Nutrition, myth?

That would be my strategy too, if it was up to me.

 

I know one chap, he dosn't eat anything, all he has is coffee, coffee and more coffee, He's 6 foot and when he was younger was very large (musle not fat ie: like a rugbe player) some thing happern to him and he's on a coffee diet and is now thin as a rake

 

Sharp as a nail then, even at 4. He'd be a super genius with a few vitamins inside him!

 

I personally don't think that's an eating disorder. The fact is he is eating something is a good thing in my eyes. A eating disorder in my opinion is when people avoid eating at all for various reasons.

My sister when she was younger had a diet like this and she was overweight most of her childhood. She then decided to switch to eating veg and drinking water instead of pop in her adult life, she lost a lot of weight but is still facing the repercussions of her diet when she grew up. A good example is her immune system never really built a good defense probably because of the lack of vitamins she was getting in her diet. My point is just because they look fine now doesn't mean they will be fine when they go into teenagedom or adulthood.

That might be a thyroid problem. Perhaps you should get that checked out if you haven't already? Also try doing some exercise as this really can improve your energy levels. At least that's what I found.

 

I had a full set of blood tests about a year ago, and all came back fine. About 5 years ago I also had a full range of blood tests only on that occasion I was invited to discuss the results. The GP, a very good one I might add, described me as 'some form of elite athlete' having seen my results. Everything was so close to ideal it was almost unbelievable he told me, considering I was a smoker at the time.

I do exercise regularly, in the form of walks in the fresh air, larking about with my son and his little mates, and sometimes I ride my bike.

Since leaving the job I really hated, funnily enough my energy levels are creeping back up

 

I'm a great believer of when it's your time to go then that's it. You're only here once so eat, drink and smoke what you like and when the black finger of fate says your number's up then that's all there is to it. I've known old people who've drunk, smoked and lived off lard all their lives and still managed to live till they were 90 odd yet people who exercise and eat healthily can drop dead at 40. It's all chance. You're either born that way or you're not. No point spending all your life being miserable and worrying about what may or may not happen. I'd rather have a shorter life and have lived to the full and be happy than a long boring miserable one.

 

Overall, there is statistical evidence which shows people with healthier lifestyles live longer and stay healthier for longer. I think.

People who smoke might live to 105 but are far more likely to die early after enduring years of assorted horrible health problems.

But it's your choice! Like a bit of a punt, do you?

I think on balance I'm aiming at a long, enjoyable, healthy life lived to the full rather than a short, miserable one. If I was allowed to choose, that is.

I like vegetables anyway, is that an unfair advantage?

 

As regards smoking, here's a thing. I worked on a government compensation scheme for former British Coal mineworkers who suffered long and nasty illnesses after spending years down the mines without proper protective gear. The two main ones being Vibration White Finger and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Every month there was a court case to decide if the criteria, award size and process was still 'correct'. About half way through the scheme, which ran for more than a decade, it was decided that if the mineworker had been a smoker, his compensation would be reduced depending on how many he had smoked, how frequently and over how long. There was even a banding that said the case would be marked as proposed to be closed if the claimant had smoked too much.

The thing is though, non-smokers had worked in the same pits, at the same time, and yet many of them (those that were still alive at the time) were waiting for death while attached to full breathing apparatus.

I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that smoking is detrimental to your health, and will ultimately kill you, or at least weaken you enough so that something else can, but at the same time I think it gets more blame than it deserves.

 

I'm on another diet at the moment to help my mind with panic attacks I keep having. I had to give up being a vegetarian after 6 years of doing it and give up all sweet, fatty and unhealthy foods all together. I have to exercise everyday and eat pretty much nothing but vegetables or fruit everyday. My weight as a result has dropped significantly and I am reluctant to show myself to my family. Last time I did they labelled me as anorexic, even though I felt really healthy.

I do feel better physically. Some of my acquaintances have said I look so much younger etc. But I feel pretty miserable mentally, watching other people eat ice creams in the hot weather with no ill effect makes me feel quite low. I do feel some improvement mentally though.