Dieting and Smoked Food Forums

[veryolddog]

Hello Everyone,

All my life I was 165 lbs. in weight. I am 6 feet tall and growing shorter every day. After I turned age 65 I had spinal stenosis which required an operation on my lumbar region  because I lost my ability to walk. Needless to say, I gained a lot of weight from being sedentary. I ballooned to 262 lbs. and began walking again. This brought me down to 250 lbs. Then from an injury sustained in Viet Nam, my left hip deteriorated to a bone on bone condition after arthritis eroded the cartilage in my joint about 3 years ago. I have been hobbling around ever since and still not getting the exercise that I need. My weight stabilized at 245 lbs. around Christmas 2012.

That is when I decided to really make an effort to reduce my weight, take the pressure off of my hip and prepare for a hip replacement surgery this year. I just started to eat in moderation. I eat everything that I ate before but considerably less. So, today, I weighed myself and I weighed 213 lbs. with my goal of 165. I am now down 32lbs. Only 48 more lbs. to go.

I have not changed what I eat so much as I have changed the volume of what I eat. Having the smoked foods is really helpful because as you know, the fat melts off of the food product. And, the food tastes great. Last night, I even had a small piece of cheesecake for a late dessert. So, all of this is possible if you do it in moderation.

I have tried some of the recipes on this forum and you guys are very creative and excellent chefs. I just have a modest portion and I still enjoy the flavors that you put together.

This afternoon, I am going to the VA in San Antonio. It is an excellent facility attached to the Univerisity of Texas hospital that is also on the same grounds. I am having a procedure where they will be injecting into my hip joint a lubricant and an anti-inflammatory such as cortisone. They will be using a 10 inch needle an an X-Ray machine. I had this done a year ago. I limped into the room and walked out, because the result works so quickly. I hope that this is true this time as well.

Have a great day!

Ed

[drholly]

Your positive attitude, dedication and focus are inspiring. I wish you the best going forward!

David

[teesquare]

Go get 'em Ed! We are pulling for you. Next week you will take the Mrs. dancing I will bet.

[Jaxon]

Ed, you're an inspiration to me, giving me hope that I'll still be smokin' into my 70's.  Davis is right...great attitude and optimism go a long way.

[sliding_billy]

Good for you.  I topped out at a little over 300 lbs, had a stroke and.... after loosing 140+ lbs have maintained about 165 for quite a while now.  Diet and exercise (and muscle training) along with patience was what it took for me.  Getting off of the road as a career helped a lot too.  You can only eat in restaurants and hotel rooms for so long with any hopes of maintaining your weight.

[smokeasaurus]

Great to hear about your weight loss and good luck with todays procedure. I am sure the weight that you lost will make it easier on your hips and joints.

[muebe]

Good for you Ed!

I found that running and food portion reduction led me to lose over 30Lbs since late November. I am glad to see people taking proactive steps to better health!

[Hub]

Power to ya' Ed -- way to go!

I'm currently 216 and six feet tall, down from about 250 a couple of years ago.  Still need to lose some but not in a panic over it.  Like many here, I've learned that I can't eat all of everything I want, just some of it.  I count my calories very closely and make allowances so that I can have reasonable portions of really tasty things.  I've found that with my 2-3 mile walk most days and about 1600 calories a day I can lose very slowly -- about a pound or two a month. 

There are a lot of calorie-count (plus carbs, fats, etc.) sites on the Internet that can be consulted.  Plus, you can fairly easily add up the calories in a recipe by component and volume/weight.  I use them to keep a daily spreadsheet of my calories and carbs by meal plus my blood glucose reading (not diabetic, but family history so I watch that).  I'm going to enjoy some ribs tonight because I kept breakfast and lunch calories lower (but still had a healthy breakfast and lunch). 

I'm lucky because I almost never crave sweets and have no trouble moderating high carb foods like bread and potatoes.  Some folks have to really fight that.  I can go crazy over a bowl of gravy though      We all have our weaknesses.

I still enjoy great-tasting food, fairly often, but have to admit that age makes me a lot more aware of what I'm eating and what happens.  My greatest reward for getting control of my diet is that at my last checkup, my doctor took me off of chloresterol medication and said I could probably get off the blood pressure pills in another month or two!  I don't like taking "control" pills and am loving that I can dump them.  Its a whole 'nuther meaning of drug-free 

To everyone who has to "fight" to stay healthy and not just gobble up all the groceries I say I feel your pain.

Hub

[Sailor1]

Good for you Ed.  I too have a weight problem and always have.  Dad and grand dad had weight problems too.  My brother and his son also have the weight problems.  Guess we gain all the weight that everyone else loses.    My problem is my moderation is when it is gone I stop.  .

I started the Nutra System diet in Feb before my heart problem in mid May.  I had lost 35 pounds prior to the heart thing.  Doctors told me to stay with it and I have.  Today I am down 44 pounds and I still have another 90 to go.  I feel so much better and I can breath which is a good thing.  I have been really faithful to the diet and have not cheated on it since starting.  I am determined to get back under 200 but I know it take a while.

I still smoke foods but it is for my friends and family.  I do take a small taste of everything I smoke just to make sure it is fit for others to eat 

For all of you that have the weight problem and are trying to lose it I will say a prayer for you and pray that the Lord will guide you and help you.

Jim

[veryolddog]

My procedure at the VA went very smoothly. It took 25 minutes to get ready and 5 minutes to do. This good for 3 months and I am allowed only more shot for life. Then I have to get a hip replacement which is non trivial and requires 6 months of convalescence if I make it through the surgery in the first place. I almost walk like a normal person now. 

I think that I might go to the mountains and fly fish for trout for the summer. When this shot wears off I will get my last shot and then prepare for a hip replacement maybe by the end of the year or early 2014. I hope that this new gel product that has been developed for a cartilage replacement comes to the forefront so that this could be a viable alternative.

In any event, have a great day!

Regards,

Ed

[deestafford]

Ed and all the others who have lost weight...congratulations. It takes a lot of will power and a plan that you are comfortable with and stick to it.  Don't go with any fad diet that requires you to totally eliminate any certain food such all carbs. Eating three meals a day and not skipping any meals are essential also.  I find sugar substitute, such as Splenda, is good also.   A lot of fruit and vegetables are great for snacking. If one really wants to do it they can...no one can do it for them.  Dee

[veryolddog]

You are absolutely correct in your comments. I continue to make the same foods everyday, the only difference is that I eat one third to one half of what used to eat before for a whole meal. I start the day with a small portion of Kashi Crunch, milk, sliced banana, and raisins. It tastes good to me. No sugar added. For lunch, I have a few crackers with pimento cheese spread for protein. I have Shiner Bock Bohemium Lager at 4:00 PM and we have dinner between 5 and 6 PM. I drink lots of cold ice water during the day. My wife usually includes a nice romaine salad for dinner with tomatoes, onions, and sometimes avocados. 90 per cent of the time, I do not eat dessert. Last night, I had cheese cake, small portion from Wal-Mart, to help push the night time pills down. I do like seedless watermelon and that seems to be plentiful these days. I don't spoil my self by trying to change to lite this or no fat that. I have real ranch dressing or Lite Mayo, use real parmasean cheese, etc. It is just done in a "less mode". Hot sauce is always ok especially the stuff I get from Thailand which is hot chili peppers mixed in oil.

When I weighed my self this morning, I was down another pound, so I am doing something right.

I also subscribe to the theory that if you can defecate more than you eat, you will lose weight. You can quote me on that.

With kind regards,

Ed

[deestafford]

Ed, Over the years I met some folks who were so full if they ever did defacate fully they'd be nothing left but skin, bones, hair and teeth. Dee

[drholly]

Hey, Ed - good for you! If you need a fly fishing partner some time - give me a call. The one thing I enjoy more than watching my daughters play softball is dropping a fly in just the right spot to get that sneaky trout...

Best regards,

D

[fishingbouchman]

still fairly young but I know I need to start eating in moderation.  hard leaving food behind.  feel bad for it.  but I am working on it.