A bunch of useless crap
Published on April 24, 2012 By MasonM In Health & Medicine

After recently having to go on medication for high blood pressure I have been trying to eat healthier, get more exercise, and generally improve my health. The doctor tells me I also have high cholesterol and has given me three months to try and bring that down to avoid going on pills for that too.

Eating healthy on the road isn't easy, and it's even harder for someone who has spent the last 50 years not giving it a thought. A friend told me about a free app called My Fitness Pal that has proven to be a great tool for this. Once you enter your information about age, height, weight, normal activity level, and weight goal it provides a daily and weekly calorie goal.

As you go along you enter all food and drink you consume throughout the day, as well as physical activity. It tracks your caloric intake and calories burned, as well as showing you the nutritional information about your foods (fat, cholesterol, vitamins, etc).

This informational tool is really helping me to get a handle on what I eat and drink every day. I have it on my Android phone, Android tablet, and iPad. I can also access and enter the information on my laptop through their website, and it all syncs automatically.

I am really learning a lot about various foods and how they can affect one's weight and health. It's exactly the tool I needed to help me get a handle on the whole healthier diet thing.


Comments
on Apr 25, 2012

For the Cholesterol, get the following:

1. Instant release Niacin (do not get the slow release). Costco has 1000 pills of the instant release for about $20)

2. Omega 3 - 500mg

3. Red Rice Yeast.

I am taking the first 2.  My mother all 3 (so I guess it is hereditary).  All are OTC.  Indeed, the Niacin alone dropped my Cholesterol by 20 points in 2 months.  The only "side" effect is that it will give you hot flashes (so you can see how the other gender lives!).

Daiwa says the red Rice Yeast contains a low level Statin - which is probably what your doctor would put you on (a higher dose of it) if he gives you medication.  I want to stay away from those things if possible.

I was about your age when I started on the hypertension medicine and started on the Niacin about 2 years ago.  So it is still working as my doctor has seen no need to bump me to any prescription stuff for the Cholesterol.

And remember.  You are not getting older.  You are getting wiser!

on Apr 25, 2012

Dr Guy
For the Cholesterol, get the following:

1. Instant release Niacin (do not get the slow release). Costco has 1000 pills of the instant release for about $20)

2. Omega 3 - 500mg

3. Red Rice Yeast.

I am taking the first 2.  My mother all 3 (so I guess it is hereditary).  All are OTC.  Indeed, the Niacin alone dropped my Cholesterol by 20 points in 2 months.  The only "side" effect is that it will give you hot flashes (so you can see how the other gender lives!).

Daiwa says the red Rice Yeast contains a low level Statin - which is probably what your doctor would put you on (a higher dose of it) if he gives you medication.  I want to stay away from those things if possible.

I was about your age when I started on the hypertension medicine and started on the Niacin about 2 years ago.  So it is still working as my doctor has seen no need to bump me to any prescription stuff for the Cholesterol.

And remember.  You are not getting older.  You are getting wiser!

 

Nah, I'm getting older

Thanks, ill look into those. I am really hoping to get a handle on all of this, as well as drop about thirty or forty pounds, strictly through diet and exercise if I can.

on Apr 29, 2012

Sounds like a good app to use Mason.  We can always learn something new and a lot of it is good!  Keep in touch. 

on Apr 29, 2012

notronaj
Sounds like a good app to use Mason.  We can always learn something new and a lot of it is good!  Keep in touch. 

Thanks. Today I bought a FitBit Ultra wireless activity monitor. It tracks all of your daily activity and calories burned and automatically syncs to both the FitBit website as well as MyFitnessPal. A lot easier than having to manually key in the information.

Also, a few days ago I bought a heart rate monitor wristwatch to use to track exercise calories burned and heart rate.

Between the two devices I am getting much better information about what I am burning compared to what I am eating.

Oh, I also bought a scale so I can weigh myself on the same scale all the time to ensure more accurate weight tracking. I've lost 9 lbs so far

on May 02, 2012

MasonM
Thanks, ill look into those. I am really hoping to get a handle on all of this, as well as drop about thirty or forty pounds, strictly through diet and exercise if I can.

My philosophy exactly.  Best of luck.

on May 06, 2012

Sounds like it is all good.  Congrats on the weight drop.  When and where are you doing your exercise Mason?  Looking forward to  progress reports and travel stories too.   

on May 06, 2012

notronaj
Sounds like it is all good.  Congrats on the weight drop.  When and where are you doing your exercise Mason?  Looking forward to  progress reports and travel stories too.   

Thanks, Judy. I mostly walk laps around the truck stop parking lots in the evenings. I did three laps around this one today totaling 2.86 miles before running into a driver I know and stopped to chew the fat.

Not a lot in the travel stories department lately, it's all been pretty run of the mill. Am parked in Ohio tonight to deliver just down the road in the morning.

 

That frigging heart rate monitor wristwatch turned out to be a bust. If I work enough to break a sweat the stupid thing shorts out. I'm going to try and get a good one with a chest strap when I can afford it. Right now the FitBit is doing well enough.