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TOPIC: Senior health in general
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Created by:
mayhem8
Original Starting post for this thread: |
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I am doing a health insurance sponsored program (Lark) as a pre-diabetes prevention. As part of that program, I started tracking my food. At first it was more about calories. You find out how many you need to maintain your current weight, and then try to scale that back by ~500 cals/day to target losing 1lb a week. Sounds straightforward, but then as I learned more, I started looking at macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat).
Between Google search and AI, I learned how the cards are stacked against you as you get older, and that just restricting calories can potentially do more harm than good, even if you lose weight. What I'm finding is that it's normal to lose muscle mass as you age (sarcopenia). It starts when you're around 30 and slowly increases over time, but it typically accelerates when you hit 60 and beyond. Using Google and AI, the current common wisdom seems to say that you need somewhere between 0.5 - 0.8g of protein for every pound you weigh, and this gets more important as you age. I decided to shoot for 0.7g/lb, so for me, that would be 146g of protein/day. That is a boatload of protein. While there are other protein sources, meat is the highest, but it is also high in calories. I tried to design a low-carb diet using AI that would allow me to get 146G of protein/day AND keep my calories at a 500/day deficit for what I need to maintain my weight. I won't say this is impossible, but I quickly reached the conclusion that the easiest way to do that is to consider supplementing with protein powder. The point being, eating like this is NOT something that you're likely to do by accident. As you lose muscle, you also lose the ability to burn calories at rest, meaning your metabolism slows down. When that happens, if you just try reducing calories to lose weight, you can wind up losing muscle mass. This makes you less able to burn calories AND process glucose. When you look around, it is no wonder you see so many "puffy" seniors. Knowing what I learned is a first step in not making the mistake of thinking calorie restriction alone is going to help you. I realize this is all just part of the normal aging process, but by learning what I have recently, it almost felt like an epiphany. As always, it's good to do your own research and come to your own conclusions, but at a minimum, this is something that I thought was really worth sharing. FWIW - If you have not used online AI, there is nothing to install or pay for. You can just go to ChatGPT . com for one of the common free AIs out there. To use it, simply type in whatever questions you have. Super easy. Live long and prosper ;-)
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Auburn NH US
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Due to new laws enacted by The US Government, we are making some changes to our business model and policies which limits access to our free members. Please understand that our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for like minded people. These changes are required to meet that goal. |
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Auburn NH US
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Due to new laws enacted by The US Government, we are making some changes to our business model and policies which limits access to our free members. Please understand that our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for like minded people. These changes are required to meet that goal. |
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Auburn NH US
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Due to new laws enacted by The US Government, we are making some changes to our business model and policies which limits access to our free members. Please understand that our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for like minded people. These changes are required to meet that goal. |
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Auburn NH US
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Due to new laws enacted by The US Government, we are making some changes to our business model and policies which limits access to our free members. Please understand that our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for like minded people. These changes are required to meet that goal. |
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North Branford CT US
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Due to new laws enacted by The US Government, we are making some changes to our business model and policies which limits access to our free members. Please understand that our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for like minded people. These changes are required to meet that goal. |
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Auburn NH US
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Due to new laws enacted by The US Government, we are making some changes to our business model and policies which limits access to our free members. Please understand that our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for like minded people. These changes are required to meet that goal. |
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Auburn NH US
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Due to new laws enacted by The US Government, we are making some changes to our business model and policies which limits access to our free members. Please understand that our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for like minded people. These changes are required to meet that goal. |
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Fort Payne AL US
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Sandy Springs GA US
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Due to new laws enacted by The US Government, we are making some changes to our business model and policies which limits access to our free members. Please understand that our priority is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for like minded people. These changes are required to meet that goal. |
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Auburn NH US
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TOPIC: Senior health in general
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