Alligatorob's Diary
- Thread starter alligatorob
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Wow, Rob, so happy you saw a nutritionist and that it's helping. That's wonderful. Glad you caught the hernia, too. Who knows why our bodies do what they do, it's just great it's not a complicated surgery and that it's really going to make you feel better. My kid had her appendix out a couple years ago, so I wouldn't think of things like this as age related, just bodies getting stressed. I hope you can get the tummy tuck at the same time. That would be awesome! If not, I have heard from a lot of intermittent fasters that fasting helps shrink the excess skin. When I was down to 170, the excess skin was starting to shrink, which was great. I think I have to get serious and join you guys in calorie counting again. Thank you for all the inspiration to do so!
alligatorob
Respected Member
A good day, I ate well, did 2 hours and 10 minutes at the gym and am feeling pretty good tonight. Not a very eventful day. I am working on getting more retired, turned down some good work today, not an easy thing for a career consultant to do... Going into retirement feels a little like stepping into an abyss right now, we'll see...
Absolutely! They know that people like me read and compare labels before buying, the more nutritional they can make their product appear the better (for them). Until this diet I paid little to no attention to the labels.
I am still not sure about the nutritionist, only one visit so far, but I go back tomorrow. Yeah I guess it's good that I discovered the hernia and there is something that can be done about it. And in talking with folks it sounds like relatively minor surgery. But surgery none the less. I will not get the tummy tuck, it was too complicated, in Utah the only way to get them combined is to go to a plastic surgeon and those I looked at did not seem like real hernia experts. In contrast my doctor does lots of hernia surgery and seems to understand it quite well. One thing at a time, I guess, and I may never get the tummy tuck. Not really a necessity. Yes, I hope you do join us in the calorie counting thing. It has worked well for me.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Today was a good day, ate well, exercised 2 hours and 20 minutes at the gym, and feel pretty good tonight.
I also went to the nutritionist again, and I am not sure where that's going. On the plus side she does pay attention to me and what I eat, she had clearly been following my myfitnesspal food logs. She is also knowledgeable about some things anyway. However she kind of puts me off with more moonbeam talk that I would like, talking about getting your eating and body in harmony, but maybe I am being too quick with that judgement.
One thing that impressed me was she had all my blood work from the past few years, and obviously had studied it. My last blood test was done before the prostate infection was found. She said my blood work suggested a possible infection, and she did not know about the prostate thing, when I told her she thought that was what she saw. It is something my doctor missed...
Of more concern I am not sure if she is trying to make more money or really believes some of what she is trying to sell me makes sense. She has me taking one Enzymedica Digest Gold enzyme pill with every meal and two Biotics Research Beta-TCP "Liver/Gallbladder Support" pills with each meal. She sells them, and I assume makes some profit off of them. I did check on Amazon and her prices are not higher, lower for one. They are not cheap, but not exorbitant. She has a lot of technical reasons as to why she thinks I need them, but I don't know. I will stick with them for a while, at least until the ones I bought run out and see how it goes.
Now she is encouraging me to do some blood and stool tests, specialized tests, that will somehow help her better understand my digestion. Not things typically done by a doctor in standard testing. Again she wants to take the blood and get the tests done. She is a Registered Nurse, so she can take the samples legally. The tests cost about $700 total. If I really thought it would help me I would do it, but I am just not sure. Because she is not a doctor it would not be covered by my insurances... And again I suspect she gets some of the profit from this. I told her that I would have to think about this one.
In the end she thought I had made some good progress and we agreed that I would stick with the current diet and come back after the hernia surgery. She was very interested in the hernia problem and seemed to know what she was talking about. She thinks the hernia was likely a part of my problems, and that the surgery would pretty quickly fix that. Anyway I guess I will stick with it a while longer, but no commitments to the testing, yet.
I also went to the nutritionist again, and I am not sure where that's going. On the plus side she does pay attention to me and what I eat, she had clearly been following my myfitnesspal food logs. She is also knowledgeable about some things anyway. However she kind of puts me off with more moonbeam talk that I would like, talking about getting your eating and body in harmony, but maybe I am being too quick with that judgement.
One thing that impressed me was she had all my blood work from the past few years, and obviously had studied it. My last blood test was done before the prostate infection was found. She said my blood work suggested a possible infection, and she did not know about the prostate thing, when I told her she thought that was what she saw. It is something my doctor missed...
Of more concern I am not sure if she is trying to make more money or really believes some of what she is trying to sell me makes sense. She has me taking one Enzymedica Digest Gold enzyme pill with every meal and two Biotics Research Beta-TCP "Liver/Gallbladder Support" pills with each meal. She sells them, and I assume makes some profit off of them. I did check on Amazon and her prices are not higher, lower for one. They are not cheap, but not exorbitant. She has a lot of technical reasons as to why she thinks I need them, but I don't know. I will stick with them for a while, at least until the ones I bought run out and see how it goes.
Now she is encouraging me to do some blood and stool tests, specialized tests, that will somehow help her better understand my digestion. Not things typically done by a doctor in standard testing. Again she wants to take the blood and get the tests done. She is a Registered Nurse, so she can take the samples legally. The tests cost about $700 total. If I really thought it would help me I would do it, but I am just not sure. Because she is not a doctor it would not be covered by my insurances... And again I suspect she gets some of the profit from this. I told her that I would have to think about this one.
In the end she thought I had made some good progress and we agreed that I would stick with the current diet and come back after the hernia surgery. She was very interested in the hernia problem and seemed to know what she was talking about. She thinks the hernia was likely a part of my problems, and that the surgery would pretty quickly fix that. Anyway I guess I will stick with it a while longer, but no commitments to the testing, yet.
Yes, it will be laproscopic, not only will recovery be quicker and easier it allows them to put the mesh on the inside which the surgeon said was better. He explained both options in detail and let me choose. Have you done, or are you committed to a tunny tuck?
I think so, the plastic surgeons near here who could do it are plastic surgeons first. They have websites with a hard sell and lots of before and after pictures, mostly of women who I thought looked pretty good before... Somehow a surgeon who seems to do more boob jobs than anything just did not seem like the right choice.
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Err2
New member
I too would be skeptical of the possibility of being upsold. But it does sound like your digestion is doing better for now and I don't know enough to dispute her...
But if I was having major surgery anyway I'd more closely consider it because it sure would be nice to go for a run without wearing compression clothing so I don't feel/hear skin slapping with every stride.
I haven't. More than the cost I fear what 1-6 months of limited/no exercise would mean for me and whether I'd fall out of good habits. There is also the ~1 in 1000 chance of death for what (for me) would be mostly vanity, plus the risk of common complications (phantom itches - that itch you literally cannot scratch, numb sections, etc). I'd be more tempted if the end result made me look "normal" rather than someone who traded loose skin for jack-o-lantern scars to go with my stretch marks.
But if I was having major surgery anyway I'd more closely consider it because it sure would be nice to go for a run without wearing compression clothing so I don't feel/hear skin slapping with every stride.
Great to see your protein up!Maybe, or maybe she was guessing. Suggesting you know something about a patient's health makes you seem more knowledgeable and hinting at a general infection is a safe one because it can refer to anything from an in-grown toe nail to a head cold so everyone feels seen personally. Digestive enzymes seem to have a lot of possible side effects and no real benefits unless you have very specific health issues. Your liver and gallbladder don´t need support unless your doctor says they do. 700$ worth of tests scream scam to me, even if the lady is nice and genuinely believes in it herself. Belief isn´t proof, no matter how fervent you are.
It seems really prudent to go with the expert surgeon for the hernia surgery. Could you email the nutritionalist and ask her for some scientific articles on why the nutrition supplements you are taking are supposed to work? I like your idea of just trying the stuff you already have and seeing if there's a difference. I really don't like taking supplements unless I have to, and I understand the skepticism. I agree with LaMa, $700 seems suspect!
I'll try to find the stuff I saw on intermittent fasting shrinking loose skin and see if it was just anecdotal or not.
I'll try to find the stuff I saw on intermittent fasting shrinking loose skin and see if it was just anecdotal or not.
Err2
New member
Reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell's article challenging criminal profiling: http://faculty.uml.edu/jbyrne/44.327/Gladwell profiling.pdf
alligatorob
Respected Member
It was a mixed day, my gut hurt for a while, kept me from exercising. Or that's my excuse anyway... Today I am pretty sure it was related to the hernia, now that I know about, can feel and manipulate it I can tell. Will be glad to get rid of it. Otherwise my food was good and tonight I am feeling fine, so tomorrow is another day.
Hey Pam, great to see you here!! And thanks for your nice words. I hope you are here to stay now, I think the forum helped you. I know you can do this, I've seen you do it before. I like the new picture, you look good!
You make some good points LaMa, I guess any good fortune teller or soothsayer knows the trick of saying something you can't disprove, but might know to be true. You are right, if I had not known about the infection I would have thought about it, you can never be sure, but maybe she just got lucky with me and I confirmed. Still trying to figure out if she is more soothsayer or real. I think the new diet is helping me, and will stick with it and her for a while, till the supplements run out anyway. After seeing your post I did do some Google searching and it seems the bottom line on the supplements is they might do some good in rare cases, but not usually. They do not however seem to do harm. Except waste $...
That is a good idea, I will do it. If she is legit it should be easy for her to respond. And I will ask for more detail on the $700 worth of testing and maybe run it by my doctor... No commitments on that one until after my surgery. In fact I probably will not go back to the nutritionist until then either.
I liked that article, downloaded it and will study it a bit. Do you read the New Yorker regularly? My mother subscribed and I often ended up with her old issues, since she passed I miss it. The cartoons were great!
Err2
New member
I'm not a subscriber, but I'll usually read it when I come across a copy. I do follow most of Malcolm Gladwell's writing though.
The nutritionists around here always try to make you get these allergy tests done, it is absolutely how they make their money.
I think it's great that you are trying something new with nutrition, I think we can always learn from each other. But, I honestly don't think anyone needs a supplement if they are eating right, and this is where the yogis and plant-eaters and all those other influencers reveal their true colours, because as far as I know, it is very difficult to develop scurvy or any of those other issues on a modern diet.
Our problem is that we eat too much. And food is everywhere. We are like the kings in the court, with dish after dish being placed before us, and we feel bad saying no. It's a weird affliction to have.
Anyway Rob, great that you are doing well in general, keep it up.
I think it's great that you are trying something new with nutrition, I think we can always learn from each other. But, I honestly don't think anyone needs a supplement if they are eating right, and this is where the yogis and plant-eaters and all those other influencers reveal their true colours, because as far as I know, it is very difficult to develop scurvy or any of those other issues on a modern diet.
Our problem is that we eat too much. And food is everywhere. We are like the kings in the court, with dish after dish being placed before us, and we feel bad saying no. It's a weird affliction to have.
Anyway Rob, great that you are doing well in general, keep it up.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Today was a better day, a good day for the most part. Ate well, exercised and feel good tonight. May familiar gut pain came back this morning, but I have figured out how to stop it. I push back on the hernia, lay down and do some leg lifts and sit ups. Seems to be curing it every time. Interesting that the exercise helps. I had noticed that the pain was never bad when I was at the gym, guess my stomach muscles do a better job of holding things together when exercised. I have upped my ab exercises, hope that helps. What will really help is getting the damned thing fixed...
Took the grandson ATV (or quad to some folks) riding today. First day out this year, it was the warmest day of the year so far, winter is still with us, but starting to end. A picture on the trail:
Took the grandson ATV (or quad to some folks) riding today. First day out this year, it was the warmest day of the year so far, winter is still with us, but starting to end. A picture on the trail:
Same here!
Surgery is scheduled for March 25, the wait was my choice, I could have done it right away. However I have the long planned trip to Louisiana March 13 to 19, and part of it will be deep sea fishing, not something I could do right after surgery. Then the first Monday I am back my 2nd covid shot is scheduled, can't miss that. The surgeon wanted to give me a few days after the shot to recover so the 25th is the soonest I can practically do it, or conveniently anyway. Now that I better understand my problem I almost regret not doing it right away and canceling my trip, but that would not have been much fun, and I plan to meet my brothers and an old friend for the fishing and other things.
I have decided to stick with the supplements until my supply is gone, following directions as strictly as I can. Then I will stop for a while, I think that will tell me if they are any real help. I have improved since going on this diet, but I suspect it is more the adding of fat, and maybe eliminating dairy that is doing it, not the supplements, but it is hard to know when everything changed at once. I will not do the tests for now, I don't think they are allergy tests, but am not clear they are supposed to look for markers in my blood that would indicate things like problems digesting protein or sugar. I would need to know more before going down that path, but want to test the supplement thing first.
The standard things dubious nutritionists take you off here are bread, pasta (sometimes all gluten or all carbs), cheese (or all dairy), sugar (sometimes including fruit), beer (sometimes all alcohol), and pork. Somehow their expensive tests always throw up the same suspects, which don't show in normal, paid-by-insurance tests. Some people will say that means they're better tests but I seriously doubt it, and that's coming from someone who DID spend the money - back when I was desperate enough about my skin and digestion issues.
Also you could just do an elimination diet on your own and save the $700! Glad you didn't cancel your trip. It sounds wonderful. And I really hope the pain can be kept at bay by strengthening your stomach muscles. I used to go snowmobiling with my uncle. Is ATVing like that at all? Looks really fun!
alligatorob
Respected Member
It was a good day, the weather was good enough to get out and do yardwork for several hours, but that was my only exercise. I did eat well, and its back to the gym in the morning.
Sounds like my nutritionist, same list of foods to stop, except for the pork anyway. However I do feel my digestion has improved with the new diet and things, I am just not sure why, too many variables...
Don't think I will have the tests, not unless she tells me a lot more about them and shows evidence they make sense. Yeah, I suppose ATVing is kind of like snowmobiling, but without the snow. We have the ATVs, but not snowmobiles, the ATVs have a lot more uses, for me anyway, than a snowmobile would... I like exploring with them, just got them fixed up this winter, have not done much in a while, looking forward to doing more as it warms up. And I did some research, apparently ATV riding is some exercise, about comparable to walking. Apparently holding on and controlling it works the core. No gym workout, not even yardwork, but it is something.
Great, enjoy them! No the 25th isn't far away and to get the trip in its well worth waiting. Or feels that way when it doesn't hurt...