What are you eating day to day?

[Starfish77]

All my life I struggled with weight. I started dieting at 11. I have only one fat grandparent and that is the one that I take after. She must have been about 100 pounds overweight. My great grandmother on that side was even heavier.
I am sure I gained and lost tons. Because I had dieted so much, I knew my food values well. I didn't eat lots of sweets,
fried food or junk food. I just ate a lot of relatively healthy food. I don't think I was eating because I was depressed
or missing something in my life. I never felt full. I thought people who said they couldn't eat another bite were fakers.
About two years ago I signed up for a program designed to encourage people to exercise. I was in the control group
that was not encouraged to exercise but to control eating. Wearing the smart phone all my waking hours for two months kept me reminded and I was 100 percent compliant. I was telling someone how surprised I was that it was so easy.
She asked me if I was eating wheat. I thought about it and realized I hadn't eaten any for two months. I was not avoiding it. I had just not eaten any because I was watching my calories. She suggested I read the book "Wheat Belly". I decided to make a concentrated effort and not eat wheat. I haven't eaten any since then. I really believe that eating wheat makes me want more wheat. Not eating wheat makes it easy to stay out of diet trouble. If it is made of wheat, it just isn't going to be eaten by me. I sometimes feel full not because I know I've had enough calories, or I'm being polite. After all these years I honestly can tell when I've eaten enough. I think my body chemistry changed.

Alcoholic things never tasted good to me. I certainly didn't need any extra calories. That was one thing I didn't have to give up because it never was a part of my life. I probably ate fruit as a much larger portion of my diet than almost anyoneI know. I did it because I liked it best. I think I should have eaten more non root vegetables. My husband died in
1997. He had high blood pressure so I stopped using salt. I still use almost none in cooking. I try to get food with as little salt as possible. I have used almost no beef for 20 years. Before that we ate mostly beef and lots of it.
I stopped for my husband's health.

I try to eat more vegetables and less fruit. I started taking vitamins over a year ago because I was dieting and thought it was probably a good idea. No one told me what to take (so you scientific folks, don't ask where the research is). I tried to find out side effects so even if it doesn't do much, at least it isn't harmful. I take Costco's senior multivitamin, zinc, turmeric, Move Free (I think it is glucosamine, chondriton and MSM) resveratrol,green tea capsule. I think the turmeric really helps joints. My knees are so much better since I've been taking it. I am taking the inexpensive kind.

I was especially thankful I had lost the fifty pounds when I found out that weight was a significant factor in developing AD. There are a couple of things that I learned that worked for me in loosing weight. It was such a daunting task when I though about loosing 50 pounds. I thought about all the weight I had lost and how hard it had been. I felt so discouraged
that here I was trying to loose again. I have a tiny, fancy notebook I received as a gift. I write a number for every
day of the month. I write my weight on getting up next to it for the day. At the bottom I put my next goal. I work in 5 pound increments. As soon as I make that goal, I bump my goal down five pounds. Eating the same breakfast makes
it easier too. At pot lucks I limit myself to one plate. I can turn into a vulture when there is a wide variety of food.
Moderation is not my strong suit. It is better not to have any of something if I know it is something I like too much
to be moderate.

I was not taking vitamin D because I have sarcoidosis in remission. I just saw the endocrinologist who did a number of tests. I'm going to be taking vitamin D and calcium and she will monitor it carefully. I'm starting on Evista because
I had taken Fosamax for more than the number of years they now recommend. I need it for my bones. I had cancer
and had chemotherapy for a year and radiation. I had two courses of prednisone for sarcoidosis. I'm in remission since
2003.

I can't claim to know anything about AD and diet or vitamins, but if some of you are having overweight eating problems maybe I can make some suggestions. I appreciate those of you who are bringing information about AD studies on diet.
I want to learn from you younger people. It is inspirational to hear your improved medical test results and hear how
you are diligently following your eating plans.

[Julie G]

Thank you so much for sharing, Starfish. I can imagine that summarizing a lifetime of eating isn't easy

Kudos on the weight loss. I had a brief period (1-2 years) where I put on some extra weight as a result of medication I was taking. Losing it post-menopause was not easy. I have tremendous empathy and pride in your struggle and achievements.

I'm guessing not eating junk, sweets, or alcohol MUST have helped you get to where you are today. I'm with you on no wheat; what a difference that has made for me. And more veg than fruit keeps glucose low.

I recall you mentioned that your cholesterol is now lowish. Talk to us about mid-life cholesterol levels. I'm still doing happy back-flips to have you here. Thanks so much for sharing with us all.

[Starfish77]

@Julie this is my change in cholesterol totals
Three months into age 75 i stopped eating wheat. I lost 50 pounds. My total chol. dropped 64 points. I did not exercise.
At age 76 I began eating an egg a day. There were no eggs in prior years. i also began two tbsp. of of ground flax seed
and a little more fat. My HDL is at a lifetime high. My tryg. are at a lifetime low. I did not eat any beef in any of these years. My LDL rose from the extra fat in my diet. My BM! is now 24.9 just a hair into the average range.

age-----------71-----74----75-----76
weight------205--- 205---165---150
tot chol---- 206--- 205--- 141---187
HDL---------- 47-----47----35------61
LDL----------140---146-----93----116
trygl.---------94-----60-----63-----48

[Julie G]

Interesting, Starfish. Your ratios now are amazing. I'm certainly NOT recommending any dietary changes, but wondered if you'd you seen the research indicating higher cholesterol levels in the elderly are associated with less dementia & less risk of all-cause mortality. Oddly, those same studies show that a lower cholesterol level in mid-life (before 50) does the same. You appear to have the opposite pattern going on...although you haven't shared (you may not know) your cholesterol levels at age 50 and earlier...

Regardless, happy dance that you're here YOU give us all hope!!! Speaking of research, have you seen the studies indicating that if you've escaped the impact of E4 by age 70, your odds are really good of remaining dementia-free. Now, that's true cause for celebration.

[Starfish77]

@Julie
I don't remember having my cholesterol taken when I was 50. If it was taken in earlier years I don't believe I was told
the numbers. Eliminating wheat is the most effective thing for me diet wise. When I eat wheat all I want is more
wheat. I am sure I was a wheat addict.

I have read that older people can be healthy with somewhat higher cholesterol. Do we have other folks on the forum that are over 70? I know there were some on 23andme.

Thanks for all your encouragement.