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looking to get healthier and more fit?
- Thread starter SoundSoSavage
- Start date
Less than 1000 calories of food today. So I can drink 2 cocktails tonight 
Boulevardier cocktail: 220 calories. Each. 2x.
Bourbon 1oz
Sweet Vermouth 3/4 oz
Campari. 3/4oz
Orange Bitters 3 dashes
And even with 2, I’m still under my maximum calorie allowance.
Boulevardier cocktail: 220 calories. Each. 2x.
Bourbon 1oz
Sweet Vermouth 3/4 oz
Campari. 3/4oz
Orange Bitters 3 dashes
And even with 2, I’m still under my maximum calorie allowance.
Seriously enjoying my fitness band workouts but don't really understand what is happening to my body, how much of a workout I'm actually getting and so I am looking hard at the connected/smart resistance bands.
These 2 below are the type I am using. There is a 3rd band, which is a loop style. It actually seems good but I've never used that type. Staffr is the brand. From Germany. Also looks good.
Hygear:
hygearfit.com
LIT AXIS:
Pretty much ruled out the Hygear. In reality you are paying for the functionality of the app with these things, not the actual latex band. The fact that people who reviewed Hygear complain about the lack of interconnectivity between other popular apps is actually a big deal for me. In fact it is a deal breaker. I'm all about the tech. The metrics and the reporting are what motivates me. YMMV. But for me that alone is the deal breaker. The big advantage of the Hygear is the adjustable tension design, I think that is great.
STAFFR, looks good, but I've never used that type of band. So I'm passing on it for now.
LIT AXIS, looks like it wins by default? I'm not 100% sold on it. I wish it was more like the design of the Hygear, with the adjustable tension. Or perhaps had more than 2 bands. $79 per year seems expensive but honestly after year 1 it might not be needed at all. I look at the subscription as a teaching system. If the subscription teaches me how to use the bands and I actually learn it, it will be worth the 1 year cost. After that I can decide. But I love the tech of it, and the fact that it works with the other health apps. About 90% sure I will ask for this as a Christmas gift from my family.
These 2 below are the type I am using. There is a 3rd band, which is a loop style. It actually seems good but I've never used that type. Staffr is the brand. From Germany. Also looks good.
Hygear:
- Does NOT communicate to Apple Health app, or any other app that I can find.
- Costs $249, which includes 1 year subscription to their app.
- $199 per year subscription after 1st year!!!
- Adjustable tension is very nice feature.
HYGEAR - The future of smart fitness is here
GEAR 1 uses smart sensors to detect biometrics like resistance, reps, calories burned and more to give you real-time feedback and customized workout routines.
hygearfit.com
LIT AXIS:
- DOES communicate with Apple Health app
- Costs $199 and includes 90 days subscription to their app.
- $79 per year subscription after 90 day period.
- Includes only 2 band weights.
Pretty much ruled out the Hygear. In reality you are paying for the functionality of the app with these things, not the actual latex band. The fact that people who reviewed Hygear complain about the lack of interconnectivity between other popular apps is actually a big deal for me. In fact it is a deal breaker. I'm all about the tech. The metrics and the reporting are what motivates me. YMMV. But for me that alone is the deal breaker. The big advantage of the Hygear is the adjustable tension design, I think that is great.
STAFFR, looks good, but I've never used that type of band. So I'm passing on it for now.
LIT AXIS, looks like it wins by default? I'm not 100% sold on it. I wish it was more like the design of the Hygear, with the adjustable tension. Or perhaps had more than 2 bands. $79 per year seems expensive but honestly after year 1 it might not be needed at all. I look at the subscription as a teaching system. If the subscription teaches me how to use the bands and I actually learn it, it will be worth the 1 year cost. After that I can decide. But I love the tech of it, and the fact that it works with the other health apps. About 90% sure I will ask for this as a Christmas gift from my family.
Switching gears on my weight loss.
I'm hovering about 177# right now. Ideal Weight Calculator puts me in, or near a healthy weight. Inside the upper range for the BMI index. Puts me on the edge of the of the Hamwi weight scale. But still higher than Robinson, Miller and Devine scales.
My shoulders and my chest are skinny.
Resetting my bottom end target weight to 170, up 10# from my prior goal of 160. Resetting my calorie intake to 1850 calories per day. The Bello2 App is saying I will gain weight at 1850 calories per day. I need to gain some muscle. Still need to lose visceral fat around my organs. Carb intake goal 45%, Protein intake goal 30% and Fat intake goal 25%.
Refocusing my exercises on building chest and upper arms. More upper body resistance bands workouts, more rowing machine workouts. Less time on the exercise bike since it primarily works legs. Probably going to stick with the treadmill because I enjoy it and am training for a 5K run.
I'm hovering about 177# right now. Ideal Weight Calculator puts me in, or near a healthy weight. Inside the upper range for the BMI index. Puts me on the edge of the of the Hamwi weight scale. But still higher than Robinson, Miller and Devine scales.
My shoulders and my chest are skinny.
Resetting my bottom end target weight to 170, up 10# from my prior goal of 160. Resetting my calorie intake to 1850 calories per day. The Bello2 App is saying I will gain weight at 1850 calories per day. I need to gain some muscle. Still need to lose visceral fat around my organs. Carb intake goal 45%, Protein intake goal 30% and Fat intake goal 25%.
Refocusing my exercises on building chest and upper arms. More upper body resistance bands workouts, more rowing machine workouts. Less time on the exercise bike since it primarily works legs. Probably going to stick with the treadmill because I enjoy it and am training for a 5K run.
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Finally broke through my 177-178 plateau. Been stuck in the 177 range since the end of October.
175.7# this morning. My new record low.
Muscle mass seems to be stabilizing and trending FLAT for the past 7-10 days. I don't really want to lose any more muscle.
Fat mass seems to still be dropping on the trend line. There is still more fat to go.
So maybe my new, slightly higher calorie, slightly higher protein diet is, combined with more weight training (resistance bands) is actually starting to take effect? Converting fat weight to muscle weight and staying at this weight would be fine with me. But I really still need to get rid of some of the belly fat, and, I now need to build more muscle in the shoulders, upper body, upper arms.
In an effort to build muscle I picked up a "Total Flex L" resistance band workout bench. It has 9 integrated resistance bands built into the bench.
PROS:
Not worth the $579, but easily worth the $225 I paid, clearly designed for people who like resistance band workouts. Do I like it? YES. I am getting a good workout and like most things about it.
Is it for serious weight lifters? Oh hell no! This is one of those "As Seen On TV" type things. But the bench is solid. And it adjusts from flat to incline to seat and can have the resistance bands behind your shoulders, under your knees, near the floor, etc etc etc to work various muscle groups.
It gives me a bench, which I have been lacking, for dumb bell work outs. I love that it tucks away into a small space. Fully folded it is about 9" thick but about 28" by 28" and has a carry handle. And it folds fast and easy.
I will be adding new hand grips and new ankle straps. Larger handgrips for comfort. Larger ankle straps so I can actually use the leg resistance. Spamazon has hundreds of choices of hand grips and ankle straps.
175.7# this morning. My new record low.
Muscle mass seems to be stabilizing and trending FLAT for the past 7-10 days. I don't really want to lose any more muscle.
Fat mass seems to still be dropping on the trend line. There is still more fat to go.
So maybe my new, slightly higher calorie, slightly higher protein diet is, combined with more weight training (resistance bands) is actually starting to take effect? Converting fat weight to muscle weight and staying at this weight would be fine with me. But I really still need to get rid of some of the belly fat, and, I now need to build more muscle in the shoulders, upper body, upper arms.
In an effort to build muscle I picked up a "Total Flex L" resistance band workout bench. It has 9 integrated resistance bands built into the bench.
PROS:
- small, easily foldable, fits under a desk or other out of the way space, great for apartments, small homes
- supposedly 50 different workouts, I've not found all of those yet
- 3 bands for each arm, which can be combined for greater resistance
- 3 combinable bands for leg workouts
- very easy to adjust from position to position
can be used as a dumb bell and exercise bench - resistance bands are replaceable, heavier bands are available
- cheap feel to components
- hand grips are small and cheap
- ankle straps barely fit around my skinny ankles (maybe designed for women's ankles?)
Not worth the $579, but easily worth the $225 I paid, clearly designed for people who like resistance band workouts. Do I like it? YES. I am getting a good workout and like most things about it.
Is it for serious weight lifters? Oh hell no! This is one of those "As Seen On TV" type things. But the bench is solid. And it adjusts from flat to incline to seat and can have the resistance bands behind your shoulders, under your knees, near the floor, etc etc etc to work various muscle groups.
It gives me a bench, which I have been lacking, for dumb bell work outs. I love that it tucks away into a small space. Fully folded it is about 9" thick but about 28" by 28" and has a carry handle. And it folds fast and easy.
I will be adding new hand grips and new ankle straps. Larger handgrips for comfort. Larger ankle straps so I can actually use the leg resistance. Spamazon has hundreds of choices of hand grips and ankle straps.
I’m in PAIN
SO MUCH PAIN
Pretty sure I overdid the workouts yesterday. My downfall was the 9pm band machine followed by wall anchor bands. Both of those followed treadmill and dumb bell workouts. So for some reason I decided to, not only have a late session, but a long session. Felt good. Well it felt good right up to the time I woke up and tried to move.
SO MUCH PAIN
Pretty sure I overdid the workouts yesterday. My downfall was the 9pm band machine followed by wall anchor bands. Both of those followed treadmill and dumb bell workouts. So for some reason I decided to, not only have a late session, but a long session. Felt good. Well it felt good right up to the time I woke up and tried to move.
Weighted in at 180.0# today.
Down from the past few days but more than I weighed a week ago.
The days leading up to the holiday, and the days following it, all had interrupted time, making my workouts harder to fit in, they also included a lot more food. We still have 2 extra people in the house and the refrigerator still has pies, ham, turkey and side dishes leftover. But it is all dwindling down a bit each day.
Seems like I've lost some of my motivation.
Outwardly I do look better, clearly trim and slim. But my visceral fat is still naggingly high despite some progress and my blood pressure has not sustained a downward trend, if anything it is flat and still requires meds. That is what started the journey to better health so while I've lost roughly 30# and fit comfortably into Wrangler 34" waist "slim cut" blue jeans, I still have more work to do.
Down from the past few days but more than I weighed a week ago.
The days leading up to the holiday, and the days following it, all had interrupted time, making my workouts harder to fit in, they also included a lot more food. We still have 2 extra people in the house and the refrigerator still has pies, ham, turkey and side dishes leftover. But it is all dwindling down a bit each day.
Seems like I've lost some of my motivation.
Outwardly I do look better, clearly trim and slim. But my visceral fat is still naggingly high despite some progress and my blood pressure has not sustained a downward trend, if anything it is flat and still requires meds. That is what started the journey to better health so while I've lost roughly 30# and fit comfortably into Wrangler 34" waist "slim cut" blue jeans, I still have more work to do.
I'm sore. Rheumatoid Arthritis and probably some exercise pain too.
But today is day 3 of me NOT working out. Sticking with the dieting. But not hitting my Exercise or Movement goals.
I'm 62 and was diagnosed with RA at age 24. So been living with this for almost 40 years. My meds are no longer working well enough, doctors are making some changes. But living on Tramadol daily and occasionally some Hydrocodone until the new meds are approved by the insurance company.
I've lost my Thanksgiving tonnage and back to hovering in the 176-177# weight range so I'm happy with that. I'd just like to work on building up muscle now but too sore to try.
But today is day 3 of me NOT working out. Sticking with the dieting. But not hitting my Exercise or Movement goals.
I'm 62 and was diagnosed with RA at age 24. So been living with this for almost 40 years. My meds are no longer working well enough, doctors are making some changes. But living on Tramadol daily and occasionally some Hydrocodone until the new meds are approved by the insurance company.
I've lost my Thanksgiving tonnage and back to hovering in the 176-177# weight range so I'm happy with that. I'd just like to work on building up muscle now but too sore to try.
A few days or a couple weeks on layoff won't hurt you, just don't go are than a month or so or you will start all over with the pain.
I'm in a bit better shape today. Did a half hour on the treadmill. No weights or resistance bands today, at least not yet.
I'm supposed to coach at Purdue University tonight. Their practice is 9pm to Midnight. I was looking for excuses to not go because attendance before finals week is usually pretty sparse. The club has 3 practices a week, I usually make it there about every other week. They announced that this was a practice I would be attending and over a dozen kids signed up asking to get some lesson time.
Looks like, sore or not, I'll be traveling to Purdue, their 3 hour practice is usually a pretty good workout for me.
A light workout might make you less sore for tonight.
I've been active most of the day, but the commute is nearly an hour and a half to get to campus so I'll probably stiffen up in the car!
I have been totally off my game for almost 2 weeks. Minimal exercise. Some days zero. Some days I get in 30 minutes. Only a few days have gotten a serious workout.
Most days I've been watching my food intake pretty closely but a few days not so much.
Saturdays are hard, I'm typically coaching fencing tournaments, as happened yesterday. The coach's room is never stocked with diet food. Then there are drive thru windows because these are typically 12 to 15 hour long days with travel.
I'm still in the 177# range, give or take 1#, on my daily weigh ins.
Much of my problem has been arthritis pain. It saps me of energy and motivation, the pain killers probably amplify my desire to NOT move. Hoping to get back to it tomorrow.
Getting ready to do a short resistance band workout tonight.
Most days I've been watching my food intake pretty closely but a few days not so much.
Saturdays are hard, I'm typically coaching fencing tournaments, as happened yesterday. The coach's room is never stocked with diet food. Then there are drive thru windows because these are typically 12 to 15 hour long days with travel.
I'm still in the 177# range, give or take 1#, on my daily weigh ins.
Much of my problem has been arthritis pain. It saps me of energy and motivation, the pain killers probably amplify my desire to NOT move. Hoping to get back to it tomorrow.
Getting ready to do a short resistance band workout tonight.
174.6# on the scale this morning
BP 128/80
19.43% body fat
BMI 23.7
Resting heart rate 65bpm
Not sure about the rest of you guys but 20 minutes of weight (resistance bands) workout has me feeling like jello
I've been stuck at 177# +/- 1 pound for several weeks so the overnight drop in weight down below 175# was a big shock.
Not really looking to continue to lose weight as I have adjusted to trying to build muscle mass across my upper body, shoulders, arms. Originally my goal was to continue to drop down in weight. I feel it is reasonable to monitor and change goals based on health changes, body feeling, body changes, etc because that is what actually started me on the path to weight loss and better cardio health.
Sticking in the 1850 calorie per day routine. Trying to eat clean proteins and reduce carbs. Staying away from most beef. Lean pork, chicken, fish are my main proteins. Doing a lot of menu subsititutions to eliminate pasta and rice with vegetable based products like cauliflower.
Using the AppleWatch to track my exercise (50 minutes per day), stand (15 hours per day) and move (700 calories per day).
BP 128/80
19.43% body fat
BMI 23.7
Resting heart rate 65bpm
Not sure about the rest of you guys but 20 minutes of weight (resistance bands) workout has me feeling like jello
I've been stuck at 177# +/- 1 pound for several weeks so the overnight drop in weight down below 175# was a big shock.
Not really looking to continue to lose weight as I have adjusted to trying to build muscle mass across my upper body, shoulders, arms. Originally my goal was to continue to drop down in weight. I feel it is reasonable to monitor and change goals based on health changes, body feeling, body changes, etc because that is what actually started me on the path to weight loss and better cardio health.
Sticking in the 1850 calorie per day routine. Trying to eat clean proteins and reduce carbs. Staying away from most beef. Lean pork, chicken, fish are my main proteins. Doing a lot of menu subsititutions to eliminate pasta and rice with vegetable based products like cauliflower.
Using the AppleWatch to track my exercise (50 minutes per day), stand (15 hours per day) and move (700 calories per day).
If you want to bulk up, eat plenty of protein and use heavy resistance that you can get no more than 10 reps on the first set. Go to failure and do 3 sets every other day. as soon as you can do more than 12 reps on the first set, up the resistance to get back to 10 reps or less. Repeat the process for 6 months and you will be a new man much stronger.
This is pretty much my current course. I do weigh myself daily, largely because my scale also does body fat, muscle mass, bone mass, heart rate, etc measurements. But I am not worried about the weight. I'm comfortable at this level.
Bulking up my upper body and doing good cardio is my goal at this point. Got to keep the heart health up. Protein heavy is where I am with calories now, but I do watch the total calories. So while I am not 'keto' in fact, my diet does lean toward healthy proteins.
I actually tore one of my heavy resistance bands and tossed it into the trash! Maybe I need better quality bands? I pretty much fail at 15 reps. So maybe I need to up the resistance. The bands are 'stackable' so adding resistance is easy. But I've being doing 15, not 10. If I need to fail at 10, then I need to stack on another band.
FWIW the cardiologist is happy with me. Had a follow up this morning. Don't need to go back for 6 months. He said he may cut me back to 1 visit a year. My morning weight was 173.8#, my office visit weigh-in was 178.0# (shoes, jeans, shirt). He was happy with that. Said to stay under a BMI of 25.
Said that cardio (walking, bike, rowing) is better for me than resistance bands but understood why I wanted to use the bands to bulk my arms/chest/shoulders.
Said to continue low fat, low carb. Continue to stay away from most red meat, stick with fish & fowl for most of my protein. Olive and avocado oils for healthy fat. Avoid fructose carbs as much as possible.
I can probably INCREASE my food intake to reduce/eliminate weight loss and work to maintain my weight.
My daily 1 hour of workout is more than enough and my heart is actually stronger than it was when the blockage was discovered
Said that cardio (walking, bike, rowing) is better for me than resistance bands but understood why I wanted to use the bands to bulk my arms/chest/shoulders.
Said to continue low fat, low carb. Continue to stay away from most red meat, stick with fish & fowl for most of my protein. Olive and avocado oils for healthy fat. Avoid fructose carbs as much as possible.
I can probably INCREASE my food intake to reduce/eliminate weight loss and work to maintain my weight.
My daily 1 hour of workout is more than enough and my heart is actually stronger than it was when the blockage was discovered
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173.2# on the scale this morning. BP 112/78. Blood 02 level 99%. Feeling pretty good this morning. No noticeable arthritis aches and pains. Going to get on the treadmill in a few minutes.
Going to meet up with Doc and his wife at lunchtime today. I probably will ignore my diet at lunch. Not that there is a celebration but Doc and I have 'known' each other from days before the founding of the ForumsForums but today is the first day we will actually get together. He and a couple others recruited me here and let me start the Snowcat Forums area here. I'm looking forward to enjoying getting together and not going to be worried about the calorie count of any meal that is on the table between us.
Going to meet up with Doc and his wife at lunchtime today. I probably will ignore my diet at lunch. Not that there is a celebration but Doc and I have 'known' each other from days before the founding of the ForumsForums but today is the first day we will actually get together. He and a couple others recruited me here and let me start the Snowcat Forums area here. I'm looking forward to enjoying getting together and not going to be worried about the calorie count of any meal that is on the table between us.
I think I’ve found my balance point. For several weeks my weight has been hovering in a 5# weight range between 173-178. I’ve been eating mostly healthy but I’ve indulged in the occasional donut, prime rib, and pizza. I’m working out, but not as much. And my weight is holding. My upper arms, chest are looking less skinny but not yet bulky. Overall I’m pretty darn happy.
I think I may push to lose a few more pounds, maybe to stay below 175? But I’m feeling pretty good in this range.
I think I may push to lose a few more pounds, maybe to stay below 175? But I’m feeling pretty good in this range.
Using the resistance bands for 'weightlifting' workout today and broke one. I had previously seen one of my 40# bands tear part way through so I stopped using that one. Today the other 40# band simply snapped off under tension. No injury, no pain, no nothing, just snapped off into the air.
Going to have to inspect them all. Maybe the cheap discount set from Amazon is not quite worth the price. They have sets that offer warranties at high prices. Very possible there is some difference in quality.
Going to have to inspect them all. Maybe the cheap discount set from Amazon is not quite worth the price. They have sets that offer warranties at high prices. Very possible there is some difference in quality.
Past due for an update.
Weight is holding in the 174-175# range.
I've been totally slacking on the exercise and have only "closed my rings" about 33% of the time over the past couple of weeks. Some of that is due to the holidays, hectic schedule, etc. House guests visiting for holidays too. Some of that is due to the fact that I lost power in my exercise room!!! (yes, I inspected everything, even changed the breaker in the main box, finally broke down and called in an electrician to come fix whatever is wrong that I can't trace down, he arrives on Friday)
There have been a couple days where I simply IGNORED any concept of healthy eating and just ate what I wanted. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas day all come to mind as "ignore the diet" days. Most dies I have tried to have a decent balance between eating healthy and also consuming the left-overs. Trying to combine some left-overs with lower calorie foods/sides to make reasonably healthy/balanced/lower calorie meals.
My Christmas gifts included new pants. Waist size 34. Wrangler brand. If I am not wearing a belt I can literally pull them straight down off my body. So it looks like I am working my way down to a size 32 waist in pants. My waist size 36 pants look like clown pants on me, hanging off my body and cinched tight at my waist.
Definitely notice more stamina, much easier to do my 5k training, at higher speeds, with less fatigue.
Weight is holding in the 174-175# range.
I've been totally slacking on the exercise and have only "closed my rings" about 33% of the time over the past couple of weeks. Some of that is due to the holidays, hectic schedule, etc. House guests visiting for holidays too. Some of that is due to the fact that I lost power in my exercise room!!! (yes, I inspected everything, even changed the breaker in the main box, finally broke down and called in an electrician to come fix whatever is wrong that I can't trace down, he arrives on Friday)
There have been a couple days where I simply IGNORED any concept of healthy eating and just ate what I wanted. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas day all come to mind as "ignore the diet" days. Most dies I have tried to have a decent balance between eating healthy and also consuming the left-overs. Trying to combine some left-overs with lower calorie foods/sides to make reasonably healthy/balanced/lower calorie meals.
My Christmas gifts included new pants. Waist size 34. Wrangler brand. If I am not wearing a belt I can literally pull them straight down off my body. So it looks like I am working my way down to a size 32 waist in pants. My waist size 36 pants look like clown pants on me, hanging off my body and cinched tight at my waist.
Definitely notice more stamina, much easier to do my 5k training, at higher speeds, with less fatigue.
173.6# on the scale
116/80 blood pressure
72bpm average heart rate
17.8% fat
99% oxygen saturation
A good way to start a new year, especially since I was a classic model for the "Dad Bod" in July of last year. 30+ pounds overweight. High blood pressure. Out of shape.
I set a goal of 177# by Christmas and met that goal by Thanksgiving. That worked out well for me because my rheumatoid arthritis meds began to fail me in early November and workouts seriously trailed off by mid-November. I maintained my diet. But instead of "closing all my rings" every single day, I got to the point where I was only closing the AppleWatch rings about 1 or 2 times a week. So pretty dramatic difference in workouts.
And I went from 2 or 3 opioid pain pills per MONTH up to 2 per DAY. Also increased my bourbon intake, the alcohol seems to be a good pain killer. A blood test before Christmas sent an alert to my doctor about alcohol related enzymes increasing so I stopped the alcohol and now I'm taking closer to 3 pain pills a day as an average, and the alcohol is only recreational.
Closed my rings yesterday. Getting on the treadmill now, got to work out the morning arthritis stiffness. If I don't the "dad bod" will return. Got to push through this. I feel best in the mornings so now is the time.
2022 I got much healthier in many ways, lost a lot of weight. I look and feel much better too. Wrangler size 36 pants were tight at the waist. Today I can pull size 34 Wranglers straight down off my waist without un-buttoning the waist and need a belt to hold them up. So probably should be wearing a size 32.
2023 and I'm going for a lean trim and semi-muscled look with some strength training. But mostly sticking with cardio for my heart, that is the more important muscle. The semi-muscled look is for vanity.
No 'dad bod' but aiming for 'DILF bod'
116/80 blood pressure
72bpm average heart rate
17.8% fat
99% oxygen saturation
A good way to start a new year, especially since I was a classic model for the "Dad Bod" in July of last year. 30+ pounds overweight. High blood pressure. Out of shape.
I set a goal of 177# by Christmas and met that goal by Thanksgiving. That worked out well for me because my rheumatoid arthritis meds began to fail me in early November and workouts seriously trailed off by mid-November. I maintained my diet. But instead of "closing all my rings" every single day, I got to the point where I was only closing the AppleWatch rings about 1 or 2 times a week. So pretty dramatic difference in workouts.
And I went from 2 or 3 opioid pain pills per MONTH up to 2 per DAY. Also increased my bourbon intake, the alcohol seems to be a good pain killer. A blood test before Christmas sent an alert to my doctor about alcohol related enzymes increasing so I stopped the alcohol and now I'm taking closer to 3 pain pills a day as an average, and the alcohol is only recreational.
Closed my rings yesterday. Getting on the treadmill now, got to work out the morning arthritis stiffness. If I don't the "dad bod" will return. Got to push through this. I feel best in the mornings so now is the time.
2022 I got much healthier in many ways, lost a lot of weight. I look and feel much better too. Wrangler size 36 pants were tight at the waist. Today I can pull size 34 Wranglers straight down off my waist without un-buttoning the waist and need a belt to hold them up. So probably should be wearing a size 32.
2023 and I'm going for a lean trim and semi-muscled look with some strength training. But mostly sticking with cardio for my heart, that is the more important muscle. The semi-muscled look is for vanity.
No 'dad bod' but aiming for 'DILF bod'
Congratulations for sticking wit it.173.6# on the scale
116/80 blood pressure
72bpm average heart rate
17.8% fat
99% oxygen saturation
A good way to start a new year, especially since I was a classic model for the "Dad Bod" in July of last year. 30+ pounds overweight. High blood pressure. Out of shape.
I set a goal of 177# by Christmas and met that goal by Thanksgiving. That worked out well for me because my rheumatoid arthritis meds began to fail me in early November and workouts seriously trailed off by mid-November. I maintained my diet. But instead of "closing all my rings" every single day, I got to the point where I was only closing the AppleWatch rings about 1 or 2 times a week. So pretty dramatic difference in workouts.
And I went from 2 or 3 opioid pain pills per MONTH up to 2 per DAY. Also increased my bourbon intake, the alcohol seems to be a good pain killer. A blood test before Christmas sent an alert to my doctor about alcohol related enzymes increasing so I stopped the alcohol and now I'm taking closer to 3 pain pills a day as an average, and the alcohol is only recreational.
Closed my rings yesterday. Getting on the treadmill now, got to work out the morning arthritis stiffness. If I don't the "dad bod" will return. Got to push through this. I feel best in the mornings so now is the time.
2022 I got much healthier in many ways, lost a lot of weight. I look and feel much better too. Wrangler size 36 pants were tight at the waist. Today I can pull size 34 Wranglers straight down off my waist without un-buttoning the waist and need a belt to hold them up. So probably should be wearing a size 32.
2023 and I'm going for a lean trim and semi-muscled look with some strength training. But mostly sticking with cardio for my heart, that is the more important muscle. The semi-muscled look is for vanity.
No 'dad bod' but aiming for 'DILF bod'
Staying in the 173-175 pound range. My blood pressure seems to have trended downward.
Just a lot of arthritis pain today so no workout. Closed all my rings yesterday. Not going to happen today. I hate this. Insurance denied my medicine change yesterday. Doctor submitted a request for a different brand today. Hopefully something gets done. I'm popping opioids and ibuprofen like a school kid eats M&Ms.
Sticking with the diet. That doesn't really help much with fitness but at least I'm maintaining my weight even if my arthritis is reducing my activity.
Before Christmas I got a few pairs of Size 34 pants and by New Years I could literally slide them down if I was not wearing a belt. I ordered a pair of Size 32/straight cut pants, they arrived several days ago, fit perfectly. Last time I wore size 32 waist pants I was a freshman in high school. That was literally 50 years ago. I just ordered 2 more pairs of size 32 pants.
Just a lot of arthritis pain today so no workout. Closed all my rings yesterday. Not going to happen today. I hate this. Insurance denied my medicine change yesterday. Doctor submitted a request for a different brand today. Hopefully something gets done. I'm popping opioids and ibuprofen like a school kid eats M&Ms.
Sticking with the diet. That doesn't really help much with fitness but at least I'm maintaining my weight even if my arthritis is reducing my activity.
Before Christmas I got a few pairs of Size 34 pants and by New Years I could literally slide them down if I was not wearing a belt. I ordered a pair of Size 32/straight cut pants, they arrived several days ago, fit perfectly. Last time I wore size 32 waist pants I was a freshman in high school. That was literally 50 years ago. I just ordered 2 more pairs of size 32 pants.
FrancSevin
Proudly Deplorable
197 posts and not one recommendation for "Frosted Mini Wheats." 
Cyber Geek
Member
I disagree on high-carb. I switched to a low-carb diet and have sustained weight loss. However, carbs fuel weight training so it can be harder to gain muscle.Glycogen is almost as important as protein during strength training.
Another thing that matters is having complex carbs rather than refined carbs. Simply switching from white rice to brown rice made a big difference to me. It keeps you fuller for longer, and the increased fibre intake helps boost metabolism. I also find drinking more water helps eat less