Fitness advice/suggestions

Concrete Helmet

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After too many years of ignoring my body and nutrition I've become interested in trying to make a substantial change. For many years I worked out on a fairly consistent basis with weight training and typical cardio such as stationary biking, treadmill running/walking and even a little bit of jogging and boxing/bag work.

The bad news is that was in my 20's and 30's and a little in my early 40's....Well after about 15 years of slacking I'm almost embarrassed to say I ballooned up to 280#....284# to be exact. Last xmas time I just said no more. I felt like sh!t and my sleeping was spotty at best....diet was terrible plus well you know 4-6 16oz Bud Lights was my feel good about anything at the end of the day.

I started changing my diet slightly and backed off the beer(I still have 2 a day)and I don't really watch my diet strictly but I've added a ton of raw veggies, cut my red meat to almost nil(once a week) and eat a ton of salad with chicken breast, Turkey and Tuna for dinner and have cut out nearly all processed carbs(packaged pasta, rice and the such and replaced them with raw vegetables. I still put croutons on my salads and wil have half a baked potato when we have steak. This isn't a low carb diet or really any diet as I've just eased into eating differently. I still have wings slathered in Franks once a week.

No cravings and no pre dinner pretzels(my weakness)and no snacking after dinner....dinner means the last bite goes in before 7.30pm. I'm shocked because I thought I would struggle with that(snacking before bedtime) would drive me crazy.

On the exercise side I'm doing 25-35 minutes cardio on the Airdyne bike 5 days a week and resistance training 3 times a week with resistance bands and calisthenics (pushups, squats, shoulder presses, curls and some yoga type movements mixed in. I do these in tri sets combining 3 different exercises per tri set with no rest in-between exercises or sets. The whole workout only takes 32-35 minutes and obviously the weight/resistance is on the lighter side.

3 month's in I'm closing in on 250# (my weight fluctuates from 3-5 pounds on any given day) so I'm claiming 30# lost. My knee which was diagnosed as needing a replacement has regained about 85% of it's full range of motion and I'm not limping/dragging my leg around anymore. Overall I'm sleeping much better and am also in a better mood(Ok I still fly off the handle at least once a day but I'm working on that).

I've posted this to hopefully inspire anyone who at the age of 58 or older or maybe even younger but has given up fitness in their lives to reconsider. It's worth the effort and my advice would be to ease into it. It's not that bad after you get going a few weeks.

The other reason is to seek some advice from any fitness minded people or possibly anyone who's under gone a 50 plus pound weight loss and kept it off for a long period of time. I know @Slug is pretty active in fitness and I believe @bradgator2 and maybe @Durty South Swamp have mentioned doing Tri Athlons. My goals aren't that lofty but I have set a goal and believe in my mind that I will be back to 220# and riding my surfboard again after watching it sit in a corner for the last 10 years or so....My timeline for that is my 59th birthday in August. Any tips on exercise or nutrition would be greatly appreciated as well as any tricks that can accelerate the process or keep motivated during the process.

Hopefully some others will share their experiences for others to see in this thread.
 

bradgator2

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One of my fitness icons gave a simple piece of advice: dont drink you calories.

Of course I make an exception for something brewed. Or fermented. Or distilled :lol:

But honestly it’s pretty rare for me to have a drink during the week. Attempt to eat halfway reasonably healthy. Near daily exercise.
 

GatorCatsi

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Thanks for posting. I was doing pretty good until the holidays. Good inspiration for getting back after it!*

*Right after Easter.
And Greek Easter, of course.
But right after that!
 

Concrete Helmet

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A couple of points and observations for anyone who is interested in starting back at an older age.
I thought cutting back on beer alone would be a quick drop of probably 20# or more.....Didn't happen. I actually quit altogether for about 3 weeks thinking this. It took me 6 weeks to lose the first 10-12# which was shocking as I could lose 20# in the matter of a few weeks even until the time I was about 40. That was always one of my justifications for putting off losing the weight. Chances are you won't see the rapid results you may have when you were younger.

Also keep in mind your choice of exercises. Ease into it was my choice because it seemed to take some of the psychological pressure off of "having to do something".... On the same token I started noticing better/faster results by making sure I was increasing the intensity(which is still probably laughable to a truly fit person or what I was capable of until I hit 40). Don't put yourself in a position where you hit a wall too quickly and get discouraged.

Keep in mind your body won't recover as fast as it did at a younger age. Don't buy into longer is always better, just try to increase your intensity a tiny bit as you progress. I have to be somewhat mindul of my prior injuries too, my right knee and I also have arthritis brought on by a back and neck injury in an auto accident 6 years ago. There are some exercises that could aggravate these areas so I'm somewhat mindful when doing exercises for these areas. Go slow during resistance movements and don't go beyond the point of very slight discomfort at first. I experienced this when doing squats even though I was only using bodyweight and resistance from the exercise bands. My range of motion(going lower) has improved significantly despite my knee and I have next to no discomfort when doing this now.
With eating I've made minor but consistent alterations. I'm not withholding during special events, holidays and such but I've found my stomach has decreased in size and I'm full and satisfied before overindulging in fatty or sugary foods and especially pasta and carbs which are my biggest weakness. It's making a difference for sure as I don't feel bloated 24 hours a day.
 

grengadgy

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I have lost inches in my waistline and about 10 lbs in a month by putting about a tablespoon of MCT oil in my morning coffee and doing nothing else. It puts you on a mini-keto diet without the hassle.

'

The takeaway.​

We need healthy fats in order for our bodies to thrive. MCT oils are easily absorbed, providing energy along with a number of studied health benefits like improved cognitive function2 and weight loss. If you’re new to trying MCT oil and are wondering how much to take, start off with one to two teaspoons per day and see how you feel."
 

Concrete Helmet

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I have lost inches in my waistline and about 10 lbs in a month by putting about a tablespoon of MCT oil in my morning coffee and doing nothing else. It puts you on a mini-keto diet without the hassle.

'

The takeaway.​

We need healthy fats in order for our bodies to thrive. MCT oils are easily absorbed, providing energy along with a number of studied health benefits like improved cognitive function2 and weight loss. If you’re new to trying MCT oil and are wondering how much to take, start off with one to two teaspoons per day and see how you feel."
Thanks for posting. Any side effects? Where can someone find it?
 

grengadgy

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Thanks for posting. Any side effects? Where can someone find it?
Got mine from Amazon but you can get it almost anywhere. I like to read the reviews on Amazon. Side effects? Let your body adjust gradually because it's a laxative to some people. Start with a teaspoon and gradually increase it.
 

Concrete Helmet

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I'm more impressed with lost stomach inches in my waistline. Doctor asked me Wednesday if I was on a diet and said that I was looking good.
Good to hear. I guess it's basically coconut oil? Coconut is a laxative for sure so I'll be sure to start off slowly when trying it. Just had my wife order some from Amazon but I got the gel capsules.

Obviously to men losing inches in the belly area is key. I've made some progress there(taken up 3 holes in my belt) but I'm surprised it isn't more given the total loss of around 30#. I'm hoping it's a case of last on and first off so I can get rid of the rest of my belly fat. I'll post some thoughts on the MCT oil after a few weeks of using it.
 

Bushmaster

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I have lost inches in my waistline and about 10 lbs in a month by putting about a tablespoon of MCT oil in my morning coffee and doing nothing else. It puts you on a mini-keto diet without the hassle.

'

The takeaway.​

We need healthy fats in order for our bodies to thrive. MCT oils are easily absorbed, providing energy along with a number of studied health benefits like improved cognitive function2 and weight loss. If you’re new to trying MCT oil and are wondering how much to take, start off with one to two teaspoons per day and see how you feel."

Which MCT oil do you get from Amazon?

I am a little weary of this because this would be the epic practical joke ever played on the board.
 

grengadgy

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I am a little weary of this because this would be the epic practical joke ever played on the board.
Weary or leery? I have warned the board, it can be a laxative for some people but it also has burned some of my stomach fat away in the 1st month.

I get the 30oz bottle, even have it on a 2 month Subscription
 
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stephenPE

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i noticed you left out the ONLY GDMMM Person that taught PE and fitness.......move and keep moving,. But weight loss has to have that reduction in calories.........and I have learned the older you are the harder it is to lose that weight.......I wish you well.


Obviously to men losing inches in the belly area is key. I've made some progress there(taken up 3 holes in my belt) but I'm surprised it isn't more given the total loss of around 30#. I'm hoping it's a case of last on and first off so I can get rid of the rest of my belly fat.
Whatever you are doing keep doing it. Excellent. Weights too, Muscle mass burns calories and is good as you age. Flexibility comes from that also. Those rowing machines are bad ass. Wish I had one. But I read a LOT on my stairbasterd,.............
\
 

Seedy

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Oct 17, 2020
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Highly recommend reviewing this blogpost. This guy was a marine, went into infosec and gained 100's of lbs, had surgeries to shrink the size of his stomach, was scared by weight-related health issues, then went full exercise nut. Heavy focus on weight training after 2020 covid shutdown.

One caveat: He has resources (read: money) to eat right; buy the gadgets; put gyms at work and home.

Link to Blog (remove the [ and ]): https[:]//hackingdave-personal.medium.com/the-journey-for-living-longer-12028ea5744b

Before:
1679860901602.png

Now:
1679861002822.jpeg
 
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