QuestionQUESTION: Lawrence
At 51 I was almost ready to throw in the towel. After years of 'eating right'-no junk, refined carbs, saturated fat, etc.
My weight kept creeping up. Lack of exercise was not an issue as I used to jog on my treadmill 3 times a week.
I decided it was genetic.
Recently I developed high blood pressure and pre diabetes. My doctor was no help-he just said do do what I have already been doing.
After researching my problem I came across 'metabolic syndrome' also known as insulin resistance.
I have been following the dietary reccomendations, mainly giving up red meat, wheat, increasing dairy, and instead of running I walk for an hour a day now.
I have started to slowly lose weight!
I find this amazing as I am eating the same amount of total calories-maybe more since I used to shun cheese, and the same amount of exercise or less because now I just walk more.
Other than what I see online I have heard no mention of 'metabolic syndrome' in the media. Also, giving up red meat isnt an option for many people,and bread IS a staple, but I am sure it has made a differance.
I know a Chines couple and they eat mainly rice, fish chicken, and vegetables-a traditional diet. No bread and very little meat except a bit of diced lean pork.
Maybe this is how everybody should eat?
Thanks for your thoughts!
ANSWER: Diet, exercise, age, and physical disorders such as Diabetes and Hypertension can be hard to deal with sometimes and very frustrating to understand. I see that from what you are telling me that you are most likely doing many things right and that is to be commended. I will talk to you about some things that might help you.
The first thing is knowing what you metabolic rate is doing. I would tell you to get a RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate ) done to determine how much calories you are using per day without doing any activity. This calculation is done by measuring your oxygen intake and output on a simple machine.Most gyms charge you about $40 to do this test, but it will tell you if your metabolism is sluggish.
As for diets, vegetarian diets are great if you can manage them properly. I do agree with you on the Red Meat, I would stay away from frequent consumption, it takes to long to digest and other negative things.As for bread 100% whole wheat is a good choice ,organic of course. If you are Insulin resistant keep it to one slice per day and monitor your carb and sugar intake. A great tool to help you with this, is the Glycemic index and Glycemic load. Also the Asian diet is a pretty good one, but not the one in the regular Chinese restaurants they are loaded with MSG, which could raise you Blood Pressure. Cheese has a lot of good things in it especially for vegetarians but it also has a lot of fat which is bad for your blood pressure also. You can eat cheese but portion control is key.Fish is a great way to lose weight and keep your heart healthy and skin looking young.Feel free to write back if you are looking for specifics on anything.
I hope this can help you take care and good luck.
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QUESTION: Lawrence
Your answer had a lot of common sense and I will heed your advice.
Regarding the RMR, I contacted the two gyms in my area and neither have the equipment to do this, so I did the formula on an online site.
Apparently I should be eating over 2000 calories a day.
I MUST have a slow metabolism as I couldnt eat this much, and on the few occasions when I did like at Xmas I was so full I couldnt move.
My sister however is 5'2" and 150 pounds dripping wet, and she eats this much or more every day and is very sedentary so she must have a fast metabolism.
I have noticed that potatoes especially slow me down and give me a lot of gas and bloating. My sister and I ate a lot of potatoes as kids, including chips, but I was the chubby one. Could I be intolerant to potatoes? Cant find any info on that online, but I did notice they also have a high glycemic index, but so does rice which I can eat bowels of to no ill effect. Chinese people dont eat many potatoes but lots of rice, maybe I have some gene or something...
Thanks again, have a nice summer!
AnswerRMR on the computer is slightly less accurate then the actually physical test. What area do you live in? I will try to find a place for you to get it done using my computer.In still other cases the computer test can be very off. If the actual test says 2000 calories then 2000 calories it truly is, and at that point then it is about the food you are eating. Potatoes are very high on the glycemic index and so is rice, but the affect they have is on the spike in your insulin levels, these foods have a very sharp upward spike and then a very quick drastic drop, which doesn't allow your body to adjust quick enough to handle it. After many years of these drops you develop insulin resistance and then possibly diabetes if the habits are not corrected.
I have found that if you eat low glycemic index foods such as salad or some other type of greens then it will help you level the effect of the high glycemic potatoes. When it comes to different types of food people do not always react the same way, food that may be bad for you may be fine for others and vice versa.It is truly a trial by error. The guidelines on what foods spike your sugar levels and what ones do not are just that a guideline. There are always exceptions to the rule.In general they are usually mostly accurate.
One thing I must say is that a female who is 5'2 150 lbs is over weight by 15 pounds.When it comes to Metabolic rate women in general have a harder time then men because men normally have more muscle thus causing more calories to be burned off. That may also help you to know that more muscle burns more calories. I hope this helps but as I said if you give me your town or area name I will try to assist you, also if there is any other question feel free to ask I am happy to help.
Larry
