Introduction

[Guest guest]

Hi! I just joined this CR Support group.

I'm a 6' 1 " , 44 year-old male, currently 198 pounds. All of my

still-living elders in my family contracted type II diabetes in their

40's. Two of my four grandparents died of colon cancer, and my

mother is recovering from it. So far, I'm free of those ailments.

I used to maintain my weight by eating and drinking any and as much

junk as I wanted to, and then made up for it with exercise. (Though

I did generally avoid true fast food and most red meat.) I bicycled

everywhere for transportation, rode century rides (100 mi. plus per

day), rode in extended fully-loaded bicycle tours, took mulit-day

backpacking trips, did cross-country skiing, and other aerobic

endurance activities. Except for back in high-school, I've never

done any deliberate resistance (weight) training.

I maintained 16.5% body fat at 208 pounds for most of my adult life,

until a bicycling accident caused me to be sedentary for about two

years. In those two years I gained 50 pounds and lost the ability to

even climb a staircase without being winded. After that I started

taking on some more sedentary hobbies, like amateur astronomy and

car-based camping, instead of the more active sports.

Last November I decided to try to get back in shape for some modest

cross-country skiing trips. I started working-out on a Nordic-Track.

I also cut most of the alcohol and animal fat out of my diet. From

that effort alone I lost 27 pounds in four months. I worked-out on

the Nordic-Track every-other day, and went on two-day ski-trips 3 out

of every four weekends for all of last winter.

In March I saw a rerun of the Scientific American episode on Dr. Roy

Walford, and ordered his book. By just practicing the Optimum

Nutrition part, without trying to do the Calorie Restriction part, I

kept loosing weight. I follow the Walford diet guidelines for

ingredients and recipes, but I eat as much as I want. My weight has

either leveled off, or I'm still loosing VERY slowly -- I may have

lost 1 - 2 pounds in July but that may be somewhat due to hydration

differences between weighing.

Two weeks ago, I did my first bicycle century in almost 6 years, and

felt less drained afterwards than I remembered feeling at the age of

38 (when I last did one). (Yay me!)

I haven't decided when to start doing the Calorie Restriction part.

I'm eating between 2,200 and 2,500 calories a day right now. I'm

avoiding most of the snacks I used to eat, like Archway Oatmeal

cookies, Fritos Corn Chips, and Mountain Dew. I opt for apples,

carrots, or various protein-complete nut mixtures instead -- and lots

more water.

Does anyone else have experiences to share on what they encountered

when proceeding from the ON to the CR stage? How long did you hover

in the ON stage before actually starting CR?

Also, I travel frequently on business, and eat at restaurants

frequently on other travels. What advice do other people have on

eating properly in those situations?

I'm still catching up on all of your archives (that may take me a

couple of weeks). I'm looking forward to benefiting from the

collective wisdom of the group.

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Steve Sergeant Internet: SteveSgt@...