Health & Fitness

Health, Fitness….and 20 Pounds

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So many of us complain about needing to lose weight and get fit. “Health” is another matter and although related to fitness and overall body composition it is NOT the same thing. The last several months I’ve been in a fitness rut.  There have been periods of working out and eating right – and then times of being slack. The wife and I have been talking and we need to get back on track…..now.

Years ago I read a book by Sylvester Stallone geared towards those 30 and above. He stated in the book that once someone hits 40 it is decision time. He went on to say that around 40 years old if one does not take their health and fitness serious that things can go downhill fast. Waiting too long to make that decision will result in it taking a lot more work to reach a healthy and fit status.

I’ve been working out for over 30 years. I studied nutrition in college and on my own for quite some time. I have no shortage of knowledge and sometimes I think that’s it a handicap which causes me to overthink what to do rather than just doing it. My goals are fairly straightforward – lose 20 pounds.

I thought about what I would tell someone if they approached me with the same goal(weight loss). I would recommend an exercise program high in cardio activity while eating a very clean diet of fruits, vegetables, and lean meats.  A calorie restricted diet is a must as for weight loss I must be in calorie deficit.

As you read this I have just started.

I am challenging myself to get it done – to be deliberate. I’ve done it before but it has been awhile.

I’ll update everyone on my progress. It’s important. This is related to preparedness as once I accomplish my goal I will be able to take on strenuous work and activities – such as walking home 25 miles – much better.

So – anyone with me? Anyone else willing to stop with the excuses and just get it done?

Rourke

 

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20 Comments

  2. Ernie says:

    I’m with you. I’m 43, and I started getting serious about my health around 40. I was doing great with the cardio, got hit with a bad case of plantars facitis a few years ago, but I’m better and still running just not as hard or far. I just left the gym this morning in fact. I would like to lose 10-15 # myself. I have been eating healthy for the last 3 years. But just can’t seem to lose the belly fat. Currently I’m 208. Want to get to 195. Oh and I’m not plugging or promoting anything but the Rock has an app, just for this and it posts ur results etc with everyone else’s. So let’s do it.

    Reply
  3. steve j says:

    Rourke,
    I purchased a quality rower to use in my basement workout room. Needed to rehab my new hip..no stress on joints..is aerobic and muscle building. I find it pretty stimulating to use. It’s a Concept2 rower: kinda pricy at $945.00 delivered, but like guns and ammo you get what you pay for!
    BTW, isn’t being fit the most important prep?

    Reply
  4. Fred C says:

    JR, this is very timely. Like Ernie, I had Plantar which has led to other foot problems so walking/jogging is out but I can diet. Thanks for the post about this. I am in and I need to lose 30 pounds.

    Reply
  5. goingray58 says:

    I agree with the thought.. I work at a fairly sedentary job.. and working out about 110-150 minutes .. the first 30 being cardio 4 out of 7 days.
    I have a couple of thoughts to add
    as a set up I’m closer to 60 than 50 and doing very well health wise .. Have a history of competitive power-lifting, body-building (long ago). Life got in the way a few years ago and i gained 80 + pounds. I went back to what I knew worked, an d added a few things for the not-as-fast-as-ti-used-to-be Metabolism, as well as accommodating anything that I picked up over the years. Arthritis from the many joint injuries and repairs etc.. Same applies to medical conditions.
    As JR said .. Eating clean is a must.. If you don’t buy the food and make it you don’t know what is in it. Fast food etc is based on taste and taste comes from two sources.. Sugar and fats. Buy and fix fresh meals.. time problem ? ok .. do it once a week for all week and package it in Tupperware etc… and use the fridge. Worst case use canned alternatives low in sodium and packed in juice not sugar/oil etc..
    I will say this as well .. Log what you eat to get a handle.. If it goes in your mouth write it down including water.. (water .oz = body weight x 1.2 to 1.5). If you are like me you will find that the “grazing” done in bits and pieces that you don’t think about is 40% more calories than you think you are eating. Even eating clean if you eat more than you burn you don’t lose weight..

    Be active (whatever that means to you).. I personally think workouts are a must, because it forces and organized time to do productive work. Passive activity helps a lot. Stay outside, or at least busy.. In warm months, cultivate gardening, walking with a pack, not necessarily you BOB, but maybe once in a while. It is WAY to easy to get trapped on FB, or Supernatural, or Walking Dead.. and look up and hours have gone by and taken your motivation with them. (So now everyone hates me).. . Entertainment is fine..

    It’s an enormous topic so I’ll end here..
    Most people go to bed tired because their head is tired.. not their body. They can’t get to sleep or sleep poorly .. Rest is the most underrated aspect of being healthy.. It drags you down and we go to docs and get meds to make us sleep.. but that isn’t rest.. been there done that.. As we age we produce less serotonin.. and that accounts for part of it.. Caffeine, alcohol, low activity .. family stress (teens – ugh!).. account for much of it.
    Don’t try to do it all at once.. just start, don’t quit, and improve every day.. baby steps..
    Like you were injured and have to come back slow and steady..

    Last thought .. Find a buddy that you can be accountable to.. someone you would not want to disappoint and can’t fib to.. then chat about it every week or two.. 30 minutes.. and review your logs and progress.. as well as plane the next week or two..
    again good topic .. and good luck.
    be deliberate

    Reply
  6. CaptTurbo says:

    It’s all about what you eat guys. I’m a carnivore but I’m also a gardener. I eat home grown collards, mustard greens, and Swiss chard every night for my veggie. I grow enough to keep my freezers full for year round nutrition. My latest discovery is the moringa tree as I pointed out in a post elsewhere. They can provide everything the body needs in one plant supplying all the essential amino acids and a whole lot more. Look into it as a survival prep.
    I’m 56 years old and still doing the young man’s work of guided fishing so it must be working for me. We are what we eat.

    Reply
  7. Max says:

    I would love to be with you and lose 20 pounds but maybe I would be good for 5, I’m the leanest I’ve been in a long time.
    Fitness, as a prep, is definitely one of the top 5 for us.

    Reply
  8. jh says:

    I’ll be 47 this fall and March 18th 2016 I weighed in at a all time high of 234lbs and felt/looked horrible. I’m on the lowest setting of BP meds and was in the danger zone of becoming diabetic. Today Aug 1st I’m 208lbs, take BP meds every other day and out of the danger zone. We’ve totally changed our diet, cut down drastically on the carbs, sugars, eat lots of veggies, fruit and lean meats. I hit the gym 2 times a week for a intense hour in a half long workout that includes jogging 10 minutes (something I couldn’t do 5 months ago), walk a mile every night with the dog and when weather is good I bike 6-10 miles a week. How I feel/move has drastically changed, down 2 pants sizes, down a shirt size yet gained some muscle mass and leaned up some. My goal is 195lbs by Dr’s appointment in Oct, but I’ve hit a plateau. Be deliberate!

    Reply
  9. JBernDrApt says:

    I’m in. Have got slack after losing 50 lbs over the last couple of years – back to serious! Basically lost it cutting out carbs, sugar, and most high sugar fruits! – Keep Looking UP

    Reply
  10. Irish-7 says:

    Like you Rourke, I have exercised with consistency for over 30 years. I would credit the military for getting me started and enabling me the opportunities to stay with it. I went in the US Army in July 1980. Of course, in the Airborne Infantry one must stay in peak physical condition, or they’d be unable to perform their job. Now in my 6th year of retirement, I still make an effort to do “PT” (Physical Training) every single day. However, my disabilities restrict movement and limit the type and duration of exercise that I can perform. I am one of those people that have extreme difficulty burning calories. I’ve been this way since the early 1980’s. Low metabolism, I suspect. There were periods of Active Duty where I ran 800+ miles per year. The ONLY significant weight loss that I ever had was accomplished by diet. Eating less because I was SICK! I realize my diet is poor. Too much sugar and carbohydrates (which turn to sugar). However, my overall fat and calorie consumption is considerably low, less than 2000 calories per day. I dropped roughly 40 pounds in 2007. As of today, I have gained half of it back. Most of that within the past year. I had a recent setback with my debilitating spinal conditions. Consequently, I cannot exercise the way I use to. I’ve been slowly healing from an injury on July 16th. My back “went out” while we were in Pittsburgh checking out the university for my son. I was reluctant to allow my disability to adversely affect our trip, so I “limped & gimped” through the zoo and aquarium, then drove all the way home (roughly 6 hours). My doctor put me on a steroid, so my body is holding water. I’ve been avoiding the scale to gage the damages. I can see in the mirror how my face is puffing up, so I know I’ve gained weight. I must make some changes if I am to avoid addition pounds. As a Conservative, I try to look at the glass as though it is half full. I thank God each day for the health that I do have. I keep singing that REO Speedwagon song to myself “Keep Pushing On”. I admit some envy for those folks that eat whatever they want, but never gain any weight.

    Reply
    1. goingray58 says:

      Thank You for your Service Irish-7. They expect and get much, and wears your body down with hard use. Yeah me to on the slow metabolism.
      Activity is a key and that is hard for you.. I’ll say fresh food.. no salt no sugar added helps a lot. I’ll also say that most people don’t drink enough water. Not simply hydration but your body tends to hold on to what it thinks it needs to. Give it a surplus of water and it takes other fluids with it. Yeah initially the old guys thing (speaking for myself) causes you to get up at night but it settles out. I was doing 1700 cals a day and working out and I certainly lost weight.. but plateaued. Starvation processing kicked in. I added 20 cals of high quality long burning carbs (raw oats with 2% milk), and it was like throwing dry wood on sputtering wet wood in a fire.. heat turned up and cooked off some of the wet or green wood too.
      Last thought .. have the doc check your free testosterone .. it makes a big difference in healing and energy levels. Did me. Not to put all my business on the board here.
      Rourke has my personal email if you want it..

      I in no way know your situation medically or physically.. so take it with a grain of salt as a thought to consider. I too look for motivation wherever I can find it..
      Try this one on for size
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw_6eUgpo30
      “Lynyrd Skynyrd – Still Unbroken”

      Hang in there man !
      GG58

      Reply
      1. Irish-7 says:

        Thanks goinggray58! I definitely find motivation in singing to myself. I never thought of the testosterone influence. I’ve been this way for decades, so the “NO BURN” of calories actually started when I was young. I know where my problems are, sugar and carbs. I’ve just been reluctant to change my diet. I have multiple (7) degenerative, bulging and herniated disks in my back, from the base of my neck to the top of my hips. I am considered a “chronic pain case” by the medical community. I am on an active treatment program that includes chiropractic, traction (inversion), PT (stretching), massage therapy and several medications. I base my decision for surgeries on numbness, not pain. When I can no longer feel the gas pedal or the brake, I’ll submit. I won’t be a danger to those around me. Anyway, I do need to keep active to burn the few calories that I do get away with. I lost ground the past 3 weeks. I am going out for a walk now. I must remind myself to keep my steps short. As a former Airborne Infantryman, I am accustomed to the “Road March” step and pace.

        Reply

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