dopetalk
Core Topics => Health Issues and Medical => Topic started by: thetalkingasshole on December 26, 2015, 11:11:40 AM
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I will give a quick medical background of whats relevant
I have always been skinny, although not always tall
age 7: prescribed amphetamines thrn ritalin for 6 years
age 13: grown 5 inches(since 7) in height and weigh 100lbs for the first time
age 14: poly drug use begins, have grown 4inches and 15lbs in one year
age17: now 6' fall, weigh 150lbs, first daily opiate habit for 6 months
age 21: on maintenance, weigh anywhere from 140-165lbs for next 2 years
age 24: since my bday 6 months ago I have lost 20lbs.
As of today I have had a daily morphine habit tapered from 150mg to 60mg/day since October 2014
I am still a polydrug user, and the use of any stimulant costs me 3-5lbs per day of use
at 6'4" and 135lbs im afraid that I am sf serious risk of getting hurt or sick
especially considering I work construction
I have tried protein supplements, shakes, special high calorie diets
eating shitloads of fast food and process ssed fatty bullshit
I am at the end of my sanity here
aomeone PLEASE have some advice here
Obviously first is to not take mors stims
But what and how should I eat to gain the 30+lbs I desperately need
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Start taking methadone, I have weighed 130 my entire life and within a year of getting on MMT I was up to 230. I am down to 180 but I am having a hard time staying here and I haven't been able to lose weight since getting back on. 180 is fat for me I should weight 150 at the most, and I hate it. I have sugar cravings like no other, I can seriously go days without eating anything but candy. I don't ever want real food but I constantly have a strong craving bordering on a need for candy. I have gotten down on some reeses this holiday season.
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Maybe talk to an endocrinologist? Could possibly be a thyroid thing..
If it helps, I was a 28 waist size and 140lbs, at 6'2" from like 14 until mid-late 20s (I have a good friend who was basically exactly the same thru HS, he's now about 240 -- I'm glad that didn't happen to me). Around 30 I picked up maybe 2" around my waist, and about 20lbs. Another 10-15 years and I've picked up another 2" and 20lbs; so now at 45, I'm (as of 2 days ago) 175lb with about a 32" waist.
Personally I was never interested in gaining a bunch of mass that I knew would just turn to flab if not managed. I'd much rather be on the skinny side than the big side, regardless of what other people think.. When exercising I go for cardio and light-fast type workouts that emphasize tone over bulk. I've always thought like that..
Couple times Zoops liketa take shots at me calling me "slim" - yep, black dudes like to call me that, too. I'll take that over 'tubby' any old fucking day, they can have dey fatasses..
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Maybe talk to an endocrinologist? Could possibly be a thyroid thing..
If it helps, I was a 28 waist size and 140lbs, at 6'2" from like 14 until mid-late 20s (I have a good friend who was basically exactly the same thru HS, he's now about 240 -- I'm glad that didn't happen to me). Around 30 I picked up maybe 2" around my waist, and about 20lbs. Another 10-15 years and I've picked up another 2" and 20lbs; so now at 45, I'm (as of 2 days ago) 175lb with about a 32" waist.
Personally I was never interested in gaining a bunch of mass that I knew would just turn to flab if not managed. I'd much rather be on the skinny side than the big side, regardless of what other people think.. When exercising I go for cardio and light-fast type workouts that emphasize tone over bulk. I've always thought like that..
Couple times Zoops liketa take shots at me calling me "slim" - yep, black dudes like to call me that, too. I'll take that over 'tubby' any old fucking day, they can have dey fatasses..
I agree with the recommendation, TTA. That being said, opiates don't make you skinny. The reason people ssociate being scrawny with junk is financial. You spend every available penny on H and eat less becasue you are broke...usually.
Junkies can be big fat slobs if they can satisfy their cravings for sweets. Look at notorious junkie, Nazi Hermann Goering. He was huge at the end of WWII when the Allies imprisoned him. By the time he was to hang (and had been detoxed) his peers said that he looked trimmer and healthier than ever.
TTA don't forget that we are a nation of obese people so someone on the lean side might look "skinny" by comparison. And, yeah Opus unless you work at the cardio religiously the older we get the thicker we get, especially thse of us bound to desks. Our American lifestyle and food options make staying fit an uphill battle.
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I was really skinny throughout my teenage years. Like 5'9" weighing around 120 lbs or so. I got sent to a boarding school/juvi type thing when I was 17 and started eating and working out. Got up to about 140-145 lbs. I started filling out sometime in my 20s. I think I was about 160-165 before the methadone and testosterone. I'm 27 and right now I weigh 178 lbs and am still 5'9". The most I've ever weighed is 190 or so. I never liked being skinny but I got made fun of a lot about it when I was little so that probably has a lot to do with it. I think according to the BMI charts or whatever I'm considered obese. I don't look fat though... I've got a bit of a belly but my chest still sticks out further than it. I think I'm just muscular :)
As far as gaining weight, methadone and testosterone will definitely do it. That's probably not the most healthiest way to do it though... I find that using stims I also lose a few pounds and have a hard time eating right for a few days. I feel like the same thing happens if I miss a meal but not to the same extent. If you want to do it naturally man, I think eating 3 square meals a day filled with protein and working out is your best bet. Its going to take some consistency though. If you're willing to cheat, doing a cycle will be a quick way to put on 10-15 lbs of muscle.
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Our American lifestyle and food options make staying fit an uphill battle.
I think you mean food choices, not "options." As Americans, most of us are pretty far from lacking in options, it's the choices people make that bring diet-related problems. ;)
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I think you mean food choices, not "options." As Americans, most of us are pretty far from lacking in options, it's the choices people make that bring diet-related problems. ;)
I'm not disagreing with you but...
You are in the Bay Area right? If so you do have "options" that many people in the "flyover states" don't have. True, in the summer there are farmer's markets but I tell ya, I read nutrtion information on the food I buy and I won't eat about 90% of what the local grocery sotres sell. And if I go to the health store/co-op it is pricy ans hell, even with a membership. People also call "Whole Foods" "Whole Paycheck." That's why poor people in the US are fatter than wealthy ones.
My point being, if you want to eat healthy you have to shop concieciously. Yesterday I went to the new Star Wars movie (meh) and the seats were like Lazy Boys, padded and reclining AND now they have trays and wait staff and menus so you can stuff your face with greasy junk while you watch the movie. I've always heard if you want to eat healthy and not get fat, mindlessly eating in front of a TV is a non-no. Having pizza, burgers, fries and shakes brought to you in a dark movie theatre? I find it hard to imaginie a more glutonous habit.
But yes, if you want to eat healthy you have to make good "choices" even if your "options" are limited.
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Hmmm trying not to repeat anything as there are some good responses. I live in a family of big men- brothers, father, grandfather, cousins most all over 6" and over 200. I'm 5'10" and currently 170. My highest was at 21 when I played sports and drank a lot and weighed in the 180's. When I became a daily opiate user at 22-23 I dropped to 150 and stayed. I found it impossible to gain as an addict as 1. Food ruined my high and 2. I spent most of my money on H/pills anyway. For a little over a year I have been going from quiting and being sober for a month to doing a bundle a day a month and also will use suboxone as well. Not doing opiates all year long had caused me to hover at 170 which is my ideal weight. But I've noticed when I'm on a run, there is no amount of food, protein shake, eggs, creatine, or what have you to gain weight with. I solely gain weight only when abstaining from daily use and eating at least 3 meals a day with snacks and plenty of fluids, water and exercise. Just my experience hope it some how helps and good luck. P.s. Though you may be "thin" and could maybe use some weight per se....there's nothing wrong with being a skinny lad.
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I'm not disagreing with you but...
You are in the Bay Area right? If so you do have "options" that many people in the "flyover states" don't have. True, in the summer there are farmer's markets but I tell ya, I read nutrtion information on the food I buy and I won't eat about 90% of what the local grocery sotres sell. And if I go to the health store/co-op it is pricy ans hell, even with a membership. People also call "Whole Foods" "Whole Paycheck." That's why poor people in the US are fatter than wealthy ones.
But what?
What makes you think I shop at Whole Foods?
Dude I live in a 1k/mo shoebox in the ghetto and we don't shop at Whole Foods or at any specialty markets outside of rare purchases. When money was better we did, but honestly I don't eat a lot different now than I did back then, actually I probably eat better quality these days overall.
I'm really not sure what Whole Foods and their prices have to do with your points? Just cos there is one doesn't mean the entire area is bathing in luxury.
You missed my point entirely. You ever tried to find a great fucking apple or a slightly green Banana in Moscow?
I haven't either, but my guess is that's probably easier to do in Wichita than it is in many parts of the world.
My point being, if you want to eat healthy you have to shop concieciously.
Concieciously? I don't know that word. My point was that as Americans, most of us have access to a variety of foods that would boggle the minds of LOTS of people in LOTS of other nations.
edit: that last bolded point is complete bullshit. People are fat in America because they make BAD choices, not because of a LACK of choices. That's a full on cop-out. The only other possible excuse could be ignorance (of available choices and/or nutrition).
Bottom line is Americans are fucking lazy and most just want their shit from the drive-in with a shiny toy and a 90oz soda.
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But what?
What makes you think I shop at Whole Foods?
Dude I live in a 1k/mo shoebox in the ghetto and we don't shop at Whole Foods or at any specialty markets outside of rare purchases. When money was better we did, but honestly I don't eat a lot different now than I did back then, actually I probably eat better quality these days overall.
I'm really not sure what Whole Foods and their prices have to do with your points? Just cos there is one doesn't mean the entire area is bathing in luxury.
You missed my point entirely. You ever tried to find a great fucking apple or a slightly green Banana in Moscow?
I haven't either, but my guess is that's probably easier to do in Wichita than it is in many parts of the world.
Concieciously? I don't know that word. My point was that as Americans, most of us have access to a variety of foods that would boggle the minds of LOTS of people in LOTS of other nations.
edit: that last bolded point is complete bullshit. People are fat in America because they make BAD choices, not because of a LACK of choices. That's a full on cop-out. The only other possible excuse could be ignorance (of available choices and/or nutrition).
Bottom line is Americans are fucking lazy and most just want their shit from the drive-in with a shiny toy and a 90oz soda.
I think you know I meant: "conscientiously" In case you didn't:
"adjective
1.
governed by conscience; controlled by or done according to one's inner sense of what is right; principled:
She's a conscientious judge, who does not let personal prejudices influence her decisions.
2.
careful and painstaking; particular; meticulous; scrupulous:
conscientious application to the work at hand."
I wasn't implying that YOU shop at Whole Foods, I was saying that shopping at a store that has higher quality food is more expensive than the average chain grocery store. Maybe you have Gelson's and I bet it is more expensive than the Walmart grocery store that caters to "budget" shoppers. Stores like Whole Foods and Walmart choose to locate in areas whose demographics support their prices, higher and lower both.
And the link to obesety and economic class are pretty well documented. If you think it's bullshit take it up with the New York Times and any of the dozens of scholarly pieces written about "The Poverty and Obesity Paradox" that it took me less than a second to find on the Google machine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/nyregion/14hunger.html?_r=0
Entire sections of major citiesand suburbs (the less wealthy parts) are considered "Food Deserts" (Desert not Dessert).
http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/usda-defines-food-deserts
There's also a difference between "lazy" and "stupid" and broke and ignorant. Poorer people go to McD's (and the others) because for less than $5 they can fill up and it SEEMS cheaper than spending $50 on supplies for more, better meals and the time it take to prepare them before they spoil.
I suspect most Americans are ignorant to relative nutritional values of their food choices. Heck, of 3 grocery stores in my (current) town 2 of them have more space devoted to frozen pizza and ice cream than fruits and vegetables. The 3rd is 50-200% more expensive than the first two but has (relatively) better quality food.
This is nothing new Opus. You just like to argue. That's fine but nit-picking on typos/spelling mistakes is petty. Petty like petit, small.
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I think you know I meant: "conscientiously" In case you didn't:
"adjective
1.
governed by conscience; controlled by or done according to one's inner sense of what is right; principled:
She's a conscientious judge, who does not let personal prejudices influence her decisions.
2.
careful and painstaking; particular; meticulous; scrupulous:
conscientious application to the work at hand."
I don't think I'm the one who needs the dictionary dude. Now that you've figured out how to spell it, I know what the word means.
I wasn't implying that YOU shop at Whole Foods, I was saying that shopping at a store that has higher quality food is more expensive than the average chain grocery store. Maybe you have Gelson's and I bet it is more expensive than the Walmart grocery store that caters to "budget" shoppers. Stores like Whole Foods and Walmart choose to locate in areas whose demographics support their prices, higher and lower both.
I completely fail to see your point. 2 miles from the Whole Foods is the discount store that actually sells a lot of name brand shit, and I'm serious, this is not a good part of town. There are worse here, but it ain't all that, it really isn't. I don't know of anywhere in Oakland where you'd have to drive or bus it more than 10 minutes to get fresh produce, and if it matters produce that can be bought on EBT.
I haven't read those articles, but I will, maybe in the morning. I'll be surprised if most of the problem doesn't come back to individual choices though. Maybe after I read those articles I'll dig some up that illustrate the links between eating cheap, shitty, processed foods and obesity.
And the link to obesety and economic class are pretty well documented. If you think it's bullshit take it up with the New York Times and any of the dozens of scholarly pieces written about "The Poverty and Obesity Paradox" that it took me less than a second to find on the Google machine.
You missed me again. I don't deny that the connection exists, we just seem to have different ideas about the causes.
There's also a difference between "lazy" and "stupid" and broke and ignorant. Poorer people go to McD's (and the others) because for less than $5 they can fill up and it SEEMS cheaper than spending $50 on supplies for more, better meals and the time it take to prepare them before they spoil.
SEEMS -- see that? You're making my point for me -- it's not about location or really even demographics, it's about IGNORANCE and the CHOICES made.
This is nothing new Opus. You just like to argue. That's fine but nit-picking on typos/spelling mistakes is petty. Petty like petit, small.
I like to call out bullshit, especially from people who spew a lot of it - that's what I like to do. If I gotta argue or debate my points to get them across, then so be it.
That was more than a typo, you completely destroyed that word and I'm not gonna just start assuming I know what your word salads mean, call me petty I gives a fuck. Spellcheck is pretty fucking far from rocket science. I'm really far from being incapable of overlooking typos and dumb shit, we all make mistakes including me -- everyday -- but if I were you I wouldn't get in the habit of assuming people can read your mind just cos you got like half the word right.
If you can't spell the word and you don't wanna use a dict or spellcheck, then maybe try an easier word next time ;)
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SEEMS -- see that? You're making my point for me -- it's not about location or really even demographics, it's about IGNORANCE and the CHOICES made.
I like to call out bullshit, especially from people who spew a lot of it - that's what I like to do. If I gotta argue or debate my points to get them across, then so be it.
That was more than a typo, you completely destroyed that word and I'm not gonna just start assuming I know what your word salads mean, call me petty I gives a fuck. Spellcheck is pretty fucking far from rocket science. I'm really far from being incapable of overlooking typos and dumb shit, we all make mistakes including me -- everyday -- but if I were you I wouldn't get in the habit of assuming people can read your mind just cos you got like half the word right.
If you can't spell the word and you don't wanna use a dict or spellcheck, then maybe try an easier word next time ;)
Yeah, I make typos or misspell so fucking what? This is a message board not a thesis or article for publication. The point is you KNEW what I meant but chose to pick on the technicality of spelling. If you DIDN'T know what I meant you could have asked me to clarify. A misspelled word dosn't invalidate the argument.
Re: Obesity and Poverty. So you won't read the article I cited that explains my assertions but you'll insist on disagreeing anyway.
We do agree that there is a lot of ignorance about nutrition. No shit. There's also a lot of ignorance about economics and sciences and history and anything that isn't sports that if were taught would improve lives . I didn't study nutrition until it was an elective in college. It should be taught in grade school as should many things that aren't because if too many people wise up they woould demand change, real change.
Like George Carlin said,"But I'll tell you what they don't want. They don't want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don't want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that. That doesn't help them. That's against their interests. They don't want people who are smart enough to sit around the kitchen table and figure out how badly they're getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago.
"You know what they want? Obedient workers people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork but just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shittier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, reduced benefits, the end of overtime and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it."
If I were king, to get EBT (Food Stamps) you would have to take a class in nutrition and food economics first. But if I were king it would be harder to get a license to have babies than one to drive a car.
The OP was about an inability to gain weight while using narcotics. My response was that narcotics do not cause you to lose weight but spending food money on dope will.
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The point is you KNEW what I meant but chose to pick on the technicality of spelling. If you DIDN'T know what I meant you could have asked me to clarify.
Or, maybe you could just learn to fucking spell and then you wouldn't have to guess at whether or not people can understand what you write?
I don't need suggestions on how I should behave when you fuck up, but thanks.
Re: Obesity and Poverty. So you won't read the article I cited that explains my assertions but you'll insist on disagreeing anyway.
Although I'm sure you'd like to believe that's what I said, it's not. Here, I'll try again:
I haven't read those articles, but I will, maybe in the morning. I'll be surprised if most of the problem doesn't come back to individual choices though. Maybe after I read those articles I'll dig some up that illustrate the links between eating cheap, shitty, processed foods and obesity.
I'll read the articles tomorrow, not tonight -- hold yer britches, it's only a few more hours..
If I were king, to get EBT (Food Stamps) you would have to take a class in nutrition and food economics first. But if I were king it would be harder to get a license to have babies than one to drive a car.
The OP was about an inability to gain weight while using narcotics. My response was that narcotics do not cause you to lose weight but spending food money on dope will.
A license to have babies? Are you serious?? Erm, wow.. I'm not sure that would fly very well. Personally I think having a license to operate something that can kill lots of people really quickly (like just happened in Vegas, 38 intentionally injured) is maybe more important that keeping people from getting preggers, but hey maybe I'm way out on a limb there, lol.
...anyway, the OP (which you really didn't summarize very well) then segued into the debate we're having now; which (to me anyway) seems to be about which is the greater cause of obesity and health problems in the US: a lack of actual access to nutritious food; or simply ignorance and laziness about finding and using options that won't destroy your health, and I'm still definitely taking the latter stance on that..
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A license to have babies? Are you serious?? Erm, wow.. I'm not sure that would fly very well. Personally I think having a license to operate something that can kill lots of people really quickly (like just happened in Vegas, 38 intentionally injured) is maybe more important that keeping people from getting preggers, but hey maybe I'm way out on a limb there, lol.
Obtuse or humorless?
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Try before going to hunt your addiction to take some food early before dope.Morning your organism start working and it is not blocked by any chemicals.Next, after take your dope get big meal for lunch and when the sun goes down you can get something light.Look what supplements can take with lunch if money is not a problem.
The main rule which every doctor and dietolog will tell you is:
Morning=very good breakfast for energy and dope purpses.
Lunch =again get what you want to keep your body full of energy.
Dinner=Get one chips and something sweet at least 30-40 minutes before bed.
PS:If you have problems like most of us, (especially me:() get some herbs or pills cause you need to throw away processed food quickly and in the empty place comes the next.
I tried to be simple for understanding, but that is the truth.Sometimes I can' go to toilet two weaks, but anyway every time when went to toilet is a real adventure, like some mate with big penis start fuck me without vaseline lol.I hate this and when i saw in toilet I know what job can find in a second and take very good money-joke of course.
SceneBG!
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This thread is really interesting to me. Opus and dead cat are two of the very best posters we have and this sparring fascinates me. We should have a junkie debate club! I'm being completely sincere, much respect to both of you, I've learned a shit ton from both of you.
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If I were king, to get EBT (Food Stamps) you would have to take a class in nutrition and food economics first. But if I were king it would be harder to get a license to have babies than one to drive a car.
The OP was about an inability to gain weight while using narcotics. My response was that narcotics do not cause you to lose weight but spending food money on dope will.
Obtuse or humorless?
Oh ok so that was just a joke, you were trying to be funny and I missed it? Right, and so I'm either obtuse or/and humorless? IE, I'm dense because you're such a clever, funny fucking wordsmith and that shit went way over my head.
Ok bro, got it. lol.. ;)
I think the words you chose there make that statement really ironic, which in turn I find pretty funny. So really I think the answer to your question is probably "neither." Try again?
I read the article and grokked the map, and there are definitely some interesting points made. But even if every single one of the obese people living in a "food desert" could pin their condition directly on a lack of access to anything heathier, which I think is a pretty big stretch- but I'll give you that to make a point, what about the rest of the country where this is also a massive problem, what's their excuse? I don't see many "food deserts" in CA or AZ, but we both know these states have the same types of problems, so it's obviously a lot more complicated than saying "people are over-weight cos the store with the good food is too far away."
From the NYT article:
“It’s a subtle, complicated link, but they’re very much linked, so the strategic response needs to be linked in various ways,” said Linda I. Gibbs, the deputy mayor for health and human services. “We tackle the challenge on three fronts — providing income supports, increasing healthy options and encouraging nutritious behavior.”
To that end, the city offers a Health Bucks program that encourages people to spend their food stamps at farmers’ markets by giving them an extra $2 coupon for every $5 spent there.
The city has also created initiatives to send carts selling fresh fruits and vegetables to poor neighborhoods, and to draw grocery stores carrying fresh fruit and produce to low-income areas by offering them tax credits and other incentives. The city last month announced the first recipients of those incentives: a Foodtown store that burned down last year will be rebuilt and expanded in the Norwood section of the Bronx, and a Western Beef store near the Tremont subway station will be expanded.
But the Bronx’s hunger and obesity problems are not simply related to the lack of fresh food. Experts point to a swirling combination of factors that are tied to, and exacerbated by, poverty.
Poor people “often work longer hours and work multiple jobs, so they tend to eat on the run,” said Dr. Rundle of Columbia. “They have less time to work out or exercise, so the deck is really stacked against them.”
Indeed, the food insecurity study is hardly the first statistical measure in which the Bronx lands on the top — or, in reality, the bottom. The borough’s 14.1 percent unemployment rate is the highest in the state. It is one of the poorest counties in the nation. And it was recently ranked the unhealthiest of New York’s 62 counties.
“If you look at rates of obesity, diabetes, poor access to grocery stores, poverty rates, unemployment and hunger measures, the Bronx lights up on all of those,” said Triada Stampas of the Food Bank for New York City. “They’re all very much interconnected.”
The point being: it's a complex, multi-faceted issue. I still believe that ultimately, for most, things like a BMI > 30 or type II diabetes are largely brought on by choices made. And while there may be people living out in a "food desert" of 711s and Circle Ks, who have to ride a bus or take a cab to cover the mile+ to the grocery store -- I don't think that automatically means those peoples' health problems could easily be directly attributed to a lack of choices. Just because the Quick-Mart is closer than the Safeway, doesn't mean we're eating potato chips and soda for dinner, at least I'm not anyway, you eat what you want..
That food-desert map seems to me to correlate really closely to other maps I've seen that represent various other obesity statistics in comparison to the rest of the country, which I think is interesting, and which I also think backs my position that there are varied and complex factors at play. Being poor is a bitch and it makes life really fucking hard, but these same types of health problems transcend socio-economic lines, big time.
Basically I think that although there are parallels easily drawn between economic class and diet related health problems like a high BMI; I still think plenty of people regardless of the size of their wallet or food budget are more than willing to drive past the nearest grocer in favor of an easy big mac, big ass soda and a truckload of fries. I think the problems are much more deeply rooted in ignorance, negligence and apathy rather than circumstance -- for MOST people -- and I think that's pretty obvious. Obviously exceptions occur, but the point remains..
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At various points in my life I paid more attention to my diet then anyone reasonably should. When you count calories to try to gain weight you realize just how different the reality is to what you think. People say they eat healthy, and don't know how they get fatter. The reality is that they eat massive amounts of questionable foods, and either don't or won't see it for whatever reason. The opposite is true too.
Food and weight isn't the mystery science that some people make it out to be. There aren't phantom calorie sinks or injections, although hormones can change what your body does with them. Thermodynamics still rule.
So: Eat more often. Choose calorie rich foods. Learn how your body reacts to protein/fat/carb ratios, and find what works for you. It is pretty easy to count calories now with the plethora of smartphone apps that work with upc codes. Go to the gym if you want. It gets to be pretty fun, and it helps you work up an appetite. The caveat is that you will definitely need to pay more attention to what you eat if you do go.
I personally feel that people blame thyroid problems first without getting into the basic underlying problems. If someone has a pain in their arm you do a physical exam before a biopsy. Start with the easy to control things, and work from there.
You can find a lot of info on google. If you get stuck I can try to point you in a good direction.
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I know a lot of people gain weight when they get on methadone, but I know others -- myself included -- lose weight or stabilize while on methadone. I plumped up like a motherfucker when I got off the clinic and didnt have a habit. It felt like more than just eating more, too, felt like I was packing on weight much more regardless the intake.
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I've always been an atypical junkie. When I'm using dope, I gain weight. When I'm loaded, my body seems to slow so much, I get fat. When I use less, I cook more, excercise, work harder, eat healthier. My yoga practice resurfaces. When I'm on methadone, then I get huge. My weight routinely varies by about 50 pounds based on my use. Right now I'm 99% clean, and at the low end of the spectrum.
For me, using more means needing more money, which means spending more time in the bakery, which means eating more In the bakery! It is way easier to make money for dope by working rather than "ripping and running." I've never understood my fellow junkies who thought it was easier to make money through crime, it always seems like feast or famine. Going to work everyday always ensures a constant flow of dope, for me anyway.
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Very good advice given in this thread.
I agree most Americans are under-educated on food nutrition.
In school I think I spent 1 day learning how to read nutrition labels in a health class.
The problem doesn't seem to be lack of calorie intake. There is a surplus of calories to be had for very cheap.
However there is a lack of nutritional value to go along with those calories. Most people seem to know the "2000 calories a day" part, but nothing beyond that. They do not typically know how many grams of protein, fats, and carbs are needed in a day. (This is individual based on your lifestyle and overall goals)
You mentioned you have tried protoen shakes. Most of those are complete marketing bullshit. Take a look at the ingredients, it's all sugar.
I've heard from some serious OG gym heads that any nutrients are ruined in the process of making those powders. And the amount of nutrients reported are before the "making process" destroys the nutrition.
The best results I achieve for putting on solid muscle goes hand in hand with diet and exercise. (The results you see will be 20% exercise, and 80% nutrition)
You can eat well for cheap. I get a huge bag of frozen chicken breasts from Safeway for like $12 (sometimes $10 on sale) that lasts me most of the week. Thaw, season with spices , wrap in foil, bake. It's delicious and juicy.
Frozen salmon filets are cheap where I live. Those thaw in like 20 mins. Wrap in foil with some olive oil and kale. Bake. Add some brown rice to each meal. Make sure your water intake is half gallon a day+...Enjoy the awesome gains.
Also try to stay away from simple sugar. Simple sugar is a chronic, dose dependent, hepatotoxin. Some studies have found it to be 5x more addictive than cocaine. Look at the way people consume sugars. They crave them, over use, usually bingeing, despite negative health consequences. It's also been linked to a VAST amount of health problems in the US. It's added into 80% of grocery store foods. Sugar hides behind many names. They have gotten clever at hiding it on nutrition labels. Look out for stuff on nutritional labels like dextrose, sucrose, maltodextrin, evaporated cane syrup, etc. It's all the same thing basically.
Hope some of this helps!
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Gain weight!!! OMG, easier said than done!!!
Sorry for not being helpful at all.
I wasn't able to gain and keep the proper weight (like at least 55kgs with 160cm) since about 25 years, when I got strung out the first time.
Before I joined MMT I was assigning it to my addiction (according to what stereotypes do indicate), however, since I started the treatment and things didn't change at all/seemed to be still the same, I realized that it must be something else.
Losing weight while person sticks deadlocked in their ongoing run of scoring and shoting up is easy to comprehend and quite obvious, but nothing "excuses" the same happens as you're provided with the regular suplies and live some relatively stable life.
In my case it seems to have psychological background-I'm just disable to care on me properly, as I'm living independent life-I mean the position no one else does care on me, in meaning shopping, cooking, preparing food etc.
My mental diseases/compulsive disorders sometimes bothers me so much that I just don't pay attention to and/or can't deal with such "thingies" like eating.
I know it because every time I was in some institution (like rehab center or jail) I've been able gaining weight pretty soon, regarding there were just the others keeping an eye on me and carrying on.
I consider it being fucking lame/embarassing and truly doubt this being your case. But you never know...
Good luck anyway, I know how the "wry looks"/"bad eyes" hurt, what is actually pretty fucked up, cos EVERYONE is (theoretically) bitching about being TOO FAT (just notice there're NOT any "GAINING WEIGHT" miraclous receipes).
They tell you being "slim", but seems no one wants to watch you looking like that.
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Very good advice given in this thread.
You can eat well for cheap. I get a huge bag of frozen chicken breasts from Safeway for like $12 (sometimes $10 on sale) that lasts me most of the week. Thaw, season with spices , wrap in foil, bake. It's delicious and juicy.
Frozen salmon filets are cheap where I live. Those thaw in like 20 mins. Wrap in foil with some olive oil and kale. Bake. Add some brown rice to each meal. Make sure your water intake is half gallon a day+...Enjoy the awesome gains.
Also try to stay away from simple sugar. Simple sugar is a chronic, dose dependent, hepatotoxin. Some studies have found it to be 5x more addictive than cocaine. Look at the way people consume sugars. They crave them, over use, usually bingeing, despite negative health consequences. It's also been linked to a VAST amount of health problems in the US. It's added into 80% of grocery store foods. Sugar hides behind many names. They have gotten clever at hiding it on nutrition labels. Look out for stuff on nutritional labels like dextrose, sucrose, maltodextrin, evaporated cane syrup, etc. It's all the same thing basically.
Hope some of this helps!
This is good info. My public education didn't include much on nutrition either. Maybe a little in home ec., but not much at all.
We do the same thing with chicken and fish - buy it in bulk and stick it in the freezer. Farm raised Tilapia is cheap and tasty, we eat a lot of that stuff, in fact it's what I'm gonna cook tonight. I'm feeling lazy so I'll keep it easy: two tilapia fillets, a can of mushroom soup and I'm gonna cook a spaghetti squash too (I'm on a diet so no pasta for me atm), and eat the fish over the squash (it really is just like pasta!). Grand total investment: maybe ~$6 for two+ servings, if I didn't have the fish I could get the two fillets for $5, so that would make it maybe 10bux for two good sized servings.
Interesting theory about the nutrients in the protein powder being destroyed, I'm gonna look into that cos at times I rely on that stuff for calories, even though I know it has a lot of sugar in it.
I also agree that sugar is like fucking crack - I had to give that up too (aside from a very occasional piece of chocolate). This dude I knew years ago said one day that he thinks if sugar were discovered today, it would be considered a drug - which it basically is. Especially refined sugar. Shit wars have been fought and lots of people killed over sugar. Pretty gnarly shit, really..
Good post Mr. Pooper.
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I save a lot of money by buying chicken with the back and skin still on. Often it is half the price of buying deboned chicken breasts, and it is very easy to debone them once you get used to it. If you want to check for sugar in food another big one is High Fructose Corn Syrup. Pretty nasty stuff and definitely worth avoiding. If you need low cost high calorie food then beans are another essential purchase. Dried beans are dirt cheap and very good for you. They are just long to rehydrate and you need to think ahead.
My thoughts on eating well are that it can take time and be cheap, or it can be quick and expensive. If you are willing to put the time in to make your own foods and basics then you can eat extremely well with minimal amounts of money. It is hard to eat well quickly and cheaply unfortunately.
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We do the warehouse thing (Costco, Sams Club etc) for buying chicken & other meats etc in bulk. I also use the vacuum seal Reynolds bags (after washing meats or pre-cooking which really saves a lot of time). It really helps $$ wise. Sad but true about sugar. I learned years ago it also contributes to the inflammatory process on top of all its other bad points & not just for diabetics.
Sucks b/c i LUV Pepsi in the can. I won't like giving up that treat, but this info is a good reminder to try! Bummed, but thanks to all for the info--am inspired to get rid of it where i can.
Sigh, after New Years football & face stuffing tradition, no real excuse so i spose it's good timing. Whether drugs, smokes or sugar, why is it almost everything i like bad for me lol.
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being overly thin nearly obliterated 7th and 8th grade for me. i was also way behind a growth spurt. and then by 9th-10th everyone else that hadnt hit puberty already, now did. I didn't and was already small. Things went from bad to "I dont want to leave my room" bad
I thnk its much less difficult on overweight kids than the underweight ones, simply because its pretty normal to be a guy and be heavy. not quite as normal to be rail thin as a man.
I straight up stopped going at some point in the 10th grade. I couldnt take the heckling.
I heard way too many holocaust references when I was in school
a small few were kinda funny Ill admit:
"dude I didnt know Auschwitz was still operational"
but the daily "bro I could lift you with my eyelids"
and ive got real small wrists so I got a lot of "omg are those really your wrists? I could like break you!" yea no you couldnt.
I was wearing a sweater to school everyday, in south florida, just to hide my wrists.
I just couldnt deal with it and stopped going,
my grades fell and finally they read something like ADBFIII. the good grades were from history and "weight lifing". Id never seen anyone wiht more than one "incomplete" class. So yes
I was done with school at this point, almost 100% due to my weight.
Depression took a nose dive.
the only thing that helped gain any weight during this period was something I heard from a doctor: eat 2 peanut butter sandwiches a night, after dinner right before bed.
I saw some improvement but I was still such an active little fuck back then that
I could burn 1000 calories if I turned my head too fast while talking. That, and I think
I was doing a lot less to gain weight than I actually was.
at some point between 10th and 11th I hit my growth spurt and grew a lot in a short amount of time. only problem was now I was just as thin, only now also lanky as fuck.
and all of this is before I started opiates. heaviest ive ever been was during a period where I had as much dope as I wanted. thats also the most Ive ever disliked the drug.
the "heroin makes you thin" myth is great. showcases the hardcore ignorance people have toward drugs in general. heroin makes you poor. and I think being poor might also make
someone thin. idk, something about not having the money to buy food just seems like
it would make it difficult to gain weight. but im no dentist.
and now looking back and thinking about it somemore, 4 entire grades in high school seems a lot to me now. the seniors made most of the freshman look like cabbage patch kids. like genuine adults walking around, 6'2 and heavily bearded, walking around with kids who looked like they could fit easily into their backpack.
Nowa days my metabolism has slowed but not much. I hover around 140 but I have to eat calorie-rich foods inbetween every meal. Like chocolate large milkshakes in between 2 large meals a day will keep me normal.
oh yea and sugar addiction is a serious thing. itll get more exposure over the next few years when diabetes doesnt slow down.
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being overly thin nearly obliterated 7th and 8th grade for me. i was also way behind a growth spurt. and then by 9th-10th everyone else that hadnt hit puberty already, now did. I didn't and was already small. Things went from bad to "I dont want to leave my room" bad
I thnk its much less difficult on overweight kids than the underweight ones, simply because its pretty normal to be a guy and be heavy. not quite as normal to be rail thin as a man.
I straight up stopped going at some point in the 10th grade. I couldnt take the heckling.
I heard way too many holocaust references when I was in school
a small few were kinda funny Ill admit:
"dude I didnt know Auschwitz was still operational"
but the daily "bro I could lift you with my eyelids"
and ive got real small wrists so I got a lot of "omg are those really your wrists? I could like break you!" yea no you couldnt.
I was wearing a sweater to school everyday, in south florida, just to hide my wrists.
I just couldnt deal with it and stopped going,
my grades fell and finally they read something like ADBFIII. the good grades were from history and "weight lifing". Id never seen anyone wiht more than one "incomplete" class. So yes
I was done with school at this point, almost 100% due to my weight.
Depression took a nose dive.
the only thing that helped gain any weight during this period was something I heard from a doctor: eat 2 peanut butter sandwiches a night, after dinner right before bed.
I saw some improvement but I was still such an active little fuck back then that
I could burn 1000 calories if I turned my head too fast while talking. That, and I think
I was doing a lot less to gain weight than I actually was.
at some point between 10th and 11th I hit my growth spurt and grew a lot in a short amount of time. only problem was now I was just as thin, only now also lanky as fuck.
and all of this is before I started opiates. heaviest ive ever been was during a period where I had as much dope as I wanted. thats also the most Ive ever disliked the drug.
the "heroin makes you thin" myth is great. showcases the hardcore ignorance people have toward drugs in general. heroin makes you poor. and I think being poor might also make
someone thin. idk, something about not having the money to buy food just seems like
it would make it difficult to gain weight. but im no dentist.
and now looking back and thinking about it somemore, 4 entire grades in high school seems a lot to me now. the seniors made most of the freshman look like cabbage patch kids. like genuine adults walking around, 6'2 and heavily bearded, walking around with kids who looked like they could fit easily into their backpack.
Nowa days my metabolism has slowed but not much. I hover around 140 but I have to eat calorie-rich foods inbetween every meal. Like chocolate large milkshakes in between 2 large meals a day will keep me normal.
oh yea and sugar addiction is a serious thing. itll get more exposure over the next few years when diabetes doesnt slow down.
This slim guy is going to make me burn another 1000 calories as I shake my head laughing. Seriously. Thank God he's not my neighbor., unless we'd spend the rest of our weight babbling as we'd run each to other in the staircase.
(Btw, just try to figure out, how many weight costs me preparing an average long post. I mean an average one, not this monster in suicidal section)
I'd never suppose Auschwitz' references working/being alive&kicking over the Ocean. This is quite obvious here, but US beats me.
By the other hand, I didn't know the trick with eyelashes. Oddly enough, no one wanted to lift me this way.
Peanuts butter works, indeed, still, for some reason, nothing prevails food prepared special for you by someone else-I have an impression it has its calories doubled.
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Not to dig up an an old issue TOO much but his documentary; "San Franciso 2.0" from HBO. SHow the draatic changes takig b=plave right now in Sanfranisso that are make ing the basics of survival and the continuation of cumunity there almost impossible thanks to the wealth pouring in from Silicon Valley.
That means affording shelter and healthy food (and other aspets of healthy urban living) being econmially denied the "less than wealthy", which inclused the "lower" 70 or 80% of the country. As this happens, just finding shelter becomes more and more impossibe and that trend includes finding affordabe healthy food for the formerly "Middle Class,"
The oint being, the as the OPTIONS narrow, the CHOICES become ore and more limited until w are all earring insect bugers if we don't change our agribusiness model.
It is a very sobering video and I recomend anyone wwhith access to HBO or a password for HBO GO to watch it. It's bad enough of you are in your 20's and athing it but your heart really has to break for the people over 50 who sent their ntire lives in a city that is disappearing and has no room for them.
One exaple isa man is in his late 50's who worked a good job in finance for his whole life, now unemployed and through no fault of his own (by virtue of his age and the issues that come with it) who will probably won't find another decent job again, despite havng multiple degrees and 30 years of relevant experinece but by virue of his age isn't a good "investment" as an employee with a future. Now he lives in a tiney one "studio that is about the size of a jail cell. (Begins about about 1:20)
Tell him he's "Ignorant" for not finding healtheir food. He an only eat what he can afford and most of it isn't great.
This isn't directed at anyone . It's just a real problem we need to recognize and if we want a healthy citizenry will have to address.