My Rollercoaster Ride of Fit to Fat to Fit to Fat…to Fit?

When I was a kid, my uncle told me that maintaining one’s weight gets difficult after the age of 25. For me, that wasn’t a problem until my early thirty’s. My challenge didn’t start until after the birth of my daughter.

Have a Reason to Get Fit.

I honestly don’t remember gaining weight. When my wife and I met, nearly two decades ago, I had less than six percent body fat. I was in excellent shape. My physique was tanned and toned.

Unfortunately, I fell into the marital complacency. Before marriage, I ate great and worked out six days a week. For five of those days, I spent over two hours in the gym. While, every Saturday, I ran five miles while maintaining a pace of seven-minute miles. Not lightning fast, but fast enough to know that I was working hard.

When my wife and I met, we were in that new kind of love. We just wanted to spend more time with each other. That meant less time at the gym, if any.

It seemed to happen so fast. I didn’t realize that I had gained so much weight, until I saw myself on a news coverage. The anchor wanted to record a story about the importance of child safety while babies slept. Seeing myself on camera, I almost didn’t recognize who I’d become. But that wasn’t enough to make a change.

A few years after that, I decided to go back into the Army (on Active-Duty status). Before re-entering, I knew that I needed to get back into shape. I began running and lifting again. By the time I left for training, I had lost the majority of the extra weight I had gained, since my wife and I met.

Set Fitness Goals.

Understand, I didn’t just start running and leave it at that. If I wanted to make it through the training injury free, I knew that I needed to set some goals. In order to make it a success, I set incremental goals. Starting out, I just wanted to make it one mile without stopping or walking. Then two. Then three, and so on, until I got to five miles with little difficulty. Once I achieved that, I began increasing my speed.

Additionally, I knew that I needed resistance training along with my cardiovascular workouts. So, I went to the gym at least twice a week for no less than one hour each time. Each time I went, I had certain areas that I wanted to focus on. Since I was going twice a week, I split my body into two categories, upper and lower.

The first day, I would focus on the upper body. That included benching, curls, tri-cep extensions, rows, etc. The second day was for the lower body. Which consisted of leg press, heel/calf raises, leg curls and leg extensions. And the more I did it, the easier it became.

Don’t Lose Sight of the Finish Line.

Keeping a focus of the end goal was extremely important for my success. When I finally showed up for training, I was in very good shape. And it was a good thing too. While there, I got into great shape. We ran a lot more than I was expecting. Not to mention all of the push-ups, sit-ups, and road marches we had to endure as well.

Had I tried to go in without getting into shape first, I would never have made it. We ran at least five miles a day, six days a week. Additionally, we would run sprints up steep hills and stadium bleachers. And that was on top of the five-mile run.

By the time I went to my unit, I was probably in the best shape of my life. I was in my mid-thirties, and I was out running everyone else. Not to mention performing more push-ups and sit-ups than them as well. I was a “beast.” That was until I got injured in March 2009.

It was nothing more than a regular road march. One that I’d done so many times before. The difference was that this time, I decided to run for part of it.

Another sergeant and I decided that we wanted the fastest times. We talked it over and agreed to a strategy. Together, we would walk for a certain distance and then run a certain distance. The pace wasn’t a problem for either of us. Actually, I felt great when we got back. We finished nearly ten minutes faster than the next person.

It wasn’t until the next day that the sharp pains in my lower back began. Then shortly after that, the pains in my right foot and knee started to flare up.

My Injury Caused a Relapse.

Because I was, and continue to be, in daily pain, I couldn’t run or exercise as much. It didn’t take long for the pounds to start packing on.

Over the years, I’ve tried to control what I eat and find alternate ways to exercise. And I was taking the wrong approach the entire time. In that, I didn’t set any goals for myself. Other than the blanket goal that I wanted to lose weight. I wasn’t being specific.

When I realized my shortfall, I tried setting small but realistic goals. I first started with a goal of losing five pounds in one month. That month, I actually lost seven pounds. Unfortunately, I had lost the weight through unsustainable means. Essentially, I was starving myself.

I’m sure I could’ve continued to lose weight, using that method. At the same time, I knew that it wasn’t healthy or sustainable for the long-haul. Therefore, I knew that I needed a different approach.

I began looking on-line for the best ways for me to lose weight. A man in his forties, that is. If you ask ten different dieticians or health professionals the best way to lose weight, you could easily get ten different answers. One would tell me, “Count your calories. You need to burn more than you take in.” While another would say, “Exercise daily and the weight will fall off.”

Still another suggested “Intermittent Fasting.” Which, for those who don’t know, is a form of fasting. You allow yourself to each between certain hours of the day. For the rest of the time, you’re only supposed to drink water. It sounded easy enough, so I thought I’d give it a try.

There were no specific meal plans. No specified number of hours to exercise in a week. The only rule was that I could only eat during pre-determined hours.

For a little while, intermittent fasting worked for me. I actually lost close to twenty-five pounds in three months doing that. My doctor questioned my health when she found out how much I’d lost. Unfortunately, I’ve gained six of it back. I’ve allowed myself to slip more often than I’d like.

The End Result is Reward Enough.

I think I’ll try to take it serious again. If it worked the first time, it should work again. I’m in my mid-to-late forties now, and I’d like to get back in shape again. A shape other than round, that is.

In order to do accomplish this task, I will need to set goals for myself again. By setting and meeting each of the smaller goals, I’ll be able to reach my overall goal. But I have to have attainable goals.

My first goal will be to cut back on the sugars, bread, and alcohol. All of which eventually turn into sugar anyway. From there, I will start setting incremental weight loss goals. Ones that I feel are short and attainable.

In the end, by setting goals, and sticking to them, any one of us could achieve our desired results. And that should be reward enough.