One of the fortunate things is I am surrounded by gyms and a couple of pools within 4 miles. I wish you the best in this struggle to stay in shape. When I was 18, I didn’t think that it was a struggle.7 years on how is OP Doing with his weight?
I am 54, Probably 5-6 years ago (maybe a little more) I was roughly 270 lbs. Through lots of exercise and changing my eating habits I got down to 185-190 and was looking pretty lean. I had thought I made a complete lifestyle change but apparently I hadn't as things started going down hill near the start of 2019 or 2020.
It started with a tray of Baclava from Costco which I finished in like two days and than each month I'd rationalize away some other "treat" I could binge on. " I'll eat this pint of ice cream than workout extra hard this week ", that type of thing.
Well, its now Feb of 2022 and I am back up to 218-220. Trying to keep the eating under control but its a challenge. Gym isn't happening because it is a far drive and I am burned out from driving. I did buy a peloton and manage to get in 20-45 min a day on that.
Hoping to get back down to the 190 range by the end of summer but at my age, and unless I am able to somehow motivate myself to make the 30 min drive back to the gym on a routine basis and get in weight training it may not happen
I’m still working out 3 times a week, two 2500 yard swims, 1 gym session with stretches, mat work, and weights. I‘m in the 50-120lb weight lifting range. The top of that range is on machines for exercising the core.
My weight? I got down to a low of 209 last summer, but now I’m back up to 215. It’s so much about calorie intake and I just don’t eat that much and I’m not going to starve myself either. The reality is, I look in the mirror and just forget about ever looking “good” again. Actually I look like a slightly younger version of my 93 year old father. Sure, there is quite a difference, but I see where this is headed. Actually he controls his weight better than I do. But as far as I know I am healthy which is all I can ask for. Will turn 69 this year.
I think I already said this previously but to recap ?… I remember when after having a life as a chubby kid (not fat or obiese) it was like finding the holy grail when I discovered the football team in high school, and they made me run. I was 5’10” and about 185lb. Then I fell in love with running and with a minimal amount of devotion, three 5 mile runs a week, I became a 160lb running fool. I could eat WHATEVER I wanted, life was grand and I was never going to be fat again, and I became something of a fat critic, (although I never picked on anyone, I thought it) after all it’s so easy to fix, why can’t you fix it?…until something happened to my metabolism, “aging”.
Over a 25 year period, it no longer served me the way it used too, and then my back started bothering me, and walking, unless you are power walking just does not cut it. So long story short, the pool, gym, and yard work, has staved off total couch potato implosion.
For those of you who are young, enjoy it will you can. There are exceptions, but you’ll never feel as good as you do now. And wherever you are at, unless you actively resist though physical activity, and even then it‘s usually the slow downhill march to the end. But that’s what life is all about isn’t it, enjoy it while you can. Amen.