After a good effort in 2013 to shape up, I fell off the wagon (work circumstances cut into my time available for this, and it didn't take much to persuade me to stop). In early-mid 2016 those circumstances changed again allowing me to resume a fitness regime.
In May I began lifting. I followed the StrongLifts 5x5 program whose primary goal is "getting stronger."
My goal was to forestall middle-aged-guy back problems, be strong enough to rough-house with my children for a few more years, and burn off some of the fat I'd put on (I'd eclipsed 200 lbs -- a wake-up call).
I lifted 3 times a week for about 13 weeks and made steady improvements -- until the last month where I plateaued. Following that, in the last few weeks, I transitioned to lifting twice a week and go to a spin class and a "boot camp" class.
Concurrent with the lifting, I changed my diet. I've eaten out for lunch less, asked for healthier dinners, and significantly cut back on bread, pasta, and cereal, and looked for ways to up my protein intake (I eat a lot more chicken, eggs, and beans than I did before). I still splurge on weekends and occasional restaurants, but my weekly caloric intake is still well below what it was before.
The upshot is that now, in September, I've lost about 7lbs (down to 195!) despite gaining a lot of muscle, so i assume the fat loss was much more significant.
Finally, at a relative's suggestion, the family is considering a Thanksgiving 5k. I've started working toward that, although jogging is easily my least-favorite exercise. Hopefully these things will work together to make me a paragon of fitness and I can become a first-time ninja warrior competitor at 40.
I have a good way to go -- I've still got a spare tire around my midsection i'd be glad to shed, but I feel like the diet and exercise (while not pleasurable), are pretty sustainable if i had to. Hopefully my schedule continues to permit them.
I may chronicle some things here -- i won't be so granularly detailed, but I'd like a journal of what happened for later reference.
In May I began lifting. I followed the StrongLifts 5x5 program whose primary goal is "getting stronger."
My goal was to forestall middle-aged-guy back problems, be strong enough to rough-house with my children for a few more years, and burn off some of the fat I'd put on (I'd eclipsed 200 lbs -- a wake-up call).
I lifted 3 times a week for about 13 weeks and made steady improvements -- until the last month where I plateaued. Following that, in the last few weeks, I transitioned to lifting twice a week and go to a spin class and a "boot camp" class.
Concurrent with the lifting, I changed my diet. I've eaten out for lunch less, asked for healthier dinners, and significantly cut back on bread, pasta, and cereal, and looked for ways to up my protein intake (I eat a lot more chicken, eggs, and beans than I did before). I still splurge on weekends and occasional restaurants, but my weekly caloric intake is still well below what it was before.
The upshot is that now, in September, I've lost about 7lbs (down to 195!) despite gaining a lot of muscle, so i assume the fat loss was much more significant.
Finally, at a relative's suggestion, the family is considering a Thanksgiving 5k. I've started working toward that, although jogging is easily my least-favorite exercise. Hopefully these things will work together to make me a paragon of fitness and I can become a first-time ninja warrior competitor at 40.
I have a good way to go -- I've still got a spare tire around my midsection i'd be glad to shed, but I feel like the diet and exercise (while not pleasurable), are pretty sustainable if i had to. Hopefully my schedule continues to permit them.
I may chronicle some things here -- i won't be so granularly detailed, but I'd like a journal of what happened for later reference.
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