Hi all - 43 y.o. looking to fine tune and improve my current lifestyle

Cthulhu_Cult

Hi all,

My name is Mike - just wanted to give you an intro with background as to how I ended up here at MFP.


I'm 43 y.o. and looking to make some improvements to my current lifestyle. I am a software dev/business analyst so my work day is fairly sedentary. I've done my best to be proactive for many years by offsetting my job and ageing with workouts at the gym and martial arts - most recently Judo, then Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, plus a bit of MMA just to round out my grappling skills.

Despite being proactive, life has gotten in the way several times and re-introduced bad habits here and there which of course accumulate to create larger problems.

I went back to school for another degree which took me out of BJJ intermittently (corporate finance was more brutal than a guillotine choke). A torn meniscus also sidelined me for a short period of time. Flare ups of asthma also gave me an excuse to miss bjj classes and not get any cardio. I convinced myself that 6 months of doing MMA proved that I could take a punch and that was enough for me- turns out it wasn't the punches I didn't like - it was the brutal workout - so I stopped going extra nights to those classes.

By the time I stopped doing bjj back in late-summer, I was missing the initial warm-up/exercises and just showed up for sparring telling myself that I just couldn't get out of work any sooner. Fighting 5-6 matches at full resistance plus class drills still kept me in "ok shape", but I had developed what I call a "Lazy Man's Jiu Jitsu" by pulling guard (basically pulling the opponent on top) so I could work off my back most of the time.

Despite everyone thinking I was in great shape for my age, I went from 165 to 180 lbs rather quickly and my asthma worsened to a level that I had never experienced in my life.

Last year I made a pivotal lifestyle change that encouraged me to slowly grind out of my plateau and look for other motivation and activity. My nephew (whom I trained with in MMA) encouraged me to try a gluten free / paleo approach to my asthma. He's always fad-dieting but it cost me nothing but some effort to try, so why not?

I'm not endorsing either approach, but just reporting how they affected me. By the end of 2014, I had my asthma under control to a level where I am now almost off my daily maintenance medication and have not needed a fast rescue inhaler in many months. This has motivated me to focus on losing the extra 15+ lbs and finish removing the asthma drugs from my life altogether if possible.

The diet coupled with re-joining a gym (in Oct) where I have been doing both strength training and cardio has improved my life significantly. I have managed to pack on much of the muscle lost since hitting my 40s but still struggling with fine-tuning and a caloric deficit that will help me lose my target weight (my over-40 inner-tube). The Holidays played havoc with my diet but I was at least still diligent about working out. Still, lots of sweets and breads found their way back into my diet. I let my wife and daughter talk me into too many pizza deliveries for the sake of convenience.

I found MFP looking for some other life-hacks and thought it would be a good tool to help me reign in my bad dietary habits and hit my goals. Having some virtual support is nice too as none of my friends are interested in hitting the gym or running with me.

Please feel free to add me to any groups or suggest ones that might be beneficial. I will be glad to also offer any support or knowledge that I might possess as well.

Thanks and best wishes to you all - I have nothing but respect for those that are fighting to change for the better, whether it's 10 lbs or 100.

Mike