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Medical Forum / General / Nutrition / December 2004Careers in Nutrition?
I need a career change. I got a degree in English in 1997. I fell in love with computers while in college, though, and ended up as a programmer. Things have largely gone well, but the hours have been taxing and hard on my body (so much so that I was over 400lbs. at one point due to stress, lack of time, bad habits). Additionally, I am finding it harder and harder to find a good mid-level job where you can just do good work without insane hours or tons of pressure. So I'm thinking of getting out of the field. Especially before I'm inevitably outsourced. Something I'm very interested is weight loss/health issues. I used to be this (but bigger... I don't have a picture of me over 400lbs.) http://www.prestoncrawford.com/album/images/mebig2.jpg Now I'm this... http://www.prestoncrawford.com/album/images/me.jpg That's the skinny me (minus over 150lbs.) with my old fat clothes on still. I was too cheap to buy new clothes. Anyway, I'd like to get into Nutrition. I'm not sure if I'd want to be a full-fledged nutritionist. I just know that I've had an experience I'd like to relate to others, to help them and let them know that no matter how bad it gets, there is still a way out. My wife is also in the same boat. Down from like 350lbs.+ to 210lbs. Plus she's gone on to do a Half-Ironman. So we're both big believers in doing the right things to turn your life around. However, how do you parlay this into a career. Or at least some decent jobs where I can be happy with my work during the day. I'm hesitant to go back to college for 4 years and $40,000 not knowing what the future holds when I still have student loans. Are there other routes? Any advice is appreciated. Preston >Subject: Careers in Nutrition? >From: Preston Crawford me@prestoncrawford.com >Date: 12/6/2004 7:17 PM !!!First >I need a career change. >I was over 400lbs. at one point due to stress, >lack of time, bad habits) Don't quit your day job!!! >>Subject: Careers in Nutrition? >>From: Preston Crawford me@prestoncrawford.com [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Don't quit your day job!!! ?????? IMHO formal nutrition education is full of myths that may, in time, be refuted. Do you really want to be an advocate for the food pyramid? > I need a career change. I got a degree in English in 1997. I fell in love > with computers while in college, though, and ended up as a programmer. [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > Preston Good grief.......I think it is a little strong to say 'myths' - any health science is constantly changing and evolving - things held to be truths in previous years are oftentimes proven to be false based on new studies, new methods of studies - other long held truths are upheld. The same is true of all the quasi scientific junk that passes for gospel in the media. I believe in a good background in scientific theory and methodology, and then continuous learning to keep one's self updated........ > Good grief.......I think it is a little strong to say 'myths' - any > health science is constantly changing and evolving - things held to be [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > theory and methodology, and then continuous learning to keep one's self > updated........ That's what I would like to do. I was hoping for an answer with some substance. I was beginning to get worried there for a moment that this newsgroup was just a battleground for people's OPINIONS on health. Thanks for proving to me that there is a little sanity here. Obviously not the place to come to ask the kind of question I'm asking, though. Preston You seem to have already made up your mind. However, you might review: http://www.earth360.com/diet_paleodiet_balzer.html I'm not an expert on Paleo, but I can see that they make enough logical points to question the current view of nutrition. IMHO: Nutritional studies have been engineered and cherry-picked to support the traditional views. > > Good grief.......I think it is a little strong to say 'myths' - any > > health science is constantly changing and evolving - things held to be [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Preston > You seem to have already made up your mind. However, you might review: > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > IMHO: Nutritional studies have been engineered and cherry-picked to support > the traditional views. I lost over 170lbs. by eating according to what you consider to be out-dated standards and by exercising. My wife has lost similarly. Pretty simple, in my book. I have personal anecdotal evidence that I don't even need to consider the paleo diet, at least not for myself. Preston >> > Good grief.......I think it is a little strong to say 'myths' - any >> > health science is constantly changing and evolving - things held to be [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >> >> Preston 170 is a great achievement. Do you attribute it to low fat low calorie, or did your exercise dominate the process? Were you hungry the whole time? > > You seem to have already made up your mind. However, you might review: > > [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > >> > >> Preston > 170 is a great achievement. Do you attribute it to low fat low calorie, or > did your exercise dominate the process? Actually, I attribute it to plenty of exercise, lots of veggies and fruits and lots of high-quality carbs (i.e. sprouted grains, true whole wheats, etc.) and cutting out refined sugar, red meat and pork. So it was low fat, definitely. It also was and is low on the refined sugars. > Were you hungry the whole time? I was never hungry. I'm still not. Preston >> > You seem to have already made up your mind. However, you might review: >> > [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] >> >> >> >> Preston >>170 is a great achievement. Do you attribute it to low fat low calorie, or >>did your exercise dominate the process? >Actually, I attribute it to plenty of exercise, lots of veggies and fruits >and lots of high-quality carbs (i.e. sprouted grains, true whole wheats, >etc.) and cutting out refined sugar, red meat and pork. So it was low fat, >definitely. It also was and is low on the refined sugars. Excellent advice! Preston has pretty much nailed it. Let me add a few more things. Excercise: Exercise doesn't have to mean sweating it out in a gym for hours on end. While you'll want to start lifting some weights and maybe using some cardio machines in a gym, you can quite a lot of exercise by walking, washing the car, walking the dog, using stairs instead of elevators, always parking on the far end of parking lot, doing manual yard work, riding a bike, roller blading, golfing, etc. Just don't let yourself sit around... TURN OFF THE TV and go find something to do. Find a hobby that keeps you moving... but do something. Whole grains: Let me ephasize whole grains, by saying if the first ingredient doesn't say whole grain or 100% whole grain, then don't eat it. And "Wheat flour" doesn't cut it. .. it's crap. Refined sugar: Drastically reduce your consumption of refined sugar. First, give up soda. They're calories that don't fill you up. This move alone will knock off pounds. Fruit punches are also garbage. Drinks: Here's your drink list. Water (add a slice of lemon if you want some taste) Skim milk or Soy milk ("Silk" in the red box tastes really good!) Green tea Small amounts of pure fruit juice Meat: Make meat a side dish, not a main course. A serving size shouldn't be any bigger than the back of your hand. Hot dogs, sausages, and lunch meat are crap. Instead eat fish, lean turkey, chicken and lean beef... game meat (dear, buffalo, etc. are also good choices. >> Were you hungry the whole time? >I was never hungry. I'm still not. I've been eating healthy (plus working out and staying active) for the last 22 years. I'm now 41. My waist size is the same as it was when I graduated from high school -- 31 inches. And my weight has only increased 10 pounds, all of which is muscle. This year I ran a half marathon (13 miles) in well under 2 hours without running more than 5 miles at a time in preparation. I attribute this performance to a excellent diet. Food is your fuel. Give your body crappy fuel and it won't perform for crap. But give a constant supply of the good stuff, and your energy will soar. Here's where you start: 1) Go to a doctor and get a complete physical to make sure you're healthy. 2) Then buy some excellent walking shoes 3) Next, start cutting out the crappy food/drinks. Start reading labels instead of price tags. Sometimes the good stuff will cost a little more, but think of it this way... the good stuff is a lot cheaper than medications and doctor visits. 4) Start walking/moving. On your free time, don't sit around... stay active. Do this for a couple months and you'll be amazed at the results. Good luck. Patrick >> Here's where you start: > 1) Go to a doctor and get a complete physical to make sure you're > healthy. > 2) Then buy some excellent walking shoes What? Exercise? Damn heresy on this board. People want to lose weight sitting on the couch playing video games and zero exertion. Fill in the BS reason why the can't find the time and an exercise that compliments their life style. When will people pull their heads out of that dark region and note that simply being thin does not mean you are healthy any more then some extra weight means your going out early. If you don't add some basic exercise into your life, plan on a shity quality of life while you're here and either an early departure or some very miserable aging. The heart for instance, is a muscle. Simple inhaling and exhaling is not exercise. > 3) Next, start cutting out the crappy food/drinks. Start reading > labels instead of price tags. Sometimes the good stuff will cost a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Do this for a couple months and you'll be amazed at the results. > Good luck. And we wonder why our kids are getting fatter - rhetorical. Take a look at the direction they get from their parents. Hang out in a grocery store some time ands witness the obese parents with the obese kids pushing a basket of chips, dips, cookies, etc. It's too many calories from too many simple sugars. And all these BS fad diets just add to the confusion. -DF >IMHO formal nutrition education is full of myths that may, in time, be >refuted. Do you really want to be an advocate for the food pyramid? The formal nutrition education I know hasn't changed much over the years. Small amounts of vegetable oil and nuts Some lean meats Some skim/low-fat dairy Lots of fruits and vegetables Lots of whole grains Works for me. Patrick Preston, First, congratulations to you and your wife for loosing weight !! There is something that may be just what you are looking for. We are coming from similar backgrounds. I actually owned a software company. I not sure which is more of a... hummm... let me say "challenge". Being a programmer or being the owner. Anyway I escaped that rat race by selling the company and made the move into nutrition. Not as a nutritionist, from what I have observed it's hard to make a living doing that. I working with a new device developed at the University of Utah (with lots of funding from the National Science Foundation) that measures carotenoid antioxidants directly in tissue, quickly and non-invasively. It turns out carotenoids are an excellent biomarker for the rest of the antioxidants and in fact can measure if you diet or your supplement regime is making it to your tissue... not your blood, but your tissue, where all the cellular action is. This is new on the market and it has taken me a year to find the right niche, and it's with the main stream medical community. Now it is taking off because more and more of the healthcare industry is moving toward integrative medicine which includes prevention and nutrition.... And this device can measure a biomarker for that. Go look at www.nutritionalscanner.com for more details. I am actively looking for distributors and team leaders in all 50 states, Asia and Europe. Note that we are not selling these devices. Only offering them on a lease or as a service. Also note that this is not a sales job in the traditional sense. For one, I have people calling me to see how & when they can get one - That's Refreshing !! If you are interested drop me a note at roi@pharmanexmail.com. If not you may want to check it out anyway and get you antioxidants measured. Be Well RB |
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