I have thought several times about posting my story, but as a more “elderly” Reddit lurker who is pretty shy, I have always held back. But reading the story of 35 year old r/2balls1cane today (Congratulations dude on the transformation!), I decided to post, at least so that other folk of my age know that they can change themselves and that it really is not that hard. First of all, the before and after:
BEFORE and AFTER; http://ift.tt/1pw3DP8
My story starts about 2010. Like most guys hitting middle age, I had pretty much woken up overweight wondering what had happened. I have always had the tendency to be a little overweight all my life, maybe an extra 20 lbs, but by time I hit 40 I had hit about 170 lbs and decided that now my BMI was past 25 (I am 5’ 7”) it was time to take some action, not to mention I was pretty much down to the last pair of pants I could button up! With the help of Loseit! and portion control, I got down to 145 lbs. I didn’t put any major exercise into this plan other than a brisk walk every day or two.
But then, disaster! I put it all back on in a year. Why? Cause I made the error of thinking that once you hit a weight, you stay at a weight, while quickly returning to my old eating habits. I remember the moment very well – it was Christmas and someone brought out a box of Seers candies, and I thought what the hell! What this taught me was that dieting works, can even be interesting and challenging, but keeping the weight off is the real challenge, and one that seems less rewarding as you feel that you have already made your goal.
Come 2012, I gave it another shot. I started as I did before, just cutting my calorie intake to a net of about 1500 calories a day. The Loseit! charts for my weight, calorie intake and exercise calories are here:
CALORIE INTAKE, BODY WEIGHT and EXERCISE CALORIES: http://ift.tt/25gLtl3
I think I was pretty lucky that I underwent a smooth weight loss, losing about 1.5 to 2 lbs a week. Once I hit 145lb I started increasing my calorie budget towards about 2100 calories a day, but supplementing in more and more exercise. I’ll be honest, I have never really been into exercise, but I incorporated more and more of it simply so I could eat more. The exercise was always cardio-based – mountain biking and running, normally 5Ks or the occasional 10K about 3 times a week. I can’t say I loved it, especially at first, but I was encouraged by the fact that I could see it having positive effects not just on my weight but also my cardiovascular fitness and my muscle tone. Hell, I was starting to see my abs! After about a year, I started including weights, and when I say weights, I mean pretty light weights, using some cheap ass dumbbells at home. A typical workout would be, two to three times a week:
4 sets of 25 pushups 3 sets of 20 curls, 20lbs or 25 lbs 3 sets of 12 shoulder presses, 15 to 20 lbs 3 sets of 12 overhead extensions, 10 to 20 lbs 3 sets of 12 standing dumbbell flys, 10 to 15 lbs 3 sets of 25 situps 3 sets of 12 squats (no weights) And a bunch of stretching
I would say this pretty much got me close to the shape you see me in in the after picture. What took it the extra step was substituting my home weights workout with the gym. There I would pretty much repeat the same exercises, but add some similar exercises for my chest (flys) and my lats (rowing pulls). My mission was never to get too bulky, as given my age, all I wished was to be toned, and somehow I felt at my age, being too pumped made me conscientious (like I say, I am pretty shy). Besides, I am not particularly strong, and I have never really loved lifting heavy weights.
As for diet, over the last couple of years, I have learned that watching you diet is everything, and as you get older. Those extra pounds are waiting just around the corner for you. So, if you let your guard down, they will be back in no time. All along, I have not had a particularly special diet. For me, just knowing how many calories I am eating is the most important thing. Even now, I get uncomfortable being in a situation where I do not know the exact calorie content of my food, such as a restaurant or a party. The only conscious effort I make towards my diet is trying to eat about 100g of protein each day, and at least 25 g of fiber. I try to pack in vegetables when I can and every so often I will go through phases of eating high protein bars, or protein smoothies, but I am not especially rigorous about this. I don’t really consider any food as bad, though I tend to avoid high fat food simply because it is so calorie dense, and often comes with a lot of cholesterol.
My BMI is currently about 20.5, and my body fat less than 10%. What I find odd/interesting is the response I get from my friends and colleagues, who see someone at my age with such a low (though I would say normal) BMI as an oddity. Often they comment that I must have a “high metabolism”, or that I can eat anything. But, I quickly reassure them, no, I simply watch what I eat and do about 3 to 5 sessions of 30 min cardio each week. I’m not going to say that it doesn’t require effort, but I think it is a small price to pay.
For anyone who is thinking of starting out on such a journey, especially at my age, I just want to say, you really can do it. Just 3 to 6 months from now, you can be a very different person. In fact, it is not as hard as you think and the challenge can be invigorating. It is a state of mind more than anything. And a state of mind that pays off in so many areas. You can see from my before picture, I would shroud myself in baggy clothing and not give a crap how I looked, telling myself that it was not important. But once you slim down, you see that clothes look good on you, and you care about them. Other people start to take notice, and treat you differently (a sad but true fact). The confidence one gains, along with the health benefits are immense. I was lucky that I hadn’t gotten absolutely huge, and certainly, at our age, you may want to speak to your physician to make sure you are good to venture out on such an endeavor, especially if you haven’t exercised for a long time, but again, it is not as hard as you think.
Finally, I know the first few weeks can be tough, but what I want to reassure you is that each week you will see positive changes, and that these will encourage you massively. I read somewhere about a guy that lost an immense amount of weight, and he said the same thing. So, yes, think about the goal and stay focused, but also enjoy the journey.
I am sure there is a load I have missed, so feel free to ask me any questions if I can be of help.
tl dr; middle aged guy starts taking care of his diet and exercising, and positive results follow
