Help! I'm Fat - *** Official Exercise and Weight Thread ***
- Thread starter cyclone4L
- Start date
Quick update on my Lip(a) journey. Back in March my APO(B) was down to 56, Direct LDL 66 (after being on a statin). The discovery of the high Lip(a) resulted in a CT scan for a calcium score (result - 149). The CT measured my aortic root at 4.6 cm. Not good. So, that lead to an ECG and then an MRI. ECG supported the measurement at 4.6cm. MRI - 5.0cm. So, aneurysm. Yay....
Met last week with a cardiothoracic surgeon (who I really liked). We will be monitoring in 6 months to see if there is growth. If not, monitor annually. This is definitely something that is genetic on my dad's side (he monitored an aortic aneurysm for quite a few years before surgery).
I exercise religiously and have a relatively decent diet. I've never smoked. A cocktail or three about once per week. This just goes to show that its all pointless! (just kidding...i think).
Oh, and the MRI found some kind of small growth in my abdomen. So now i'm scheduled for ANOTHER MRI! I have a good friend who is a GI doc. She said that is the problem with imaging...they always find something. She called it an "incidentaloma". It sucks getting old.
I guess the moral to the story is, I wouldn't have known about any of this stuff had my doc not sort of randomly asked if I wanted to get the lip(a) test.
Just noticed ths thread I used to watch seems to have died. Everyone get "shredded"? 
My LP(a) is 192 and Calcium score was 190. Unfortunately after after failing a stress test, I'm almost certainly looking at triple bypass surgery. LAD blocked 70% (plus some distal blockage), Circumflex blocked 80%, and Right Coronary Artery block 95%. I have a few more tests and meet with the surgeon on May 5. 62 years old, eat better than most, and exercise a lot.
All the best to you, Bruh.
I'm an old bird, but I remember my grandpa and most of my uncles dropping dead in their 60s from heart attacks (yes, they drank and smoked also).
Thanks to modern science, lives are saved.
You got this.
Better to be planned then to have it be an emergency. I’m sure you already have taken these steps but make sure you have a 24 hour plan in place with your family/friends incase something goes south while waiting for the surgery.
Good news is that a CABG is now a fairly common medical procedure, make sure you ask if it’s on pump or off
I switched to tracking what I eat after being totally shocked by how much I was actually eating out of habit and boredom, not real hunger. Seeing the numbers just made it real and helped me make better choices without having to swear off everything I like. I also started working out at more flexible times, not always crazy intense sessions, which made it easier to keep up with instead of burning out.
A little bit of a rant:
I get really frustrated when people try to way oversimplify fat loss. "Just eat less and move more!"
I also get frustrated when people try to blame obesity on people being lazy. That mentality comes across as a boomer rant. There are a lot of factors working against people that make things challenging. Highly palatable, cheap, calorie dense foods that lack nutrition is a big part of it. The concept of snacking was almost unheard of 70+ years ago.
There was a study on a tribe in Africa (Hadza) that still hunt and gather for food. They found that they burn a similar amount of calories as most Western nations.
I get really frustrated when people try to way oversimplify fat loss. "Just eat less and move more!"
I also get frustrated when people try to blame obesity on people being lazy. That mentality comes across as a boomer rant. There are a lot of factors working against people that make things challenging. Highly palatable, cheap, calorie dense foods that lack nutrition is a big part of it. The concept of snacking was almost unheard of 70+ years ago.
There was a study on a tribe in Africa (Hadza) that still hunt and gather for food. They found that they burn a similar amount of calories as most Western nations.
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Since everyone seems to be bringing this one from the dead. Just to follow up on this. I bottomed out and lost a total of 170 pounds and have kept it off for 9 months now. Feeling great.
Thanks! I feel like a million bucks.
People always think I am lying but 3 things in priority order.
1.) 1800 calories a day (this was higher initially but this is where I finished)
2.) 30min walk 5 days a week
3.) 150g of protein a day
No excuses, no I am too tired, no cheat days, have to do it on vacation or work trips too, consistency is the ultimate thing.
I only missed the calorie count 9 total days in 18 months, mainly due to celebrations like weddings but then compensated with a little less calories the rest of the week.
I had a major health scare in July 2024 that motivated me to change for good (like real bad death knocking on my door type stuff), I wouldn't recommend needing that though lol. I cut out alcohol completely too
Was there anything in there comparing things like cortisol levels, sedentary behavior, etc?
I think there needs to be cultural shifts and it's probably too late for it to value food for fuel, movement as a preventative measure instead of a task or response and all sorts of things having to do with stress that would maybe help a great deal.
5'10 200 Mid 30's. I was 5'10 230 three years ago.
Weightlift 3 days per week.
Walk an average of 10,000 steps per day.
2220 Calories (180g Protein, 225g Carbs, 60g Fat)
Generally prioritize grilled over fried. I still drink a lot of beer, or I'd probably be 5'10 180.
Weightlift 3 days per week.
Walk an average of 10,000 steps per day.
2220 Calories (180g Protein, 225g Carbs, 60g Fat)
Generally prioritize grilled over fried. I still drink a lot of beer, or I'd probably be 5'10 180.
Could probably put the bolded into your top things that helped list, as that alone can help a ton with weight loss. Though I suppose it'd be pretty rough to hit your #1 without dropping alcohol as well.
I found that even just one drink will negatively affect my sleep. If I struggle on sleep I tend to over-eat the next day, not move as much and my workouts are not as good.
I used to have one drink most nights of the week. At one point, I had to fill out a health survey with my provider and it asked how many drinks per week consumed. 6-8 drinks per week (1 per day) was the second highest option on the list, which made me realize I needed to cut back. Now, I tend to limit any alcohol to only Wed-Sun and usually only 1-2 per drinks per week instead.
I've cut it to one night a week, but even the one night a week has 2-3 days of lingering effects (even beyond the usual hangover) that includes digestion, additional 3-4lbs, and just overall lethargic feelings.
This is semantical, but it really is that simple. Honestly, for the vast majority it's really as simple as just eat less. The problem (to your point and for many other reasons) is simple does not mean easy.
I don't think there was any comparisons on cortisol levels and other things. It was more interesting that the hunter/gatherer tribe burned the same about amount of calories as most people in Western cultures.
