- Authur Schopenhauer
I don't claim to be a health guru, nutritionist or fitness coach.
What I am hoping to do with this toolkit is to impart some of the knowledge I've gained through my experience to whoever reads it and may want to improve their overall wellness.
Being a type 2 diabetic with a less than stellar bill of health and close to being overweight, it was time for a change. After the span of about 6 months, 20 lbs lighter, with a much improved A1C (I was able to bring it down to 5.4 which is considered not diabetic and normal), EDIT : 4.7 as of July 2022 -healthier blood cholesterol and glucose levels and more strength and stamina, I am a much improved version of my previous self. I didn't follow any fad diet or starve myself. What I did do was become more active and started eating healthier. Doing a lot of research, I found the nutritional values of food and what types of food to avoid and found valuable information on how to maximize my workouts. It's not just a diet, it's a lifestyle change, and now my health is one of my priorities.
I'd like to share with you some of the things I did to achieve these results, and they can be applied to any age group. As a matter of fact, the older you are the more important they may be. And even if you don't need to shed a couple pounds, I hope you still are inspired and learn a couple things. Some tips may be easier to follow than others. I pretty much went into it with 'guns blazing' but some people may take time for them to achieve a goal or make a healthy change, and that's fine. Remember, a little progress is better than none at all. But make no mistake, sacrifices will need to be made. But are they really sacrifices when it comes to your health? Instead, think of it as shedding bad habits as you shed unwanted pounds, and gain strength in doing so.
I will focus on four things:
+ PORTION CONTROL
+ NUTRITION (protein, what to avoid)
+ EXERCISE
+ SETTING GOALS
You will see how these things are directly related
Portion Control
Love to eat out? Ever notice that a meal for one person is actually large enough to feed two in most cases? When we are conditioned to eat so much food, we eat more, our stomach expands and it takes longer for us to feel full because our stomach can hold more food.
By slowly eating less you allow your stomach to shrink back to its normal size and you wont eat as much, you wont be as hungry as often. It can be tough to achieve, but with proper nutrition (and hydration) it can be done, and I will get to that next as the two are directly linked.
A lot of times we tend to eat well beyond our feeling of being full...extra food may be present or you have a craving for just one more bite. To lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit and to do that you need to eat less. Here are some tips to help prevent you from overeating. Sometimes if it's a type of food I really love, (Asian) it can be a real struggle for me to not overeat.
Share a large meal, or bring some home
As previously stated, restaurants usually have rather large portion sizes, so if you are eating out with someone, offer to share the meal. An alternative is just eat half and bring the rest home for your next meal.
Drink a glass of water before the meal.
Water has 0 calories and it's always good to be properly hydrated anyways. Drinking a glass of water can help you feel full quicker as it takes up space in your stomach and you may not want to eat as much.
Eat smaller meals more frequently.
Eating less more often can help stave off feeling hungry as your stomach has something in it more often. It may be hard to do in today's busy world but an alternative would be having a snack between meals. Remember to make the meals and snacks healthy.
Don't skip breakfast
It would make sense to right? Because by skipping breakfast you aren't getting as many calories...but the problem is, if you skip breakfast you may tend to overeat at your next meal or eat a quick but unhealthy snacks because you are hungry. Also by eating breakfast, by the time you have your next meal you will have burned through some of those calories already, and you need them for energy as well as the protein! so eating a healthy breakfast is a win-win. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Avoid a large meal before bed
Going to bed hungry is tough, I know first hand what a struggle that can be, and for me personally I feel like it was a very large contributor to my weight gain. As you sleep your body slows down, and you burn calories less efficiently, and remember, a calorie deficit is what you want. I still get hungry before bed, and I still eat, but I eat much less and I focus on healthier, lower calorie foods that can fill me up like vegetables and protein such as a piece of chicken breast or some eggs. A protein shake or similar can also be a good choice if you're on a time crunch.
Indulge in the occasional 'cheat' meal
A cheat meal is ordering whatever you want off the menu. Whether it's going out or cooking at home and not feeling guilty for doing so. You can indulge once in a while and I would actually recommend it. We didn't become unhealthy with just one meal. By doing so we are less likely to eat unhealthy throughout the week. I personally allow myself about one cheat meal a week, it is usually when I go out to eat. (Although I still try and go for a healthier choice) Usually after a cheat meal I go for a long walk or have a rigorous workout, but you don't have to.
Nutrition
Exercise is good, but when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, diet makes up about 80% of it. You can't eat poorly and work out while hoping to reap the nutritional benefits of a good healthy meal. They work together in tandem.
While complete nutrition with all ranges of vitamins and minerals are important for health (Including healthy carbs and plenty of fiber, do some research if your unfamiliar!), the one most important nutrient for losing weight is protein. Protein is the building block of muscle. You need to eat protein to maintain muscle, and whether you like it or not, if you lose weight you will likely lose some muscle. So eating protein is important because you want to lose as much fat as possible while keeping as much muscle as you can.
There are two types of fat stored inside of the body - subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is stored under the skin and is generally more noticeable. A small amount of this fat is actually healthy. Visceral fat is more firm and is stored around the organs of the body, mainly in the stomach area. This type of fat is more detrimental to our health.
Unfortunately we can't choose where we lose our fat from, for example, doing 100 crunches every day is no guarantee to help us lose stomach fat, (personally for me I seemed to lose fat quickest from my arms) that's up to genetics. But by losing fat and gaining muscle, we increase our overall health.
Protein is found in a wide variety of foods from meats, dairy, vegetables, nuts and grains and some fruits even have them! (I'm looking at you avocado) So actually it is not that hard to introduce plenty of protein to your diet, you may already be getting a good amount.
Protein comes in a variety of qualities, not all protein is equal. I'll talk about some of the foods that are a great source of protein.
Meats (chicken, turkey, pork, red meat, fish)
Meats have what is called a "complete" protein, these are 9 essential amino acids that our body cant produce on their own and will help muscle recovery. These are among the highest quality of proteins. Meat also has other important nutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin b12
Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt)
Diary also has complete proteins and also contains what is called casein protein. Casein protein is a slow digested protein and can be used to help with muscle recovery over longer periods of time. There are multiple studies and publications online on the benefits of milk and dairy to maintain and promote lean mass growth. (Just do a quick search on the internet) So on a workout day before you go to bed drink a glass of milk!
Eggs
Eggs are high in protein, low in carbs and low in calories, with about 70 calories per egg and 6-8 grams of protein. They are also easy to prepare, are a common ingredient in many dishes and are inexpensive.
Nuts/Seeds (Plant based)
Nuts and seeds can offer plenty of protein as well as a lot of other nutrients. Almonds, Cashews and walnuts (among others) are a very good source of protein. They are ready to eat and are easy to bring anywhere.
Things to avoid or limit
Added sugars, high carb foods, salt, preservatives or additives, processed foods containing some or all of the above, such as most microwave meals. Most people don't pay much attention to nutritional content or ingredients, but if you want to eat healthy then it's a skill you will learn to pick up. Check the sodium on some of them!
I won't go into great detail on these things but they have been attributed to weight gain, high blood pressure, inflammation and heart disease. Opt for reduced sugar and/or sodium whenever you can.
(I enjoy reduced sodium bacon on occasion)
Did you know that after the age of 30 you lose about 3 to 5 percent of your muscle mass each decade? That's a lot of lost muscle. Where does it all go? It's a normal part of the ageing process (Sarcopenia), but it doesn't have to be. So even though you may already be thin, you're not getting any stronger (actually the opposite) unless you are actively doing something to fight that aging effect.
Less muscle mass means less strength and mobility, which may lead to injury or worse. Our bodies consume more calories when we have more muscle, so it makes sense to try to retain as much of that muscle as possible. Exercise will also help with bone health which is also lost as we age. Bone is a living tissue that responds to exercise and can become stronger with training.
Cardiovascular fitness such as jogging, swimming, playing sports, even just walking is always important and good at any age, but the type of fitness I am going to talk about is strength training. Strength training or resistance training is causing your muscles to work beyond their normal every day means. Lifting weights or 'pumping iron' is the general term for this type of training. There are many different ways to strength train and many different types of equipment you can use, even your own body weight (calisthenics). You don't have to have an expensive gym membership or a ton of dumbbells to effectively strength train, although those are two viable options.
Hydration before, during and after exercise is very important, it keeps the muscles hydrated and ensures the flow of nutrients. If your body is dehydrated your muscles will be deprived of electrolytes and cramp, so be sure to drink plenty of water. Also, make sure you are getting plenty of rest between your exercises. Muscle tissue is actually repaired mostly while we sleep, so a good 7-8 hrs is ideal. You don't want to overwork your muscles. Wait a day or two if needed to exercise the same muscle group again.
I don't have a lot of experience stretching as I generally don't do it much, but it may be beneficial for you before and after a workout. There are plenty of stretching tutorials online that you should check out before starting a workout.
I won't go into a specific workout routine because everyone has different needs, but try to find one you enjoy doing that targets all of your muscles groups. Compound exercises (works multiple muscle groups) such as pushups or planks are a great way to get started. Find things that motivate you. Set a date and time with a friend or relative every week. Find some motivational music to help 'get you pumped'. Make sure you are challenged. A workout shouldn't be easy. That warm burning feeling in your muscles are actual microscopic tears in the fibers that will be repaired with good nutrition and rest and will come back stronger than ever! If this is your first time with working out or haven't in a long time, start slow. You don't want to be so sore that you can barely move the next day.
Setting Goals
Goals are an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. They will give you something tangible to focus on and strive towards. They should start out small and modest. One goal could be as simple as reducing your daily intake of Pepsi for a week, the second goal could be for two weeks, and so on until you only drink a Pepsi on your 'cheat' day. Write down your goals, go through them in your head as a daily reminder, and if you stray, pick yourself back up and start again, don't beat yourself up. We are only human. Once you have mastered a few small goals and are seeing results use those goals towards a bigger goal.
So you've reduced your Pepsi intake, have been drinking more water throughout the day and have been working out 2 days a week, now maybe look at the bigger picture, see if you can apply these goals and lose 4-8 lbs in a month. A sugar reduction may just help you be able to do that. Even small tweaks to our diet and habits can pay dividends.
Here's another example of utilizing a 'tiered' goal system
Small goals:
- Eat less sweets throughout the day
- Bring a smaller, healthier meal to work (such as an apple, some cottage cheese and a serving of salmon or tuna). Go for a short walk on your break if time allows
- Get an extra half hour of sleep at night
- Eat a smaller, healthy snack before bed like a protein shake or bar.
The result = Lose a few pounds in a month! (Long term goal)
The nice thing about this is the smaller goals will automatically make the larger goal happen, and when it does it will feel tremendous.
As a general rule, people who are more overweight tend to lose weight faster than those who are just slightly overweight, results of course will vary and it WILL take time.
The important thing is to stick with it and you will see results!
As you start living healthier, you may notice some changes. More energy throughout the day, elevated mood, more focus, sounder sleep. Living well can improve all aspects of life, not just the physical.
Also, an inspiring thing you can do for yourself is track your own success. Create a workout journal or you can do a blog as well, like this one. Share your ups and downs and be an inspiration to others.
CONCLUSION / FURTHER READING
I hope this toolkit will help and inspire you to live a happy and healthy life. I've just barely scratched the surface on health and wellness, there's a lot more I could go into, but I hope it's enough for a start. The internet is a great resource for more information and I encourage you to use it to help you on your path to good health. Here are a couple links that may be of additional use to you:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-start-exercising
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-eat-healthy-guide
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/true-superfoods
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/sarcopenia-with-aging
https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/protein-intake-for-optimal-muscle-maintenance.pdf
https://www.womenofthenewgeneration.com/stories/mary-duffys-story
If you have any questions or need some more specific info I would be more than happy to try and assist you. Please email me at guitar74man@gmail.com or simply leave a comment.
* Thanks to Kevin Helander for the inspiration to write this. His toolkit on quitting smoking can be found here: quitsmokingtoolkit.wordpress.com
* Special thanks to my wife Angie for supporting me on our journey together. 💗
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