're young or older. IIRC the acceptable top of the range at around 70 is 23% but I feel this is too high. In light of your post, anyone who keeps in shape well into their later years tends to, with the exception of hereditary issues, experience a better life with little or no prescription drug use. Excessive fat tissue may lead to complications, can cause problems for your health, and pose a major risk during surgery. Subcutaneous fat, that being under your skin and what's more visible to people should be a respectable amount. Though visceral fat (around your organs) is the more dangerous variety, and with diet and exercise it should go away. Too little fat and your body can't regulate some functions as efficiently as it can, and too much fat and it can also have the same impact.

Likewise, rail thin younger people have an increased risk of bone fracture, joint injury and suffering illness than their fitter counterparts or even those with a more average body. On the opposite end of the scale, those who are severely overweight or obese also have an increased risk of bone injury, general injury, joint and ligament sprains, not to mention the toll it takes on their cardiovascular and endocrine system.

 

[Gutwrench]

Likewise, rail thin younger people...

I used to be an ectomorph as a youngster. I had two speeds...full and sleep.

 

[44267547]

Huntn brought up a point that I have been working on. And that has been focusing on my shoulder exercises and stretching. One thing I think a lot of bodybuilders experience, is impingement in the shoulders with the rotator cuff. And fortunately I have not had any major issues with my shoulder joints with my lifts, but I found out how important it is to make sure you pre-stretch and warm up the shoulders before any type of incline presses or barbell presses

One thing I have been training quite regularly that have been neglected is my rear delts. Quite a few weightlifters have over developed front deltoids, and the rear delts are under developed, and what happens is, when they start pressing a heavier weight, the compression from the weight it puts a lot of stress on the shoulder joint, which then the front delts overcompensate due to the rear delts being under developed, which stresses the rotator cuff.

One Olympia bodybuilder who I notoriously follow, has mentioned that training rear delts almost alleviates 90% of shoulder pain over the course of time, and I found the best way to do that is using a peck deck reverse flies with a low weight/high rep and I also use free weights to Pre-train shoulders before training any chest workouts.

Also, two stretches that I use that I found really work well for pre-workout, is the ‘Hangman stretch’, which essentially you hang from a pull up bar for approximately 7/8 seconds for three sets, and then the ‘Sleeper stretch’, which pull your forearm forward while laying on your side, which will stretch out the muscles in the shoulder and rotator cuff, and it also helps reduce impingement for those who experience it.

Either way, the importance of maintaining your shoulder joints is _so_ crucial, especially for any type of heavy lifting, my theory is, you have to respect your body and know your limits, and I think that’s what really helps me be successful in the gym with my continued bodybuilding training.

 

[Gutwrench]

I wouldn’t discourage anyone from stretching but there’s plenty of research available on stretching and it’s benefit in injury prevention and performance.

If anyone is genuinely interested in information based on empirical research I recommend subscribing to the National Strength and Conditioning Journal and Publications. It’ll help separate best known fact from myth.

 

[0388631]

I used to be an ectomorph as a youngster. I had two speeds...full and sleep.

Sheldon's work was dismissed over a decade ago. Somatypes aren't really a thing. Energy use by the body varies by people, and people who presume they eat a lot and are thin don't actually eat a lot once their dietary intake is logged for 30-90 days. Whereas fatter individuals who presume they don't eat much in earnest or lying to themselves may not actually eat much in terms of volume, but will consume energy rich food.

Though the inverse is also true. A rail thin individual may go to Five Guys and consume a double cheeseburger with pickles, fries and shake, but won't eat anything the rest of the day except maybe some chips. Later on in the week, they may eat sparingly throughout the day or consume carbonated beverages which can expand the stomach and also hush down the hunger hormone that's released when your body wants food. This is contrary to studies involving mice and soda, but mice aren't an exact science and extrapolating data from mice studies to humans is sketchy.

In short, it isn't a thing. It was once believed to be, but unfortunately the myth has been continued for years. One thing to note about Sheldon was that he was a mere psychologist. Not a psychiatrist or other medical professional, and his types were mere theory.

In the same light you can get an obese individual to change their life and it's very likely with enough work they could spend the rest of their life thin as a rail.

The reason people get out of shape when they're older is due to a lot of internal issues as well as self-input problems. Laziness is one key factor.

If you at 55, I'm assuming, can be as active as a 20 YO while carrying a full time career as you do now, the energy output difference between you two isn't going to be big enough to make a vast difference months down the line. In other words, if both of you are relatively the same in height and weight (and to a point body composition), then both of you would lose the same weight in an 8 month time span, give or take 10 lb.

This is with the same activity levels, the same monitored diet, etc. I got pretty inactive just over a decade ago and my love for Belgian waffles, especially the Liege variety saw me gain weight rapidly and my cholesterol shoot up. These days I'm about as active as I was when I was in my early 20s, and that's before chasing after the kids for hours each day. I'm about as fit as I was then, and I drink less than I did then. Which probably saved my liver looking back on it now.
[doublepost=1546999710][/doublepost]

I wouldn’t discourage anyone from stretching but there’s plenty of research available on stretching and it’s benefit in injury prevention and performance.

If anyone is genuinely interested in information based on empirical research I recommend subscribing to the National Strength and Conditioning Journal and Publications. It’ll help separate best known fact from myth.

Stretching and generally warming your body up before physical exertion is key to preventing injury and actually getting your muscle contracts fired up. There's a wonderful book on body mechanics that focuses on contraction and stretching over time to allow you to do things you didn't think would be possible at a certain age and beyond. I can't remember the title now but it probably came out 20 years ago and it had the name of an animal in its title. It's a very well known book or was when I picked it up.
[doublepost=1546999878][/doublepost]

One thing I have been training quite regularly that have been neglected is my rear delts. Quite a few weightlifters have over developed front deltoids, and the rear delts are under developed, and what happens is, when they start pressing a heavier weight, the compression from the weight it puts a lot of stress on the shoulder joint, which then the front delts overcompensate due to the rear delts being under developed, which stresses the rotator cuff.

One Olympia bodybuilder who I notoriously follow, has mentioned that training rear delts almost alleviates 90% of shoulder pain over the course of time, and I found the best way to do that is using a peck deck reverse flies with a low weight/high rep and I also use free weights to Pre-train shoulders before training any chest workouts.

It also prevents your shoulders from rolling forward causing undue stress on your spinal column and lower back. It's likely you've seen people at work or civilians while on duty who have that forward rolled shoulder look and they neck droops down and forward before their head starts and they're often very young. That type of poor posture is common as you pointed out but also people who've never stepped inside a fitness center. A lot of it also has to do with using a computer or sitting at a desk all day long which induces various spinal issues, hip issues, the issue I brought up as an extension to what you said, etc.

 

[Gutwrench]

MR needs a facepalm emoji.

 

[44267547]

Shoulder rant ahead:

I think one of the biggest mistakes I see in the Gym that is a major contributor to shoulder pain and mistakes, is that I see males that walk into the gym, the first thing they do is walk over to the free weight area, (Where I am at the time) adjust the bench and they grab some of the heaviest dumbbells off the rack and start pressing without stretching or any warm ups whatsoever. They will complete 7/8 repetitions and then grab the next heaviest weight, repeat, ect. Then after a few sets, you can see that they are experiencing pain, because they grab towards the shoulder that is being problematic or nagging them, and then they stop lifting and move onto something else. [Which I have educated a few lifters on impingement stretches that help alleviate pain if I have the chance to talk to them, which you can see that they really appreciate the advice after the fact.]

So what’s my point?

Now, I’m not saying that these guys are not strong, which they are, but it has nothing to do with that and no one cares how strong you anyways, is has everything to do with ‘Ego-lifting’ and poor execution of not Pre-stretching, which makes a huge difference with Pre-stretching. It’s no different then getting ready to run for 5 miles without even taking the time to stretch, and then have a quad or a hamstring pull.

What I like to do, is after pre-stretching/training rear-delts, I always start with a much lower weight to warm up the chest , then I progressively move on to a higher set until I reach my max weight. Not also do I eliminate shoulder pain, but you properly warm up the chest with each set, which is another factor that if you tear a chest muscle, you’re done. (From my understanding, Most tears actually happen on the bench press when you start to heavy.)

Either way, The problem with shoulder pain for the majority, it doesn’t ‘just go away’. Not until you start training shoulders properly over the course of time with muscle maturity, and if you damage the underlying components with the rotator cuff, you may never be able to press again without having shoulder joint pain. It’s really about respecting your body and have ‘instinctive training’, which we all have to learn someway or another, but you have to use common sense well before picking up the heaviest weights.

Working smarter in the gym, will allow you to train harder. Fact.

 

[Huntn]

Workout Recovery- An eye opener on NPR's Science Friday today, they interviewed a sports expert who has studied workout recovery who says that studies show that icing your muscles after a strenuous workout, may ease pain, but does nothing but delay your recovery, because the body requires the inflammation to make repairs and the ice just slows that process down.

The eye opener part? Large studies reveals that stretching does nothing to avoid injury! I have a really hard time with this because I firmly believe that stretching besides helping to keep your limber, also makes you less likely to run into certain types of injuries. But note, I usually stretch after my workout. And I have no grounds to argue against this expert.

 

[0388631]

Workout Recovery- An eye opener on NPR's Science Friday today, they interviewed a sports expert who has studied workout recovery who says that studies show that icing your muscles after a strenuous workout, may ease pain, but does nothing but delay your recovery, because the body requires the inflammation to make repairs and the ice just slows that process down.

The eye opener part? Large studies reveals that stretching does nothing to avoid injury! I have a really hard time with this because I firmly believe that stretching besides helping to keep your limber, also makes you less likely to run into certain types of injuries. But I have no grounds to argue against this expert.

The first point is mostly correct. Inflammation is a recovery response. Medication like ibuprofen or aspirin can also slow down repair. As for the second point, they're also right. To warm up your muscles you need to move and no amount of static stretching will warm up your muscles. Stretching, however, is crucial when using your muscles for short bursts, such as weight lifting.

RICE and such were scrutinized about four or five years ago. The only thing I've ever taken for an injury is acetaminophen. Takes most of the pain away and allows the body to do its work.

 

[Huntn]

The first point is mostly correct. Inflammation is a recovery response. Medication like ibuprofen or aspirin can also slow down repair. As for the second point, they're also right. To warm up your muscles you need to move and no amount of static stretching will warm up your muscles. Stretching, however, is crucial when using your muscles for short bursts, such as weight lifting.

RICE and such were scrutinized about four or five years ago.

I usually stretch after my workout, for the next time I work out, because if I don't stretch, I seem to get tighter.

 

[0388631]

I usually stretch after my workout, for the next time.

I'd personally recommend foam rolling over stretching. At most, stretch in large areas of your body.

 

[44267547]

So, a New chapter begins for me: for quite sometime, I have been contemplating wanting to start bodybuilding

^ Update to this post (I snipped the majority of the contents) I started on July 18 of 2018.

So, where am I currently in my bodybuilding routine 8 months into April?

As of today, I officially had put on 15 pounds of muscle (minus the water weight), I started at 200 pounds, and I’m now just over 215. The goal is 20 pounds, which I still have another three months to achieve the last 5 pounds of muscle. [I average anywhere from 4000 to 5800 cal’ a day.]

I actually hit a plateau back in January, where I wasn’t really putting on any muscle/Weight, even given the intensity of my workouts. So I had to increase an extra meal during the day for a caloric intake of 500 more calories, which put me at 6 to 7 meals a day consisting mainly of chicken breast, eggs (Some times 10-12 whole eggs a day), bananas, Turkey meatballs, and at least two high calorie protein shakes. I eat almost every two hours, which my metabolism is working at a rapid pace.

Pro’s:

More than anything, putting on the extra Weight has allowed me to become that much stronger in the gym, increasing my weight capacity in lifting. I’ve been really fortunate to avoid any injuries, trying to use safe practices when lifting, and extensive pre-stretching.

I’ve learned a lot about my body, i.e- how it responds to my eating regiment, lifting routines. And more than anything what I’ve learned about bodybuilding, is the misconception “it’s about being in the gym”, when that is not true. A bodybuilder has the mindset even outside a gym with their dietary habits, sleeping habits, recovery times, cardio routines, etc.

Bodybuilding to me is not the most respected sport, because I think there are a lot of mis-guided ideas of what it really is, but I’ve learned it’s a lifestyle change the requires extreme dedication in _and_ outside the gym. (Some of my inspirations are from Pro’s like Arash Rahbar, Regan Grimes and Wessley Vissers).

Cons:

-It’s taking away my social life outside of work, where I train five days a week, investing 12 a week hours in the gym. The pay off has been there, but I haven’t been able to do the things I really want to sometimes given my obligation to my goal.

-The grocery bill is expensive

-The hardest part about bodybuilding for me, has not been the lifting in the gym, I actually enjoy that part more than anything and that’s not been a challenge for me to try to push myself to different limits. The hardest part for me actually has been the eating, and sometimes when you’re eating foods like eggs, chicken, turkey, those foods are boring, and I find it challenging to eat those foods on a consistent basis trying to make them dynamic and unique to various cooking styles, adding seasoning, etc.

It’s Very easy to ‘burn out’ of certain foods that you’re eating if you don’t change them up on a regular basis. Chicken and rice is the one the most unappealing things to me to look at right now, Being how much I’ve actually had to eat that on a regular basis.

Ultimate end goal:

It’s not even about putting on the 20 pounds of muscle, it’s the achievement that I can say that I ‘did it’. And even if I don’t gain the last 5 pounds of muscle that I am trying to put on, I know I at least gave it 110% all the time, every time.

And one day, I do hope to achieve my IFBB Pro card for bodybuilding . I think it’s doable, being I’m young, but bodybuilding is all about progression, and hopefully one day I can reach that point.


Fun fact:

Pineapple is a great inflammatory reducer for those who didn’t know that. I’m kind of an ‘All natural type of guy’, where I don’t take pain reducer’s or anything of that nature, and this is something that I learned from another classic bodybuilder.

 

[Huntn]

^ Update to this post (I snipped the majority of the contents) I started on July 18 of 2018.

So, where am I currently in my bodybuilding routine 8 months into April?

As of today, I officially had put on 15 pounds of muscle (minus the water weight), I started at 200 pounds, and I’m now just over 215. The goal is 20 pounds, which I still have another three months to achieve the last 5 pounds of muscle. [I average anywhere from 4000 to 5800 cal’ a day.]

I actually hit a plateau back in January, where I wasn’t really putting on any muscle/Weight, even given the intensity of my workouts. So I had to increase an extra meal during the day for a caloric intake of 500 more calories, which put me at 6 to 7 meals a day consisting mainly of chicken breast, eggs (Some times 10-12 whole eggs a day), bananas, Turkey meatballs, and at least two high calorie protein shakes. I eat almost every two hours, which my metabolism is working at a rapid pace.

Pro’s:

More than anything, putting on the extra Weight has allowed me to become that much stronger in the gym, increasing my weight capacity in lifting. I’ve been really fortunate to avoid any injuries, trying to use safe practices when lifting, and extensive pre-stretching.

I’ve learned a lot about my body, i.e- how it responds to my eating regiment, lifting routines. And more than anything what I’ve learned about bodybuilding, is the misconception “it’s about being in the gym”, when that is not true. A bodybuilder has the mindset even outside a gym with their dietary habits, sleeping habits, recovery times, cardio routines, etc.

Bodybuilding to me is not the most respected sport, because I think there are a lot of mis-guided ideas of what it really is, but I’ve learned it’s a lifestyle change the requires extreme dedication in _and_ outside the gym. (Some of my inspirations are from Pro’s like Arash Rahbar, Regan Grimes and Wessley Vissers).

Cons:

-It’s taking away my social life outside of work, where I train five days a week, investing 12 hours in the gym. The pay off has been there, but I haven’t been able to do the things I really want to sometimes given my obligation to my goal.

-The grocery bill is expensive

-The hardest part about bodybuilding for me, has not been the lifting in the gym, I actually enjoy that part more than anything and that’s not been a challenge for me to try to push myself to different limits. The hardest part for me actually has been the eating, and sometimes when you’re eating foods like eggs, chicken, turkey, those foods are boring, and I find it challenging to eat those foods on a consistent basis trying to make them dynamic and unique to various cooking styles, adding seasoning, etc.

It’s Very easy to ‘burn out’ of certain foods that you’re eating if you don’t change them up on a regular basis. Chicken and rice is the one the most unappealing things to me to look at right now, Being how much I’ve actually had to eat that on a regular basis.

Ultimate end goal:

It’s not even about putting on the 20 pounds of muscle, it’s the achievement that I can say that I ‘did it’. And even if I don’t gain the last 5 pounds of muscle that I am trying to put on, I know I at least gave it 110% all the time, every time.

And one day, I do hope to achieve my IFBB Pro card for bodybuilding . I think it’s doable, being I’m young, but bodybuilding is all about progression, and hopefully one day I can reach that point.


Fun fact:

Pineapple is a great inflammatory reducer for those who didn’t know that. I’m kind of an ‘All natural type of guy’, where I don’t take pain reducer’s or anything of that nature, and this is something that I learned from another classic bodybuilder.

What is the 1FBB Pro Card and how do you get one?

 

[obeygiant]

I'll continue to stretch thank you

 

[44267547]

What is the 1FBB Pro Card and how do you get one?

1.) IFBB= ‘International Federation of bodybuilders.’

2.) You have to participate in regional contests for your specific weight class and place a certain rank to be cordially invited to national/international contests. Some constests are localized or at a higher level. It depends on your location.

 

[Conutz]

Seems like it’s going really well for you! I’ve been weight training (not bodybuilding, seriously, at least) for the last few years and I can certainly attest to the sacrifices required to keep progressing. So well done for sticking with it and best wishes for reaching your objective. The positive spin is that discipline is a valuable asset/trait for life in general

Coincidently I achieved a personal squat best today, getting to 100kg (220 lbs) for 4 reps and 3 sets (final sets - 3 previous were at 95kg, 5-6 reps). Approaching mid-40’s I’m pretty proud of that, but will keep trying to go higher.

 

[Dodgeman]

1.) IFBB= ‘International Federation of bodybuilders.’

2.) You have to participate in regional contests for your specific weight class and place a certain rank to be cordially invited to national/international contests. Some constests are localized or at a higher level. It depends on your location.

You're young. How young are you?

 

[Huntn]

Because of some reporting about the possible negative effect of artificial sweeteners on gut microbes, I stopped drinking artificially flavored beverages. Recently I purchased a few Bai Antioxidant Cocofusion drinks and after the fact noticed that they include something called Stevia Plant extract (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287251.php) , a sweetener, but is it technically artificial and is it different than surculose?

​

And surculose (https://foodinsight.org/what-is-sucralose/

), made from sugar, is it any worse for you? No, clue, how do you decide what is healthy or not? Anyone an expert on artificial sweeteners?​

 

[0388631]

Sucralose is artificial; it's modified sucrose. Brand name is Splenda.

Stevia extract or Stevia anything is derived from a plant. Sugar alcohols are natural sugars, too, despite people saying otherwise. Unless you're sucking on sugar beets or cane all day long, all the sugar you consume is heavily processed. That said, I'd try out Stevia if I were you. Ideally look for a brand that offers it with zero filler. Brands tends to process theirs differently. Shop around.

For stuff like coffee, I'd stick with regular sugar unless you can handle sugar alcohols. I don't recommend stevia in coffee. You can go to Home Depot or any nursery and buy stevia plants and chew on the leaves. They're quite sweet.

The real benefit sugar alcohols have that I could bring up are their anti-cariogenic properties. Otherwise, they can cost a tidy sum over time if you've got a real sweet tooth.

I'd be wary of any claims about gut bacteria dying off since that happens at regular intervals and studies done on non-humans and extrapolated are incredibly sketchy. The Ben Gurion University study you likely read about is a bit misleading. To experience gut bacteria die off, you'd need to consume uncut sweetener in a large single dose for it to begin having an effect. We're talking about several pounds of the stuff, and again, uncut. What you see in those packets is a tiny sprinkle filled out by maltodextrin, which makes up 99.9% of what you see.


To put this in perspective for you, stevia, the natural sweetener I use instead of sugar 99% of the time (because I need to watch my waistline too!) is fairly sweet. On my current bottle it says 35 mg is enough for 8 oz of fluid, and I find this sweet using half a scoop using the included small scoop. Baker's tablespoon is 15-17 grams. 1,000 mg per gram. And unless I've done the math wrong, 1 TBSP at 15 grams is enough to sweeten about 440 cups of fluid.

Going back to the artificial stuff, the packets of Equal or Splenda have maybe 10 grains of pure whatever they use with the rest filled in with filler powder. You can buy pure sucralose powder, but it's incredibly pricey. I remember doing the theoretical math of a fatal dose past the supposed LD50 (for sugar) of a human adult male at a regular weight in good health. It doesn't take as much as you think to cause serious issues. Nausea might be an issue but since you'd be forcing their consumption with a tube shoved down their throat against their will it wouldn't matter.

 

[Huntn]

Sucralose is artificial; it's modified sucrose. Brand name is Splenda.

Stevia extract or Stevia anything is derived from a plant. Sugar alcohols are natural sugars, too, despite people saying otherwise. Unless you're sucking on sugar beets or cane all day long, all the sugar you consume is heavily processed. That said, I'd try out Stevia if I were you. Ideally look for a brand that offers it with zero filler. Brands tends to process theirs differently. Shop around.

For stuff like coffee, I'd stick with regular sugar unless you can handle sugar alcohols. I don't recommend stevia in coffee. You can go to Home Depot or any nursery and buy stevia plants and chew on the leaves. They're quite sweet.

The real benefit sugar alcohols have that I could bring up are their anti-cariogenic properties. Otherwise, they can cost a tidy sum over time if you've got a real sweet tooth.

I'd be wary of any claims about gut bacteria dying off since that happens at regular intervals and studies done on non-humans and extrapolated are incredibly sketchy. The Ben Gurion University study you likely read about is a bit misleading. To experience gut bacteria die off, you'd need to consume uncut sweetener in a large single dose for it to begin having an effect. We're talking about several pounds of the stuff, and again, uncut. What you see in those packets is a tiny sprinkle filled out by maltodextrin, which makes up 99.9% of what you see.


To put this in perspective for you, stevia, the natural sweetener I use instead of sugar 99% of the time (because I need to watch my waistline too!) is fairly sweet. On my current bottle it says 35 mg is enough for 8 oz of fluid, and I find this sweet using half a scoop using the included small scoop. Baker's tablespoon is 15-17 grams. 1,000 mg per gram. And unless I've done the math wrong, 1 TBSP at 15 grams is enough to sweeten about 440 cups of fluid.

Going back to the artificial stuff, the packets of Equal or Splenda have maybe 10 grains of pure whatever they use with the rest filled in with filler powder. You can buy pure sucralose powder, but it's incredibly pricey. I remember doing the theoretical math of a fatal dose past the supposed LD50 of a human adult male at a regular weight in good health. It doesn't take as much as you think to cause serious issues. Nausea might be an issue but since you'd be forcing their consumption with a tube shoved down their throat against their will it wouldn't matter.

It was the gut bacteria claims, how the left over bad microbes could actually make you crave sweets, is what motivated me to stop drinking artificial sweeteners. Maybe, I won’t worry about stevia.

 

[0388631]

It was the gut bacteria claims, how the left over bad microbes could actually make you crave sweets, is what motivated me to stop drinking artificial sweeteners. Maybe, I won’t worry about stevia.

I remember reading that study, too. I think it has some merit, but I didn't believe most of the claims and I recall its methodology being flawed. If you have a sweet tooth, you're going to crave whatever it is you want. For the sake of changing dietary habits, I'd recommend moderation over time rather than cutting out foods you enjoy. It's a lot wiser to consume 3 scoops of ice cream on a Saturday night rather than not eat any for weeks and then eat a half gallon of that Humboldt Creamery ice cream hanging out in the refrigerator drizzled with hot fudge or caramel sauce.

Generally, if you find yourself consuming food you shouldn't be in excess that would cause weight gain, then there are other issues afoot. And those cravings aren't cravings but some way of your brain trying to get you to focus on food rather than your issue. I'd say stress is the biggest contributor to bad eating habits.

I'm fairly in-shape for my age demographic. What do I eat when I'm stressed? Chips and pretzels. They're also a major weakness for me.

 

[Huntn]

I remember reading that study, too. I think it has some merit, but I didn't believe most of the claims and I recall its methodology being flawed. If you have a sweet tooth, you're going to crave whatever it is you want. For the sake of changing dietary habits, I'd recommend moderation over time rather than cutting out foods you enjoy. It's a lot wiser to consume 3 scoops of ice cream on a Saturday night rather than not eat any for weeks and then eat a half gallon of that Humboldt Creamery ice cream hanging out in the refrigerator drizzled with hot fudge or caramel sauce.

Generally, if you find yourself consuming food you shouldn't be in excess that would cause weight gain, then there are other issues afoot. And those cravings aren't cravings but some way of your brain trying to get you to focus on food rather than your issue. I'd say stress is the biggest contributor to bad eating habits.

I'm fairly in-shape for my age demographic. What do I eat when I'm stressed? Chips and pretzels. They're also a major weakness for me.

Yes, I’ve stopped cutting out sweets completely as a strategy, and instead focus on quantity and frequency, realizing, I must never let my guard down. I view my sweet tooth as an addiction.

 

[obeygiant]

no sugar, no processed, no dairy. lots of water.


watch the weight melt off

 

[0388631]

Yes, I’ve stopped cutting out sweets completely as a strategy, and instead focus on quantity and frequency, realizing, I must never let my guard down. I view my sweet tooth as an addiction.

Yeah, I used to have a huge sweet tooth when I was much younger. Ate it all but I was active. I think as you get older, you generally prefer to eat special sweet stuff during special occasions. I can usually cut the sugar by half in most recipes and it still tastes good. The walnut cranberry bran muffin I always get at a coffee shop by work is fairly low on sugar, too. Maybe somewhat bland.

I think the only time I don't care about sugar is:

1. Really good homemade carrot cake.
2. Really good homemade cheesecake.

And I suppose having two young kids keeps me on my feet more than sitting down, watching the game, and stuffing myself with snack mix. Honestly, your situation does not surprise me. Most former airline pilots I've known over the years have had similar issues as you are right now. I think it's a combination of high calorie, high sugar, lots of coffee over a 20-50 year career that causes these issues.