OT oprahs weight loss diet

[Notes_Norton]

You know Notes.' date=' it's guys like you that give us couch potatos a bad name. Stan.[/quote']

 

Sorry about that, Stan

 

I know you said that in jest, and weren't expecting a serious response, but you are going to get one anyway. Ignore it if you wish. It's only my personal philosophy.

 

We all know that that life here on Earth is temporary. Although people of all faiths believe there is some kind of "happy hunting ground" afterlife, there is really no proof, so this life is the proverbial "one-in-the-hand". --- I intend to live it as long as I can, as healthfully as I can, and get as much enjoyment out of it as I can, while living a good life according to my beliefs. So if those afterlife promises are real, after I've had all my physical fun here in the physical world, I'll get to have spiritual fun in the where-ever hereafter. (I'm staying non-denominational here because religion isn't a proper subject for the forum).

 

Seriously, there is nothing wrong with being a couch potato, if that is what you like. The first time I went on the cruise ships in 1985, there was no TV on board so I got out of watching it and learned to have fun doing other things. When I got back on land, and tried to sit in front of the TV, I found myself fidgeting and wanting to do something instead of just sitting there. So I quit watching it.

 

I did tune it in to see the last Johnny Carson Tonight show since he was part of my youth, and I watched one Jay Leno show after that to see how it changed. But that's it. I've never seen Seinfeld, Simsons, Cheers, Taxi, Oprah, or any of the other shows that I hear the name of. I know I'm missing some things, but I really don't care.

 

Full confession: Leilani and I do watch rented movies from time to time. We do Netflix and especially like foreign, art, silent, and other weird films (usually not blockbusters unless they appeal to us). Last week we watched two Steely Dan DVDs in the same night. I learned a bit about arranging from them, and enjoyed the evening and the music. But because we have no antenna and no cable and live in a fringe area, we get absolutely nothing on the TV off the air (we aren't even going to get a converter for the digital conversion). I could put up an antenna if I wanted, the house is wired for it and I know how, but I don't want to.

 

But if you give me the choice of watching some TV show or practicing my guitar, updating my web page, writing a new BiaB style, going to a concert, jamming with friends, typing mindless trash on the computer, or any other activity, the TV wouldn't even make the first cut.

 

I'm getting pretty good at improvising solos on the guitar, and before that I learned how to emulate many instruments on the wind synthesizer. These two things along give me more pleasure and satisfaction than watching a TV show or sports game. My guitarist friends are amazed at how much I've learned in the past year and a half since I went from bar chords to lead guitar. Part of that is because it's my 7th instrument, part of that is because my Casino is so easy to play, and part of that is because I spend an hour or so per day practicing (except on gig days, where I practice 3-5 hours on stage -- because if you can't practice on stage, where can you practice? <grin>)

 

So I am going to live my life out the way it pleases me the most, and everyone else can do what turns them on unless it illegally interferes with my right to my pursuit of happiness.

 

So couch potatoes are cool with me, as they are doing the same thing I am, following their personal bliss.

 

Notes

[Notes_Norton]

I tried strict Atkins and got gout in about 1 week. I considered vegetarian for a while. The problem with vegetarian is that' date=' after about 2 weeks, you get really, really sick of vegetables.[/quote']

 

Another problem with vegans is that they don't get what I consider proper nutrition. There are a couple of amino acids, vitamin B12, and usable iron that are only available in flesh. I have vegan friends, and they seem pretty healthy, but they take supplements. A lot of what vegans eat are also high glycemic, and that will make me overweight. The fruits and vegetables I eat have a low glycemic load and therefore affect my blood sugar minimally.

 

I have learned that sugar is both necessary and bad for you and the insulin used to control it is bad but also necessary. So I eat low glycemic foods that turn into sugar slowly and therefore reduce my body's need to produce insulin. Of course if I go somewhere and my friend cooks lasagna or chocolate cake for us, I'll be polite and down the carbs. I figure a little won't hurt much and I don't want to hurt my friends feelings (but most of my good friends know of my diet). When I do eat carbs to be polite, I try to eat them after the protein so they enter the bloodstream more slowly due to the dilution.

 

So I gave up fried potatoes, but in return I get to eat sugar-free chocolate, and to me that's a good deal

 

Gout is caused by uric acid. While red meats can contribute to that they don't actually cause it (the tendency is inherited - according to google), and you can always eat poultry, pork and fish instead (fish are very good, especially the types that don't collect a lot of mercury in their systems). I would imagine that lean red meats would be better than fatty ones, because of the arachidonic acid in the fat. I would also try drinking a lot of alkaline water (mineral water) to flush the kidneys and make your body more alkaline (check with your doctor, this "advice" could be way off base - it's only a guess - if I had a tendency towards gout, I'd research those lines)

 

I also eat organic when I can find and afford it.

 

I have arthritis in my hip resulting from an injury I got when I was young. Part of my diet modifications are for the arthritis. That means no egg yolks, no organ meats, no red meat fat (lean is OK), no nightshades (tomato, pepper, tomato), and no high glycemic foods (that goes fine with the ketogenic diet). So I have adapted the ketogenic diet to my personal body problems and chemistry. It just takes trial and error and research so you know what to try.

 

The arthritis went from being a major problem in my life to being 99% gone with no drugs, just dietary changes. Every once in a while there is a slight discomfort instead of the daily pain of the past. And best of all, no drug side effects.

 

Once again, this works for me, but I don't know if it would work for you. I learned most of this from books when I was young and later on the Internet and from belonging to Life Extensions. Something is working for me because I generally catch a mild cold once every 5 to 10 years, don't get the flu, and haven't missed a day of working since I started playing music for a living.

 

So the disclaimer again: I'm not qualified to give medical advice, so check with your doctor.

 

Insights and incites by Notes