<p>Thanks for the imput. I will probably stay with using regular sugar and regular half and half. I really try to eat and drink things that are in their natural state. I don’t really like non-fat foods. It seems like I can taste the artificial sweetners in them or they just don’t agree with my stomach.</p>
<p>Now to figure out how I can cut down on the late night snacks,i.e beer and popcorn.ugh. I love reading all your ideas.</p>
Chilly morning as expected. I put on a fleece jacket over my vest this morning and I saw a lot of people with jackets at the office. It’s going to be warmer later this week but I need a fall strategy for outerwear.
I got a call last night for tennis so I should get a pretty tough workout today.
<p>Well, now that I am signed up for 3 fall marathons, I can’t get myself out of bed in the morning! It’s just too nice and warm and too dark outside. Today’s 7 became 3 miles. I’ll adjust, but right now it’s too easy to figure out a reason not to get up.</p>
<p>MOfWC, are you going to join Marathon Maniacs? Just kidding. Good luck with your runs!</p>
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<p>Like. Me too. :)</p>
<p>Happy to hear you’ve been getting in plenty of good tennis and running, BC. Reading about everyone’s workouts is inspirational.</p>
<p>IJD, if you get a moment, I’d love it if you’d share. Is that by any chance Cool Running’s new 5K to 10K or maybe their 10K run-walk plan? I see they’ve got a whole bunch of 10K plans. Always good to know what people like and hear more about how these plans work.</p>
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<p>For me, five things helped with that:</p>
<p>a) A deal with devil. I would eat substantial guilt-free meals in exchange for cutting the junk food.</p>
<p>b) Seriously logging my food for a couple of months made me really stop and think whether I want to record the calories in carbs in a whole bag of sour gummi worms or a cannister of Pringles. Early on, there were times when I stopped in the grocery aisle, picked up a cannister of Pringles, and put them back after reading what I was going to have write down.</p>
<p>c) After a while, the regular “wins” from the scale offset the “satisfaction” from pigging out on late night fat food. I celebrated each five pound “win” and the next time I walked by the Pringles, rationalized that I would buy a cannister after “just five more pounds”. Made it a short-term decision. Funny thing, over time, it became a permanent lifestyle change.</p>
<p>d) I figured out an arsenal of alternative snacks. Those have changed over time, but have included sour dill pickles. Queen olives. Pepperoni slices. Celery. Carrots. 100 calorie 6 ounce cups of frozen italian ice (not anymore), a fresh apple, a bowl of raspberries, various cheeses. Pistachios in the shell (shelled nuts are dangerous because it’s easy to wolf down a gazillion calories).</p>
<p>e) Watching [Dr</a>. Robert Lustig’s lecture](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM]Dr”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM) put me off sugar, indelibly and permanently. I had already stopped drinking sugar beverages because I intuitively knew that I could no longer drink coke and sweet tea without getting fatter. But, he killed off the italian ices and lingering desire for an occasional red twizzler indulgence. Looking back on my life, periods when I avoided soda and sweet tea were periods of steady weight or even weight loss. Periods when I bought soda and sweet tea, I slowly gained weight. Stop drinking sugar is the rule that Lustig gives in his pediatric obesity clinic. IMO, there is no point in even talking about fat loss or healthy nutrition until that rule is adopted.</p>
<p>It is different from person to person. Foods that are healthy for some, are not so healthy for others. It is life long learning and nobody can help you. Make sure to pay attention to what you personally like and dislike. Your own body/senses tell you a lot if you are willing to listen.</p>
<p>Swimming days are over, my addiction to being in a water is not, nothing compares to it. Maybe I will try to go inside in the winter, it did not work before, just not the same…Next weekend might be 2 last days if air temp. is higher than 65F. Sticking to 1.5 -2hours /day of some exercise anyway… not capable of running though, could not even in HS, my body does not know how, it refuses to run.</p>
<p>Marshalls/TJMAXX is the place for men’s jackets. Just be patient. I’ve found great deals on every imaginable kind of men’s jacket.</p>
<p>The one that is my go to fall jacket is a simple “preppy” windbreaker like this one:</p>
<p>[Newburyport</a> Microfiber Jacket: Casual Jackets | Free Shipping at L.L.Bean](<a href=“L.L.Bean: Page Not Available”>L.L.Bean: Page Not Available)</p>
<p>They used to be cotton. Now, they are made from a polyester microfiber that feels like cotton but is a bit water resistant. They have a cotton plaid lining for just a little bit of warmth. Marshalls will have them in various colors (khaki, navy, black) from $19 for no-name on up depending on the brand. I got the Polo version, in black, for $39 last year. Columbia makes [a</a> really nice one](<a href=“http://www.sierratradingpost.com/columbia-sportswear-venture-creek-jacket-omni-shield-for-big-and-tall-men~p~3119k/?filterString=Columbia-Sportswear~b~330%2Fclothing~d~5%2Fmens-clothing~d~15%2F&colorFamily=03]a”>http://www.sierratradingpost.com/columbia-sportswear-venture-creek-jacket-omni-shield-for-big-and-tall-men~p~3119k/?filterString=Columbia-Sportswear~b~330%2Fclothing~d~5%2Fmens-clothing~d~15%2F&colorFamily=03), in a cotton blend, that is a little less “preppy” and a bit more New Hampshire outdoorsy style. I had one of those before I shrunk. Super nice jacket. They also make it with some insulation that’s a light winter jacket.</p>
<p>The other fall jacket that gets a lot of use is a true rain shell. I found a really nice one from Columbia, with their OmniTech Goretex clone. Hooded, but unlined, lighter shell than a winter parka. Like a heavy windbreaker. $29 at Marshalls if I recall. That’s the jacket I grab when it’s raining sideways.</p>
<p>And, of course, the ubiquitous North Face fleece jacket. I found their [Windwall</a> jacket](<a href=“http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/mens-jackets-vests/men-39-s-windwall-0174-1-jacket.html?from=subCat&variationId=VA6]Windwall”>http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/mens-jackets-vests/men-39-s-windwall-0174-1-jacket.html?from=subCat&variationId=VA6) which is a compressed tightly woven wind proof fleece, for $59 at Marshalls. It’s not as soft as regular fleece, but wind doesn’t cut through it. I suspect I’ll wear it on some late season hikes.</p>
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<p>Luckily for us there are some really smart people out there who can help us. Berkeley HeartLab does a lipid profile and genetic testing to help your PCP tailor a diet and, when necessary, drug regimen to control weight and maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.</p>
<p>Not sure how to do the link thingy. </p>
<p>[Berkeley</a> HeartLab](<a href=“http://www.bhlinc.com/]Berkeley”>http://www.bhlinc.com/)</p>
<p>EDIT: Don’t like coffee without dairy or sugar? Try better coffee, then get used to it. I get Cafe Umbria out of Seattle. Sweetness triggers our fat storage metabolism and makes us crave carbs, so learn to love the little bitterness.</p>
<p>“Try better coffee, then get used to it”
-Goes very well with my post #42. Everybody should listen very carefully to their bodies before they listen to all others, including all MDs. I personally can drink only 3 cups of coffee / week. How I determined that? Trial / error. If I do not follow this strictly and do more, I might get into very big problem. No tests will tell you what your own body will. There are other things that I have to follow relatively close based priamliry on my own observations.</p>
<p>3 sets of tennis, 2.25 hours. Lost 2-6, 3-6, 5-7. The first two sets I tried a new racquet which had a much higher swingweight compared to my usual frame. I could hit harder balls but I made all kinds of errors, especially slice backhands as my timing was off with the different swingweight. I switched back to my usual frame, and it took me a game to get adjusted to it and I did better but not good enough.</p>
<p>This guy is using tactical patterns against me and I need to figure out how to counter these patterns. This is on his serve - my first try at countering was standing two feet further back than usual on the return. I have more time and can take a heavier cut at the ball - I may need to stand another two feet for this. He stands about 8-10 feet back to receive and generally hits good returns off my second serve.</p>
<p>“help your PCP tailor a diet and, when necessary, drug regimen to control weight and maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.”</p>
<p>There is no way in **** that I would trust a PCP’s advice on anything related to diet, weight control, and exercise. Most have zero knowledge in nutrition and diet other than the USDA food pyramid.</p>
<p>Agree that consuming minimally processed food as often as possible is a good idea. I eat vegetables every day but the only canned vegetable in my pantry are tomatoes and tomato sauce for my home-made chili. I never truly enjoyed canned beans and I stopped buying them years ago. As we all know, there is too much salt in canned goods. Dried or fresh beans are the way to go.</p>
<p>As we get older it’s wise to reduce our animal protein intake, specifically beef and pork. I enjoy red meat but chicken and fish are on my plate more often than not.</p>
<p>Not all fats are hazardous. Peanuts and avocados are great sources of healthy minerals, despite their fat content. And of course, you just can’t say enough about leafy greens.</p>
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<p>Silly Bunsen! I’m already a card-carrying member! I guess we started this thread shortly after my 2009 insanity in which I qualified for Marathon Maniacs at the end of the year with Whistlestop (Wisconsin) (won age group and lowered my BQ time), Monkey (November) and Rocket City Huntsville (sick with bronchitis and barely made it) which gave me 3 in 90 days which qualified me. I have all the gear! I was trying to do it with consequetive weekends with Whistlestop followed by Louisville but I had to pull out of Louisville due to the severely bruised ribs from the fall at Whistlestop. </p>
<p>My daughter is trying for Half-Fanatics with 3 halfs in 3 months this fall! I’m not even in that!</p>
<p>The great thing about MOWC’s running is that it makes burpees and rear foot elevated split squat workouts seem almost sane and normal… :)</p>
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<p>BC: Isn’t this your first loss of the year? Even the greats lose a match every once in a while!</p>
<p>Sounds like a tough opponent, BC. At least your loss was due to tactical reasons, mine were so often just because of too many unforced errors, which can be discouraging.</p>
<p>I think that it is my first singles loss of the year.</p>
<p>This guy is better than I am. I’d estimate a 5.0. The only reason that I’ve been able to beat him the last five times I’ve played him is better conditioning. Today was 72 degrees and dry. All of our previous matches have been at least in the 80s (some in the 90s) and humid. Basically I’m going to lose more as the temperature goes down. That’s fine with me though - you generally improve faster when you lose. I think that Andy Murray will agree with that.</p>
<p>I just recorded a fasting glucose of 104, which my doctor said should be under 100. I don’t add sugar to anything, but I do eat bread and pasta. I am going to cut out the simply lemonade. Already stopped drinking coffee during the week. Not sure about the occasional bowl of ice cream. darn!</p>
<p>90 degrees here with a hot breeze! Whew! Rode the recumbent for 45 minutes and then did some weight machines for arms, chest and shoulders. Very low weights to see how the back feels. I am enjoying the gym routine again! :)</p>