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  #1   ^
Old Sat, Jul-26-03, 06:17
rustpot's Avatar
rustpot rustpot is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,110
 
Plan: atkins/protein power 1st
Stats: 269/278/210 Male 5 feet 10 ins.
BF:33%/30%/ ?
Progress: -15%
Location: Hertfordshire
Default I am fit and fifty five

There is a common misconception that if you are over fifty, you are over the hill and must be falling apart. Au contraire.

The only health issue I used to have pre LC was that my BP was a bit high (now normal range). Before I started an LC regimen I knew intellectually that my weight was a concern yet in myself I did not feel unwell or particularly unfit. In many ways I did not think that my size was a health issue at all

I am now 18 months into LC and 40 lbs lighter. It is now possible for me to say that I have never been fitter than I am now and in hindsight was perhaps overstating my general fitness before.

I can now run up stairs, cycle into town (but only if the car is in for service!), take a 10 mile walk(why do I only do this on holidays it is actually quite enjoyable especially along a stunning coastal path),climb hills, and play golf all day if Mrs R. would let me

Maybe it is the grey hairs, maybe the wisdom of age, that lets us "TOFFS" look at the the way we are and our health with a more balanced view. I worry sometimes reading posts on this forum that for some there is a preoccupation with food, odd concerns over alleged allergies, microscopic analysis of minor fluctuations in the body, and a tendency to ascribe every ailment under the sun to something that ate the day before!.

I liken this to what I call the Scrooge Syndrome. You will recall that Scrooge was visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley. The Ghost says "you don't believe in me". " Why do you doubt your senses?"

Scrooge answers " Because a little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than grave about you, whatever you are!"...A classic line.

My point is that what ever you eat, LC or not, whatever pills you pop, however much water you drink you are not immune to the variety of common ailments that we all get. The cure for most things is time. Be it constipation, the common cold, reflux, headaches, sprains, infections,spots. You name it and the cure for most things is... leave it alone and it will go away. It is impossible generally to micro manage the body. It gets on very well all by itself.

As for people describing mood swings, lethargy, withdrawal symptoms from non narcotic substances such as bread and potato. I smile a wry smile.

However I do put my current fitness down to my losing of weight. The loss of weight would not have been possible without an LC program. For that I give thanks. So if there are others out there who are fit and fifty. Stand up and be counted.

Last edited by tofi : Sat, Jul-26-03 at 19:25.
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  #2   ^
Old Sat, Jul-26-03, 10:25
MizSteaks's Avatar
MizSteaks MizSteaks is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,153
 
Plan: general low-carb
Stats: 194/184/145 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 20%
Location: Oregon
Default

Rusty, as soon as I have the time to think through a response to your post..I'll be back!! (Can you tell I might be going to disagree with you? LOL! Debate is good...isn't it?)

Have a great day!
Nance
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  #3   ^
Old Sat, Jul-26-03, 12:07
rustpot's Avatar
rustpot rustpot is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,110
 
Plan: atkins/protein power 1st
Stats: 269/278/210 Male 5 feet 10 ins.
BF:33%/30%/ ?
Progress: -15%
Location: Hertfordshire
Default

I love debating and often will make provocative remarks just to spice things up a bit. Put an extreme view or a generalisation that is way too simplistic.

But you know what they say ...an active mind promotes a healthy body.
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  #4   ^
Old Sat, Jul-26-03, 15:33
MizSteaks's Avatar
MizSteaks MizSteaks is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,153
 
Plan: general low-carb
Stats: 194/184/145 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 20%
Location: Oregon
Default

LOL Rusty!! Are you an old troublemaker?!!! And one with a very active mind, huh?! LOL! Oh! And a very...healthy...body! You lucky guy, you! LOL!

Okay...first point. I'm glad you're on a protein based diet. That's what CROW is...and I fear that at some point in your future you will be eating your share of that fine delicacy!! Of course, bear in mind that you can deduct the feathers, beak and feet...they are, fortunately, ALL FIBER!!! LOL!

If you are lucky enough to not suffer from any of the 'age related' weaknesses most of us do, I would suggest you hit the floor on your knees (providing they bend yet *G*) and say prayers of thanks because, at some point, the chances are good they you'll have your turn at bat.

My experience has been that allergies to common food products are NOT a figment of anybody's imagination. They are as real as any disease on record and just because you haven't experienced it YET doesn't mean they are any less real. (I suspect you KNOW that!).

Come see me and bring a loaf of white bread and wait about 30 minutes. LOL! That is IF you can stand the noise and the stench because that's how my body reacts to it! *g* Oh! And don't stand between me and the john because that increases the odds of being mowed down by about 100%!!! (You're GOOD! Look what you just got me to admit to just to keep an argument going!! Heeheehee!)

Now that THAT'S out of the way...grin....what do you do in your spare time to keep your mind so agile and your temperment so onery pray tell? I might actually learn something here!

Keep on posting!
Nance
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  #5   ^
Old Sat, Jul-26-03, 17:47
rustpot's Avatar
rustpot rustpot is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,110
 
Plan: atkins/protein power 1st
Stats: 269/278/210 Male 5 feet 10 ins.
BF:33%/30%/ ?
Progress: -15%
Location: Hertfordshire
Default

Okay, you got me in one of my generalisations. But there are surveys that suggests that nearly one-in-three American adults believe that he or she was allergic to some food. I just don'y buy this.

In reality, the most conservative estimates indicate only two percent of the population are food allergic. Children, it is stated, are more susceptible than adults to food allergy and perhaps up to five percent have some type of food allergy. However, common allergens such as eggs and milk are typically outgrown by age five.

The eight most common food allergens in people are: Peanuts, tree nuts (for example, almonds, pecans and walnuts), dairy, soy, wheat, eggs, fish and shellfish (for example, shrimp and crab). Most of these allergens are very low carb.

It is claimed that there are more than 150 food allergies. I do not question the research and I can just about accept that this is based on skin tests and recording chemical reactions. But it is also true that the body has remarkable powers of recovery and coping with such things, often minor reactions. I am sure that I would test positive for a whole host of allergens but so what? It should not change my behaviour

More harm is being done by protecting, and sanitising our world, and altering the natural immunity that develops from contact. The key to most vaccines and immunisation is to create exposure to a very mild form of the irritant or viral infection. My objection is to the present day hype of blanket avoidance of "bad" foods because of supposed effects that are spurious at worst and minor at best . My granny used to say that you have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.

Lets us be fair to even the humble carbohydrate. We demonise it because it is the cause of our own metabolic problems. However the potato is innocent. Free the spud. It is we who differ in our resistance to insulin. It is good for some and a problem for others. Bread and rice has been the staple food that has meant the survival of whole civilisations.

The effects we observe in our own bodies are not the result of true scientific effort. It is impossible to extrapolate all the possible factors. Who is to say that any particular reaction is not to household dust, dirty hands, airborne germs, undercooked meat, contaminated food etc. etc.

No-one eats a particular food in isolation. A white bread sandwich is more than just the bread.

But as you rightly say I am not immune to the ravages of time. My eye sight is getting worse ( or is it that my arms are not long enough ), minor cuts and abrasions take longer to heal, I have a very wide hair parting , and the joints are not as supple as they once were. Aging is not a condition that time will heal!

I have had my time at bat, my gall bladder has long since gone. The surgeon told me then that it was the four "F"s. Fair, Fat, Forty, and Female. (Only three "F"'s for me)

I still maintain that I am Fit and Fifty Five and some popular health issues are mainly scaremongering , irrelevant and ultimatley not helpful. Top of my list is the low fat brigade.

Last edited by rustpot : Sun, Jul-27-03 at 06:10.
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  #6   ^
Old Sun, Jul-27-03, 12:11
MizSteaks's Avatar
MizSteaks MizSteaks is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,153
 
Plan: general low-carb
Stats: 194/184/145 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 20%
Location: Oregon
Default

Hi Rusty!

I have not been ignoring your post. Just have not...and still don't...have time or tools to debate it properly.

For now let's say that I agree with a great deal of what you have to say. I see society trying to 'homogenize' into a one size fits all plan that encompasses everything from income levels to life styles. That includes a trend for all societies of the world to consume the same foodstuffs (McDonalds, Starbucks), wear the same style clothing (Levi, Nike) and end up suffering from the same diseases (heart disease, obesity). Many of those societies had long standing records of low levels of heart disease until including white flour and white sugar in above normal levels...for them...and now their levels of heart disease are rapidly increasing. However, all of these socities were not bread/rice based diets. The eskimos and Africans come to mind with their primarily meat/fat based diets. The end result of changing historical diet remains the same for both, however. Increased disease.

Now, is that an allergic reaction? Maybe not technically in the purely medical sense as you so rightly pointed out. But what should we call it? I think people have chosen the word 'allergy' because it best describes their bodies reactions to this change. Ingesting those items (and MANY others..those are just for example)...cause adverse physical reactions in the body just like pure allergens do. Not the same adverse reactions, mind you, but adverse all the same. I don't begrudge them that word even though it might be technically incorrect.

I agree with you also that too much has been done to sanitize our surroundings. Being exposed to things is how we develop immunities. An example. My cousin was an only, highly over protected child who was NEVER allowed to have dirt anywhere NEAR her...not just ON her. AT the age of 9 she developed a simple case of childrens red measles. We all had it. Those of us who daily played in the dirt fought it off easily. Not so cousin Caroline. She became gravely ill and ended up dying from it and her doctor told my aunt and uncle that it was primarily because they had 'kept her too clean'. So, I have no trouble agreeing with that portion of your post.

Do we spend too much time 'inspecting every nuance' of our diet/bodies/lives? Absolutely true. I think this is caused a great deal by the 'diet dictocrats' who each have a point of view they want us to buy into so they can sell their books and get rich. Too many of us have been programmed to believe every single word these 'experts' expound instead of using the common sense the Lord instilled in us to make wise choices for ourselves based on our own bodies.

And let's not forget all of the 'scientific' studies we are asked to believe that are funded by organizations and industries that stand to gain financially if we buy into the latest scare tactic. I never just accept a medical study any more without questioning who funded the danged thing!

I fear that you will find me a very poor opponent for a decent debate based on our obvious educational differences. You, kind sir, appear to be a highly educated person, while I am a lowly high school drop out mother and grandmother. I'll do my best to keep you honest in you 'generalities, but encourage others to jump in here with their opinions also. I have found it difficult to gather my thoughts into a disciplined manner since my heart surgery. Too often I think of what I wanted to say abotu 3 days too late!

Have a terrific, healthy low carb day!
Nance
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  #7   ^
Old Sun, Jul-27-03, 12:48
huntress's Avatar
huntress huntress is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 296
 
Plan: Meat&Egg
Stats: 243/209.6/143 Female 5 feet 6
BF:38/?/22
Progress: 33%
Location: winnipeg,manitoba, canada
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Mizsteaks

I think you are doing a fine job of debating.

Diane
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  #8   ^
Old Sun, Jul-27-03, 18:00
rustpot's Avatar
rustpot rustpot is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,110
 
Plan: atkins/protein power 1st
Stats: 269/278/210 Male 5 feet 10 ins.
BF:33%/30%/ ?
Progress: -15%
Location: Hertfordshire
Default

Mizsteaks,

The great thing about a debate is that we challenge, we provoke, and through discussion seek the elemental truths.

Of course I agree with much of what you say too. We are devoping two sides of the same coin.

I agree that processed sugar, flour products, and carbohydrate intake in general is generating a 21st century dilemma. A plague if you will.

Neither of us would be contributing to this forum if we did not believe that a constriction of carb intake was both essential for ourselves but also the solution to a wider problem of western obesity.

The difference is one of nuance and emphasis.

I believe that we have many choices in life. I also believe that we are suceptible to media pressure and commercial lobby's.

In starting this thread my aim was to illustrate that a low carb regimen had positive benefits irrespective of age. I wished to proclaim my general fitness and applaud the LC WOL. I wanted at the same time to put in perspective this way of eating. I promote it not as a palliative but as a preffered option.

It is for this reason that I generally pooh pooh alergies but agree with the addictive nature of sugar (carbohydrate).

Belive me Mizsteaks we are singing from the same song sheet and our debate has been one of the best.

Have a great day
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  #9   ^
Old Sun, Jul-27-03, 19:45
MizSteaks's Avatar
MizSteaks MizSteaks is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,153
 
Plan: general low-carb
Stats: 194/184/145 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 20%
Location: Oregon
Default

Rustpot,
You are so kind sir! Tis been a long time since I sang a duet with such a provocative person!
I am enjoying it thoroughly and I am, indeed, learning more about our preferred dietary intake! I doubt you'll find many on this site who would choose to argue the opposite side of the coin from us.

It distresses me greatly to come across people who absolutely panic if something they've eaten contained an ingredient that 'someone told them' was not allowed in their diet. I find that attitude approches neuroticism. (Is that even a word? A neurotic reacting to neurosis? hmmm) They are so focused on the weight loss and following the 'plan' that they forget to enjoy life. They also lose sight of the fact that this WOE is going to provide all of us (within reason), not just weight loss...and weigh loss should be far down the page in importance in the majority of cases...it is going to provide us with a much healthier way of life and a way to stave off the diseases that poor quality eating brings us. That is what I am striving for. The weight loss would only be a side benefit to me.

Again...I'm singing to the choir! But, Rusty, it was YOU that opened the song book and invited me to join in the singing.

I eagerly await your next chorus! I'm sure I will enjoy it immensely!

Have a most terrific evening!
Nance
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  #10   ^
Old Mon, Jul-28-03, 07:24
MizSteaks's Avatar
MizSteaks MizSteaks is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,153
 
Plan: general low-carb
Stats: 194/184/145 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 20%
Location: Oregon
Default

Good morning Rusty,
I was troubled all night last night by a mistake I made in yesterdays post to you.

In it I mistakenly said that you had 'invited me to join in the singing'. That is wrong....you did no such thing. You threw out some provocative statements...threw down the gauntlet so to speak...and I jumped at the chance to join in. I suspect that was your intention to begin with, but I wanted to set the record straight.

What bothered me last night is this....I have yet to THANK you for giving me an opportunity to exercise the most important part of me. My brain. Just as Chloesue challenged me to start excercising my body again, you challenged me to excercise the two remaining brain cells I have. For that, Sir, I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. You are indeed correct that excercising both is the key to remaining as 'young' as we possibly can. I have had nobody to encourage me to use my thinking skills since my best friend died 4 years ago. I have truly missed the challenges she used to throw at me.

huntress, thank you for the compliment! My ego is not nearly so bruised after that cyber compliment! Please...jump in here and join us!

Have a glorious day today!
Nance
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