I know we have multiple people who are professionals in this area, dozens more who are knowledgeable, and probably a majority who are like me: looking for better results. I’ve been kicking around the idea of submitting my situation, seeing if it sparks a greater conversation, and hopefully helping some people improve their body and life.
Here goes nothing.
Im in the 35-45 year old range. For most of my life I’ve had a pretty light build and have been in and out of gyms on and off throughout adulthood. During my 30-35 years I let myself go, took on a lot of fat and decreased muscle mass, coinciding with the expected drop in metabolism.
In the last 2 years I’ve changed several things to counteract this trend. 1) Intermittent fasting for 16 hours a day (I’ll come back to this in a second). 2) Diet changes (same) 3) Workout consistency. On the whole these changes have produced real results, which has been wonderful, but I’ve hit a wall and that’s where I need helpful direction.
My current irritation is that build is the best it’s been in years, it’s just hiding under a layer of fat around my sides and gut that is smaller but still not gone entirely or moving in that direction.
Here’s a more in depth breakdown of each of the three changes I’ve made:
Fasting: I’m keeping to this at least 5 days a week, eating only between 12pm-8pm. The benefits of this is it definitely took fat off and gave me a “consistent maximum” to where I am. It also had multiple side benefits, i have virtually no reflux or gas, and I sleep much better because my stomach isn’t working all night long. However, after 2 years I feel as though it has reached its maximum output for change. I will probably keep it up for the rest of my life because the benefits are so good.
Diet: I have never enjoyed sodas, sweet teas or energy drinks. I like water, coffee alternatives, occasional red wine, tea, and maybe orange juice a couple glasses a month. I don’t often eat sweets, I’ve cut out all “Starbucks drinks”, started eating almonds instead of chips and snacks, etc. One area I can improve on is fast food, it’s a side effect of my profession being on the road nearly every day. Bread I eat probably 3-5 times a week, starches like noodles maybe a little less often.
Workout: I stopped going to the gym but I do a lot of stuff at home. I like body workouts more than weights, so I’m daily doing squats, various push-ups, sit ups, dips, planks, and so forth. My body has responded very well to this regimen, even better than a weight training program I was on prior.
I am not trying to become Mr. Universe. I am a middle aged dad who wants to shave off the last tire around his belly and continue to work hard at keeping myself in good shape into the next phase of my life. Any strategy or thoughts to improve any or all of these areas would help me (and I assume others) tremendously.
Thanks to anyone who reads and responds!