Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward64
I got to a high of near 200 lb. Made a decision to lose weight & get fit, so started strength training.
I found out that I really wasn't losing any weight. I know many say you can do strength & lose weight at the same time but I just didn't have the discipline to do both. So, I stopped strength and started seriously dieting & counting calories.
Got to my goal weight of 180 lb and said sure why not more. I now fluctuate between 174-176 lbs. I've not picked strength back up but will do so later this year.
Personally, carbs & snacks messes me up. Keeping my carbs to a minimum and upped my protein & greens/salad. Also, I don't eat as many snacks anymore, its been ages since I've had Lays, Snickers, french fries etc. My go to snack is nuts and figure its got decent protein in it. Also, like the 100 calorie popcorn bags for a late night snack.
I've lost about 3+ inches. Tossed my old stuff, bought some new stuff. I'm happy at current weight and now need to build more muscle and do a little more cardio.
FWIW, my word of advice to you youngsters ... I think what will keep me honest nowadays is reading how retirees worry about money (a given) and also health. And at a certain age, health supersedes money. That got me thinking.
(But man, I miss eating the whole bag of BBQ or French Onion chips when playing computer games or watching football)
|
Very similar to me in terms of numbers.
I'm 47, and 5'8", and I had gotten up to 205, and my clothes really stopped fitting well, and it was just really obvious that I had to make some changes. But I didn't want to classify it as a "diet" but instead as an overdue "lifestyle change."
The big thing for me was time. I was constantly running late in the mornings and convincing myself that I really had no choice but to run by the biscuit place by work for breakfast. But that was happening more and more. Lots of little things like that.
I knew if I made things too difficult I'd fall off the wagon, so I focused on high leverage simple changes. Most of which involve planning ahead.
I keep carrot sticks at work for snacks so I am not tempted by cookies.
I keep fairlife protein shakes and apples around, so if I run out of time for breakfast, I can have a protein shakes and apple for breakfast instead of a biscuit.
On Sunday night, I cut up chicken thighs and spice them up and bring that to work with a bag of spinach from the grocery store--so that's lunch instead of the pizza place across the street.
This year, for the NFL draft, I just had normal dinner with the family and then watched it. Years past, I'd have ordered a pizza and/or wings because "it's the draft."
I keep KimChi in the fridge so when I come home from work, I can grab a bit of that instead of chips.
I'm going on a short road trip later this week, and I'm gonna bring nuts and carrots to munch on instead of grabbing gas station snacks (though I will miss those weird pink snoball things).
Everyone's milage varies, but these have worked for me. If I can make sure that the healthier food is in front of me, I can avoid the low nutrition high calorie stuff. Down to 190 and going to get to 180 before I think about maintenance.
The other huge motivating factor is my wife and son. Mrs. A has always been overweight--and if you look at her side of the family, it is very strong genetics leading to that. She was starting to have a lot of health factors turn negative (blood sugar, etc.), so about a year ago, she got bariatric surgery. It has been great for her health, but man it was a very major procedure. And it is hard to watch someone go through all that so she can grow old in better health with you and then to not even be willing to cut back on the chicken biscuits, you know?
Also, our younger son has inherited those genetics, and we have not wanted to give him a complex about food. So we've always focused on the positive (i.e. what food he should eat instead of making everything no no no). And as part of that, he and I have turned to weight training together. If he's going to be big, try and make it muscle, you know? And we've both really enjoyed it. When it becomes a thing to do with your kid instead of just a grind, it becomes a lot easier to do (and even something to look forward to).
We've got this, brothers.