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Perennial health, not directly related to fitness, thread


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1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Perfectly timed thread....

Turned 50 this year.  With last year's physical, everything was great.  All the lab metrics were normal to below normal.  Cholesterol was 190.  BP was 122/60.  This year everything was great.  Everything was inline to down from last year.  Even lost a few pounds.  Cholesterol was down to 160.  Blood pressure?  152/96.  What...the...fuck?

My entire life I've always been on the low range of normal but I guess the day I turned 50, that was done.  (In my 20's, I was somewhere around 95/55.)  I'm in good shape, exercise regularly, good diet, etc.  Just out of nowhere by BP shoots up for no reason.  Doctor said that arteries can harden as we age and BP can creep up.  She put me on some meds and wants to monitor at home.

I guess I'm now High Blood Pressure Guy....

My blood pressure has slowly been creeping up over the past 10 years or so (turned 50 this past December).  I'm right at what is now the "elevated" number of 120/80.  My doc hasn't prescribed any blood pressure mediation, and I've been holding steady with a combination of exercise, decreased sodium intake, and some supplements (l-citrulline and beet chews - who knows how effective they really are, but whatever).

One of my best friends has been taking blood pressure medication since his 30s.  He has hereditary high blood pressure, and he's been taking the same blood pressure medication that doctors have been prescribing since the 1950s or so.  It's kept everything in check.

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46 minutes ago, South Austin said:

My blood pressure has slowly been creeping up over the past 10 years or so (turned 50 this past December).  I'm right at what is now the "elevated" number of 120/80.  My doc hasn't prescribed any blood pressure mediation, and I've been holding steady with a combination of exercise, decreased sodium intake, and some supplements (l-citrulline and beet chews - who knows how effective they really are, but whatever).

One of my best friends has been taking blood pressure medication since his 30s.  He has hereditary high blood pressure, and he's been taking the same blood pressure medication that doctors have been prescribing since the 1950s or so.  It's kept everything in check.

Yeah, doctor wrote me a script and said it's easily managed if you catch it early enough.  What's frustrating is even when I was fat, I had good BP and other metrics.  I've been in fairly good shape for 10 or so years now and overnight it's now high.  

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Doc has had me on BP meds for over a year now. I was around 135-80 or slightly above. He first recommended better diet, more exercise, meditation, etc. and I was all about give me the meds. 

Lately I've decided to follow his initial advice and actively manage my health. Eating better, running more, even consistently following along to a few youtube yoga videos. Now I'm sleeping better and my BP is lower than the meds alone were taking it. I'm hoping that if I can keep this up, maybe I get off the meds in my Fall checkup.

High blood pressure is important to get in check. So many bad outcomes down the line.

Edited by Nice Guy Eddie
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22 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Doc has had me on BP meds for over a year now. I was around 135-80 or slightly above. He first recommended better diet, more exercise, meditation, etc. and I was all about give me the meds. 

Lately I've decided to follow his initial advice and actively manage my health. Eating better, running more, even consistently following along to a few youtube yoga videos. Now I'm sleeping better and my BP is lower than the meds alone were taking it. I'm hoping that if I can keep this up, maybe I get off the meds in my Fall checkup.

High blood pressure is important to get in check. So many bad outcomes down the line.

Interesting.  

Were you in good shape before?  What did you get your BP down to?

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2 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Interesting.  

Were you in good shape before?  What did you get your BP down to?

Not really. I've been needing to lose 10-15 lbs for at least 5 years and allowed my cardio go to hell.  My BP is probably down to 115-75 now. Maybe 120-75. After taking the daily meds, it drops further.

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On 1/21/2025 at 8:05 AM, Aqua Buddha said:

I guess I'm now High Blood Pressure Guy....

 

scroll down to see lots of legit sources with their opinions.  health.harvard.edu etc.  

Google search "blood pressure potassium"

 

 

Find your sources as you do, but here are a few Dr. Berg clips worth a watch.  

 

 

 

There is also correlation to low Zinc being a cause of hypertension  

 

 

 

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5 minutes ago, PRONG HORN said:

 

Find your sources as you do, but here are a few Dr. Berg clips worth a watch.  

 

 

One of the best things this guy does in his clips is having a "best sources of" section for his nutrient advice.  It's usually to eat whole food, but it pays to have a knowledge of when he recommends certain forms of any nutrient over others.  It's usually related to ease of uptake or bioavailability.  

ex.  some places sell Potassium Gluconate, Potassium Chloride, or Potassium Citrate etc.  Know which one you would use and why.  

 

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I'm developing the theory that if you minimize liquid calories and junk food, it may be almost impossible to overeat.  Like you body craves enough calories to maintain balance.  More calories on cardio days, fewer calories on NFL conference championship days.  Fill those needs with literally only chewable food, and there isn't much room in your appetite for more.

That's a very good thing, obviously,  And if you track protein intake, and wanna take in quite a bit (as a weightlifter) then you need liquid protein.  Again, it's real hard to eat enough steak, tuna, etc.  Need that whey protein and/or raw eggs.

If you really listen to your body it's simple.  Not EASY but definitely easier and more sustainable than you'd assume.  I'm down 5% of my body weight in the last month.  There's recent evidence I'm leveling out already, which is not ideal.  We'll see. 

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On 1/21/2025 at 12:31 PM, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Doc has had me on BP meds for over a year now. I was around 135-80 or slightly above. He first recommended better diet, more exercise, meditation, etc. and I was all about give me the meds. 

Lately I've decided to follow his initial advice and actively manage my health. Eating better, running more, even consistently following along to a few youtube yoga videos. Now I'm sleeping better and my BP is lower than the meds alone were taking it. I'm hoping that if I can keep this up, maybe I get off the meds in my Fall checkup.

High blood pressure is important to get in check. So many bad outcomes down the line.

those are rookie numbers 

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9 hours ago, Parliament said:

I'm developing the theory that if you minimize liquid calories and junk food, it may be almost impossible to overeat.  Like you body craves enough calories to maintain balance.  More calories on cardio days, fewer calories on NFL conference championship days.  Fill those needs with literally only chewable food, and there isn't much room in your appetite for more.

That's a very good thing, obviously,  And if you track protein intake, and wanna take in quite a bit (as a weightlifter) then you need liquid protein.  Again, it's real hard to eat enough steak, tuna, etc.  Need that whey protein and/or raw eggs.

If you really listen to your body it's simple.  Not EASY but definitely easier and more sustainable than you'd assume.  I'm down 5% of my body weight in the last month.  There's recent evidence I'm leveling out already, which is not ideal.  We'll see. 

5% when you start trying to lose weight is mostly retained water. It’s the easiest weight to lose and the easiest to gain back. 

You are correct there’s no way you can lose weight if you’re drinking lot of calories as an adult because they don’t fill you up and most calories in drinks are pure sugar. 

But absent a fad diet or medical intervention which are not sustainable, the only wait to drop weight and sustain a lower weight healthily is to eat healthily, I’ve described it on the other thread about ozempic but basically you have to avoid all added sugar and frankly animal saturated fats too (except eggs, limited plain yogurt and some low fat milk). Do that - strictly - and I do mean strictly - and then you don’t have to count calories. 

Edited by troph
  • Hook 'Em 1
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21 minutes ago, Parliament said:

Can I eat grilled sirloin steak?  (Please say yes.)

Of course, the leaner the cut the better.  4-6oz is probs best.

Basically enjoy your steak like you enjoy your women - lean, light weight and then you can have it often. 

Edited by troph
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19 hours ago, Parliament said:

it may be almost impossible to overeat. 

If eating lean proteins, good fats, and green or colorful vegetables, that is 100% true.  You'll tap out at the table before you can consume too much.  The key is to avoid the rest of the hidden and empty calories (like the velveeta smothering the vegetables, the processed carbs in the breads, pastas, and really anything in a box).  When the body and mainly the digestive tract (starting in the mouth) are given what it was designed to process, it's amazing how efficiently it runs. 

Just like a combustion engine, bad fuel fubars the whole deal.

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34 minutes ago, troph said:

Of course, the leaner the cut the better.  4-6oz is probs best.

Basically enjoy your steak like you enjoy your women - lean, light weight and then you can have it often. 

pink in the middle 

yeah this high blood pressure shit is annoying.   I'm going back to the doc to adjust medication because I can't get below ~140/90 except for one reading the other week 

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