Where do I even start?

[BrushyHillGuide]

I decided to make a lifestyle change after hitting 50 and just discovering that, despite being thin and very active, I’ve got diabetes. Ugh. I haven’t been to a gym in 30 years and always relied on my active lifestyle, ranch work and eating mostly wild game to stay in, what I thought was, decent shape. I manage a large bowhunting ranch in S Texas where we hunt and I guide year-round, so I do a lot more walking/hiking than most people 1/2 my age. In 2015 I was filming an elk hunt in NM for a TV show and I walked the guides into the ground and carried the heaviest loads packing animals and gear off the mountains. Since then, though, I’ve definitely lost a lot of strength which I think is due to the diabetes. I’ve been on medication for a couple months and trying to eat better and my blood sugar seems to be stabilizing. I’ve got about 1 more month until my next blood test and then I’ll really know. But, I’ve decided that I have ONE last chance to make a real lifestyle change and I’d like to make it work in conjunction with training for mountain hunting and PRS shooting.

So, where do I start?? Especially with the nutrition? I’ve been listening to some GB podcasts and hear a lot about “eating clean.” I’m interested in this because I think it’d be great for my diabetes but I don’t have a CLUE where to start learning about this. Google brings up SO much info I’m just overwhelmed. I don’t know a damn thing about fitness or nutrition or ANY of that kind of stuff. Lol! I feel retarded but I’m totally willing to learn. If we lived near a city I think it’d be easier but we live in a VERY rural area. We do have a gym but it’s more like a guy’s collection of equipment stuffed into an old building in our tiny town. Roof leaks, gotta go next door to find a working bathroom, etc. Lol! Hey, we’re lucky to have THAT in a town with a single traffic light! But, the quality of the advice is going to be questionable.

That’s why I’m turning to y’all. I’d like to find a good resource/guide to eating properly and a workout program I can follow to get started lifting weights. I do lots of walking with a loaded pack but I’ll probably start running also. Where I need help is the general nutrition and weight training for strength and adding muscle. I’m 6’2” and 170lbs so losing weight is not my problem - gaining it is. I’m especially interested in reducing/eliminating foods that cause inflammation. My joints are definitely suffering these days and any way I can reduce inflammation would be great!

Can y’all help me get started down the right trail?




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[Gsquared]

Check out the Beyond the Kill Podcast and the corresponding Journal of Mountain Hunting. Adam and his team talk about nutrition, training and many other interesting topics.

The Journal of Mountain Hunting

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

Ok. Thanks.


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[BRTreedogs]

Man tuff one. So i'd say your 1st main area to learn the most is how to control your blood suger, this is where your main health condition factor is.

Eating clean doesn't have to be complicated I mean in the extreme it can be, But the more natural and raw it is tends to be better for a guy. Sounds like you mostly do this.
I have done some research on Paleo Diet and I don't take it to the extreme but I do believe that "grains" are the enemy to humans, yes the more raw and "whole" they are they are better for you than simple grains/carbs, But we had to invent machinery to crush grain to be able for us to consume, I don't think we are really ment to eat bread/chips.

Not sure how bad Honey would affect blood suger in your case but Raw local honey helps with inflammation and allergies.

Really just simplify it for yourself it is over whelming, I have started the last few months in taking to just cutting the worst 20% out of my diet, simple as that, if you know its bad for ya just cut those easy to know its bad ones rite off the top.

Check into body weight exercises, aka pushups, jumping jacks, pull ups etc. Box jump/ step ups.

This is generally my biggest advice for people looking to loose weight but I suggest keeping a calorie journal for even just the week, I bet it will blow your mind.
Also read the label on everything that comes off of a store shelf I look for carbs and suger mostly, Things that I cut out were orange juice for one its got tons of suger. Also my yogurt just simply comparing what brand I was eating before aka 25 ingrediants to cobani maybe 6 it was easy to see it was better for me.
A protein powder supplement may help you gain some and fuel your muscles.
Take it slow and simple every day I just tell myself if I make an effort to better mayself it is better than nothing.
Also you may have to relize that this may hit your pocket book some. Eating healthy almost always takes more effort and costs more.
Merry Christmas hope this helps/ keep us updated.

 

[Lockster]

Check out the Beyond the Kill Podcast and the corresponding Journal of Mountain Hunting. Adam and his team talk about nutrition, training and many other interesting topics.

The Journal of Mountain Hunting

Adam's Podcast is fantastic, there are some Podcast hosts that are almost painful to listen to but Adam is exceptional, and great, well thought out content too, definitely highly recommended.

 

[rbljack]

I wish I could help ya...I have the entirely opposite problem. Strong for my size at 5'8". Always short for my weight though...LOL. currently at 220. Need to drop about 20 or 30 pounds and wish I could just send it to ya! Only solid advice I can provide is talk to your doctor and see what they suggest from a nutritional standpoint, and learn the ways to manage your sugar levels. Beyond that...I will just wish ya a Merry Christmas.

Side note: I got my butt handed to me in NM this year during my mountain Mule deer hunt. I did tag a small buck, but some of those accents will definitely humble a guy in a hurry. Altitude is part of it, but only ONE part. LOL. My biggest incentive is hopefully to draw my NM elk tag this year.

 

[idcuda]

I recommend listening to Joe Rogan podcasts (you can see them on YouTube) where he talks at length with some really smart nutritionists, scientists, doctors, etc. I would start with his discussions with Rhonda Patrick, then go from there. You'll learn that so much of what we've been taught about nutrition has been scientifically proven to be wrong.

Rogan has interviews with Gary Taubes, Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, Dr. Galpin, Dr. D'agostino, and the list goes on - they all are amazingly interesting. I'm not advocating any specific diet, but if you listen to these, you'll get a much better idea of what a healthy diet consists of - that's the important part. After that, it's up to you to determine which one will work best for you. Luckily, all those folks have books and websites, too.

Best of luck - think of how great it will be when you can throw the prescription meds in the trash!

 

[wesfromky]

Rogan podcasts can be good for sure. Onnit also has a few that might be good. Watching carbs and esp, glycemic index will go a long way. Buy a blood test kit from Amazon, like $40 so you can test yourself more frequently. That way you can dial in what foods spike your blood sugar more than others.

For lifting, building a small home gym with the basics is pretty easy, and it doesn't have to break the bank. Jocko Willink has some pretty solid thoughts on home gyms and workout plans. For more advanced stuff, maybe check out Mountain Athlete - Train for Your Job, Passion, Profession he has several plans that don't require a lot of equipment. For more DiY, it is hard to go wrong with a way to do pull-ups and a few kettlebells. Tons of great videos on KB workouts, onnits youtube is a good starting point, along with their instagram.

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

Hey, thanks so much y’all! Got some good places to start. One of my daughter’s best friends that I’ve known since he was in elementary school got a degree from Texas A&M in some sort of physical fitness/training/sports something or other and I think he’s going to help me out some; and he’s interested in hunting with me. I gave him his first bow when he worked for me on the ranch his senior year of HS.

Even though I’m not due for an appointment yet, I’m going to see my Dr. in the morning to get his input/advice and see if there’s any testing they can do to access what I might need to do to regain some of that strength AND to set my up with a nutritionist. Anyone know how to find a good nutritionist or what I should be looking for? Sure would be awesome to find someone that could really steer me in the right way. I mean, are their some terms I should be throwing around or on the lookout for, in terms of methodology or systems?

Anyone know anything about MtnStrong.com? I’m wondering whether their system/advice is worth the money it costs? Thought about doing their 8 week challenge ($99) and maybe even doing a month of remote coaching ($200) since I’m so remote. 25 more days and I won’t be guiding hunters every day- I’ll go into predator control mode and only guiding limited predator hunts until spring turkey starts up. So, I’ll have a little more time to train and really try to make a lifestyle change. If I could find a good guide through this totally foreign stuff it’d prolly be worth the money. But I’m hesitant to throw money at something online that I don’t know anything about. Anyone have any experience with them? It’s the guys that do the Mountain Hunting Journal, I believe.


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[BRTreedogs]

Kinda hard because u are in such a small town,
How far are you from a larger town and were u think u will find a nutritionist? Call around to doctors and health clubs in that area and I bet u end up seeing a trend in who they are referring. I would call that person and not pretend to know any more then u do.
When I have seemed out a specialist in the past that I believe to be good based on referral I tend to relay how much I don't know, tell that as much fact from the doc as I can and my goals.
If you do your research and contact someone you believe in it's up to the to help guide u in a correct direction based on there knowledge.
I try not to lead them in a direction it's there expertise to figure that out. At least that's how u feel.

And see your already making forward progress by seeking the help.

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

Kinda hard because u are in such a small town,
How far are you from a larger town and were u think u will find a nutritionist? Call around to doctors and health clubs in that area and I bet u end up seeing a trend in who they are referring. I would call that person and not pretend to know any more then u do.
When I have seemed out a specialist in the past that I believe to be good based on referral I tend to relay how much I don't know, tell that as much fact from the doc as I can and my goals.
If you do your research and contact someone you believe in it's up to the to help guide u in a correct direction based on there knowledge.
I try not to lead them in a direction it's there expertise to figure that out. At least that's how u feel.

And see your already making forward progress by seeking the help.

I’m an hour and a half from San Antonio. Got a Dr. appointment tomorrow just to talk about getting a nutritionist. Read my last post and see if you have any further insight on how to find a good one. I also want to talk with the Dr. about testing for low T and any other gosh durn thing that I can do to reclaim some of the strength I used to have. Sux not being the strongest guy around anymore! Getting older SUX!! Lol! Honestly thought I was immune to the effects of aging. Lmao!


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