Tired of being Fit-2-Sit?

[floridacyclist]

I entered basic training at 140 pounds and was always being told to eat more in order to put on weight; they all said I was too skinny. I left active-duty at 165, which was probably about right.

For a long time after that, I rode a bicycle everywhere (especially after my ex took off with the car leaving the kids and I with just our bikes) and managed to put on about 40 miles a day, mostly commuting to work as it was about 15 miles one way. Between my youthful metabolism and all the miles, I was able to eat like a horse and get away with it.

Then I moved to a house about 35mi from work and started back to driving.

Then I got re-married and although we moved back into town (we had 5 kids between us and her house was much bigger), I didn't start back to riding as we worked in the same building and often our commute was our only time together without younguns.

Then I was transferred at work to a helpdesk position where I mostly sat in the server room all day long and rarely left my office except to walk 15 yards across the hall.

Then somewhere in the middle of all that, I hit my mid-30s...

and kept eating like a horse.

The results were pretty predictable although I did read some popular literature regarding high-protein diets and did my best to eliminate carbs (which I figured was great for me because I am a carnivore from the word go and this gave me a great excuse to get rid of all the useless bread in sandwiches and go for what I came for...the meat).

Last year, I hit 260 which is about 100 pounds over what the Air Force says I should weigh at 5'6" (they actually measured me at 5'7" recently and I am wondering when that extra inch snuck in there) and realized that whatever I was doing was not working. Being 3 digits overweight made it a little harder to claim "a few pounds" overweight and I figured I had better do something if I wanted to be around for my grandkids or even look decent in a uniform and keep up with the cadets.

My wife and I started free classes through our health-care provider. They pay for all of our health-care costs, so they are really motivated to keep us healthy and save money. We have weekly meetings and weigh-ins with a certified nutritionist who teaches about proper diet and balance and how to decipher food labels. She also goes into detail about what it is that makes humans want to eat more than they should and how marketing forces play on that in order to sell more food. We've talked about a lot of myths (including the ever-popular Atkins) and explored strategies and techniques to curb cravings or cut back on portions. None of it is rocket science as the bottom line is that you simply have to use more calories than you consume in order to lose weight, but giving up overeating is an awful lot like giving up smoking....which I did a few years ago and rewarded myself with a new Trek 520 Touring bike after a year without cigarettes.

My goal is the military ideal weight. I figured that is a good common-sense number for a healthy lifestyle (no, this isn't a diet..a diet is like duct-tape and this is more of a lifestyle change) and that if it's good enough for fighting soldiers, it's good for an active future grandpa plus it will let me back into the military uniform.

My reward (besides the better health and increased enjoyment of my life) will be a new set of blues/BDU USAF-style uniforms, a mess-dress uniform, and a tailored suit, the last two of which I have never had before. So far, I'm over halfway there with 40 lbs to go.

PS I also get rewarded when my wife makes her goal as I'm taking her on a shopping spree to Victoria's Secret 

[DogCollar]

Outstanding!!

I, too, know a little about lifestyle change.  About a year ago, I weighed 220lbs.  I wound up in the hospital with some major gut issues.  To make a long story short, I was diagnosed with crohn's disease.  My body has the near inability to metabolize fatty food.  I will be on medicine for the rest of my life, because there is no cure for this diease.  I also had to go on a very restrictive low-fat diet (simply put, no one food item with more than 6 grams of fat is allowed in my mouth!)  I also began a regular exercise program and I presently weigh 155lbs.  I am a hair over 5'7"

I commend you for looking at your issue as a new lifestyle and not merely a diet.  Wishing you best of health!