Who's on a diet

[Mik 0]

Still post here, but I've been out of the country and traveling for most of the past month.

 

Just skimmed through the thread and couldn't exactly see the question that I might be able to answer.

 

As for your pre-hypertension, X, that could be a ton of things, but I really don't think caffeine would be at the root of it. If you are salt sensitive and eat a lot of salt, that would be it. The problem with hypertension is that it is a comorbid condition with many other problems (one goes with the other). It's pretty hard to pinpoint the exact cause of HT alot of the times, but stress is often the main factor.

 

Brian, metabolism may be lower in the AM but BMR doesn't change over the course of a day. It's relatively constant and is the amount of energy burned if you are not moving, not digesting any food (TEF -digestion of food burns calories) and in a thermo-neutral environment (cold weather - more calories burned to keep warm). Your BMR can change over time if you gain/lose weight, etc.

[Jericholic82 0]

I need to watch for hypertension as my father has it and it runs strong in his family. Luckily I dont have HBP right now, however I do have to take a 25MG atenelol (generic for Tenormin) pill once a day for a fast pulse (not that high but enough to have to take a pill). I wound up going to the doc last year because my pulse was racing and I had what appeared to be an anxiety attack. So I have anxiety too (again like my dad) but have kept it under control, since the reason I was so anxious, was because of my pulse racing. Now that I know I am in great health otherwise I don't worry anymore. that's another reason why I wanted to lose weight and thankfully I did. My bloodwork was great at that visit, the doc said he has never seen numbers that good. He thinks I am at no risk for heart disease which was a big shock since it runs in my family and I was overweight for a long time.

 

anyhow that's why I continue to try to stay healthy with my eating, though I really haven't changed much like I said, perhaps I just sped up my metabolism somehow?

[Guest Vitamin X]

Still post here, but I've been out of the country and traveling for most of the past month.

 

Just skimmed through the thread and couldn't exactly see the question that I might be able to answer.

 

As for your pre-hypertension, X, that could be a ton of things, but I really don't think caffeine would be at the root of it. If you are salt sensitive and eat a lot of salt, that would be it. The problem with hypertension is that it is a comorbid condition with many other problems (one goes with the other). It's pretty hard to pinpoint the exact cause of HT alot of the times, but stress is often the main factor.

 

Brian, metabolism may be lower in the AM but BMR doesn't change over the course of a day. It's relatively constant and is the amount of energy burned if you are not moving, not digesting any food (TEF -digestion of food burns calories) and in a thermo-neutral environment (cold weather - more calories burned to keep warm). Your BMR can change over time if you gain/lose weight, etc.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well then, that's a major relief. The question I had was in regards to the diet I've been doing and in your expert opinion, what exactly has caused it to work and if it's safe to keep doing it, because of the aforementioned high blood pressure problem. I would assume it would have to do with stress, so that's a big relief in a way since it's getting better in terms of that.

 

I also asked about what time was the best to exercise... With me, it's a bit different to say in the AM as opposed to PM because my sleep schedule is usually that I go to sleep sometime between 3-6am and wake up anytime between 11am-2pm, and that all varies as well depending on my school and work schedule. Generally in the beginning of my day, I don't do much and all my classes are at that time, so physically I'm not doing much but mentally I am. It switches as the day goes on, and usually I'm either working or working out later in the day, which comes first is determined by how I'm scheduled at work, if at all.

 

Also keep in mind of course that I live in Miami, and with the insane heat and humidity at this time of year, not to mention random severe thunderstorms, it can be a bitch to work out outside, especially between 10am-4pm, and the gym my mom has enrolled us in is absolutely horrid, mostly past 3pm or so though.

[Mik 0]

In terms of exercise... if you are doing cardio or running, there is no set time that would be better than the other. Basically, you are burning the same amount calories doing the run/bike/etc. whenever you do it. That's all that really matters when it comes to weight loss. Lots of books will break things down into formulas and propose all these crazy theories, but really the ONLY way to lose weight is to burn more than you eat. It's so simple, but there are so many people out there making money by spreading lies that a lot of people forget that. So, yeah...cardio whenever is equal.

 

Now, as for lifting, I'm no expert on that field and I think Brian knows more, but I always thought it was better to work out in the evening or past. Again, this is just my little idea and not a fact. The reason I think this is because when you work out, your muscle doesn't really start repairing itself until you go to sleep. So, I always just kinda figured that if you work out in the evening it won't go that much of the day essentially damaged.

 

And I can almost swear I read the evening was best in a muscle and fitness a few years ago, but I'm not sure.

 

Ok, I just went back and read your diet. There's nothing wrong with that diet. You should keep up with it. I think if you still have HT problems, it's caused by stress or family history.

[Guest Brian]

The reason I feel that lifiting early is better is because you can replenish throughout the day with protein, etc. And if you workout in the morning, like I said earlier, about an hour afterward that food will shoot through your system pretty well. Personally, I just feel fresher throughout the day if I get in in the morning.

[Jonathon 0]

Started Weight Watchers a couple months ago when I got married and have gone from 270 to 241 in two months. It's a great program that I wholeheartedly reccomend. The point system rocks, as I get about 40 points a day to use and I NEVER get past 30. I eat what i want, when i want. The hardest part is cutting back on juice, which I adore.

[Mik 0]

Wow, look at that sage advice I was dispensing up there... it harkens me back to a different time when thought and effort went in to some of my posts.

[starvenger 0]

Wow, look at that sage advice I was dispensing up there... it harkens me back to a different time when thought and effort went in to some of my posts.

Wait... we're supposed to put thought and effort into our posts? I thought we were just supposed to snark...

[Guest Vitamin X]

ha, look at me freaking out about my heart rate. Turns out I think I was understating how few veggies and how much meat I was eating at the time, which was probably fucking with my cholesterol even though I was physically not too bad in shape. I haven't been able to budge from that 168-170 mark, and living in Portland with all the awesome food and great beer hasn't helped either, so I'm going to start trying to lose a bit more soon. Probably going to do my old diet again, even though it kills my stomach the first couple days (straight black coffee irritates the fuck out of my insides when I'm not used to it).

 

I also think if I really start forcing myself to go to sleep earlier, I'll probably be better off with a lot of things. This past Spring, I was getting into tremendous shape since I had a class at 9am that was basketball for an hour, and then one at 10:30 that was weight lifting until about noon or so, where I had an hour break before going to class so I'd run home and shower and eat a quick breakfast then. Ever since that term, I've had trouble getting back in shape since I've been dealing with a lot of bullshit this summer and the gym I use at school had really limited hours. Hopefully I'll lose way more than I expect to so I can do my old maintenance routine when I'm down another 10 pounds or so.