I have a suggestion, that may help some. I am a retired physician, who six months ago, somehow managed to hit the big 80 mark. I had bypass surgery back in 2019 and about six months later began to experience mild to moderate shortness of breath. Since then, I have had every pulmonary and cardiac test known to man, trying to come up with a diagnosis. In exasperation, my doctor finally suggested it might have to do with "deconditioning". That's something they have come up with, instead of saying you're too fat.

I am 5'10, down from 5'11.5" a few years back for whatever reason, I also notice more fatigue with walking, as well as back, hip and knee pain. When I have to accompany my wife shopping, I know where every "husband's chair or bench" is located in every store. It finally occurred to me that maybe 236 lbs. is a bit much and maybe some or all symptoms might improve with weight loss.
So I joined Weight Watchers. Their format has changed and now what they do is mainly provide you with online diets and suggestions. Meetings are rare. I did find one scheduled at the convenient time of 7:30 AM on a Saturday morning. Everyone was very nice but I noticed everyone there was overweight. I was hoping for a few skinny folks to get up and give testimonials but that didn't happen. A shooting buddy lost weight on Nutrisystem but I'm a meat and potatoes kind of guy and wasn't sure I would eat half of what they sent me. I see all the ads on TV for this program and that program, usually for big bucks with dubious results.

So I got to thinking about it and I figured one idea bound to work is to eat less than I'm eating. So how to do that. Somehow, Slimfast popped into my head, so I decided to look into it. What I have been doing is to eat one regular meal each day, avoiding stuff that is obviously not helpful such as french fries with my sandwich or several rolls with butter. I've even cheated a bit with maybe some Blue Bell ice cream after dinner. I have cut way back on beer and have only one Diet Coke per day instead of three. So I get up and have a chocolate SlimFast for breakfast and another for lunch, with dinner being my one regular meal. If I meet a friend for lunch, that will be my one meal and I'll have a shake for supper. They also make diet bars that you can use for a snack but usually I am not hungry enough to need to eat one of the bars. That's the part that really surprised me. I don't have a problem with being hungry. In about three weeks, I have gone from 236 to 224. It would probably be more if I were more interested in exercise, which I regretfully am not. I note that I am walking better with less hip, back and knee pain and I cautiously think my breathing is better. I would like to get below 200lbs if possible.

Disclaimer: I do not own any stock in Slimfast and if I did, it would probably be in the toilet with all the rest of my stock. I just thought I would put it out there for someone, who may be in a quandary, like I was about how to lose some pounds and would like to try something simple.
Hope you have similar results. Merry Christmas but watch that stuffing and mashed potatoes.

I'm glad Slimfast is working for you. If you're using the brand name canned shakes, you could probably save a decent chunk of money and get the same results by investing in a blender shaker bottle and a pack of generic meal replacement shake powder, and use those to mix your own shakes.

Also, look into intermittent fasting. Studies are increasingly supportive of this as a simple and effective means to boost weight loss, when combined with the usual food moderation. Basically, it involves eating two normal meals per day within an 8 hour period, either lunch and dinner or breakfast and lunch, and skipping either breakfast or dinner every day. This puts your body into a cycle of 8 hours out of the day where it burns food for fuel and 16 hours where it burns stored fat for fuel, which helps mimic the food intake cycle that our hunter-gatherer caveman ancestors' metabolism evolved to handle. Plus it lowers your overall calorie intake by removing one meal's worth of calories from the equation each day, and the most basic equation for weight loss is simply calories in < calories out.

After getting divorced in 2013 I dropped from 180 down to a low of 155. A lot of that was due to travel in Asia and an Asian girlfriend (well, more than "one") - fresh meat, fresh fish, fresh vegetables, no cheese, not a lot of carbs (I didn't each much rice).

But after almost 3 years of COVID and working at home eating whatever my son (now 19) wanted and I am back to 180.

I hate grocery shopping. I can cook but I hate shopping. Now that my son is in college and I am alone all the time, I feel it more. Now, going to gunshops, ordering parts, building rifles and pistols? I have that DOWN. Priorities.

quote:

Originally posted by NK402:
... I also notice more fatigue with walking, as well as back, hip and knee pain.

Man, does that ever sound familiar. And it doesn't take being overweight to experience it. Merely being too sedentary will do it, too.

As for losing the fat: There are a number of approaches.

I prefer a combined diet correction and exercise approach. Since the beginning of November I've:

• Reduced between-meal snacking to nearly none at all. Some days it is none at all.
  
• Reduced meal portion sizes some. Almost never go back for seconds.
  
• Reduced my already-low alcohol consumption to almost none. Most days it is none.
  
• Resumed weight training and cardio.
  
• Resumed intermittent fasting one day a week.

Weight isn't coming down all that fast, but I am doing strength training, so I'm adding muscle. BIA body fat analyzer claims I've lost 3% body fat in four weeks. I'm definitely visibly slimmer. The jeans are definitely fitting a bit more loosely.

I joined a December 10k steps/day challenge. That turned out to be far more a challenge than I'd ever dreamed it would be. I'm in Week 2 now. It'll be interesting to see what that's done to my body fat numbers. I'll tell you this: My legs are a darn sight stronger than they were just ten days ago.

Upon the recommendation of a fitness type I follow on Twitter I added Taurine to my supplement stack. (I researched it, thoroughly, before doing so.) Among its many benefits is it's alleged to speed fat loss.

Taurine is also known to lower blood pressure. I've suffered from mild hypertension for years. Been on 5mg of Lisinopril for the better part of thirty years. Took my BP the morning after day two of adding Taurine. My BP was down to 91/63! Last night I skipped the Lisinopril. This morning's BP was 109/71. Lower than it's been for a long, long time.

Another supplement on my stack is BCAA. That, also, is purported to accelerate fat loss. (It has numerous other benefits, as well.)

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Also, look into intermittent fasting. Studies are increasingly supportive of this as a simple and effective means to boost weight loss, when combined with the usual food moderation.

This is all true, but you have to be aware of the potential downsides. It may cause you to be more hungry a meal time, leading to over-eating, and defeating the purpose. It can lead to nutritional deficiency if you're embarked on either a weight training or intensive cardio program. (I have experienced the side-effects of that personally. Learned my lesson.)

Prioritize Protein, Control for Carbs, and Fill with Fat. You need about 150 grams of protein (preferably animal based) and consumed over 2 or 3 meals. Again, maintaining lean mass is top priority. Not much point in losing 50 lbs if 10 of that was muscle.

I lost 11 pounds per month for five months straight.
My
Doctor was elated.

6 months in we did a blood panel.
All of my kidney, liver, heart ,p.s.a. were pretty close to perfect for a 65 y.o. fella.
November
Hit and
My loss only hit 5.5 pounds.

Eating 1/3 of my volume
Eating 1/3 0f the daily calories.

Weighing every damn thing
Counting 95% of my calories.

20% more activity
Staying hydrated.
Very low sodium diet.

Is my "secret"

I could use to drop about 10-15 pounds or so and I know what I have to do, it's just a matter of doing it.
Way to much beer and food consumption on my part not to mention most of the time I have a horrible sweet tooth and once I'm done eating, it takes about an hour and I'm into cookies or something like that.
Start watching YouTube or some stupid shit and I'm munching cookies.
Keep at it.

Doc, I am not one, but I would suggest anyone interested looking into moderating their carb Intake.

Ancel Keys rally screwed up everyone years ago with a lot of misinformation (I hate that word).

I could go on and on of the benefits of Keto, Carnivore or just Low Carb but this is a great path.

There is a lot out there and making it sustainable is not the easiest especially if you are not committed.

A great start is trying to eliminate grains, sugars, fruits and seed oils.

Much better than any simple calorie restriction diet.

A lot of benefit besides just losing weight.

Good Luck.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Doc, I am not one, but I would suggest anyone interested looking into moderating their carb Intake.

Ancel Keys rally screwed up everyone years ago with a lot of misinformation (I hate that word).

I could go on and on of the benefits of Keto, Carnivore or just Low Carb but this is a great path.

There is a lot out there and making it sustainable is not the easiest especially if you are not committed.

A great start is trying to eliminate grains, sugars, fruits and seed oils.

Much better than any simple calorie restriction diet.

A lot of benefit besides just losing weight.

Good Luck.

100% agree. Intermediate fasting and a Keto type diet striving towards single ingredient foods. Avoiding manufactured and processed foods.
I have a prime rib on the grill as I type!

The key is physical activity- whatever you can engage in without creating physical injury such as joint, ligament, bone, or tendon.

I retired last year on New Year’s Eve and took a part time job at an outdoor company (ww rafting, tubing, zip line, etc) as a driver working in summertime heat and always pushed myself hard. Physically outdoing nearly all the twenty-something kids to the point that I dropped 7 pounds I didn’t really need to lose and probably dipped under 10% body fat. All the kids are flabbergasted and they adopted me into their circle of after hours beers and personal fun-boating excursions. I began training to be a raft guide and will get my certificate in the spring to join the raft trip cadre. I’m having the time of my life and just need to remember to keep from overdoing it and staying limber, physically strong, and understanding limitations.

Basically, push whatever your limits are without exceeding them goes a long way towards optimal physical condition.

For me the key was diet. About eight years ago I was 5' 7'' and 198 pounds. Over 9 months I dropped to 145. Today I am 155, probably should drop 5 pounds. Physical activity came later after the weight loss motivated me to be in better shape. My diet program does not have a name and did not involve buying special meals. I did not measure or weigh anything and did not keep track of what I ate. Here's what I did.

1. I stopped drinking alcohol. I was in the habit of a couple of bourbons every night before dinner and a couple of beers with, sometimes more. Quitting drinking has two effects - it reduced significantly my calorie intake and alcohol suppresses inhibitions so I tended to gorge myself at dinner eating way more than I needed to. Now I do drink moderately, but just a glass or two of wine or two beers mainly when I go out for dinner.I don't drink hard liquor any more and rarely drink anything at home. Don't miss it.

2. Better food choices and smaller portions. More chicken and fish less beef, more salads and vegetables. Avoid carbs. Smaller portions. See 1 above. I might have felt less full when I left the table but within half an hour or so did not feel hungry. It took a small amount of discipline but I got used to it quickly. The only thing i did not change was that I have some ice cream every night before i go to bed. Didn't give that up.

Thats it. As to physical activity, as I said after I lost the weight I did start moderate running and lifting with light weights, more reps, some calesthenics . But I was 60, OP is 80 so there is a difference there. I have to admit the last couple of years the exercise fell by the wayside. Probably why I put the ten pounds back on. I keep meaning to resume but so far no go. Maybe consider getting a dog from a shelter if that fits your circumstances. I have two, it will force you to walk four times a day. Probably a better level of activity for you. And you will have a dog!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

First, I have Heart Disease and I adhere to a Heart Healthy diet. Which means the only "ice cream" I consume is Halo Ice Cream. Look at the nutrition listing and you will understand why. All of my meals are home prepared or Healthy Choice frozen entree's. Look at the nutrition label and you'll understand why. Snacks are Salt Free, specifically Better Made No Salt potato chips. Look at the nutrition label and you'll understand why. I only allow myself to have red meat on very rate occasions, one of those occasions is New Years Day when I have Pork Shoulder slow cooked in sauerkraut with Turnip bulbs. A tradition from the German immigrants in Pennsylvania in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Need I remind someone with a degree in Medicine about the wisdom or a healthy diet? BTW, I'm 67 and my BP averages 112/64, a direct benefit of a low salt diet. My family line has been here since 1682 and not one single male has lived to see 80 in all those years.

Back in 2015 I was sitting on my couch flipping channels to find something interesting to watch in mid May. It suddenly hit me that if I kept on couch surfing I wouldn't live to see 65. So I got up, put the dog on a leash and took him for a 1 mile walk. Barely made it home but did that mile without having to stop. That summer I worked my way up to 6 miles a day and walked off 50 lbs.. Got into wearing Garmin fitness gear and that led to my being able to have a record of an AFIB attack in 2018 and that led to my heart surgery in October 2018. Today I still exercise, have maintained a BMI of 22 for 7 years now and see a cardiologist regularly. Point is, get your act together. You have been blessed with good genes to make it to 80 so don't waste that blessing and start getting involved in a healthier life style.

intermittent fasting is working for my wife and I.

Mama was spreading, having retired in Jan 2020 and then the covid shutdown so she started I.F. because it worked so well for her sister.

One big meal at 2pm and stop eating at 7pm. Was not that hard to adjust and weight fell off. Mama lost 40 lb and I lost 20 by the end of 2021 and we have kept it off.