As a 40-year-old man with little to no athletic history, this would be a topic I normally wouldn’t write about but after a long year of the coronavirus being around and me being extremely inactive because of it. I need to learn how to live a healthier lifestyle: tools, tips & resources to reach that goal. At this point, I was at weight over 218 lbs., which made me 25 pounds overweight. I had been overweight for years and have been trying to lose it over the last 3 years. I just have not had enough determination in till now.
Most men will understand this, but one morning I noticed, as I got ready for my shower. I saw no more of my weewee (don’t laugh LOL). It blows my mind that I was really that big. That was the last straw.
Since January 2021, I have been working on losing weight. Again, I am no expert at health, but this article is about the things I have learned, done, and used to lose the weight I have lost.
First things first, Research!!! I was doing months and months of research into losing weight, dieting, and building muscle before that moment but didn’t do anything with that knowledge. I used google and YouTube as my main source for information. I watched these videos on how to lose weight.
Ram Ghuman “How to lose LOVE HANDLES in one week for men” pointed out clearly that you cannot pick were you lose weight. Which helped me more on staying confident and more set on the goal. I also watched other videos such as:
“5 ways to lower insulin levels (naturally) for weight loss” by Dr. Dan Maggs
“11 most filling foods for weight loss” by Gravity Transformation -Fat loss Experts
“Building Muscle over 40- complete how-to-guide” by Thomas DE Lauer
“How to build muscle & stay LEAN (when to workout, how many reps, rest etc.)” by Thomas DeLauer.
“Do this EVERY Morning! (Burns fat Faster)” by Gravity Transformation- Fat loss Expert.
These videos were just the beginning of my research. I also decided it was time to get started on workouts at home because of gym lockdowns caused by the coronavirus. I bought a Body Factor printed fitness yoga mat and a Weider rubber hex 10lb dumbbell, at Walmart, I also used my year-old Versa 2 Fitbit and got Ideas of exercises to do from Men’s Health magazine and YouTube.
I started doing weight exercises at home such as Landmine Press, Single-arm Rows, Bicep curls, fat grip bicep curls, along with doing multiple types of cardio exercises. My favorite types of cardio exercise are Mountain Climbers, crunches, the bridge, everyday planks, and the use of my Gold’s Gym bike trainer which I have had for half a Decade, just catching dust.
While I did the exercises, things changed but not like it was said to. Making it, that I had to start the dreadful topic of dieting. Which I hate doing. But I did research and found videos on the subject of Intermittent Fasting. I had heard of fasting, but it was starving yourself, from what people told me. After watching videos on YouTube like:
“What Really happens when you Fast.” By Dr. Eric Burg
“Intermittent Fasting & workouts Complete guide” by Autum Bates.
“How often should you do intermittent fasting” by Dr. Eric Burg.
“BEST plan to building MUSCLE with intermittent fasting Complete Guide.” by Thomas Delauer.
Me being a person with a Kidney Transplant, I also watched.
“Tips to safe fasting for kidney patients” by Hamad Medical Corporation. I also watched:
“Intermittent Fasting, Kidney transplant patient.” By Cindy Flores.
After watching these videos and talking to my Transplant coordinator, like any other transplant patient should do. They confirmed fasting was not dangerous for me if I stayed hydrated.
I started with the 16/8 fasting. The 16/8 fasting stands for 16 hours no food and 8 hours to eat. I am a sleep-in late morning person, making it to start eating around 10 am and stop eating around 6 pm, not a hard change. Learning from the videos, I learned that sleeping at night worked as part of the 16 hours of fasting. It made it that no more late-night snacks, Which I loved. That was difficult but achievable when I made sure I ate foods that take time to digest. This is a chart of types of food and the estimated time it takes for the food to be digested.
With that information I learned to eat my dinner with foods that took longer to digest, making it that I no longer have late-night empty stomach aches. Which helps a lot.
I also watched the “5 ways to lower insulin levels (naturally) for weight loss” video by Dr. Dan Maggs, and other videos under that subject. It made me realize I ate a lot more products with sugar and sugar added to it.
With that knowledge, I started to cut back on eating extremely sugary foods, junk food such as chips, cookies, candy, and now I start going without stopping at the local McDonald’s and Dairy Queen. I cut back on all the carbohydrate foods I ate, like pasta, baked products, and white bread.
I eat at home more to control what is in the food and how much I serve myself. I eat at subway more often and eat their steak & Cheese protein bowls, Chicken & Bacon protein bowls I do cheat on the foods twice a week, with small amounts but not enough to be positive on the weight scale at the end of the week.
With the cold season almost over, I am now doing walks 5 days a week if possible and using my home equipment more. I do planks every day, weights multiple times a week, and cardio exercises, every other day. I am down to a 35-inch waist instead of a 38-inch waist, an XL shirt instead of XXL. I feel more energetic than I have in a long time. Playing with my 3-year-old Nephew and 2-year-old Niece is not exhausting as it used to be.
Over this period, I have learned that first, everything is different for everyone. It takes determination, and time to achieve these goals. I am still not to my goal of being in the healthy weight range for my age, but I am still losing, and I feel better than I ever have before.