Food Management, Diet & Health

[Intoscience]

So, I have always been interested in keeping fit and healthy, exercise, diets, food management and the short/long term effects on health. 

I'm an active person, reasonably athletic and have, in general, kept myself in reasonable shape (though not strictly consistent, and recently due to the covid restrictions). Although I'm quite knowledgeable on exercising and keeping fit through activity etc..., my knowledge of diet and food management is limited to what I've read in popular magazines and the fads of diets etc... over the years. I have maintained what I felt was a reasonable diet though again not strictly consistent. I have also experimented in the past with the odd fad diet, though this has always been short lived as most diets I have experienced tend to be unachievable over the long term and often only result in brief short term results.

Cutting to the chase,

However, I'm at that "age" now where my body likes to store fat around the mid region, in spite of my efforts to keep it low level I struggle to maintain a trim waist line and I'm also concerned about developing diabetes. So recently I have upped my exercise regime to a level I can maintain (injury or ill health aside) consistently for the foreseeable.  But along with this I have been looking in depth at my diet. I don't want to do a fad diet that just gets rid of the fat fast, I want to manage my food in a way that can be consistent and healthy for the rest of my life. 

I have been looking at intermittent fasting, ketosis (low carb high fat) the types of foods to eat and those to avoid etc... (especially for my age and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes).

There seems to be some confliction, since this is big business and people can be easily drawn into fads. I'm currently doing the intermittent fasting along with a low carb - high fat diet, and I'm already seeing some benefits from this. I also feel that I could maintain this life style change quite easily, but my concerns are now for the possible negative effects of my long term health.

 Do any of you good folks have any views, knowledge and/or experience in this?  

[iNow]

Am not an expert either, but have been managing my own type 1 diabetes for decades now. Only thing I'd add to your thoughtful approach is try replacing those fats with vegetables wherever you can. Basically, high fat low carb is okay, but high fiber vitamin rich vegetables and low carb is even better. The fats have peripheral effects on blood pressure and artery blocking. Good luck, and hopefully someone who knows more will weigh in

[Peterkin]

Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, cooking from scratch, and lots of time spent among trees.

Simple is best, I think: less self-obsessing (which tends to be stressful), less remembering what goes with what and comes next (which occupies brain cells that could be more happily employed) and less effort to maintain (complication tends to cause high failure and non-compliance rates.)

[Phi for All]

10 minutes ago, Peterkin said:

Simple is best, I think: less self-obsessing (which tends to be stressful),

We need to remember that lots of obsessive behavior is cause by just how freaking smart we are. We question, we analyze, we sift through our experiences, we make reasoned judgements, we make sure to dot and cross where applicable, and we hopefully apply our compulsions in ways that are meaningful. At a certain point we need to accept that we're prepared for what may come, and stop checking that list more than three times.

[Peterkin]

As long as you're managing the condition, that's fine.

[TheVat]

This was part of my job for several years.   It's a huge topic,  so I will just make a couple observations.

The sixteen hour thing works.   Late breakfast,  early supper,  fast from,  say, 5pm till 9am.  Even 14 hours is good. Once you've gotten used to it,  it's nice and simple.

High fiber is key, as INow noted.   Some complex carbs are okay,  but avoid white flour and white rice.   Avoid corn entirely,  if you can.   Root vegetables are great,  if not processed. 

Fats - it's all about good fats.   Unsaturated,  plenty of MUFA, plenty of PUFA with as much omega-3 PUFA as you can (walnuts,  flax seed oil, chia seeds, oily cold-water fish, canola oil,  nothing fried) 

If you are vegan,  algal oil can be subbed for fish oil, as it has the DHA and EPA forms of omega-3 as fish does,  which is more bioavailable to humans than plant om3s.

Don't skimp too much on fats,  because if you do the gnawing hunger pangs will send you right back to previous bad habits.   Fat is essential and the primary vehicle of flavor.  Good fats don't elevate BP.  Olive oil is linked to drops in BP,  in fact.   If you like Mediterranean cuisine,  it has a lot of all this built in,  and it's easy to substitute wholegrain pasta for white.   Or sub "riced" vegetables, which are becoming popular, especially riced cauliflower.  

And don't forget to go off the rails once a week or so.   

 

ETA:  Oh,  and ginger and turmeric are useful metabolic boosters,  and good for you in multiple ways.   And taste good.   If you're older and male, consult with your prostate first,  however.   Some prostates act up around spices.   

[Intoscience]

17 hours ago, iNow said:

Am not an expert either, but have been managing my own type 1 diabetes for decades now. Only thing I'd add to your thoughtful approach is try replacing those fats with vegetables wherever you can. Basically, high fat low carb is okay, but high fiber vitamin rich vegetables and low carb is even better. The fats have peripheral effects on blood pressure and artery blocking. Good luck, and hopefully someone who knows more will weigh in

I've always eaten plenty of veg and a good variety of them, so all good there. 

Thanks

16 hours ago, Phi for All said:

We need to remember that lots of obsessive behavior is cause by just how freaking smart we are. We question, we analyze, we sift through our experiences, we make reasoned judgements, we make sure to dot and cross where applicable, and we hopefully apply our compulsions in ways that are meaningful. At a certain point we need to accept that we're prepared for what may come, and stop checking that list more than three times.

+1 

I'm terrible for "over analysing" and I do get obsessed with certain things. I'm sort of an all in or all out sort of person, when I'm in I give 100% but I can soon get despondent upon failure, which is something I need to learn to accept. One of the reasons I participate in forums such as this is because the majority of folk on here are smarter than me, so I hope to learn and improve my own intelligence from it.   

15 hours ago, TheVat said:

This was part of my job for several years.   It's a huge topic,  so I will just make a couple observations.

The sixteen hour thing works.   Late breakfast,  early supper,  fast from,  say, 5pm till 9am.  Even 14 hours is good. Once you've gotten used to it,  it's nice and simple.

High fiber is key, as INow noted.   Some complex carbs are okay,  but avoid white flour and white rice.   Avoid corn entirely,  if you can.   Root vegetables are great,  if not processed. 

Fats - it's all about good fats.   Unsaturated,  plenty of MUFA, plenty of PUFA with as much omega-3 PUFA as you can (walnuts,  flax seed oil, chia seeds, oily cold-water fish, canola oil,  nothing fried) 

If you are vegan,  algal oil can be subbed for fish oil, as it has the DHA and EPA forms of omega-3 as fish does,  which is more bioavailable to humans than plant om3s.

Don't skimp too much on fats,  because if you do the gnawing hunger pangs will send you right back to previous bad habits.   Fat is essential and the primary vehicle of flavor.  Good fats don't elevate BP.  Olive oil is linked to drops in BP,  in fact.   If you like Mediterranean cuisine,  it has a lot of all this built in,  and it's easy to substitute wholegrain pasta for white.   Or sub "riced" vegetables, which are becoming popular, especially riced cauliflower.  

And don't forget to go off the rails once a week or so.   

 

ETA:  Oh,  and ginger and turmeric are useful metabolic boosters,  and good for you in multiple ways.   And taste good.   If you're older and male, consult with your prostate first,  however.   Some prostates act up around spices.   

Thank you for this,

This is pretty much what I have read from the actual doctors rather than the fad pushers. I'm doing the 16:8 regular and then throw in a 24 hour one every so often then at the weekend I have one day where I just eat how I feel and in line with my family. I'm not starving myself, but I'm trying to remain strict and consistent without putting myself under too much pressure. As I stated I'm prone to going all out on things and finding myself burned out or disillusioned. The reason I posted this thread is because I want to take a more methodical approach which will give me the results I'm looking for (well as best as possible) that I can maintain for the rest of my life without detriment to my health and wellbeing, but rather improve my health and wellbeing.

In addition because I'm seeing some results people have commented, some positive some negative (as expected) but also some have asked on what I'm doing and what advice I can offer them. The last thing I want to do is suggest something that's not helpful or could be harmful!     

16 hours ago, Peterkin said:

Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, cooking from scratch, and lots of time spent among trees.

Simple is best, I think: less self-obsessing (which tends to be stressful), less remembering what goes with what and comes next (which occupies brain cells that could be more happily employed) and less effort to maintain (complication tends to cause high failure and non-compliance rates.)

Obsession is something I do suffer with, not particularly my appearance, though this thread may suggest this. It's rather my health and fitness that is my main concern and I have been guilty many times of over doing things. This time I want to keep it simple, consistent and long term.   

[Peterkin]

7 hours ago, Intoscience said:

This time I want to keep it simple, consistent and long term. 

Great! You do live longer if you relax a bit. Once a concern has been addressed, leave it alone and move on. That may take some practice, but it's a worthwhile aim. 

 It sounds as if you've been wrestling with the diet question for a long time. You will already have collected a huge pile of information, and been sorting through it all methodically, trying out this regimen and that, asking advice, considering options, etc. That's all done. You already have a pretty good idea what doesn't work, and have discarded those methods. So you're down to a couple of routines that do work. Pick the more pleasant one, and trust yourself to stay with that as long as it delivers the desired results. The key phrase: Trust yourself. It's working - you can stop fixing it.  

Of course you will find something else to obsess over - if you're that sort of personality, it's inevitable. But it's also okay, because, while a perennial unsolved problem is stressful, every new challenge is exhilarating, liberating, rejuvenating. It's only deciding when to move on that's hard.  

[Intoscience]

18 hours ago, Peterkin said:

Great! You do live longer if you relax a bit. Once a concern has been addressed, leave it alone and move on. That may take some practice, but it's a worthwhile aim. 

 It sounds as if you've been wrestling with the diet question for a long time. You will already have collected a huge pile of information, and been sorting through it all methodically, trying out this regimen and that, asking advice, considering options, etc. That's all done. You already have a pretty good idea what doesn't work, and have discarded those methods. So you're down to a couple of routines that do work. Pick the more pleasant one, and trust yourself to stay with that as long as it delivers the desired results. The key phrase: Trust yourself. It's working - you can stop fixing it.  

Of course you will find something else to obsess over - if you're that sort of personality, it's inevitable. But it's also okay, because, while a perennial unsolved problem is stressful, every new challenge is exhilarating, liberating, rejuvenating. It's only deciding when to move on that's hard.  

Thanks, I appreciate your support!

Well they say stress is a big factor in poor health, so taking a more relaxed approach is something I want to aim for. The difficulty for me is in the balancing - obsession, commitment, stress, disappointment...    

[iNow]

3 hours ago, Intoscience said:

The difficulty for me is in the balancing - obsession, commitment, stress, disappointment...    

I recommend trying one at a time instead of all at once  

[Peterkin]

^^ Exactly! According to Major Winchester: "Do one thing at a time, do it very well, then move on." 

The very difficult trick is to decide when a task is finished. Like the artist who is dabbing on just one more touch of blue even as the painting is being hung in the gallery. How to make that end-point a little easier is to post the next item on the agenda well ahead of time. Giving yourself a new project really helps in letting go.