Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Gaffers on 03 October 2013, 13:36:03
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I am probably going to be shot for talking about this on here but here goes ::)
My medical diagnosis a few years ago now lead me down a journey on trying to find what worked for me and what allowed me to go back to doing the kinds of things I used to when i was fit and healthy. The end result is that I have gone semi vegetarian which means eating veggie and vegan meals to reduce the inflammation in the gut. It must be working because I had my weekly allowance of meat last night and I felt wretched, and I had to take some pills to cope with the side effects :-[ Ironically the spicy veggie curry I had on Monday had no detrimental effect on me, I am even considering giving up meat all together :-X
On this journey I stumbled up on a guy called Joe Cross who made this film called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. A shortened version was on TV on tuesday night (Ch5) but the full version can be watched online for free (if you look for it in the right place ;)). Long story short, years of working as a futures trader had seen his lifestyle ruin his health. He was taking medication which has worse side effects than mine and he decided to change things. Not being short of a bob or two he decided to film his journey through a 60 day 'reboot' where he ate nothing but juiced veg and fruit.
I was in London last night where he was giving a talk and explained how it works. I gave it a try earlier this year but because of the Ironman training I wasn't taking on enough juice and started to pass out. But in 5 days I had dropped 7kg, I put 2kg back on once I started eating normally again but the rest stayed off. I started again last week but then my juicer broke so while it is being fixed I am back on the solids but 4.5 kg lighter.
Basically what happens is that you force your body to go in to ketosis (where your body burns fat at an amazing rate). You are still getting all the goodness and nutrients the cells in your body needs which means once you get past the conversion (between 2-4 days) you stop feeling hungry. You still crave things, especially with all the advertising on TV >:( but you don't get hunger pangs. I did not know this but what causes hunger is basically your cells sending signals to your stomach that it needs nutrients, this in turn sends a signal to the brain. If you are eating lots of processed food your body will digest it, take all the protein and carbs and store it for leaner times and then ask for more nutrients (because the processed food is low in what the cells require) hence a cycle of over eating.
Eating processed also means you are imbibing all sorts of chemicals which are used to artificially enhance the colour and flavour, many of which have been reported to be pretty dangerous. Their effect on people with IBD (crohn's and UC) is amplified, if I drink a diet coke I will feel ill and develop gut pain.
The reason I am talking about this on here is that I have met a lot of people off the forum and because I like you (except Pinky, he's a wierdo :D) and I would like you to be around a bit longer. I think the loss of Paul hit home for many of us. It is thought that 50-70% of all deaths are caused by our lifestyle, something worth pondering.
Getting to ketosis is not easy. For those 2-4 days (3 for me) your body makes you feel like crap. You are hungry and detoxifying, plus some pretty nasty stuff comes out of you while your body gets rid of the rubbish and excess mucus in your gut, but once you get past it, you feel much better and your energy levels go up.
I have since found some pro athletes who juice and compete. They have given me some tips and ideas to make it easier next time I juice and train. :y
Right I'll jump off my soapbox now, for those who want to find out more:
http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/ (http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/277289009070952/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/277289009070952/)
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And if anyone is interested, his talks continue all week (taken from his blog):
Following are open events unless indicated:
October 3rd – 5-6:30 John Lewis Oxford St Live event in new kitchen (basement).
October 3rd - 8-9.30pm, (I think this may be ticket only but if you're in town worth a try )
Pi Studio Live Demo
38 Elcho Street, Battersea SW11 4AU.
October 4th – 5-6:30 John Lewis Oxford St, London - in new kitchen (basement).
October 5th – Lakeland Bluewater. Demonstrations between 10am and 12pm.
October 5th – Lakeland Stratford City. Demonstrations between 2pm and 4pm.
October 6th (Sunday) – Pls confirm with venue
Lunchtime live event at Manchester Selfridges.
October 6th – Liverpool
Barney’s Juice Group Presents: Joe Cross From the movie “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead” -
An Evening of Juicing Inspiration & Healthy Information
Doors open: 7:00 pm
Event starts: 7:30 pm
Event finishes: 9:00 pm (approximately)
Venue: The Brink, 15-21 Parr Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 4JN
RSVP to barneyjuices@gmail.com
* NB - This is a private event - entry will be via guestlist only.
If you want to go along, please RSVP directly to Barney,
October 7/8th – Ireland – Itinerary will be confirmed as soon as possible.
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Interesting post Guffer. I know of a number of futures traders who departed this world prematurely - some through no fault of their own. Others whose weight and lifestyle swings were totally bizarre.
An issue often overlooked is that some of us get by in a rather more basic way which is built on moderation of intake in line with your age and physical and mental state - call it a getting through strategy if you like . If you can adapt your life style over time in a no pills regime then that is an alternative way forward. If I had to consciously go to an extreme I would not be able to cope with the discipline required and I fear it would have a negative effect. Ok there is no one size fits all but don't discount an individual's coping strategy for complex lifestyles
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Interesting post, Guffer.
I actually about 12 months ago went the opposite direction - went on a very high protein diet - egg whites, chicken breast, steak :P, to force ketosis.
Worked very well - I dropped about 3 stone over 3 months, then added fresh greens + veggies into diet - still very low carbs. no bread, rice, potatoes.
After I was allowed to excercise after my op last november, I joined the gym and found that I simply couldn't exercise to the level I wanted due to lack of energy (laid around for 3 months didn't help :( )
I added about 2000 cals a day of simple carbs - brown rice, wholewheat pasta, jacket potatoes once a week.
Result is, I am now back to the fitness levels I was at pre-op (8 miles in an hour on the treadmill, 1 hours cross-trainer, 30mins stepper 3x a week + weights 3x a week),
and feel about 15 years younger!
One thing about ketosis - it makes you stink! The acetone released comes out in your sweat and breath, and can be very unpleasant - certainly for the first couple of weeks, if you lose as much fat as I did!
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Interesting post Guffer. I know of a number of futures traders who departed this world prematurely - some through no fault of their own. Others whose weight and lifestyle swings were totally bizarre.
wierd how a "futures trader" would trade their future for a lifestyle NOW.
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For a minute, I thought this thread was about me after 12 pints of stella and a large donna kebab :D :D
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Interesting post. I already eat all whole grain products and cook all my own meals and I've lost over 6kg since May and feel much better for it. When I've been out on my mountain bike recently I've been able to exercise far more intensely as a result of the weight loss. :y
I want to lose some more weight and start working towards getting back to my old fitness levels. I may look at this where I need to lose some more weight, which I find easy when we have hot sunny weather but find it much more difficult during the autumn and winter when my weight normally goes up a bit. ???
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Interesting post Guffer. I know of a number of futures traders who departed this world prematurely - some through no fault of their own. Others whose weight and lifestyle swings were totally bizarre.
wierd how a "futures trader" would trade their future for a lifestyle NOW.
Its quite common for people in the city to either suffer burn out and disillusionment with the whole idea of keeping up with the speed of the turbo charged hamster wheel they run in every day,particularily when they get to late 40,s early 50,s.
Some have made plenty of money anyway,so go off and relax and plan the rest of their lives, some do that without suffering burnout but just realise it was always a means to an end and jump off the wheel before it kills them. Some of those find it very difficult to live without the buzz of the whole thing,and end up doing stupid things to try and replace it. Others buy into the whole macho "lunch is for wimps,unless it comes out of a bottle" mentality. They are the ones who either crack and jump off a bridge or building.Or retire at 60 and die from a massive heart attack a couple of years or so later.
This Guy who has decided to adapt a really healthy lifestyle sounds like one of the more intelligent and balanced ones. Probably spent many years living as unhealthy a lifestyle as its possible to do,and now wants to redress the balance to enjoy and prolong his "retirement".
I know of one guy who disappears to a hermit retreat a couple of times a year to reclaim his sanity,and works at least one night a week in a substance abuse centre to try and keep life in perspective. He also is very disciplined about eating healthily.
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In the 80s it was not uncommon to go out and smash a club up and pay for damage in cash. £2500 one night.The guy who was a major instigator of this is long dead - probably in 1988 - his weight and drinking were all over the place.
I had to deal with expenses claims also for £2-3000 for client entertaining - which on investigation were kicked back as hostess clubs were disallowed. They had to pay from their own pockets or get support from the so called clients.
Pot plants in the office were hurled around and some had fruit machines in the trading rooms.
Some years ago during a G20 demonstration traders were photocopying £20 notes and throwing them from office windows on to the demonstrators and later that day a full scale pitch battle took place on ther escalators between traders and demonstrators entering the building - needless to say the traders came off best in defending the escalators!!
I am now 61.
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Interesting post, Guffer.
I actually about 12 months ago went the opposite direction - went on a very high protein diet - egg whites, chicken breast, steak :P, to force ketosis.
Worked very well - I dropped about 3 stone over 3 months, then added fresh greens + veggies into diet - still very low carbs. no bread, rice, potatoes.
After I was allowed to excercise after my op last november, I joined the gym and found that I simply couldn't exercise to the level I wanted due to lack of energy (laid around for 3 months didn't help :( )
I added about 2000 cals a day of simple carbs - brown rice, wholewheat pasta, jacket potatoes once a week.
Result is, I am now back to the fitness levels I was at pre-op (8 miles in an hour on the treadmill, 1 hours cross-trainer, 30mins stepper 3x a week + weights 3x a week),
and feel about 15 years younger!
One thing about ketosis - it makes you stink! The acetone released comes out in your sweat and breath, and can be very unpleasant - certainly for the first couple of weeks, if you lose as much fat as I did!
Is this the same as the Dr Atkins diet? :-\ ive heard people on this get bad breath/pong a bit :-\
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..... :-\ ive heard people on this get bad breath/pong a bit :-\
A (single) bloke at work doesn't even know the meaning of any kind of diet, unless it's liquid & comes in a pint glass ............. his breath can strip paint at 100 yards :o :o :o :o
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Im on 2 diets at the moment :y
I was bloody starving just doing 1!
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Diets diets diets, it's all I hear about at work and now one OOF....... :-X :-X You Tubbies are the lucky ones, I sincerely wish I could put weight on, they way I am going I will simply fade away....... :'( :'(
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thats a very good thread .. how I missed that..
thanks for sharing this info Guffer :y :y :y :y
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Interesting post, Guffer.
I actually about 12 months ago went the opposite direction - went on a very high protein diet - egg whites, chicken breast, steak :P, to force ketosis.
Worked very well - I dropped about 3 stone over 3 months, then added fresh greens + veggies into diet - still very low carbs. no bread, rice, potatoes.
After I was allowed to excercise after my op last november, I joined the gym and found that I simply couldn't exercise to the level I wanted due to lack of energy (laid around for 3 months didn't help :( )
I added about 2000 cals a day of simple carbs - brown rice, wholewheat pasta, jacket potatoes once a week.
Result is, I am now back to the fitness levels I was at pre-op (8 miles in an hour on the treadmill, 1 hours cross-trainer, 30mins stepper 3x a week + weights 3x a week),
and feel about 15 years younger!
One thing about ketosis - it makes you stink! The acetone released comes out in your sweat and breath, and can be very unpleasant - certainly for the first couple of weeks, if you lose as much fat as I did!
Is this the same as the Dr Atkins diet? :-\ ive heard people on this get bad breath/pong a bit :-\
"dukan" diet. it'd french :-[ same as atkins,cept no fats
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When I was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2010, I hit the internet for alternative therapies as the thought of chemo and radiotherapy was pretty scary, but most of what I saw looked like snake oil and quackery designed to part me with large amounts of my hard earned!! >:(
However, I came across an article on a respected website suggesting that the substance carotene found in carrots, inhibited the growth of bowel tumours, although it stressed that there was no scientific evidence for this and what was out there was purely anecdotal. So I thought what the hell, went and bought a juicer and for the next 18 months drank a pint of freshly squeezed carrot juice every day! :)
Now whether it made a difference to my cancer outcome or not, well who knows.... :-\ But the ironic thing is that despite the cancer and the treatments, by and large I felt extremely well and full of beans!! Better than ever in fact!! :y
I stopped after having major bowel surgery which left my 'functions' in a pretty fragile state and I think the high fibre content was a bit too much at the time!! :o ::) ;D Things have settled down somewhat now, so I've been looking at this with interest! ;)
Thanks Guffer!! :y
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Just watched the whole film on TBs favourite tinterweb video host. Very interesting, especially about the whole change to mental attitude :y I do however have 3 questions...
1. Can a person survive on juice indefinitely?
2. Are sweetcorn and sweet potato acceptable ingredients?
3. Could juice be heated? (seeing as we're heading to that time of year...)
Glad I watched it, shamefortunately Demand 5 is so king retarded though as was going to watch it there ::)
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Thought provoking thread, Mr Guffer. :y
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Just watched the whole film on TBs favourite tinterweb video host. Very interesting, especially about the whole change to mental attitude :y I do however have 3 questions...
1. Can a person survive on juice indefinitely? No, it is intended for short periods. 60 days is extreme but it depends on how sick you are. I reboot for up to 15 days at a time but eat healthy inbetween reboots
2. Are sweetcorn and sweet potato acceptable ingredients?sweetcorn, not seen it in any recipes so I would guess that it's not suitable. Much corn now is GM and can cause a spike in blood sugars. I will ask though :y sweet potato juices quite well :y
3. Could juice be heated? (seeing as we're heading to that time of year...) The whole point is to drink raw juice, if you heat it you will reduce the phytonutrients and other goodness. As you get in to ketosis you will get cold extremities, I just wear thicker socks and, outside, gloves.
Glad I watched it, shamefortunately Demand 5 is so king retarded though as was going to watch it there ::) Did you watch the full version? 5 only showed the 45 minute version. I have the DVD of the full film here :y
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Cheers Matt :y
Twas the full(fat) 94 minutes :y
I did wonder whether the effects of heating(cooking) would be similar to cooking in a regular manner :-\
Shame about corn as I quite like it, but good news about sweet potato :y far tastier than regular ones ::)
How often do you 'reboot'? And have you heard of a Dr Mosely?... http://thefastdiet.co.uk/
Having had a quick rummage, I wonder if this was the start of Joe Cross' discovery :-\