Hard Work and Clean Living Are Only Part of THIS STORY

A relatively new website, http://www.agingevolution.com, extols the virtues of good old fashion clean living and hard work in order to achieve what, for all intents and purposes, is eternal youth.

The site’s tag line is — “It’s Never TOO LATE To Be Great”

Okay. So now you know the hook. So here’s the line and sinker part…

If hard work and clean living are all you have going for you, you’re not getting close to the guy in the above image.

The other part of the equation is never mentioned.

The most important part.

As a 61-year-old man with a lifetime of physical fitness under my belt, I know what it takes to be in top shape.

But I still don’t look like the guy in the above photograph.

Why not?

Because 61 is not 21 no matter how hard you train.

There is an important distinction to be made between what is naturally achievable at 61, and what is required to achieve what was only possible 40 years ago.

Suffice to say, you can’t pound it out in the gym, prepare it in kitchen, or buy it at GNC or Walgreens.

It comes from a physician at considerable price, both financially and physically.

And people wonder why body dysmorphia’s as common as the flu.

Yes, it’s tempting to fall for all the ads, radio shows and endless infomercials about the merits and virtues of “hormone replacement.”

But just know that this term is a more soft-peddled way of saying “steroid use.”

The following 10 steroids are the most commonly used [and prescribed] since their introduction into the world of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs:

Clenbuterol

Also known as Clen and Clenbuterol is an anti-catabolic anabolic product that helps users reduce the extra kilos under the belt. This selective beta-agonist 2 symphatonimetric is available in the form of syrups, tablets and injections and has an active life of about 35-40 hours. He is admired by sportsmen, particularly bodybuilders and strength athletes, especially for its benefits when it comes to achieving a lean body appearance without losing muscle mass or muscle size. The use of clenbuterol does not produce side effects such as gynecomastia or water retention, which are common problems with most steroids. The recommended dose is 140 mcg of Clen (micrograms) per day for men and 120 mcg per day for women (doses can be taken with or without meals) unless otherwise recommended by a qualified doctor. Clenbuterol is usually associated with other anabolics such as Dianabol, Deca-Durabolin, Dianabol, Winstrol and during a steroid cycle for optimizing benefits of all atthe same time.

Anavar

Also known as Oxandrolone Anavar is one of the most used and recommended anabolic steroids. This anabolic drug is second to none when it comes to facilitating speedy recovery after surgery or in case of recurring infection and is equally effective for promoting strength gains without weight gain. It is available in oral and injectable forms, Anavar is a step ahead of other anabolics in the sense that it does not aromatize into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and has no effect on the liver. As regards Anavar cycles,the recommended dose is 20-40 mg per day for men and 10-20 mg daily for women; the doses can be taken with or without meals. It is generally associated with anabolic steroids as Dianabol, Winstrol, Primobolan, and Sustanon 250 during a steroid cycle.

Winstrol

When it comes to staying ahead of the competition without feeling any heat, Oral Winstrol or Injectable Winstrol or Winny inevitably makes the list of top 10 steroids. This is because this drug produces exemplary performance and is very effective when it comes to promoting improvements in terms of mass and strength. The fact that taking Winstrol does not expose users to steroid side effects that are common with most anabolics assures users they can be confident of making tremendous gains. This derivative of testosterone, the male sex hormone, effectively stimulates the production of stromelysin, prostaglandin E2, and matrix metalloproteinases collegenase to promote a solid muscle building process. The recommended dose of this anabolic, available in oral and injectable form, is 15-25 mg (milligram) per day, which can be taken with or without meals. Winstrol is generally supplemented with other anabolics such as Deca-Durabolin, Primobolan, Testosterone Propionate, Dianabol, Trenbolone, and Clenbuterol during a steroid cycle.

Dianabol

Also known as Methandrostenolone or d-bol, it is one of those potent anabolic steroids that can bring dramatic results in a short period of time. This powerful androgenic anabolic product promotes the protein synthesis process that helps in the development of muscle mass and muscle size. It is also effective in maintaining glycogen during a bulking cycle when it comes to developing solid muscle mass. Dianabol can have adverse effects on the liver (protection: Samarin, Legalon …). There can be a water retention rate of up to 30% with Dianabol Pink and Blue, as opposed to only 10% for the Yellow Dianabol. The recommended dose of Dianabol is 20 80-mg daily , which can be taken with or without meals. This anabolic is generally supplemented with anabolics like Anavar, Deca Durabolin, Winstrol, and Clenbuterol during a steroid cycle.

Deca Durabolin

Also known as Deca or nandrolone decanoate, it is an anabolic steroid that can find its place on any list of top 10 steroids. This anabolic product offers powerful anabolic effects and minimal androgen side effects, so users can easily enjoy its benefits without being exposed to side effects commonly associated with steroids. Having no adverse effects on the liver, Deca is very effective in treating blood disorders and developing muscle cells. The recommended dose of Deca Durabolin is 200-400 mg per week for men and 100-200 mg weekly for women. Deca Durabolin can be taken with or without meals. This anabolic is often associated with other anabolics such as Dianabol, Anavar, Clenbuterol, and Winstrol.

Primobolan

Primobolan, or Primo, is one of those potent anabolic steroids that have helped thousands of professional sportsmen and celebrities to realize their dreams. Having no effect on the liver, this anabolic product helps users redefine performance improvements on a continuous basis. It has the ability to stimulate the body to produce more active testosterone. In addition, it is also effective in reducing the levels of androgenic DHT and female estrogen. The recommended dose of this medication from our list of best steroids is 10, 2-3 mg per kilogram per week. The doses can be taken with or without meals. This drug is not recommended for girls and women unless otherwise recommended by a physician. Primobolan is usually stacked with Dianabol, Clenbuterol, and Anadrol during a steroid cycle.

Anadrol

Also known as Oxymetholone, Anadrol finds an important place in this list of top 10 best steroids. This is simply because this steroid is one of the most effective of all oral steroids when it comes to improving muscle size and helping athletes facing injuries. Not only that, it is equally effective in improving the number of red blood cells and helps the body to absorb more oxygen. This drug is medically recommended for persons suffering from congenital anemia (aplastic anemia, acquired aplastic anemia or hypoplastic anemia). The recommended daily dose of this medication is 1-5 mg per kilogram of body weight. It is often stacked with Deca-Durabolin and Primobolan during a steroid cycle.

Sustanon 250

When it comes to improveing performance, the best anabolic steroid may be Sustanon 250. This performance-enhancing drug is a combination of four types of testosterone: testosterone propionate (30 mg), testosterone phenylpropionate (60 mg) isocaproate testosterone (60 mg), and testosterone decanoate (100 mg). It is very effective when it comes to ensuring improvements in endurance, muscle mass, strength, and of course performance. A unique property of Sustanon is its ability to provide a solid basis for unparalleled quality muscle mass. The recommended dose of Sustanon is 250-750 mg per week for men and can be taken with or without meals. This drug is not recommended for women. It is generally stacked with other anabolics such as Dianabol, Anadrol, and Winstrol.

Testosterone Cypionate

Success is not far from you when testosterone cypionate is nearby. This derivative of testosterone is hailed as an exemplary anabolic steroid that facilitates peak performance on a regular basis. This anabolic is also useful for ensuring improvements in terms of physical strength, muscle mass, and endurance. The recommended dose of testosterone cypionate is 200-800mg weekly; the doses can be taken with or without meals. It is generally associated with anabolic products such as Dianabol, Primobolan, and Clenbuterol during a steroid cycle.

Testosterone Enanthate

This derivative of Testosterone is considered by many as the most effective of all testosterone compounds. When used for a period of 8-10 weeks at doses of 500-1000 mg per week, testosterone enanthate offers unmatched advantages in terms of strength gains and also in terms of gains in muscle mass. The derivative of testosterone (testosterone enanthate) is generally added with anabolics like Anavar, Clenbuterol, Dianabol, Deca Durabolin, and Primobolan.

~~~

So there you have it.

I have seen each and every one of these drugs used at my gym, and it is NOT a hardcore bodybuilding gym by a long shot.

It’s a luxury family fitness center filled to the rafters with affluent older men and women who want whatever money can buy back from father time.

Now you know why my area of town is rife with ex-Internists turned testosterone pushers.

According to New Study, We Need to Ditch the Jeans…WHEN?!?

But according to a new study by British company CollectPlus, there’s an age at which we should find a new way to be stylish.

And that age … is 53.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/fashion/are-you-ever-too-old-to-wear-jeans-study-says-yes-and-the-age-is/ar-AAjMMUM?li=BBnbfcL

Their thesis is that shopping for new pairs past this age isn’t worth the trouble, because one in 10 half-centurions try on six pairs and spend five days looking just to find one pair that fits.

Of course, I know men half my age who try on ten times that number and still come up empty-handed, particularly if they workout.

Nonetheless, the article claims that the process is so traumatic that 6 percent reportedly burst into tears.

To be frank, I don’t know a single woman or man any age who doesn’t experience some degree of trauma when trying on jeans.

Most of it has to do with dressing room lighting.

The rest involves a designer’s idea of exactly who they want to wear their jeans, which may not involve you.

The key to a successful shopping experience is to rule out body dysmorphia and/or a lack of self-actualization, which most therapists are capable of addressing.

Once you get past that you can wear whatever the hell you want.

But you’ll still have to deal with the crappy overhead fluorescent lighting…even at high end retailers.

Why they do this is beyond me.

Drugging America – One Advert At a Time

“Pharmaceutical companies have seized on the decline in testosterone levels as pathological and applicable to every man. They aim to convince men that common effects of aging like slowing down a bit and feeling less sexual actually constitute a new disease, and that they need a prescription to cure it. This is a seductive message for many men, who just want to feel better than they do, and want to give it a shot, literally.” From op-ed contributor [New York Times] John La Puma.

As I have written about exhaustively, “Low-T” as it is referred is has become a meme for institutionalized drug dealing in America.

~~~

This year alone, the FDA has issued a number of warnings to physicians and male patients regarding the use of testosterone drugs, which they say may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. They’re currently urging doctors and drug makers to warn patients about the potential life-threatening risks they pose. The FDA also wants doctors to prescribe testosterone only to men who are suffering from low testosterone caused by a medical condition confirmed by laboratory tests.

But these days are are no tests, just questions:

PHYSICIAN:

How can I help you?

PATIENT:

I’m feeling a little sluggish and my sex drive isn’t what it used to be.

PHYSICIAN:

Let’s start you off with 1 cc of testosterone a week and shoot me an email to let me know how you’re feeling.

PATIENT:

Thanks, Doc. It’s nice to finally meet someone who gets it.

~~~

With billions in profits on the line, the objective is to bring testosterone supplementation mainstream, like taking a daily multi-vitamin, or prescribing Adderall to people who can’t read the encyclopedia Britannica backwards without falling asleep.

For those who may be squeamish about needles, the industry has introduced a plethora of innovative drug delivery systems:

1. Transdermal Skin Patch: Androderm is a skin patch worn on the arm or upper body, applied once a day. This may cause severe itching and fluid-filled blisters.

2. Gels: AndroGel and Testim are most commonly used and come in individual packets of clear testosterone gel. It’s applied once a day and absorbed directly through the skin. AndroGel, Axiron and Fortesta also come in a pump that delivers the prescribed amount of testosterone. Natesto is a gel applied through the nose. These gels may leave skin red, irritated or itchy.

3. Testosterone Stick: Similar to an underarm deodorant, it’s applied directly to the skin.

4. Mouth Patch: Striant is a tablet that is applied to the upper gum twice per day. It continuously releases testosterone into the blood through the oral tissues. Men may experience an unpleasant or bitter taste in the mouth, difficulty tasting food, stinging or swelling of the lips, and gum pain, tenderness, swelling, and irritation in the mouth.

5. Injections and implants: Testosterone can also be injected directly into the muscles or implanted as pellets in the soft tissues. The body will slowly absorbed the testosterone into the blood stream. Side effects include inflammation and pain.

6. Testosterone pills: Two of the more common formulas are called methyltestosterone and testosterone undecanoate. Some evidence has shown that oral testosterone may cause damage to the liver.

You can’t beat that.

Of course, all testosterone therapy options have annoying side effects, including:

• Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
• Stimulation of prostate tissue
• Serious blood clots
• Hair loss
• Acne or oily skin
• Mild fluid retention
• Breast enlargement
• Increased risk of blood clots
• Worsening of sleep apnea
• Shrunken testicles
• Increased aggression and mood swings
• Decrease in sperm count

Then there’s the link between Testosterone and Prostate Cancer, but who’s counting?

~~~

The truth is testosterone injections should never be the first line of defense when it comes to treating low T.

What many men don’t realize is that testosterone is a lifelong therapy. Once you’re on these therapies, a physician monitors your levels every 6 months or even more frequently. It’s critical to explore all your options and look to natural methods, as opposed to jumping into replacement therapy.

But I’m wasting my breath here because I’m not a physician, and therefore, have no idea what the hell I’m talking about.

All I do know is that if you have an actual condition that could benefit from testosterone supplementation, by all means go for it.

But the point of this and other articles is that everyone is now taking testosterone to be bigger, badder, better than they were before. They do it for the edge it gives them over mortals. The allure is hard to dismiss.

They also have a battery excuses at their disposal to justify the drugs.

Here’s the biggest:

Testosterone decreases by 1 percent each year after.

Then there’s…

• Increase in belly fat
• Weight gain
• Low to no sex drive (we certainly can’t have that)
• Fatigue
• Risk of depression
• Irritability
• Mood Swings
• Low energy
• Bone density
• Increased risk of diabetes

Who wants any of those when a simple prescription can alleviate all of them?

Personally, I follow another regimen:

1. Limit alcohol intake: Even drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can cause testosterone levels to plummet.

2. Reduce stress: be mindful of factors in your life that create stress. Mental or physical stress can quickly depress your levels. The stress hormone cortisol suppresses the body’s ability to make testosterone.

3. Cardio: High-intensity exercise can cut stress in half but don’t overdo it. Injuries and fatigue are sure signs that your workout may lower testosterone.

4. Zinc: The mineral zinc is important for testosterone production. Look to protein-rich foods like meats and fish. If you decide to supplement zinc, stick to a dosage of less than 40mg per day.

5. Vitamin D: This is a big secret when it comes to healthy testosterone levels. Foods like shellfish, tuna, salmon, egg yolks, beans and others work great. You can also look into taking vitamin D supplements, 1,000-2,000 IU per day (that’s what I personally do) and monitor your levels after that. Vitamin D levels should be between 30-60.

6. Limit Sugar: When in doubt, say no to sugar. Testosterone levels decrease because sugar leads to a high insulin level.

7. Healthy fats: Foods like olive oil, raw nuts, coconut oil, grass-fed meats and avocados are essential for building testosterone — 50-70 percent of your diet should include healthy fats.

Having said this, i can personally attest to the fact that testosterone coupled with a whole new array of drug cocktails absolutely, positively provide a bigger, badder edge.

I could lift more weight, sleep less, have more energy, lose belly fat [like, all of it], get lean while building muscle…and on and on…

There’s a reason professional athletes look the way they do no matter how much they travel, how little they sleep and how hard they play.

But most people aren’t professional athletes, which is lost on everyone but professional athletes.

SUMMARY REMARKS

I’m sure that most people think the world I talk about is fiction, that I either have a vivid imagination, or I’m completely insane.

This simply cannot be in the real world.

Boys grow up to be men who get married have children and then retire and die long before they’re technically dead.

This is considered normal.

But in my world there is no such thing as growing up when you can afford not to.

The point is to age well.

Death itself s irrelevant because you don’t have to put up with the indignity of falling apart.

When you acculturated to think this way, drugs are a no-brainer.

Super Ripped, Super Shredded Men Over 50 – and Reality

Just so you know where I’m coming from, I’ve been active in the fitness lifestyle my entire life.

In fact, it could be argued that fitness interfered with my personal and professional life on more than one occasion, and over a period of many, many years.

Thus, to suggest in any way that I’m an outsider where this is concerned is naive.

I’ve been in this world, know the player-profiles, understand the mindset.

So let’s get real.

By the time you’re my age [60], things change. You can no longer pack on dense muscle while bleeding fat. It isn’t going to happen –– not naturally.

This means you’re going to need extra help, like testosterone supplementation coupled with 3 or 4 other pharmaceutical agents designed to “compliment” one another.

One helps build strength, another cuts inflammation…you get the point.

Going down this road is a conscious choice many men make when mortality is beating down the doors and there’s nothing left but an aging body.

The psychological profiles of these men are all similar: They are most often vain, arrogant, entitled and filled with rage.

Why?

Because there is nothing else in their lives to help mitigate the attrition.

They’re left with a disintegrating asset, rather than an expanding mind and soul; and asset on a collision course with destiny no matter how many syringes they jam into their bloated veins.

Do I feel the psychological pressure of mortality?

Absolutely. I feel it every day of my life, which is why I have a life beyond my physical body.

I know this is a shocking revelation to many, that there is anything at all worth exploring beyond the physical.

Surprise surprise.

My creative pursuits alone are a full time job, not to mention my relationship, which also includes two dogs and two cats as big as dogs.

This scenario is what most refer to as a balanced life, which does pull time away from workouts, perfect eating and regular blood work necessary to monitor elevated liver enzyme and PSA levels while on steroids.

In this sense, fitness can become ab addiction like alcoholism or drug addiction or sex addiction or gambling addiction or any of the other addictions that raid the dopamine mines and turn one’s life into a living nightmare of emptiness.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/07/what_is_dopamine_love_lust_sex_addiction_gambling_motivation_reward.html

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton’s Third law of Motion

But I’m not here to beat up on men who take care of themselves. Hardly.

I think men should take exemplary care of themselves, but to understand that we are all human, and to expect results beyong what the body will naturally deliver will require more than a healthy lifestyle.

Go back to the blood test. If it’s normal, the rest is up to you and the genetics you were born with.

But no matter what your genetics have to say about it, age is the Supreme Court of physicality.

You’re not getting out of life unscathed.

We all pay the price, which is why it is so critical for all of us as older men to have lives outside of the gym.

In the end, there is nothing more pathetic than an aging man with nothing to show for himself but low body fat and a dark tan.

Now you know why so many of us are punchlines.

Media Versus Reality

Ask Americans to name the Vice-President of the United States and most haven’t the vaguest idea.

Mention the name Kardashian, and anyone with a heartbeat can tell you what they had for breakfast.

This illustrates the quintessential disconnect between media [aka popular culture] and reality [everything else].

If everything in our world is driven by ratings, and everything in our world is media-driven, you can see where this is going.

I’ll leave this one here where it belongs.

Next.

“T-Therapy” [Testosterone] Under the Microscope

http://www.forbes.com/sites/arleneweintraub/2015/03/24/why-all-those-testosterone-ads-constitute-disease-mongering/#21c1e2163043

A government committee discovered that, among a sample of nearly a quarter million men, as many as 21% had been given a prescription for testosterone despite not being tested for low-T.

In other words, physicians simply asked patients how they were feeling, and if the answer was anything like “I don’t seem to have the same energy I had at 17…” they got the drugs.

A FEW FACTS

In 2013, over 2 million people were prescribed T-therapy.

In 2014 the number doubled, and Androgel alone reaped $1.4 billion in sales.

In 2014 testosterone products, in general, reached $2.1 billion in sales.

Last year, 6.5 million prescriptions were written for or testosterone products. You can do the math yourself.

Late last year, a joint FDA advisory committee examined the therapy and its potential association with cardiovascular therapy, among other burgeoning issues and abuses.

The findings were shocking. In addition to not being tested for Low-T, 57% of men on T-therapy were also taking either one or several other cardiovascular medications, such as anticoagulants, antihypertensives, anti-platelet therapies, statins, and nitrates. How these medicines work together in the body is not known.

After the preliminary findings were in the FDA voted 20-to-1 to revise the labels of T drugs, including AbbVie’s AndroGel and Lilly’s Axiron to make it abundantly clear that the products should only be prescribed to men who seriously need it.

According to Bloomberg, this is having an effect on sales. For example, IMS Health’s sales alone have plummeted 6% in the first half of 2014 in the same period from the year before.

The National Institutes of Health is sponsoring a short trial comparing men on T with those on a placebo. These results should be quite interesting, as they’ll include information about sexual function and bone health.

I’ll keep you posted on this.

TV AND RADIO BOMBARDMENT

Keep these things in mind the next time you hear a TV or radio ad telling you to “talk to your doctor about low-T.” Even more importantly, pay attention when Physicians or “health” Clinics themselves run ads claiming that testosterone replacement for all aging men is the wave of the future, alongside healthy eating, exercise and a month a year in Aspen to reduce stress.

What these companies [and individuals] fail to mention in these ads is that lower testosterone levels is a natural part of aging, not a medical condition, and that there are very real, life-threatening side effects to these products.

According to Drug Recall Attorney’s Blog, millions of men bought the marketing gimmick, asking their doctors for prescriptions for testosterone products. Michael Seaburn was one of them. He started using Testim and AndroGel topical testosterone treatments. Within two years after starting these treatments, Seaburn had two heart attacks, suffering immense pain and anguish, loss of life’s pleasures, and significant economic losses.

Seaburn, like millions of other men, was not told testosterone treatments had strong links to heart complications, strokes and death. He claims companies like AbbVie purposefully encouraged men to view the normal signs of aging as a “condition,” that could be treated with products like AndroGel.

Sound familiar?

According to the article, “Not only were these companies investing in mass marketing, they were also paying for continuing medical education courses (CME), which doctors are required to take. Pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers support CME programs regularly, to the chagrin of Congress and public advocates. A series of investigations between 2007 and 2009 revealed that these CME courses often acted as aggressive promotions of off-label drug uses (such as promoting testosterone therapy for men without diagnosed hypogonadism). Today, about one-quarter of CME income ($676 million) is from drug/device companies, who create course curriculum and hire faculty.

A review by Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today looked at 75 drug industry-funded testosterone therapy CME courses. Researchers found that a majority of the courses’ faculty were already on drug company payroll for speaking, consulting, and advising roles. These testosterone courses are another part of the effort to turn the natural aging process into a medical condition. Eli Lily alone spent $1.8 million to fund more than 25 testosterone-related CME courses between 2011 and 2014.

CME courses are supposed to be free of bias, but drug companies clearly use the platform as an opportunity to market products directly to doctors for off-label uses. The FDA has stridently stated testosterone products are not to be used in men with low testosterone due to aging, but doctors are prescribing them exactly for this use based largely on CME material. CME courses not only encourage off-label prescribing, but also downplay or completely conceal drug risks.”

At this writing, thousands of lawsuits have been filed against testosterone products companies, and the numbers continue to climb at an alarming rate.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Testosterone therapy can contribute to…

1] Sleep apnea — a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts

2] Acne or other skin reactions

3] Noncancerous growth of the prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia) and growth of existing prostate cancer

4] Enlarged breasts

5] Limitations in sperm production and testicle shrinkage

6] Increased risk of a blood clot forming in a deep vein (deep vein thrombosis), which could break loose, travel through your bloodstream and lodge in your lungs, blocking blood flow (pulmonary embolism)

7] Increased risk of heart disease.

~~~

FINAL THOUGHTS

At my health club, it is considered perfectly normal – even enlightened – to take pharmaceutical grade testosterone, either in pill form, gels or injectables.

As one man said to me “I lost belly fat without having to workout all day. I put on more lean mass just getting out of bed. I have a six pack I never knew I had. And my sex drive has become so strong that I now have a hooker on speed dial.”

If you’re living in the moment, the side-effects of drug use pale in comparison to the short term results.

If this is your mindset, there’s a dealer on every street corner in Houston.

Remember that Testosterone use for many is like drug addiction.

In fact, many drug addicts, alcoholics and men with related compulsive personality disorders simply swap one addiction for another.

All are in complete denial about side effects until they hit rock bottom.

Before that happens – and it will happen – any good news that can siphoned from the flood of bad is used to justify their addictions.

See, it really doesn’t matter what the addiction is [i.e., drugs, sex, gambling, alcohol…etc].

What matters is how long you can keeping shuffling the deck before you run out of cards.

~~~

‘Dad Bod’ Coming to a Store Near You!

Mattel’s new ‘Dad Bod’ doll…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3425007/Where-s-Dad-Bod-Ken-Twitter-calls-plastic-doll-beer-belly-Mattel-s-curvy-new-Barbie-unveiled.html

One of the many sacrifices we health-oriented older men make is the enjoyment of eating bad things that taste good.

To us, food is fuel. Nothing more.

I know. Depressing, right?

Not really.

See, the payoff is not looking [and feeling] like a Mattel ‘Dad Bod’ doll.

For those of you who don’t already know, ‘Dad Bod’ is the physical representation of what the typical middle-aged man looks like.

Of course, I don’t know any of these people personally because I live in a big city.

Here, pot bellies constitute Class-A misdemeanors, punishable by hard time at a “wellness” center that specializes in testosterone implants, orals and injectables, coupled with psychiatric counseling for clinical depression.

However, in smaller places where appearance and good health are secondary to gluttony and death in slow motion, being too fit after a certain age is a Class-A felony.

Rich Men Prefer Skinny Women: New Research Exposé

Ss I stated many times before [on this blog], wealthy women prefer to date their financial equals and those withing a few years of their age.

Men? Not so much [on either count].

According to researchers at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., a new study to be published in the January 2016 edition of the peer-reviewed academic journal “Personality and Individual Differences,” validates what I have always believed, that men with more education had strong preferences for female partners who were “good looking,” “slender,” and “younger.” Some 95% of men with an advanced degree said it was “essential” that their partner was “good looking” versus 77% of those with a high school education or less, and 84% of those men said it was essential that their partner was slender versus just 12% of those with a high school education or less.

So what does it all mean?

A depressing confirmation of the worst gender stereotypes that suggests the dating game has not progressed much in the last 100 years? And maybe 1000 if you want to get technical about it.

Using an example from the animal kingdom, “Female bower birds select males with the nicest nest, and in many insects, the female selects a male who offers her a nice gift of prey he has captured.”

Translation: Women prefer nice neighborhoods with swimming pools, just like insects.

Furthermore men prefer slender bodies, which are associated with youth.

As the body’s metabolism slows as one grows older and, slender physiques could represent fertility for men.

I might also add that, beyond the specter of fertility, slender women look better in Chanel and are easier to physically dominate, which is a big deal for many.

The study may help people understand why the advertising industry (and society) puts so much emphasis on women being thin. And it may also throw light on why men strive so aggressively for higher income and assertively negotiate for raises.

Their income clearly affects not only their ability to pay for dates but also their likelihood of attracting a beautiful young, slender partner who looks good in Chanel.

As we all know, men are more visual than women and women have a stronger need to be taken care of both emotionally and financially.

So people with desirable traits are in a position to be more selective.

The study found that both genders reported nearly equally that being with someone physically attractive “to them” is important, which is at least hopeful because it allows for physical imperfections — not the unattainable physical flawlessness we’re bombarded with every day in the media.

Nonetheless, I have seen men with more money than God check each and every line item and then choose the more perfect human female the planet has ever witnessed. Of course, what people want and what they actually get are two different things.
If, for example, a man wants a physically flawless woman with a warm heart, he usually gets only one of them. There’s only so much you can expect from a mating dynamic based on a cold-blooded exchange of commodities.

REAL WORLD PREFERENCES OF AFFLUENT OLDER MEN AND THE WOMEN IN THEIR LIVES:

1] Slender women are preferred because they look best in designer apparel.

2] Slender women are preferred because they look better educated, and thus, more sophisticated.

3] Slender women are preferred because they are easy to physically dominate.

4] Slender women are preferred because in more sophisticated circles, image is everything.

5] Slender women are preferred because the chances of them becoming obese down the road are far less probable.

Notice I didn’t mention anything whatsoever about character.

This is because men with money assume that women who crave it will just fall in line.

And while they appear to do just that, their reasons for doing have more to do with attracting even wealthier men who expect the same thing.

“Manorexia:” It’s Not Just Women

For nearly a decade celebrity jeweler Stephen Webster, 56, pictured with Christina Aguilera, fought a private battle with anorexia [and depression].

At his lowest point, Stephen Webster, who is 5’10” tall, weighted 112 pounds.

By comparison, Mick Jagger, who is 5’10” tall, weighs 161 pounds.

I’ll let you ponder that for a moment…

~~~

Okay, now that you have that image firmly in your head, you should know that after fighting through his disorder, he is now 154 pounds.

Hardly robust, but not on a feeding tube.

So, good.

~~~

Men of my socioeconomic demographic are often found at the gym, if only because they appear to live in them.

Most are in their late 40’s to early 50’s because that’s about as far as you can push back on the aging process and still land on your feet.

By the time you hit your late 50’s, you can land on one foot, but it’s not as pretty.

Having said this, anyone who’s spent a lifetime keeping fit will tell you that at least a tinge of obsession is necessary to maintain it.

For myself, eating is usually a nightmare.

Let me phrase this another way: For myself, eating is something I have lodged firmly in my head from the moment I wake up.

It’s not like it was back in the day when I looked forward to a breakfast of half and half over Frosted Flakes and two whole eggs over easy in actual butter, which I also applied to toasted white Sunbeam bread.

I know. Great right?

Now it’s 6 boiled egg-whites and a bowl of steel cut oats with almond butter and a banana.

If I ate the first breakfast for a week I’d die on the gym floor.

First, I need good carbs, ones that burn slowly, hence the oats.

If I ate the first one my blood sugar would spike, then crash…me along with it. And if that didn’t do me in the saturated fat would.

See, blood sugar becomes a big deal as you age, particularly for men like me who workout a lot.

While I am not diabetic, I do experience bouts of hypoglycemia when i don’t take in enough calories to carry me through an intense workout.

For more on hypoglycemia, click here: https://www.med.umich.edu/intmed/endocrinology/patients/Hypoglycemia.htm

I experienced the same thing as a young man, but now I’m more conscious of it, as I am of everything else because I feel more physically vulnerable than I did back then.

This is what I refer to as age-acquired neurosis.

So not only am I not eating anything I feel like putting in my mouth in an effort to avoid all the aforementioned problems, but I also want to keep my body fit and trim.

Now the plot is as thick as pack ice:

1] I think about when to eat so that I have the energy necessary to fuel my workouts.This alone is exhausting.

2] I carefully consider healthy food choice alternative, which is also a pain in the ass.

3] I want to maintain a healthy appearance, which is predicated on the previous two line items. Now eating is kind of like a second job.

Back to Stephen Webster and many others like him, physical appearance can become an obsession after a while because it’s so hard to maintain.

Add an addictive personalty, ambition and vanity, and you’re completely and utterly screwed.

I know men at my gym who are on the hamster wheel, working out 3 times a day in race to beat time.

They never do.

Most of them are anorexic and in complete denial.

They eat just enough to get through their grueling workouts and them eat again to get through the next one in line.

They have no personal lives. And their interactions with others is limited to discussions about workouts and diet.

I’m sure you know a few yourself.

Pity them. They are in pain even if they don’t realize it.

Their bodies are shutting down, their lives have burned down to an ember of balance.

In this sense, they’re already dead.

If you think I’m being overly dramatic, check out Stephen Webster’s struggles for yourself:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3328368/My-10-year-battle-MANOREXIA-s-not-just-women-Celebrity-jeweller-Stephen-Webster-reveals-despite-gilded-life-tortured-fear-eating.html

OVERVIEW

I will always dance delicately near the edge in order to meet my needs without falling off the cliff.

It’s a struggle we all face as we age and want to live healthy, balanced lives.

Some turn to “youth-enhancing” drugs to help maintain their strength and low body-fat without having to severely restrict their diets, but they are killing themselves in other ways as they swap one addiction for another.

Average people have no idea what I’m talking about.

But I don’t know any of them.

Advertising Agencies Fail to Capture Upscale Baby Boomer Market

I wake up this morning and head to the kitchen where the television is tuned to the news.

This is generally not a good thing as I prefer cartoons in the morning.

This notwithstanding, I’m in a good mood because today is my birthday and, for whatever reason, I’m not depressed about it.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that if I see one more pocket catheter ad I’m going to hurl!

Now they make them in “designer” colors and deliver them in discrete packaging that resembles a sex toy.

Then there’s this little kid, disabled and begging for money, the violins whining in the background.

It’s like a one-two punch and I haven’t had coffee.

The kid runs the numbers and says that for a contribution of just $30 a month, you can his ass.

“That’s just $1 a day to save me and kids like me, or just 50 cents a day if you spread it out over the course of 2 months. And for a one-time contribution, it’s almost nothing at all.”

But I’m still not budging because I hate the fact that advertising agencies use kids as weapons for cash.

Then there are the cancer patients, all with stories of triumph to share after visiting this hospital or that.

And did I mention wounded vets in wheelchairs, brain damaged, trying to live with dignity in the face of colossal odds?

Rounding things out are the personal injury attorneys asking you whether or not you’ve recently died as a result of taking this or that drug as you may be entitled to compensation.

Call 1-800-BAD-DRUG or some such shit.

It’s brutal.

I’m a Baby Boomer.

They got that part right.

But I don’t use pocket catheters – or catheters at all.

I’m not disabled.

I give to the charities of my choosing with or without the ads.

I also have a attorneys for a wide range of issues, should anything come up.

So I have no idea who the hell these ads are targeting.

And that guy from “24” who keeps telling me to buy gold is an embarrassment.

It is very clear to me that these ads are focused in on the infirm, the elderly, and the flat out dead who apparently still watch television.

So where are the ads of interest to me and my peers?

They keep talking Baby Boomer this, Baby Boomer that and I’m still out of the loop.

It’s like my entire generation is invisible to Madison Avenue.

With this in mind, here’s what I want to hear about because, unlike the others, it’s relevant [and therefore not an embarrassment] to me and my peers:

1] Luxury hotel properties.

2] Automobiles most of us drive [i.e., not Buick].

3] Home automation systems [Think security from a cellphone].

4] Inter-Generational dating sites [i.e., Duh]

5] Private-only healthcare providers [Why wait in line?]

6] 5-star home service providers, including all of them [i.e., where’s the best plumber when you need one?]

7] Spa and wellness centers [i.e., places to relax, rejuvenate, and restore].

8] Disease prevention and nutrition [not ads with people in wheelchairs dying from one thing or another].

10] Anything that doesn’t involve retirement, which most of us consider “death in slow motion,” [UrbanDystrophy, the book].

And finally, #11:

11] Whether it’s AARP – or the CDC – please dear God, hire Baby Boomers in advertising who actually get it.

Thank you.

November 2024
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