NHS Health Checks

[ColchesterFC]

Having recently turned 40 I received a letter inviting me for a free NHS health check at my local surgery.

In short I was told I needed to get more exercise, stop smoking, cut down on my drinking, lower my cholesterol and lose some weight. Getting all that bad news at once was such a shock I had to have a sit down with a cigarette and a beer while I waited for my pizza to cook.

On a more serious note why is it that in the little booklet they gave me everything that is on the list of foods I need to cut down on to lower my cholesterol are the things that taste the best e.g hard cheese, pastries, cakes, crisps, crackers, red meat, takeaways and fried food? Oh and alcohol.

If only they could make this sort of thing easier and more fun. I think that the first person to come up with a healthy fry up and beer is a guaranteed millionaire.

 

[Golfmmad]

I know exactly how you feel, and having been through this some years ago it's not a bad as you might think.

It's all about getting the right balance and as they say, "Everything in moderation".

So my advice would be, just make a few changes to start with.

Giving up smoking would be a great start!!

Sorry, I'm going now.

 

[ColchesterFC]

Giving up smoking would be a great start!!

That's the first thing I'm trying. I figure that if I try to change too much too soon then I'll almost certainly fail. On the plus side my job means that every other month my alcohol intake is zero so that's lower on the list of things to cut down on. I only had 2 ciggies yesterday and 3 today which is a good start for me. Up until then I was a regular 20 a day man so heading in the right direction with that one. Just got to get rid of the craving for the one after dinner and I'll be ok.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Stopping the smoking would be a great start

Crisps would be a favourite to go followed by fried food and takeaway

Lots of tasty recipes out there for healthy food or fruit or salads - even grilling more stuff instead of frying

 

[sev112]

If you can stop smoking then your taste buds will improve and you won't need the high salt content food for taste - win win

Good luck

 

[ColchesterFC]

Stopping the smoking would be a great start

Crisps would be a favourite to go followed by fried food and takeaway

Lots of tasty recipes out there for healthy food or fruit or salads - even grilling more stuff instead of frying

Stupid thing is that my other half did slimming world so all the recipes I cook are from her books. The problem is the dressing on the salads, the crisps with sandwiches, the cheese board etc. The actual recipes themselves are great. It's the other crap I eat around it that is the problem.

 

[rosecott]

Think yourself lucky that the NHS is still trying to save you from yourself..

I used to be called in for regular checks on blood pressure, cholesterol levels, weight, alcohol consumption etc. etc..

I now find out that these regular checks stop at age 75. Instead of routine checks, the expectation now is that I will book an appointment with the GP if I think anything is concerning me.

Have I been abandoned as a lost cause?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Stupid thing is that my other half did slimming world so all the recipes I cook are from her books. The problem is the dressing on the salads, the crisps with sandwiches, the cheese board etc. The actual recipes themselves are great. It's the other crap I eat around it that is the problem.

Yeah it's so easy to snack away at the extras

Need to find some sort of motivation - when I gave up smoking I promised myself the money I saved I would use to purchase golf stiff - got a whole new set of irons and trolley

 

[chrisd]

Think yourself lucky that the NHS is still trying to save you from yourself..

I used to be called in for regular checks on blood pressure, cholesterol levels, weight, alcohol consumption etc. etc..

I now find out that these regular checks stop at age 75. Instead of routine checks, the expectation now is that I will book an appointment with the GP if I think anything is concerning me.

Have I been abandoned as a lost cause?

I'm about mid way between yours and Colchesters age and I've never been called in!

Is it because I obviously look as fit as a butchers dog?

 

[ColchesterFC]

My favourite part of the appointment was when she asked me how much I drank. I said "Look, I know you're going to double whatever I tell you to get the real number, so do you want me to half it so that you can double it or do you just want me to give you an honest answer"? Her response was "Well give me an honest answer and then we'll decide whether we need to double it or not".

 

[SocketRocket]

The problem is the vast differences in opinion in what is healthy. I have read many books on nutrition and have settled on the understanding that it's sugar that causes most problems in our diet and this is in it's refined form (sugar) and unrefined (carbohydrates and fruit). I dont believe protein is a real problem, neither are fats as long as saturated and unsaturated are balanced, as they are in most meat, eggs and fish products.

Man has been around in a form similar to us for a very long time and our bodies have evolved for the vast majority of this time by eating a diet that is high in protein and low in sugar/carbohydrates. We have only been eating sugar based diets for a very short time and are not adapted to it. If you look at an animal like a Chetah, it is fast, fit, lean and healthy but has never ate a carbohydrate.

Every cell in our bodies needs fat and this is supplied by our liver, eating fat does not produce fat or cholesterol, this is produced by our pancreas making insulin to lower the sugar levels in our blood and store it as fat in our bodies.

The fry up has been given an undeserved bad name when the potato, cereal, pasta, rice, sugar and banana have been the culprit. Vegetables are also important but only if they grow above ground.

In my opinion of course.

 

[palindromicbob]

Listening to the radio today. There was some doll on saying the low fat diet isn't working. Carbs are the problem and we should eat more natural animal fats and less carbs. I enjoyed listening to it . Basically the Atkins diet

That'll be a bacon sandwich with steaks instead of bread please.

 

[SocketRocket]

Listening to the radio today. There was some doll on saying the low fat diet isn't working. Carbs are the problem and we should eat more natural animal fats and less carbs. I enjoyed listening to it . Basically the Atkins diet

That'll be a bacon sandwich with steaks instead of bread please.

I agree. I lost two stone eating much like this and feel so much better.

 

[Foxholer]

The problem is the vast differences in opinion in what is healthy. I have read many books on nutrition and have settled on the understanding that it's sugar that causes most problems in our diet and this is in it's refined form (sugar) and unrefined (carbohydrates and fruit). I dont believe protein is a real problem, neither are fats as long as saturated and unsaturated are balanced, as they are in most meat, eggs and fish products.

Man has been around in a form similar to us for a very long time and our bodies have evolved for the vast majority of this time by eating a diet that is high in protein and low in sugar/carbohydrates. We have only been eating sugar based diets for a very short time and are not adapted to it. If you look at an animal like a Chetah, it is fast, fit, lean and healthy but has never ate a carbohydrate.

Every cell in our bodies needs fat and this is supplied by our liver, eating fat does not produce fat or cholesterol, this is produced by our pancreas making insulin to lower the sugar levels in our blood and store it as fat in our bodies.

The fry up has been given an undeserved bad name when the potato, cereal, pasta, rice, sugar and banana have been the culprit. Vegetables are also important but only if they grow above ground.

In my opinion of course.

Hey! Something we can (pretty much) agree on!!!

I have no problem with the occasional fry-up but too much of anything is, well, too much! Not convinced that there is any 'culprit' but, as ever, balance is the key imo.

The only 'challenge' I have is around the 'evolved' area. Evolution is all about survival of the species and that revolves around successful reproduction, not longevity! So mankind's 'evolution', like every other animal, is really only based on successfully reaching a little more than 'optimum' reproduction age. It's mankind's technical intervention that has extended that - and that has created a whole new set of 'challenges'.

 

[lex!]

Having recently turned 40 I received a letter inviting me for a free NHS health check at my local surgery.

In short I was told I needed to get more exercise, stop smoking, cut down on my drinking, lower my cholesterol and lose some weight. Getting all that bad news at once was such a shock I had to have a sit down with a cigarette and a beer while I waited for my pizza to cook.

On a more serious note why is it that in the little booklet they gave me everything that is on the list of foods I need to cut down on to lower my cholesterol are the things that taste the best e.g hard cheese, pastries, cakes, crisps, crackers, red meat, takeaways and fried food? Oh and alcohol.

If only they could make this sort of thing easier and more fun. I think that the first person to come up with a healthy fry up and beer is a guaranteed millionaire.

I had a warning last time i was at docs too. I joined a Fat Fighters club and have shed one and a half stone since May. They do a simple start menu where you can eat most things, but have to be careful with the baddies. Hard cheese is really mostly fat, so should be avoided. I would stay away from processed food as this is full of sugar and cheap fat that the manufacturers put in to make it taste nice, you mention pastries and cakes and these are good examples. Shop bought pizza is also very unhealthy. There is a healthier fry up option if you choose lean bacon and fresh eggs and don't put fat in the pan to cook them. I am a beer drinker too but have taken more alcohol free days to help cut down. Wine is actually worse, as it's full of sugar. I think we do get good exercise, walking 18 holes at the weekend and I do 9 holes after work when I can.

 

[guest100718]

If you stop smoking you'll eat more and get fat!

 

[Maninblack4612]

There are two books you need to read. One is "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Dr. Kendrick, where he says that what you eat doesn't affect your level of Cholesterol at all. The other is " Cholesterol & Saturated Fat Prevent Heart Disease" by David Evans, both cheap on Kindle. Both books challenge established thinking. Biggest killer is stress, apparently. Reduce stress, play more golf!

 

[williamalex1]

I was prescribed statin tablets to reduce my border line cholesterol. After about 6 weeks I could hardly walk because of cramps in my legs . I was taken off them immediately , but I'm sure its caused some muscle damage , i still don't feel right after 18 months off them .

 

[brysoni23]

Still fry stuff just use Extra virgin Coconut Oil, you cant actually taste the coconut in the food and then your cooking in a healthy fat instead of oil.

for a healthy Fry up and I do this every weekend as a treat.

Grill your tomatoes, mushrooms, sausage and bacon, Scrambled egg in the microwave or a poached egg instead of fried egg. Beans are fine. Brown bread instead of white.

Once the no smoking starts the above will taste miles better than a greasy fry up

 

[Ethan]

There are two books you need to read. One is "The Great Cholesterol Con" by Dr. Kendrick, where he says that what you eat doesn't affect your level of Cholesterol at all. The other is " Cholesterol & Saturated Fat Prevent Heart Disease" by David Evans, both cheap on Kindle. Both books challenge established thinking. Biggest killer is stress, apparently. Reduce stress, play more golf!

You can find books saying the earth is flat and the moon landings were faked too. The debate in the medical community is strongly supportive of the evidence that high cholesterol is a significant risk factor for heart disease. The evidence for the beneficial effect of statins is also beyond doubt. There is a valid debate about the extent to which you should give statins to people without obvious heart disease (so called primary prevention) and that is a valid debate.

I know one of the authors mentioned above and you should consider theory of books accusing the pharma industry of profiteering when the comments are written in books sold for money. goose, dander etc. And the pharma trials are scrutinised by Government authorities worldwide, but the books are not.

So what are the implications for NHS health checks. Overall the evidence for routine screening of the healthy population is not great. Even the breast screening programme is probably of questionable overall benefit. For individual punters, though, there are some health interventions that make sense. Stopping smoking is by far and away the number 1, so do whatever it takes to stop it, even if you add some weight. Stop smoking and start eating deep fried lard and you are still ahead overall. Obviously switching to a healthier diet is a good idea, but that doesn't need to be dramatic. Slow steady weight loss is more likely to stay off. Exercise, for example couch to 5K is a great idea too, check with your GP if you are up to it. Management of specific risk factors like diabetes and high blood pressure are important and probably require medicines, but most of the rest is lifestyle.