SUGGESTIONS? What Company or MDs can I Hire To Get Me to 120 Years of Age?

#59

I wish you well with your weight management.

Good point on the fruits!

Since the discovery of my bicuspid aortic valve 1986 to when they said that I had senile stenosis in that same valve, then the open heart surgery, and being identified for heart failure I’ve known that I had to lose weight. Cardiologists and general practitioners told me to get light to live. Most would say that I ignored them, fair enough. I was an athlete and felt OK. When you feel OK, it is easy to ignore the experts even after they cut your chest open with a saw, put you on a heart-lung machine, stop your heart and put in a new valve. Food and eating are a mental thing with me and the signals my brain gives me are stronger than any warnings.

I am not well traveled, having spent almost my entire life in the USA. I kind of remember how thin or fit looking everyone was in the 1970’s. To refresh my memory all that I have to do is to look at old pictures. It is the exact opposite now, almost everyone is overweight and fighting with diets. GLP-1s will save a lot of people from early deaths I think.

I am not trying to get to some kind of perfection, and a few pounds overweight in my book is a good idea in case of an illness. Senior year in high school I think that I was around 150lbs, but that is too light for me now. I want some muscle. Even 170lbs would be 10lbs overweight according to the charts.

Americans demand lots of food for their money when they eat out or they feel cheated. I have not taken a poll, but I see the complaints online when food is shrunk with the costs so high. We are all sedentary and do not need the level of food intake that we have.

For me to get to 170lbs will be a Herculean task, it’s just a target.

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#60

I’d get on a glp-1 agonist pronto for weight management. My only concern for you would be your heart history. Those medications raise resting heart rate. I’d ask clause / Gemini / ChatGPT to weigh the profiles of each one (sema / tirza / repa) against your medical history. Very beneficial potentially but tread lightly.

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#61

They are watching everything.

I currently take:

  • metoprolol
  • atorvastatin
  • tirzepatide
  • sirolimus
  • jardiance
  • zetia
  • acarbose

And I may ask for metformin. I have to wait for the blood tests to see where my numbers are.

#62

Do you really think it’s a healthy or longevity diet?

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#63

I admit to being a mixed bag. Getting to where I need to be will take some time.

A Macha drink from Starbucks that is infused with sugar is not a great idea, but I think Macha is OK. I received a package of plain Macha, a handheld mixer, and a stainless mixing cup yesterday.

Starbucks is almost a thing of the past for me. I just assembled everything that I need to make lattes and macha drinks at home with no sugar or syrups.

Caffeine and cheeses are OK. Now I need to make my own cheese Danishes at home too.

#64

You may want to skip that all together LOL That is one skill that you definitely don’t need to master especially if you’ve already had open heart surgery.

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#65

I can’t eat only supplements, protein powder and blueberries all day.

#66

well, what’s wrong with chicken breast, salmon, and vegies plus olive oil. That beats by miles your obsession with cheese Danishes. But, hey if you don’t mind dropping dead in next couple years go ahead and enjoy life man and while you are at it, have few whiskeys daily also LOL.

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#67

I gave up most alcohol in 2004. Most years I do not drink at all. Over the past 3 years I may have had the equivalent of 6 beers max.

I eat chicken 5 days a week. I eat fish. Salmon is on the menu.

#68

At 71 I have already endured two aortic valve replacements. This was unrelated to the two incidents of undiagnosed disease, which landed me in hospice twice.
At that point, I reconciled myself to the fact that I was on the way out. On the days that I had some energy I started hiking. I also condensed a list of essential foods that I would eat every day in an eight hour window, disregarding calories. The list includes but not limited to the following: a daily shake consisting of a handful of kale handful of blueberries handful of walnuts, large pinch of broccoli, sprouts, three sheets of kelp and between three and 6 g of creatine. Before ingesting I eat some protein, either fish, lean meat or beans I then continue on with a small or half avocado, a kiwi handful of blackberries and raspberries handful of pumpkin seeds and sundry probiotics such as pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi.
After adjusting all of these, I allow myself anything else I desire within my eight hour feeding window.
What I have found that when I load my digestive system with varied nutrient dense foods by appetite seems to disappear.
I am now at the point where I have to focus on keeping my wake up. I’m allow myself to eat whatever and whenever I want.
I find that when I stop eating by 5 PM. I feel considerably better the next morning. My belief is at my age. I need maximum time for digestion. When my digestive tract is in homeostasis, I usually have a BM. in the first few hours.
I believe the best way to achieve homeostasis is to focus on security, proximity, and consistency.
When I achieved financial security, located myself near a green space and a variety of organic fruits and vegetables and practiced the lifestyle techniques of aerobic and resistance training, mindful, eating, and gratitude and acceptance techniques. My life is far beyond anything I ever imagined.

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#69

Awesome! You are an inspiration and I have added your uplifting message to my personal files on healthcare.

I always say that I joined a SEAL Team with the motto, “Team Never Quit!”

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#70

Consistency and discipline, conquer, desire, and intention

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#71

@dwglinn
That is one of the best stories I’ve ever heard. #rolemodel

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#72

TBI-CHI,

I’m glad you’ve continued to share your journey with the Rapa community. As you’ve shared more, there are a few things that have come to light that I’d like to comment on.

First, you talk about how you used to be fairly physically active and an athlete. You need to return to physical activity in a sustainable way that works for you. It’s probably a great idea to get lots of daily steps, a few hours a week of Zone 2 cardio, with some time spent in Zone 4/5, along with balance, mobility, and flexibility work - and do whatever you truly enjoy. It’s quite debatable if this will impact maximum life span (it seems like no), but it will certainly impact health span and quality of life.

Your extensive imaging and testing is also of some value, in part because it can give you motivation to change when you see measurable progress (or a lack of progress, or even worse, regression). Be careful about investing too many financial resources into things you don’t have the money for. Your huge supplement list doesn’t mean a lot if the foundations aren’t correct (diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, relationships, and so forth) - or as someone else said earlier, “put first things first.”

Investing tens of thousands of dollars in testing, imaging, and expensive therapies will be of little to no value, and may add financial stress to your life when you don’t have the foundation right. You seem to be on a cocktail of medications to aggressively control some of your cardiovascular metrics, and that’s good given your cardiac history.

I’m really sorry to hear about people dying around you. These tragedies are good reminders of why we should do everything we can to take care of ourselves. Every time someone close to me passes, it motivates me to double down and stay well.

Regarding your valve replacement surgery, this is an area I am quite familiar with, and I want you to consider the following. While it’s possible future heart surgeries may be done via a transcatheter procedure, don’t be so sure of that. Also, currently, OHS is preferable to TAVR in many/most situations. I want to again stress that this is probably the biggest bottleneck in your journey to 120 (if that’s even possible) and I don’t think you are giving it the attention it deserves.

You’ve talked a lot about your weight and your physician’s direction to reduce it. Getting down from 220 to 170 is a great idea and probably one of the most important things you can do. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 220-lb centenarian anywhere. I’m glad you are having success with the GLP-1 medication.

Regarding nutrition - Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, and a love for sugary danish’s? Come on man… there is very little nutrition here, even if your total calorie intake is low. The quality of food matters as much as the quantity. Plain matcha tea (single ingredient) with nothing added is a fine choice, but the moment things start getting added, it tends to reduce/eliminate many of the health benefits. Ditch the sugar and refined/processed food, and go for whole foods instead. Think vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts/seeds, lean protein, healthy fats, etc. And don’t for a moment think that fruit isn’t healthy. This paper on healthy aging and dietary patterns has been discussed at length on this forum, and fruit intake is one of the best predictors of healthy aging: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03570-5

You also mentioned cheese, which is generally a bad idea due to the saturated fat content and its negative impact on LDL (though it’s probably a bit more nuanced than that).

At the end of the day, let the fact that you had a heart attack and survived be an amazing blessing. It’s a wake-up call to take control of your health and do everything you can to live a healthy life.

Please continue to update your progress. :grinning:

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#73

Thank you for you well thought out response!

The target weight given to me by a long time family doctor who is now retired, was 160lbs in 1986. We shall see how great the team of doctors are that I have assembled at 3 different locations to get me to 160 or <170. I’ll put in the effort.

I have a horrible sweet tooth and desire for all things pasta. I have to retrain myself. As @dwglinn said above everything rests on consistency and discipline, conquer, desire, and intention. I’ll try to cut back on all fast food, including Chick fil A. I have my own barista system set up at home now so Starbucks is in my rearview mirror. Will read and follow the details in the paper on healthy eating of fruits. I met with dietitians a few months ago and the biggest hurdle is the amount of food that I consume. I was literally shocked when they broke out the cups for measuring my meal preparation. Initially I thought, there is no way I can eat just that every meal, but I will do it.

I found a private fitness club run by an MD who is in the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and I am going to see what programs they have that include a personal trainer. If they are affordable / reasonable cost-wise and I can meet with a trainer 2 to 4 times a week for 1 hour I will join.

Regarding the imaging and tests, they are expensive. I have never been so “studied” in my life. I wanted to get any indication of possible problems and deal with them while I am at an age where I can recover quickly should anything have to be done medically. My father’s mother lived to almost 102 and she had a simultaneous gallbladder removal and hernia operation in her late 70’s or early 80’s. I’d like to avoid a similar situation if possible.

I am 66 and do not know if I will live to 70. I feel good, better than I have in quite a while, and as I continue to lose weight and gain muscle I hope to feel better. 120 was just a number to kick off a conversation and I don’t know how seriously a number like 120 can be taken. I appreciate everyone humoring me. I am counting on longevity discoveries by doctors, scientists and artificial intelligence, brilliant medical care, the goodness of people to keep me alive and dumb luck.

I’ll keep in mind the possibility of TAVR or OHS.

A few days ago I had my first of 3, RF microneedling sessions. I will wait to order more sessions after I lose all of the weight.

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#74

Sorry to break it you but it ain’t happening LOL. AI, scientific discoveries etc. will go a long way IMO to move the lifespan from say currently at 80 to maybe 90 or even 95 in few/couple decades. But it will do zilch, zero and nada to extend the outer/max limits of life. Yes, there will be many more (maybe 20-50 fold more) people making it to a 100 and even past it, but there will close to ZERO that will make it to 120 or beyond.

As matter of fact when I started this journey (longevity) about 20 years ago I was so optimistic (kind of where yourself are now) that I was openly blabbering that people will soon be living to 120,130, and even 150. But the more I educated myself on the subject the more I kept being convinced that there is no way in hell that humans can live a healthy life (one worth living) past 110. And, to make the matters worse in last 20 years there is NOTHING, absolutely ZERO in the way of science and new advancement in the longevity field that has credibly expanded human life even by one single day and everybody and their mother has been up in arms trying to come up with something.

What has however happened is that many things which contribute to longevity have been brought up and to the attention of way more people and that will go a long way in helping people live healthy lives well past 80’s and 90’s and before the inevitable happens which is to say become a vegetable in the 100’s LOL. And that is a great achievement as not too long ago that state was reserved for the over 80 crowd.

This nor’easter is pissing me off and when that happens, I have the burden of giving truths that might hurt. I REPEAT NO AI, NO SCHIENCE ADVANCEMENT, NO GOD, NOTHING WILL MAKE ME, YOU, OR ANYONE ELSE ON THESE BOARDS OR ELSWHERE LIVE TO 120 lol. Make it to a healthy 100 and drop dead at 105-110 and be very happy about it. This is the goal you (and I) should shoot for because anything past that is more of a pie in the sky, or in your case cheese Danish in the sky :joy:

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#75

I thank the Lord above for every pico-second that I get. People will readily dismiss The Bible, but Genesis 6:3 says man will not live beyond 120.

If I live to see 100 and I am healthy all along the way, that would be a small miracle. I used 120 to start a conversation.

Gave up on the cheese Danishes yesterday!!! The only thing I’ve had today are 2 cups of coffee and 2 bananas. I ordered $200+ in ceremonial and standard grade Japanese Macha. I’ll be sure to skip the sugar when I make it.

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#76

In case this gives you inspiration:

You have never met another human on earth with a bigger sweet tooth or love of pasta than me.

I am famous for a diet of marinara/pasta and chocolate. When I married my husband, he said, you know, you can’t live on three foods forever :). (I’m exaggerating, but that is how often I was eating that stuff!)

Since then, I forced myself to eat dark chocolate over milk chocolate due to the health benefits. I haattted it at first, but just forced it in. Well, ffwd, I now find milk chocolate disgusting and I can eat 100% dark choc. I also find cheap chocolate kinda gross tasting … think M&Ms etc. Your taste buds really do adjust.

I am so used to eating a plant based whole foods diet now (it’s been many years at this point), while I still enjoy pasta, I now mostly eat it when I’m feeling lazy because it’s no longer even a favorite food.

Same thing happened with diet soda. I used to live on it. Someone told me it wasn’t good for you, so I stopped cold turkey… months later I went to have one as a treat and I dumped it out… tasted like chemicals.

Some people do well by just using moderation. For me, I do best when I just go cold turkey because then what those things used to taste like fades away and then my palate adjusts to the new healthier food. If I had constant reminders of how good the other stuff was, I don’t know that I would have gotten ‘over’ them. I think that is probably more true with ultra processed foods designed to make us addicted.

Also, I do agree with what others have told you… until you fix your diet, most of this other money you are spending is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I am not minimizing how hard it is, but that is where your first focus should be. I say this not to pile on and beat you up, I say it because maybe it will provide you motivation if more people agree.

I have heart disease and I have given up foods with high sat fat. I’m now vegan and coconut is one of the tastiest ingredients I could use, but unless it’s a special occasion, it’s off the menu. Is it the thing that saves me? No way to know. But the evidence that cutting sat fat lowers LDL is solid. With having heart disease, and with that still being the number one killer, I can’t do all this other stuff while not doing everything in my power to make my foreseeable cause of death less likely.

One thing I’d recommend you check out is https://cronometer.com. Use the free version. For a few days, input what you eat into their daily log and it will tell you a lot about your nutrition. These days, you might be able to do something similar just using AI?

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#77

Diet will be fixed. First Things First.

OK, way to go @Beth you went and got married on me when I wasn’t looking! Hahahaha… :joy: I thought that I had found my IT-AI tech support doppleganger.

Sorry to hear about your health issues. It’s dogging all of us.

I do better to stop bad habits cold turkey too.

I eat pretty well, better than 50/50 over the last decade but am again weaning myself off all the junk that will kill me. I eat dark chocolate too. I get set straight, then slide right back to bad habits in 12 months. Have to stick to a healthy plan. I’ll take a look at the cronometer app!

I am down to drinking less than one can of pop a week. I gave it up for years, then moved and picked it right back up. 3 cans have been sitting in my refrigerator for months.

My cupboard is full of pasta meals, and I have not made anything since at least January. I even have chickpea noodles.

I called to get a physical trainer for exercise today. Haven’t heard back yet. I’d like a trainer for 2+ hours per week to get me exercising properly. I’ll call again on Monday.

#78

*Cracking up!!!

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