Realistic about diet , exercise and lifestyle changes

[Taffyboyslim]

I am 55 . I played a lot of sport in school but since going away to university I havnt looked after myself with regard to diet and exercise .

So two months ago I was diagnosed with type 2 . It certainly shocked me .....but it wasn't a surprise . Add a lack of exercise and activity onto an adult lifetime of fast food , Chinese, Indian and fish and chips and I arrived at being 17 and a half stone and 6 foot tall .

That weight would be OK if I was a body builder but I am not . In fact I am actually quite skinny .

But it is what it is , I take responsibility and its what happens next that matters , not what I did to lead me here .

I think the most difficult part of this journey is accepting that I may not be able to get rid of the 3 stone I have been told I need to lose . And in fact my GP said he would prefer me to look away from the scales when I was weighed by the nurse if it was going to stress me out .

Following my diagnosis I bought a few mens health and men's fitness magazines . Reading this is daunting . The cover and inside cover models have amazing physiques .....they clearly have looked after themselves in terms of exercise and diet and in my opinion probably had a genetic disposition towards being muscular in the same way I had a genetic disposition towards being thin . No amount of pumping iron in the gym will get me strong and a candidate for a body perfect contest . And it's the same I am sure for so many women ?

That's not to give up and throw in the towel but just a sense of being realistic . I think diet IS something that through hard work we can change . But I am trying to be honest about what I can achieve through going to the gym .....hate it .....swimming .....like it but find it boring .......and exercise like walking .....can be a gentle or vigorous as one chooses .

I wish everyone good luck

 

[Gwynn]

Yup the realisation that the lifestyle has to change going forwards can be very daunting. However, you sound like you are looking at it all with some determination and a sense of reality.

Whatever you decide to do it has to be maintainable and enjoyable. Me, I walk whilst listening to music. Without the music I would struggle with boredom. I couldn't do a gym workout...I couldn't afford it let alone exercise well. I like swimming but again it is very boring and I hate cold water!!!

I wish you well and do let us know what you decide and how you get on.

Oh, and lots of great advice and support here too.

 

[Vonny]

Bin the health and fitness magazines asap!!! Full of impossibly sculpted people, and who on earth wants to be one of those anyway?
I just walk. It's something I can do without sweating (except in this heatwave!). I have a library full of different walking paces on my phone to vary the walk, mostly rapid ones but sometimes a gentle amble.
It seemed incredibly daunting when I first cut down the carbs and took to the pavements but it's just a way of life now, and I thank my lucky stars every day when I'm out walking that I am fit and healthy.
Best of luck to you...your determination will see you through

 

[Taffyboyslim]

Yup the realisation that the lifestyle has to change going forwards can be very daunting. However, you sound like you are looking at it all with some determination and a sense of reality.

Whatever you decide to do it has to be maintainable and enjoyable. Me, I walk whilst listening to music. Without the music I would struggle with boredom. I couldn't do a gym workout...I couldn't afford it let alone exercise well. I like swimming but again it is very boring and I hate cold water!!!

I wish you well and do let us know what you decide and how you get on.

Oh, and lots of great advice and support here too.

I find the hassle of getting to the gym or pool such an ordeal . Walking is so user friendly ....a quick half an hour if you are rushed , a stretch in the country , a walk around the shops , off to the hills for a hike ......and it's all free . I admire people who run , swim or lift weights but it's not for me .

The main cause of me getting a diagnosis was my life long diet of junk . That's something I can definitely do something about every day but my dreams of being in Mr Muscles 2023 are sadly over . But I can deal with that .

 

[helli]

It is often said that the best exercise is the one that you enjoy.
It may be going to the gym or swimming pool. It may be walking as you have found @Taffyboyslim . Some may enjoy the social side of learning to dance. Others enjoy pottering in the garden. I have even heard of (but never met) some people who enjoy housework - a good spring clean burns a lot of calories.

I also remember that exercise is about more than just losing weight or building muscles - it is also about releasing feel good endorphins, it may also be about socialising (you can have a great natter with your mates on a walk) or saving money (walking is cheaper than driving) as well as getting your heart rate up which can improve your heart health too and improving your core strength means you are less likely to fall over.

 

[Taffyboyslim]

Bin the health and fitness magazines asap!!! Full of impossibly sculpted people, and who on earth wants to be one of those anyway?
I just walk. It's something I can do without sweating (except in this heatwave!). I have a library full of different walking paces on my phone to vary the walk, mostly rapid ones but sometimes a gentle amble.
It seemed incredibly daunting when I first cut down the carbs and took to the pavements but it's just a way of life now, and I thank my lucky stars every day when I'm out walking that I am fit and healthy.
Best of luck to you...your determination will see you through

I would love to have a better body but at 55 with a lifetime of poor diet and a lack of exercise it ain't going to happen . These health and fitness magazines are a complete con in my view ......OK for advice on healthy eating but most of the people in the pages are incredibly fit and strong already . Going to the gym and seeing more of these types is even less of an appeal .

Walking in the depths of winter can be tough but a bit of rain is no problem

 

[Taffyboyslim]

It is often said that the best exercise is the one that you enjoy.
It may be going to the gym or swimming pool. It may be walking as you have found @Taffyboyslim . Some may enjoy the social side of learning to dance. Others enjoy pottering in the garden. I have even heard of (but never met) some people who enjoy housework - a good spring clean burns a lot of calories.

I also remember that exercise is about more than just losing weight or building muscles - it is also about releasing feel good endorphins, it may also be about socialising (you can have a great natter with your mates on a walk) or saving money (walking is cheaper than driving) as well as getting your heart rate up which can improve your heart health too and improving your core strength means you are less likely to fall over.

For those of us over 50 walking is the best core workout there is apparently

 

[helli]

For those of us over 50 walking is the best core workout there is apparently

I think walking is a great activity for core strength and more. But it is not the only one. I don't know how you would define "best for core strength" but, in addition to walking:
- My mother is 80 this week. She partakes in Tai Chi twice a week and has amazing core strength.
- I am over 50 and love climbing to assist with my core strength.

We are both lucky that we have never stopped exercising in some way. I was brought up to walk or cycle rather than relying on my parents for lifts and continued in the same vein - I have a car but it rarely moves.

 

[ianf0ster]

@Taffyboyslim If your have around 3 stone to lose, then you should find it reasonably easy to accomplish just by taking the NHS suggested minimum exercise ( brisk walk for 30 min 5 times per week) and a low carb way of eating with no calorie restriction - just eat to your Blood Glucose meter.
I was a TOFI (Thin outside Fat Inside ) T2 just a few lbs into being 'overweight' when diagnosed, having slowly gained weight on the Low Fat eating that my GP (and it seems almost everybody) advised. I'd gone from BMI of 22 to a BMI of a littler over 26 in about 16yrs.
On Low Carb I lost 1/6th of my weight in about 6 months and put my diabetes into remission with no additional exercise.

 

[Taffyboyslim]

I think walking is a great activity for core strength and more. But it is not the only one. I don't know how you would define "best for core strength" but, in addition to walking:
- My mother is 80 this week. She partakes in Tai Chi twice a week and has amazing core strength.
- I am over 50 and love climbing to assist with my core strength.

We are both lucky that we have never stopped exercising in some way. I was brought up to walk or cycle rather than relying on my parents for lifts and continued in the same vein - I have a car but it rarely moves.

There are not a lot of 80 year old with great core strength. Sit ups and the plank are not doable for a lot of people my age and above but walking is .

 

[Taffyboyslim]

@Taffyboyslim If your have around 3 stone to lose, then you should find it reasonably easy to accomplish just by taking the NHS suggested minimum exercise ( brisk walk for 30 min 5 times per week) and a low carb way of eating with no calorie restriction - just eat to your Blood Glucose meter.
I was a TOFI (Thin outside Fat Inside ) T2 just a few lbs into being 'overweight' when diagnosed, having slowly gained weight on the Low Fat eating that my GP (and it seems almost everybody) advised. I'd gone from BMI of 22 to a BMI of a littler over 26 in about 16yrs.
On Low Carb I lost 1/6th of my weight in about 6 months and put my diabetes into remission with no additional exercise.

I think my diet is key and by making some changes I will be on the way to improving my health which is my goal . I don't see the point .....and this is what my thread is about ....of setting a target like 4 stone off by 2024 if my genetic make up and other circumstances mean its just not achievable .

 

[ianf0ster]

Perhaps you really are in the minority for whom a Low Carb way of eating doesn't significantly reduce excess weight. It seems unlikely to me since that minority is really quite small, unlike the huge numbers for whom 'traditional dieting' causes longer term weight gain. Or those who find that they gain weight by exercising more - either they eat more because feel more hungry after burning extra calories or they put on muscle mass more than they reduce fat.

But in any case the most important thing is to be more healthy - so the reduction in HbA1C matters more than the weight, at least in the medium term.

 

[Drummer]

I was diagnosed in 2016 so I was 65 years old.
I just went back to eating low carb.
There was no conscious alteration in exercise no calorie reduction - just concentrated on keeping blood glucose in the normal range and having a wide variety of low carb vegs, some berries, along with the protein and fat.
I had stopped weighing myself some 6 months earlier as I was put on a high carb low fat diet and was putting on weight at a great rate - I was almost spherical.
When my clothes started to fall off I realised that something had changed.
These days I eat twice a day, am never hungry and feel well enough to go back to work which in the present circumstances is a life saver.
I tell myself that I should weigh myself to see how much more I have lost than the original 50 lb I can swear to losing, but it has always been such a thing to beat me with that I decide not to every time.
I happily remake my clothes smaller from time to time, that is not an issue.

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

I was diagnosed in 2016 so I was 65 years old.
I just went back to eating low carb.
There was no conscious alteration in exercise no calorie reduction - just concentrated on keeping blood glucose in the normal range and having a wide variety of low carb vegs, some berries, along with the protein and fat.
I had stopped weighing myself some 6 months earlier as I was put on a high carb low fat diet and was putting on weight at a great rate - I was almost spherical.
When my clothes started to fall off I realised that something had changed.
These days I eat twice a day, am never hungry and feel well enough to go back to work which in the present circumstances is a life saver.
I tell myself that I should weigh myself to see how much more I have lost than the original 50 lb I can swear to losing, but it has always been such a thing to beat me with that I decide not to every time.
I happily remake my clothes smaller from time to time, that is not an issue.

I am always cheered up when I read your posts. You are a massive role model for me. I hope to follow your example. Three years for me so far and 60 years old and feeling better and better each year.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

I was lucky.
After diagnosis I was referred to an NHS gym, so among amputees and heart attack patients I wasn't really the worst.
The gym does grow on you, I then joined a health spa, again, shall we say people of a similar age, a lot who went there for lunch and the spa.
I then moved, and joined the gym opposite my back door, much more of a real gym, but again, a good mix of people, so no problems there either.

 

[Leadinglights]

I think that the amount of walking you do is an important factor, I retired 4 years ago (hell was it that long ago) and up to then was prediabetic so was careful with my carb intake but most days would have walked 20,000 steps with walking to work and the walking about at work. But when I retired that reduced substantially and although we made a point of going for a daily walk it did not amount to the same and of course being at home the extras crept in. And lo and behold I put weight on and slipped into the diabetic zone. So action stations, low carb, upping the walking a bit, lost weight, reduced HbA1C. Then the accident happened and knee surgery somewhat curtailed the long walks for several months but just trying to get back to them now. I hope all is not lost.

 

[Vonny]

You'll get back to normal @Leadinglights, I broke my ankle in 3 places 3 years ago and have 2 plates and a lot of pins, and my ankle is probably stronger than my unbroken one now! Best of luck with your recovery x

 

[Lynne888]

I think that the amount of walking you do is an important factor, I retired 4 years ago (hell was it that long ago) and up to then was prediabetic so was careful with my carb intake but most days would have walked 20,000 steps with walking to work and the walking about at work. But when I retired that reduced substantially and although we made a point of going for a daily walk it did not amount to the same and of course being at home the extras crept in. And lo and behold I put weight on and slipped into the diabetic zone. So action stations, low carb, upping the walking a bit, lost weight, reduced HbA1C. Then the accident happened and knee surgery somewhat curtailed the long walks for several months but just trying to get back to them now. I hope all is not lost.

This sounds very similar to me.. I loved walking, would walk with my dog between 7 and 10 miles a day. However, I then got knee arthritis and walking became more painful. I still did about 4 miles a day but was really slowing down. Foolishly, I turned down a knee replacement at the time thinking it wasn't bad enough even though my GP said it would be done within 12 weeks (those were the days eh!) Since then, my other knee has gone the same way, I am in excruciating pain and I can barely walk to the car let alone exercise. I have gained stones over the years because I've gone from loads of exercise to none. I try and do a bit of chair yoga and I have weights for arm exercises but it's not easy to burn off calories. I also have an electric bike but my original bad knee cannot bend far enough to actually pedal it any more. I was apparently pre diabetic on 3 of my blood tests but no one at the surgery even bothered to let me know.