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Eliminating all dairy, meat (except fish), processed foods and alcohol (except the occasional glass of red wine) has made a profound change in my health. Often I juice to concentrate the phyto-nutrients and maximize their bio-availability. Adding daily moderate exercise and reducing the level of stress in my life has also been beneficial. After 10 months of changing to a plant-strong diet and moderate exercise, I dropped 50 pounds.
One mistake was that I stopped using FatSecret a couple months ago because of the chore of entering in data and because I felt that my lifestyle change meant I didn't need to count calories anymore. I gained 10 pounds over the following month. It's clear that I won't be able to reach my goal weight this way and so I have resumed tracking my calories through FatSecret and plan to do this for the foreseeable future.
I have adopted intermittent fasting and this is working well. Most of my calories are consumed between 4PM and 8PM daily. For the remaining 20 hours I eat no solid foods, although I do drink green tea and consume supplements when I feel hungry.
After much research I have settled on taking the following supplements each morning:
- 2 baby aspirin
- 2 tbsp omega 3 oil
- 1 capsule phosphatidylcholine
- 1 capsule Protandin
- 1 capsule flax seed oil
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp BCAA
- 1 capsule DHEA
- 1 capsule astragalus root
- 1 tbsp piracetum
- 4 drops clove oil
- 1 capsule ubiquinol
- 1 multivitamin
- 1 tablet calcium with D3
- 2 tbsp Citrucel
- 1 dropper full of B12
- 1 capsule resveritrol
These supplements were chosen to address the changes in my body metabolism (I'm almost 57) and to address known cardiovascular issues. Note that I am no longer using statins due to my new lifestyle - previously I had taken up to 80 mg Simvastatin daily for nearly 2 decades to control high cholesterol.
On the advice of my doctor I have stopped taking D3 supplements as I get enough of this vitamin through other supplements, food and sunlight. Vitamin D and A can be toxic if taken in excess over a long period of time, so I plan to stop taking a multivitamin each day once my current supply runs out. I will also stop taking resveritrol once my supply runs out because it's inconclusive whether this has any effect on slowing down the human aging process.
Of great interest is the discovery of telomeres and their effect on human aging. Cycloastragenol appears to activate telomerase and rebuild short telomeres; however the cost is prohibitive at this time.
I have adjusted my level of calorie intake and exercise in order to run a deficit of 1,000 calories daily. I will lose 2 pounds of fat per week on this program. In 5 months (on or before April 30, 2013) I will reach my target weight of 185.
Besides losing weight, my objectives include a stable cholesterol score of 150 or lower without the use of statins, blood pressure at 120/80 or lower, maintain muscle and bone mass, maintain mental acuity and slow the aging process as much as possible. I will adjust my regime according to how I feel and based on new research as it becomes available.
Even after hitting my target weight, I am resigned to the fact that this is a permanent lifestyle change. The only modification is that once I hit 185, I can eat more (but no junk food!) so that my calorie intake equals calories burned. However, given the evidence on the benefits of intermittent fasting and calorie restriction, I may choose to always run a slight deficit to slow the oxidative stress on my body.
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223.0 lb
Lost so far: 0 lb.
Still to go: 38.0 lb.
Diet followed 100%.
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Diet Calendar Entries for 16 October 2012:
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2797 kcal
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Fat: 77.51g | Prot: 107.46g | Carb: 368.68g.
Breakfast: Honey, green tea, avocado, Omega 3 Fish Oil (1000 mg), honey. Lunch: Organic Golden Flax Meal, Radishes, Tomatoes, Apples, Spinach, Lettuce, Celery, Carrots. Dinner: French Bread, Escargots with Garlic Butter, Coq Au Vin, Red Table Wine. more...
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2783 kcal
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Activities & Exercise:
Walking (slow) - 2/mph - 1 hour, Desk Work - 4 hours, Resting - 11 hours, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...
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