Committed to health and fitness

presidentfox

I paid a visit to my dentist in 2005 where the hygienist took my blood pressure and suggested that I see my general practitioner since my numbers were "elevated." The numbers were 160/100. The doctor told me that I was about to pop! He put me on BP medication. I argued that I could lose weight and start an exercise program (Bear in mind that I'm 5-foot 7-inches tall and at that time weighed 212 pounds). He told me, "You go on the medication and start a diet and exercise program too." He went on to say, "Everyone says that they will change what they eat and start exercising but no one does, so take your medication!"

That made me mad. I took the medication but I was determined to show him so I got with my wife who was in Weight Watchers and let her plan my meals around a 2-pound per week weigh loss program. I joined a local gym and started doing the only thing I knew how to do - walking on the treadmill. I shed a lot of the weight quickly and soon was down to 180 pounds. New clothes and high hopes, I headed back to the doctor. BP was still up around 150/90 without the medication. I was disappointed but not dissuaded. My wife got behind my effort even more and we got a personal trainer. He was a flop but that opened a whole new vista. I started seeking help with my fitness program.

I floundered around for several years making some progress but not getting the results that I wanted. I continually did the copycat approach in the gym. I'd see someone who looked lean and start doing some of what they were doing. Eventually I hurt myself and started spending a lot of time with the chiropractor. I got my weight down in the 170's but was just a lighter version of the 212-pound guy from a few years earlier. Then in the fall of 2008 I met a man 20 years my junior who has revolutionized my whole program.

K. A. got me off of the StairMaster and the treadmill and designed a real program for overall health and fitness tailored to my goals. I wanted to be lean. Not a skinny fat man at 18 to 20 percent body fat. In the past two years I have reduced my body weight from the low 170's to 154 pounds as of this morning. I am now at >10% BF and continuing to lean out. 80% of the program was in the diet. I have continued to modify it to squeeze the most I can out of every morsel. I consume close to 3,000 calories each day, train six days each week with one day off for full recovery. I train 12 out of every 13 weeks each year and take one full week off for recovery. I sleep between 7 and 8 hours EVERY night. I eat six to eight times each day. My macro nutrient ratios are 39% good fats, 23% carbohydrates (no processed sugar, grain or bean products) and 38% complete proteins (no dairy products).

I use MFP to track the food intake and occasionally log the exercises (estimating the calories). This is a great tool to help in the most difficult area of the process - keeping track of the macro nutrients. This is the final lean-out quarter of 2010 and from here K.A. has designed a program to build on what I have done without adding much fat.

I am 61 years old (62 in January of 2011) and I am off my medication, my BP is 106/58 with a heart rate of 41 b.p.m. I can sprint faster in the 40, 50 and 100 yard dash now than I could in high school. And my waist, which was close to 40 inches in 2005, is now at 31 inches. I highly encourage all of you who read this to get MAD. Find something that causes you to "JUST DO IT."

beethedreamer

you story is so inspiring! you're doing a great job. thank you for sharing