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blakbyrd64
blakbyrd64 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss

Hey hey there folks. I’m Kevin but u can call me “Papa K”. I’m a 60 year old, peg-legged paramedic with a state of the art prosthetic leg, needing to lose 70 lbs for many reasons. I’m not new to MFP, but I need to make some new friends and new commitments. I’m an EMT Instructor but the dynamics of my job have changed. It is going to get a lot more physical with vehicle and equipment maintenance responsibilities added. I will also function more as a lab assistant meaning having to get up and down off the floor doing demonstrations for the students. I was also accustomed to a 9 month contract where I had the summers to refresh and recuperate but I have been moved to 12 months now. I sleep with a CPAP but still wake up yawning.

The goal is to hit the gym at least 5 times a week, always starting with cardio, aka-treadmill for minimum 20+ minutes and lots of abdominal work and strength training. I WILL NOT LET MY WEIGHT BE THE DEMISE OF MY LIFE AND CAREER!!!

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Replies

  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,195 Member

    Papa K,

    Sounds like your world is picking up quite a bit! As a 55 yr old, I can attest to the fact that adding a workout routine to an already busy day can be daunting and difficult, but it sounds like you are used to be fairly active already. I can imagine that carrying around an extra 70 lbs on a prosthetic leg must be challenging, but sounds like you have a plan and I imagine it won't be long until you are posting that you hit your goal weight!

    I would recommend to not push too hard (as more "mature" fellows we don't recover as fast as we used to!), and give yourself time to recover. Most of your weight loss will come from the kitchen, not the gym, so just be mindful about your calories and you should see results.

    Good luck with it! Feel free to add me as a friend, and make sure you post some updates!

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 37,122 Member

    I agree with the others above, from the perspective of having lost around 50 pounds at age 59-60. The food side of the equation is the powerful tool for nearly everyone, but exercise is great for improving health and physical functioning, very much worth doing.

    One thing I'd add:

    As far as waking up yawning, as a fellow CPAP user I'd ask: Have you had a repeat sleep study in the semi-recent past? Our pressure setting needs can change with time. Yes, I have sleep apnea, use a CPAP, and am the unlucky person who didn't stop needing the CPAP when slim. Many/most people do see improvement in sleep apnea when they reach a healthy weight, so there's definitely hope for that . . . but it isn't universal. There can also be genetic factors. I didn't have sleep apnea as a young person, but it kicked in later.

    With a good plan, improvement in your health and functioning is in the future, and there can be very noticeable improvements even before losing the total amount of weight. Hang in there, keep chipping away, and good things will happen.

    Best wishes!

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