Health

Discussion in 'The Lounge - Off Topic' started by westernkings, Jan 6, 2009.

  1. westernkings

    westernkings Gigabyte Poster

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    Hey guys,

    I'm 19 and I'm going to be pretty honest with you all. I am seriously unhealthy and want to fix it.

    I used to play alot of sports, baseball for great britain, never been the fittest but could at least play a full baseball game without dying.

    However, 4 years ago I ended up living by myself so I stopped doing exercise and started eating what I wanted when I wanted.

    Gradually its got worse, I get out of breathe during sex with my gf, can feel the breathlessness approaching walking up the flight of stairs to the office. I can barely sprint 100 metres without dyeing.

    I'm not gonna deny it, I'm seriously out of shape and my diet is **** to say the least.

    I drink a lot of coke, eat take aways alot, my daily diet is a tub of grapes, a carton of pure orange juice, 5 giant chocolate chip cookies and a chicken sandwich.

    Previously though when I was living on my own it was chips 3 times a day and tons of chocolate, anyway you get the idea.

    I weigh 8.9 stone, 55 kilos give or take and have weighed that for 3 years at least. So pretty skinny given I'm 5'11. So im pretty dam unhealthy but I wan't to fix it, i'm worried about my cholesterol level and I want to sort it out because i'm petrified of the damage I've done already and it not being reversible.

    I don't really stuff my face all day every day like some people who are unhealthy, IE I dont spend all day eating loads of grease etc.

    Any ideas on a plan of action for me ? any personal experiences to share ? i want to get healthy, where do I start ?

    This is a proper plea
     
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  2. zebulebu

    zebulebu Terabyte Poster

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    LOL - you weigh 9 stone and are 5'11? I weigh 14 stone and am 5 foot sodding nine!

    Here's my plan for you to lose weight (only follow this if you're really serious about losing weight though)

    1 Stop eating crap
    2 Exercise more

    Let us know how that works out for you
     
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  3. westernkings

    westernkings Gigabyte Poster

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    I don't want to LOSE weight. I want to not drop dead when I'm 24, then I was reading about healthy people randomly dying of heart disease today lol, that just makes it worse.

    I have hypermetoblism according to my old doctor, which is why I simply never gain weight.

    It's not funny lol, i'm seriously wanting to sort it out.
     
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  4. Mof

    Mof Megabyte Poster

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    Im 15st and 5'10

    Zeb's idear seems to be a good one might try it myself.:biggrin
     
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  5. Cockles

    Cockles Megabyte Poster

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    Hi mate

    Might be able to help here. My degree was in Sport Science, with my area of study being mainly in exercise, physiology and nutrition.

    When people say 'they want to get fit', that is a very broad spectrum. If you could narrow it down a bit, I'd be happy to put some suggestions your way. For example, do you want to gain muscle, be more fit in terms of cardio, have some pointers towards diet, all of the above :D

    I must stress, I am not a professional gym instructor or anything like that, but we delved very deep into body systems, energy production, fat burning etc etc as well as physiological aspects of exercise, so if you have any initial queries, fire away and I'll see if I can help

    Cheers
     
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  6. westernkings

    westernkings Gigabyte Poster

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    Weight i'm not too bothered about really, if it was larger I wouldn't be able to model. which earns me a nice second income. (l'oreals requirements)

    Gain Muscle: I don't really want to be mega ripped with a 15 pac and byceps the side of my head.

    Fitness: I do however want to be generally healthy as opposed to fit.

    Would like to put on a bit more weight to take me up a stone as long as it's spread out over my entire body and not just a huge belly haha.

    Basically, I want to be healthy more than anything, being out of breathe so easily is scary.

    What are the chances I have done irreversible damage to my body at this age ?

    Cholorestrol level ? what are the odds of it being severely bad ?

    I don't really stuff my face all day like you see these people on TV Doing, I just have a unhealthy diet and don't exercise at all.
     
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  7. tripwire45
    Honorary Member

    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    First of all, see a doctor. If you get out of shape having sex, I'd be worried. On my worse day on earth, I never worried about my health after sex, and I've been seriously out of shape (not in perfect shape now, but a lot better).

    One reason to see a doc is to determine if there's some sort of other condition going on besides just bad food and no exercise. Another is to determine what sort of exercise to ease into. After all, you don't want to create an exercise regimen that will kill you right off the bat, or at least discourage you into not working out.

    Join a gym. Sure, you can work out on your own, but a gym gives you a more controlled environment to work out, especially if it's lousy weather and you don't feel like running in the rain or snow. I don't know how this works in the UK, but there are gyms you can join here that aren't just for the super athlete type. Join one where normal people with normal, out-of-shape bodies go to work out. Then you won't feel intimidated by a bunch of jocks and won't have their egos to deal with.

    You are made out of what you eat. The various parts of your body are constantly rebuilding themselves at different rates. What you eat provides the raw materials for that rebuilding. If you eat junk, guess what your body is made of? You can probably Google a ton of resources on which foods to eat that will provide health benefits. This doesn't mean that you can't eat fun food. One way to kill a healthy diet is to make it 100% boring. Include some fun foods but just don't make them a majority.

    As least for awhile, cut the booze down to a bare minimum. If you drink a lot, it's probably damaging at least your liver if not other portions of your digestive system. Also, completely drop diet sodas. If you can't live without soft drinks (and you probably can), then drink them with sugar. The aspartame used in many artificial sweetener breaks down into alcohol (no, it won't get you drunk) that acts on the liver like booze and tears it apart. Also, soft drinks suck calcium out of your body, making your bones and teeth weaker.

    Ease slowly into exercise and a better diet. Remember, health isn't a matter of doing a crash course for a few weeks or a few months, then going back to business as usual, it's making a permanent lifestyle change. You're young and the human body can put up with a lot of krap, but there's a limit.

    As far as weight goes...it's not really a matter of losing weight exactly, it's a matter of what that weight is made out of. Muscle mass weighs more than an equal amount of fat. Your weight may never change a great deal, but what it's made out of should, if you stick with good eating and exercise over time.

    BTW, the best "starter" exercise is walking. I still sometimes walk over my lunch hour (and I mean that...the walk is about 50 to 55 minutes long). Start slow and then speed up as the weeks and months progress. A really fast walk burns almost as many calories as jogging for the same amount of time. When you see the law of diminishing returns kick in and you can't seem to lose any more weight just be walking, it's time for jogging, running, or some sort of aerobic workout machine.

    Hope some of this helps. Remember, see a doctor soon as a necessary first step and plan to start at least a small stroll as a way to get your body moving on a regular basis.
     
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  8. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

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    I'd echo what trip has said. My first thoughts on reading your problems, and realizing your age, was "see a doctor IMMEDIATELY".

    You should not be out of breath at your age like this.

    Harry.
     
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  9. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    I'd echo what everyone else has said.

    Heck, with my lil' girlie figure (:rolleyes:) I'm 5'7 / 5'8 and 12 stone 6lb (and I've lost a stone)

    lol. I know you said it's not about your weight, but from what you've said - man, I'd say you've got asthma at the very least.

    You can grow into it, it's not a 'from birth' thing - you can get asthma at any point in your life.

    I had severe bronchial asthma as a kid, and it comes and goes as an adult - my cardio fitness is still shot to buggery, and I'm starting to build it up with walking, as per Trip.

    Try the 30/90 thing I do. Find a nice route in your local area. Walk for say, five minutes to warm up, then jog lightly (or whatever you feel comfortable with) for 30 seconds. Then walk again for 90, jog for 30... you get the idea.

    I have a two mile circuit near my house that I do this on. Within two weeks, I could move to a 80/40 ratio without additional discomfort.

    Swimming is also great for building up cardio fitness (though I am terrible at it, despite loving the water, so I tend to avoid the experience).

    However, first and foremost, get yourself to the doctor's young man.
     
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  10. westernkings

    westernkings Gigabyte Poster

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    Yea Swimming is a good idea, I keep meaning to do it, it's all over fitness workout isn't it ?

    Yea, going to definitely going to get to the doctors this Friday or Thursday. After all there is no point in building a career in IT just to pop my clogs before I get to appreciate the hard work by looking back.

    I eat unhealthy food when I get bored mostly, it's just there and I'll be bored and just do it for the sake of it, it's the same with spending money, yesterday I was just wandering around on lunch looking for something to buy for the sake of buying. :dry
     
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  11. tripwire45
    Honorary Member

    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    If you want my lecture on budgeting and saving (and believe me, 19 is not too early to start...I wish I had a financial plan when I was your age), start a new thread called "Money". :wink:
     
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  12. GiddyG

    GiddyG Terabyte Poster Gold Member

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    I do the same, and I am a little of the portly side... but I am not out of breath and I am double your age and more some...

    You're doing the right thing going to see the doctor. Just make sure you tell him/her everything, no matter how inconsequential it may seem to you now. It could help in any diagnosis.

    Best wishes.
     
  13. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    I used to do the money spending and snacking thing. I've found 'distraction therapy' works. Not sure what the textbooks would say, it's just something I'm trying for myself.

    For the eating, I started drinking water (sometimes with squash) instead. I seem to remember something about the hunger and thirst receptors being a bit samey - so if you're feeling peckish, have a glass of water instead. If you're still hungry half an hour later, then you're probably actually hungry. If you were in fact thirsty, then hey presto, you already sorted yourself out! It's the first time ever I've managed to be drinking my 2 litres of water a day - and my skin is massively improving as a result.

    Cut the Coke out of your diet a little bit btw - along with everything else, that possibly isn't helping? I've cut down my carbonated intake whilst upping the water, and it's... well, working :)

    As for the spending money, what do you tend to buy? I have sh*tloads of books and stationery. So to stop myself from getting books all the time (and some that I might not even read - :ohmy) I joined the library by my work. If I feel the 'itch' I browse in there and take a book out. So I have a "new" book in my hands, free, guilt-free, and completely free :) plus it's more back for the bucks I pay in council tax every month! *sigh*

    Hope some of this helps. Hope the doctor's goes okay too :hug

    EDIT: after reading Trip's post, if you want another spiel about money, I'm a hardened pro at living on a shoe string and still having fun. lol.
     
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  14. westernkings

    westernkings Gigabyte Poster

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    Booked a doctors appointment for Thursday 4pm, any specific questions I Should ask to make sure I get the right kind of tests of my health ? like a cholestrol test ? etcetera, it is very rare I go to the doctors and I don'treally get ill, so not too sure how to ask the appropriate questions and making sure I get the proper tests done.

    I'm likely to say "I wanna see if im unhealthy" and likely to be fobbed off with him saying your fine
     
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  15. Cockles

    Cockles Megabyte Poster

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    First thing I'd look at is your diet. Exactly as Trip said, the phrase you are what you eat couldn't be more true. A basic law of physics is that matter cannot be created without matter. So in order to create and maintain your body cells and promote health, you need to ingest substance, i.e. food, and that plays a big part in determining your health. It is not all about fats etc, but rather maintaining a balance that your body needs.

    From what you have said, a big reason why you are out of breath doing relatively simple tasks is your diet. Of course, a lack of exercise means your body cannot sustain prolonged bouts of extra workload, but your diet plays a huge part, and I thin kthis should be addresed first.

    You are basically taking in a lot of simple sugars and fats, and a minimal amount of protein, carbohydrates and fibre (I am making an assumption here)

    You are being provided in that case with short, simple bursts of energy, but no sustaining energy, nor the protein required to either add weight, bulk up etc, and the lack of fibre is probably leading to a digestive tract acting at reduced capacity.

    In short, you don't have the basic fuel - let alone cardiovascular system nor muscle capacity - to complete simple physical tasks.

    If I may ramble on, I would like to explain (very basically) how energy systems in your body work.

    Think of your body as a car. A car runs on fuel. Without it, the car will not run. Same as you. Now, when the car runs out of fuel, what do you do? You fill it up, but you fill it up with the correct fuel. The body is the same

    Asides many obvious factors (i.e. we don't have horns and wheels and stuff), there is a difference here. Car runs out of fuel, you fill it up with the same fuel. With the human body, when you run out of fuel, it's not as simple as filling it up.

    Basically, the human body runs on one and one fuel only, a chemical called ATP (Adenosine Tri Phosphate). When that chemical is depleted, rather than making more of it, the body uses existing nutrietns to REPLENISH it. Think of the ATP molecule as a fuel can, you empty it to make a movement, the body fills it back up again, it gets used again. A lot of people are mislead to believe carbs, fats etc are body fuels. They are not, they are used to replenish the supplies of ATP in the body to allow for energy production.

    Carbs are the primary source of this replenishment, but they will only be used if your ready ATP supplies are used up. IF you don;t have adequate carbs in your diet, you won't fill them up properly (there are loads of other factors here such as fitness levels and how uiakly carbs can be utilised, but that is for another time, or if anyone cares :D) The next source is fats. Fats are very difficult to break down into the chemical parts for this though, and takes longer than carbs, therefore the bodily fuel systems are not being replenished at a rate quick enough in ratio to the demand put upon it.

    So first thing and very basically, eat small and frequent, take in a lot more complex carbs (pasta, wholegrain, oats), lay off the simple sugars, bring on the proteim (lean chicken, turkey etc) and take in more cereals, I guarantee you will start to feel benefits almost immediately, THEN we can think about exercise

    Any questions, please contact my solicitor
     
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  16. GiddyG

    GiddyG Terabyte Poster Gold Member

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    The GP should be asking you why you wanted to see him/her... you'll tell him everyhting: shortness of breath, any stiffness, backaches, eyesight issues, muscle aches... anything. Tell how long you've had the aches/symptons but the GP will no doubt ask anyway. He/she may do a blood test there and then and arrange for you to go to the hospital, will no doubt prod and poke, and so on.

    GP may also ask if history of any illness in the family, and on whose side.

    If you're still concerned when the GP has stopped poking, prodding and talking, then ask questions...
     
  17. tripwire45
    Honorary Member

    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    I agree...just tell your doctor what is going on. Don't leave out any details, even the ones you consider embarrassing. Usually people downplay the amount of drinking they do and any issues to do with sex and elimination. Don't. You have no idea what leaving out a simple detail might mean to helping your doc understand what you are experiencing.
     
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  18. supernova

    supernova Gigabyte Poster

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    HI

    I agree with everything above you obviously don’t feel great so go to your GP regardless and discuss everything.

    He will give you a good MOT .. lol … probably a blood test

    You know that your diet and exercise isn’t great, so improve it anyway, get advice from your GP.

    Also normally every surgery has a nurse who is trained in the area of diet and exercise (or may have a dietician if a larger practise).

    Your GP may refer you to them and to come up with a plan to follow.

    The other thing I would look at is alcohol and/or smoking (do you smoke?) you would believe how much these can effect your system.

    Regarding cholesterol everyone’s different it’s mainly genetic, your GP will probably cover this with a blood test.
     
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  19. Mr.Cheeks

    Mr.Cheeks 1st ever Gold Member! Gold Member

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    i'm bout 5"7, now 9st 3/4 and i reckon 27" waist and still have a belly! 4 months ago, i was just over 10st, 32" wait and have a bigger belly!
    what did i do?
    contnue smoking, eat crap, but try to go gym almost every day, hit the cross trainer and weights... ...it took time, but im getting there!
     
  20. mickaveli2001

    mickaveli2001 Byte Poster

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    I'm now an old 25 (just turned it 18th Dec 08 :( ) and I smoke frequently, and drink a lot on Fri (sometimes Sat) I'm the same, but I keep a healthier diet. Bagal & actimel at breakfast before leaving the house, sandwich at lunch, a meal like Chicken, or some form of meat at tea time. I don't eat a lot of sweets or crisps at home at all, just meals, and I think that's the problem you might have maybe snacking?

    Eat something good at breakfast, bagal & actimel, or bagal and orange juice, it has Vitamin C and wil boost your immune system, and just eat meals, try to eat less snacks
     
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