And in the grand scheme of this, I really only need to get through to that one person.The date of my last entry reads like it is out of a science fiction novel. A really crappy one, I get it, but kind of like the plot of some of them. April 14, 2020, killing it, doing great, getting swol, losing weight, looking good, de-aged back to my 20s… Then nothing. I’ve disappeared. Like the Dufranes, I am missing. (If you get that Mitch Hedberg reference, then you are truly a friend of mine!). I don’t know. I think COVID was the reason at the start. No Wellness Center and a crappy March in Minot didn’t exactly help. I think the apathy started with how things were going, but sitting at home should have given me more time to write. You were hearing about people running marathons on their decks and learning to cook, taking up a new hobby. I didn’t do any of those things. Now, I didn’t go off the rocker or go on a food binge or sink into a booze-induced coma or anything. I’m still plugging away, but it just hasn’t been the same it seems. The last time I really felt good was the Frozen 5K in March. Outwardly, I’m cool. I don’t think I’m in a bad place at all. I just haven’t the same desire and the same drive about any of this for some time. I keep posting running photos on Facebook and Instagram (yeah, sorry followers, that isn’t going anywhere), and I keep working out, still running, lifting, walking, fasting. But something has certainly been missing. I actually have a full-length blog post about plateaus and how to bust threw them. Smash headfirst into it like the Hulk and plateaus will be a thing of the past — or something super interesting like that. It still sits on my home computer, waiting, wondering why it wasn’t good enough for the blog. Begging to get back in, it will do better it promises, it will be funnier, and a better read, more interesting, what, tell me what do I need to do to get printed! To tell you the truth, there was nothing wrong with that blog post. I just don’t seem to have the plateau answers. The fact that on April 14, I was 239 pounds and now on October 13, I’m 229. Sounds like a plateau to me. I was also 229 on February 2. 229.1 to be exact. UGH. So, while I’ve been as low as 222.2 (I swear I have the photo to prove all those 2s!), I feel like I’m still in that rut. I’ve grown a beard, cut my hair, went super low calorie with mostly protein shakes, and did about two months of bulk just to throw my system a curve ball and yep, basically 230. Maybe that is who I am. I’m not convinced of that and there will be better days ahead, but the mindset sometimes has to be, except this version for now, keep working, and you’ll get there. I heard some sage advice on a podcast not too long ago about how hard it was to be over 300 pounds, how much work that was, so this is, by comparison, at least the same, and is so much easier on my body. So, stasis isn’t necessarily a step back. But I usually need to say it 30 times to convince myself. Hence, back in the blog game. This experiment in writing was born out of accountability and mental wellbeing for myself and a little dash of I hope I can help others. But let’s not lie too much to the world, outside of some family members and a couple friends, I don’t have a following. No endorsement deals rolled in. So why write? And in the grand scheme of this, I really only need to get through to one person. The answer is I’m reading. Hopefully, by putting all of this down on paper, I'm then listening to my own advice, patting myself on the back when needed, kicking myself in the pants if that’s what it takes, and understanding this has to be a journey. No end until THE end. The six-foot-under end, and if I continue to do my wellness job correctly, I can stave that off for some time. That might be the theme of this return-to-glory post, I can only control so much. I need to remember that each time I get on the scale, each time I grab what seems like the smallest dumbbell compared to what the Instagram behemoths are using, and each time I start a run at Bison Plant. I’m not setting any weightlifting records, I will not compete in the Olympics in the 5K, and I’m not going to have the biggest blog following in the country because I’ve somehow cracked the secret to all of this. So, I’m not done working on all of this, not done lifting or running or reading about the next big thing, or watching the tutorials on different techniques, or listening to some great self-help blogs. And I certainly not done writing. Even if it’s just me and Cole and my dad reading!
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Most of us have heard the old adage about muscle being heavier than fat. The moment you start a weight-lifting routine, you will probably learn the lesson as well. It’s a cruel lesson for sure. But, after reading as much literature about muscle, metabolism, and the power of Chris Pratt in “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1,” I made a conscious decision to embrace some added weight in order to change my body shape. I’ve mentioned it before, maybe a couple times, but losing 40 pounds in about 6 months was fantastic, don’t get me wrong. But there was something missing. I wasn’t completely happy with just losing. I needed to transform how I looked. Part of that is my overall weight plan is how I carry the weight was important. Fat needs to go, muscle can stay. I firmly believe a solid 213 is better than a flabby 180. OK scientists, let me have it over that one if you’d like. I hit the weight room pretty hard two years ago during my first semester in the personal training program at Minot State. The program, which I think is fantastic, pairs a student working through the program with a person from the greater Minot State community. A one-on-one program built by the students. Walking and diet has been my primary weight-loss regime, but this was going to add a new dimension. It took to it like a fish to water. I was so sore the first month! For anyone who is in their 40s looking to get back into weights, my advice is to take it really slow. Don’t look at what anyone else is lifting, don’t worry about the weights themselves, work on technique and find lifts that you can get as much bang for your buck as possible. Big muscle lifts. Squats, lunges, bench, lat pulls, rows, etc. I had so much fun that first semester, I signed up again for the program this past fall. But this time around I had a plan. After reading about Pratt’s approach, I decided to give weights my undivided attention for four months. From October into January with a little break during the holidays, I used much of my workout time for lifting. I used free weights for the most part, some machines, and mostly dumbbell workouts as I don’t usually have a spotter. The four weeks were my bulking phase. I wanted to gain as much muscle as possible during that time. I tried to add as much protein into my diet, I lifted as heavy as I could in a safe manner, lifted six times a week, alternating from shoulders/back, chest, and legs, and tried just about every exercise YouTube could throw at me. I journaled everything, in fact, I’ve kept a lifting journal for about two years now. While I’ve always been a lower body guy, squats, deadlifts and calf raises were the easier for a short guy like me to do so I gravitated to those in high school, I’ve really taken to shoulder and back workouts. I spent a lot of time on those this fall. Lat pulls, with the face pull variety, one- and two-handed rows with the machine and with free weights, front and side raises, and my favorite lift: the dumbbell butterfly raise. I have to thank Jeff Cavaliere for that lift. From there, I went into a pre-cut phase, combining some lifting with some cardio as I waited for spring to arrive and move into an advanced cut phase. Unfortunately, I’m still waiting for spring, but during the pre-cut, while doing the Wellness Center’s Biggest Loser Competition, I lost 16 pounds in six weeks and feel very little was from muscle loss. I could really tell the difference. I could see changes in my muscle tone even with my overall body fat content still high, around 29 percent. They weren’t drastic, I’m not entering any body building competitions and I’m not getting any calls for swimsuit calendars (The Men of Communications, December 2021…). But the veins running up my forearms and one in the front of my calf have reappeared and during some lifts, I can see the one in my bicep. Again, not on any doctor’s scale of “in shape” but veins can be surprising powerful motivation tools. The front delt vein is my ultimate goal, even over abs! I have to be really careful when it comes to lifting and to bragging about the weight room as it relates to reverse body dysmorphia. I’ve struggled with not understanding just how out of shape, how large - how fat I’d become. I still think after the end of a great workout I’m much further along than I really am. I’ve never been able to see that or fully understand it all the way back to middle school. I’ve never really felt fat. I knew it. Others knew it. The scale read 300, there was another X in my XL and then another. I’d get winded quicker, felt like sitting more, couldn’t ride the zip line at Whitefish Mountain Resort. Don’t get me wrong, I know I knew it. But it’s hard for me to see it, to realize it without some of the numbers. But there was such a marked difference in how clothes fit this spring, how little my weight moved up and down on the scale each day, how much more I could simply lift with each exercise, that I knew there was a difference. It’s killing me to not be able to get to the gym right now about as much as it’s killing me to see snow flying on April 13. One or the other needs to give soon! Until then, I’m two days into a 30-day, 100-push-ups-a-day challenge. And, yeah, I’m so sore… So at the end of May, maybe, just maybe, that will be a blog post all to itself. Walking. The simple act of left foot, right foot. Most of us learn it in the first year of life and will hopefully be able to walk well into our twilight years. Walking, however, was one of my first steps (sorry…) to a better life. I’ve mentioned this before, but today I wanted to talk a little more about this simple, yet effective, way to change your body, change your mind and certainly change your life. It’s kind of funny to think about those first few steps towards something better. They were baby steps taken by an obese 40-something. I had to relearn what I’d been taken for granted for a long time. Walking for me was the great equalizer. The calories I burn during a walk are staggering, even after losing a lot of weight, I’m still able to burn close to a 1,000 calories in one session. I can’t do that any other way. I can’t keep my knees from going to hell on a treadmill, I can’t keep a weightlifting session going that long without some major soreness the next few days, I can’t even do most of the HIIT moves I see the Instagram models doing, so I walk. To put this into perspective, during my half marathon at the Maah Daah Hey Trail in July, I burned 1,354 calories in the first half of the race. About an hour and 15 minutes of running (small amounts of walking too) up and down hills with a race bib number on, trying to catch the person in front of me and staying ahead of people behind me. So, motivated. I was at my “peak” of training and was at the lowest in terms of weight that I’ve had been in probably 20 years. Last week, I walked for an hour and 22 minutes, just walked, on the path behind my house, one big hill, one smaller hill, the rest flat. Listening to music, thinking about warmer weather (it was chilly that night!) and hoping the self-isolation was soon coming to an end. So, dreaming. My total calorie count was 856. Two nights later, I did an hour and 47 minutes and smashed through 1,144 calories. Again, just a simple walking pace. I think back to some of those first walks, back when my weight was so high that simple walking pushed my heart rate up much quicker and to a much higher maximum. The amount of calories I burned with those is amazing. In August of 2018 I have an hour and 55-minute jaunt that burned 1,846 calories! In July, 1:04 netted me 1,184 calories. The point of bringing up these numbers is two-fold. First, the Fitbit is such a powerful motivator. Seeing those calories, knowing each step I take is one step closer to goal weights is such a big bonus. The steps are the important part, but being able to see them, track them, go back and celebrate them is so important for the mental part of this game. Second, for individuals who feel weight loss is unobtainable or beyond what they can accomplish in a normal setting, an hour walking shouldn’t be so daunting. I think of each of these as a meal replacement. In other words, I could eat a normal meal – hell, one that has a lot of calories to be honest – with each of these if my goal was just to break even. If you don’t feel you can restrict your diet, here is a simple way of thinking about getting into a calorie deficient mode without huge restrictions. Now, I hope you can do both. The gym can be intimidating, especially for overweight individuals. Anyone who is overweight knows how it feels to get that sideways glance from the spandex and tanktop folks. If you have a decent path in your neighborhood or better yet, a path in a park or aound the town, there usually isn’t much “path shaming!” So, I don’t have a ton of walking dos and don’ts. I chuckled to myself when I thought about doing a workout style video like I watch from time to time on Instagram or YouTube when I’m trying to learn a new lift or a new technique. I don’t know how many hits I would get from: “Now, we start with our right foot, or left, depending on personal preference, now push off moving forward, put the left foot down, push off, now put the right foot down, ok, yeah, you’ve got it, now repeat about 6-7,000 more times…” But it really is that simple. My biggest pieces of advice, dress accordingly. I don’t like to be cold, but I don’t like to feel like I’ve put 5 layers of goose down on, so I like basically everything Under Armour makes, tights, compression shirts, Cold Gear, UA ear buds (yeah, I’m trying sooooo hard to get my own line of clothing from UA. Maybe the Boulder or the Lump of Clay to pair with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson!). I highly recommend the wireless ear buds. I use Spotify premium for music. I think it’s second to none. And I’ve learned to make sure I have decent shoes. I’ve dealt with some blister problems, shin splints (although good shoes have cleared that up 100%), and arthritis in my knees. The shoes will make a difference. In fact, that might be the tip of the day. Spend some money on shoes, don’t skimp there. You guessed it, my newest pair are Under Armour Machinas. Love them. For such a simple tool, I’ve found this version of weight loss doesn’t have to be just the basics. Run some sprints in there, use landmarks as motivation, take some photos, take a selfie, find a group to walk with, use Fitbit and Under Armour apps to challenge yourself as you virtually challenge others. I’ve created a few playlists on Spotify to help both pace my walks and help me lose myself in the moment, my favorite podcast, “American Glutton” is a great way to get 45 minutes in, my wife and I have incorporated some running into it, I’ve used various local parks and paths, my favorite is the Bison Plant Trail just south of Minot on Highway 52. If you live in the Minot area and haven’t been to Bison Plant, I highly recommend it. All of these variations and, frankly, I still enjoy a couple loops around the neighborhood on our path, up and down the 13th Street coulee (all of my selfies of late are on one side or the other of the coulee). I get a huge amount of stress relief just from being out on my own or with my family, music blaring in my ears and using the simple left foot, right foot method. Now go for a walk! So far, I’ve tried to stick to a single topic in the JustSouthofSvelte blog, one that I know most pretty well and have at least some authority on - me! Today, we start to branch out a little. Just like my favorite sitcoms of the 80 and 90s - this is a very special episode of JustSouthofSvelte. As everyone is basically sitting at home in self isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, I figured I would talk about some of the external motivation pieces I’ve used, give some shout out, and maybe even a secret or two of blogs to follow, YouTube videos to watch, or Instagram accounts to follow. None of these are paid advertisements and no one reached out to me about doing something formal. In fact, no one on this list knows I’m writing about them, which is most likely going to get me in hot water somewhere down the line, but if you are looking for something to do, check these sites out. First, one of my favorite celebrity accounts to follow and someone who I would love to work out with someday is Chris Pratt. Gardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 is one of my favorite movies and his transformation to play that role was remarkable. I looked up his workout regime right away. A note on celebrity workouts, and I think comedian Kumail Nanjiani is spot on after his incredible body change for an upcoming Marvel movie Eternals. He basically said celebrities have access to training and trainers and time to do things when changing their bodies the average person probably can’t. I found that with Pratt’s workouts, six and seven hour breakdowns of various body parts, a nutritionist, one of the top personal trainers, etc. I wasn’t going to be able to just take his workout and make it my own. But I did find a ton of help by searching various outlets, like this article from Muscle and Fitness, I used his training cycle of build and cut this year to great success. I’ve mentioned weight lifting last time out as I wasn’t to not just lose weight but also build muscle to actually transform my shape. Much of that comes from Pratt! Hopefully we can get a workout in! Speaking of transformations, my current celebrity crush is Ethan Suplee and his American Glutton podcast. His weight loss is epic. At 500-plus pounds, Suplee has made working out, dieting, and weight loss a mission, unrelenting in his approach to learning about weight loss, muscle gain, and food as fuel. He is in amazing shape and still tips the scales over 250 pounds and is a perfect example of the scale isn’t the best tool to determine where you are in your journey. Suplee is the most informed “regular” guy I’ve ever listened to, but he is quick to point out he isn’t an expert. But he will consume as much information as possible to make the best possible decision for himself as possible. His podcast is R rated at times, so don’t let the kids listen. But there isn’t a better choice to listen to for the quintessential husky male. My weight lifting go-to when I think of a body part I need to work on but have no idea what options there are is Athlean-X. Jeff Cavaliere is an absolute beast in the gym. I’ll admit, I just watch the free videos at this point, I haven’t subscribed to the full program (sorry Jeff, I’ll do a few more face pulls as penance). His science behind lifting is crucial to my lifting regime as I’m in the gym alone most of the time and correct form is king. Speaking of the gym, while this one doesn’t have nearly as much glitz and glamour as the celebrity accounts, I need to give my first local, personal shout out. I’ve used the Minot State Wellness Center has been my home gym for two years. The staff, Paul, Courtenay, and formally Karina (who is still my yogi, more on that in a blog in the future. I can't wait for the yoga blog!), as well as the students who man the gym are like a second family. Check out their Facebook page and like and share for me and watch this Facebook message to see some of the current students in a message as they’ve had to close down do to the pandemic. I miss the staff and can’t wait to get back! Another site with great tips on workouts is our own Heilmans Performance. It’s not often you can get the strength and conditioning coach from an NCAA Division II athletic program to give you tips on Twitter! Caleb and crew are my son’s trainers and we couldn’t be more happy with how he has progressed. Check out their site if you need someone to amp up your child’s workout program or get involved in one of their adult programs. Along with Athlean-X and Heilmans, I get a ton of great workout tips from Instragram. I follow about a 100 different trainers, athletes, and influencers mainly based on the types of workouts they do. The first one I added was a fellow northern Montanan Missie Dillon. You also get some fashion tips in there which I should probably watch a little closer! One of my favorite accounts is Aubrie Bromlow, who I found out later is actually a northern Montanan as well. She combines a great mindset of “Memories over Macros” and has fantastic how-to lifts. There are millions of accounts so find one that works for you. If you still have some free time after all of those, I recommend looking at my good friend Sean Arbaut’s photography site. I’m mentioned in the “About” section so it has that going for it! His quote is on my site on the blog section as well. Sean is one of the top photographers I’ve met , doubles as Cooper’s trainer at Heilmans, was a slick-fielding first baseman for the Beavers, an excellent student worker, and an all-around great guy. Last, and certainly not least, my new favorite YouTube channel is Covid nineteen. I’d like to say follow this page for some great tips on surviving this pandemic, but that would be stretching it a little. But cousin and friend Jerry Frye is one of the funniest guys I’ve ever known and this site proves - if nothing else - he’s a bit goofy. Oh, and take a peak at The Minotian podcast. It’s been on a little hiatus, but I’m hoping we can coax Cole out of retirement to work a little of his voice magic on this site in the future. Now, cut to Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties or Chandler and Monica on Friends, learning something and we’ve wrapped up our first clip or flashback episode. So basically, just like those shows, we were either in contract negotiations with a major star or, well, we were just being lazy. But, as lazy as it might be, all of these accounts, some national, some local, some with millions of followers and some with 66, deserve credit for helping me along the way and could use one more follower or view so check them out. Oh, and the those sites who see a rush of new views, advertisement checks can be mailed at any time! While the outward appearance is the physical manifestation of a lifestyle change, I’ve changed an even larger way, on the inside. Stress and how it relates to well-being have been paramount in what I’ve tried to learn — and then ultimately practice — over the past two years. This change started well before the physical changes occurred. The fact that you have to heal the mind before you can heal the body is certainly something I have taken to heart. It seems like the idea of visiting about stress and how it relates to weight loss, well-being and wellness seems a bit strange with what is happening all over the world, but it also serves as a reminder that no matter what we do, there will be stresses in our lives. Some much greater than others, and some that we have absolutely no control over. But, when faced with times like these, how we’ve approached the last day, week, month, and year, can have a great effect on how we react to these large, outside, surreal type events. The piranhas are the things that get to us ultimately, well before the sharks. I think that is one of the all-time great quotes in sports history. Former Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen described the small-ball game the Minnesota Twins were playing in 2006 as the piranhas, little nibbles here and there and the next thing you know, you are shredded. The shark, you see that coming with the big fin and the ominous music, so you might have a chance to get away from that. You don’t even see the piranhas coming. Before I even had a fighting chance to reshape my body, I had to come to terms that I needed to reshape my mind. I’ve posted a couple “before” photos of me, but the one I like the most is my profile photo during my time in athletic communication. It’s on the front page along with my current photo. My smile is exactly the same in both. I was happy on the outside. I’m genuinely a happy guy. I hope my personality enters the room before I do. I worked my ass off day in and day out and kept showing up for more. I believed in the cause and I’d like to think I was a good boss and mentor to the department. But I wasn’t happy. I really hated what I had become. I now understand who I was and don’t fault that person, but I find it completely unacceptable that I allowed myself to become that person. I’m embarrassed to think how I was as a husband, father, brother, son, coworker, boss, and, right down the core, person. None of that has anything to do about weight. Happiness is such a fickle thing. I’m taking an online course from Yale (yes, I named dropped the Ivy League school) on the Science of Well-Being and it has hit the mark on what we think will make us happy, doesn’t. Really, no amount of money, no amount of looks, no amount or prestige, will ultimately make me happy. It’s the little choices. My own piranhas. The day-to-day choices and consequences of those choices. I have to be able to overcome the piranhas, to be wary of the sharks, and probably the crabs and lobsters (they attack the Achilles heel, another great line from Eddie Izzard) as well. I’m still fragile and I’ve come to accept that a little more each time as well. Men aren’t supposed to feel that way, either. Men, just like body image, aren’t supposed to care about any of that. But, I’m still sent into a funk each and every time I get negative feedback. I was reminded of that earlier this week. I kind of think I am sent a little further down that line now because I notice it. But, the noticing is important. I’ll let you in on a little secret as well. No matter how tough and self-reliant we are, the public compliment is gigantic. Don’t think you crave positive feedback? Too tough to need it? Don’t care what others think? Too an extent, good, you are independent, your own person, strong, that’s awesome. Now, earn some sort of public, positive feedback. Wow it feels good. My example comes from a friend who chose to use his platform in a meeting to single me out to a group of my peers. He didn’t need to do it, didn’t warn me, and I certainly didn’t ask for it. Wow, it felt good. I still feel like I’m riding that high a little. So, while I’m a huge proponent of offering a personal thank you and an attaboy whenever possible, the public, heartfelt version goes a long way. It’s why social media can be such a powerful tool. I post so many more little achievements, especially these milestones from walking, or the weight loss, of person triumphs — a deep rooted desire for public adoration. So, what do piranhas, and attaboys, and public feedback ultimately have to do with stress? Now, I’m not a clinical psychologist, I’m not trained in stress management, and I 100% believe that if you feel like its overwhelming, seek professional help. Please, seek it out, no one is tough enough to deal with that on their own. But, I’ve found a few ways to deal with my levels of stress. I’ve joked in the office with others, but two simple ideas I’ve been given over time is clean out clutter and have a to-do list. Old school really. I have a notebook on the corner of my desk where I write down a “things to do” each day (most days). I cross them off and begin again each morning. That is a gentle reminder of what needs to be done and I get some self-satisfaction for each crossed off item. My email inbox is just the opposite, last thing each day, delete what can be deleted, file what can be filed, and have just what has to be left in the inbox still in. I’m at my blissful best when the scroll bar disappears! Those are two piranhas get checked off the list most days. I was fortunate enough to be able to change jobs to lower my overall stress level, mostly because I could lower my overall requirements each day, yet stay with the same employer and keep my outstanding benefits. So, I completely understand that just changing jobs, or a change in careers, or do only what you love is so much easier in theory, in a meme on Facebook, than it is in real life. But I can’t thank God or karma or whatever it was enough that I got the opportunity. That probably saved my life. Not hyperbole, the stress, hours, late-night food, more stress, sedimentary lifestyle and another level of stress, would have killed me. Exercise. I’m still not 100% sure if less stress helped me feel better, which made me want to workout more or if working out more helped lower the stress, which made me feel better, or if there is some sort of graph that eventually all the lines converge, but it’s pretty hard to feel the weight of the world while working out. Reconnect with family, friends, loved ones, old enemies, etc. I’m a proponent of social media, I know it has a lot of things wrong with it, but I love being able to connect with everyone from my past and present on Facebook if I want. I try to not live for it, but it is a great tool. Focus on you, give thanks and credit and kudos in abundance, and smile for no reason. All of these little things make a difference. Change. There probably isn’t a more important word when trying to lose weight. For me, the idea to write these things down in an orderly fashion somewhat sprung from not quite knowing what was my initial motivation was for making a change in my lifestyle. You’d think that tipping the scales well north of 300 pounds would be enough, but looking back, I can remember skirting and flirting with 300 pounds too many times. Each time saying, wow, something has got to change, and then falling back into old habits. You’d think general health and well being should be enough, right? Knowing what all that weight does on my internal organs and how my knees and back felt all the time, how disgusting my ankles were (wow, that is going to be a post all to itself…), should have kicked in some sort of desire. You’d think having a son and knowing that my habits could very well be his habits would be enough. But there I was. Now, I can’t quite put my finger on what it exactly was. I guess there probably wasn’t just one thing. There were many. But, I’m certainly happy something finally clicked. I’ve been asked “what did you do?” so many times with so many answers, it finally made me think it was time to get this written. So here are changes I can remember. I think some of this is in chronological order, but certainly not in order of importance. Any one of these things could have helped me move forward, even if it was a lone change. Change in any way is good. But to ultimately get to where I am today and where I plan to go, I think it needed to be all of them working together. Possibly the first thing I can remember consciously doing was to cut out soda for Lent. I have no idea what prompted that either. I am not a huge believer in outward religious demonstrations, I can be a good Christian without announcing I am doing something for Lent. But that was goal #1. I probably surprised myself (and stunned my wife) I kept that one all the way through. I want to be clear on this and many other changes, I don’t blame soda, and I haven’t cut every drop of it. I still enjoy a Coke from time to time. I don’t blame sugar, fat, carbs, beer, meat, or any of the other typical scapegoats when it comes to weight. Everything I consume, good or bad, and every better choice is simply that, a choice. To coincide with that decision, I started to move more. Just a little at the start, around the block a couple times. Walking is one of the best ways to get going. Take a walk, take it at your pace, enjoy the scenery, listen to a podcast, zone out, whatever it takes. Start with a block, stretch that out as you see fit. At my height of just walking, I was getting close to 20,000 steps a day total, probably 15,000 in one long walk. In fact, I’m working slower, steady, long-distance walking back in as my next phase now that the weather is warming up. From there, intermittent fasting became the next biggest change. I’ve written about it already, but know that it can be a powerful tool. Read as many different expert opinions on types of fasts and find one that works. Or do Keto, or low fat, or whatever diet you feel you can stick to. Try a couple in a row to find what works and then stick to it. As the weight started to fall off, it became easier to make other changes. I bought a Fitbit. My tech envy after my wife got one was a key part of the decision, but once I got one, it really changed how I moved. I love how competitive I could be with others and myself with the Fitbit. There are other good trackers out there, but I swear by Fitbit. New shoes! While they are certainly functional, I suppose part of my motivation was vanity, getting the next, newest toy so to speak. As Under Armour added more and more technology, my techno-joy (completely stolen term from one of my favorite comedians Eddie Izzard) kicked in. Again, I love how my shoes track my pace and distance. Internal competition has been a real key. Probably last in the big areas was a return to the weight room. I hadn’t lifted at all since college and hadn’t put this kind of time in the weight room since high school. Adding weights into the routine has given me another level of transformation. The first six months or so of my journey, I lost weight, but I basically looked the same, just less of me. While I had to have that happen and it is 100% a great thing, I wasn’t necessarily happy with how I looked. Weightlifting, specifically the work I’ve done with the outstanding students in Minot State’s personal training class, has made a huge difference in my appearance. From there, attitude, mood, stress, all were big changes. I’m going to write in more depth about mood and stress, so let’s leave that topic for later. Lifestyle changes beyond just working out and eating better are a big part of this journey. All of these changes, some little, some bigger, some quite major, have kept me motivated. I can’t imagine this working without all of them. I was making some moderate gains. I had been working out a little more, walking mostly, maybe watching what I eat a little better, and I gave up soda for Lent and making modest gains. Enough gains for a coworker to mention it. Wow, how you feel the first time you have someone mention you look like you are losing weight. Her kind words came with some advice, however, intermittent fasting. Her boss had been using it. I remember thinking this is just some new juice fast, some fad diet. Anytime you restrict something, you are most likely going to lose weight. But at what cost and is it sustainable? Always the million dollar question. A few days later, I’m on the golf course with the individual she mentioned and he is telling me all about it. He kept saying, “do the research,” after everything. So I did. And, for the last year and a half, it has been my baseline diet. Check out my graphic from Fitbit - slow and steady wins the race, right! That isn’t 100 percent true, I lost a ton right away in what now seems like a blink of an eye. But since then, up a little, down a little more, hard work in between, a couple bouts with injury or wavering enthusiasm for either the diet or the workouts, but in the end, weight has consistently come off. But fasting is ultimately so slow. I will tell you right now, that graphic is one of the best visual motivations for me. I get to see my highs and lows. I can pick out different milestones, the first loop is right before running a half marathon, the gain is right after, there are small increases each fall when the nights become cold and miles shorten, there is an increase last year when I started lifting again and another this year when I really committed to the weight room to transform my body (another post for another day!), and a current drop due to a renewed desire for shredding weight. I completely understand the universal truth in weight loss - calories in vs. calories out. That isn’t the whole truth, but there isn’t weight loss without it. And just about anything that says differently is crap. Stay as far away from it as possible. I also understand that no amount of fasting is going to help if I consume 5,000 calories of trash. I’m not a great faster at times, but what keeps me going is the ultimate simplicity of it. It has worked so well for me. I’m officially a 16 and 8 guy. I try to limit my food to an eight-hour window, usually from about 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. I used to joke that it was called intermediate fasting because I could never remember the dang name, but that probably fit what I was doing most days perfectly. I am still a novice nearly two years later. Again, this is why I like this process so much. If I can get to 12-14 hours, I feel pretty good about myself. If I hit 16, wow, I’m king of the world. I try to break my fast with a protein shake and then limit my food most of the afternoon at work. Usually just the shake until I go home. If the week is going exactly the way I want, I get in a cardio workout at the end of the fast (so many different studies that say this is great and so many that say this doesn’t help, but I’m sold for now…). I try to eat a decent dinner and limit any snacking to bananas or a Cliff Bar at night. Some nights are better than others. The day time is pretty simple at this point. I love coffee and black coffee is on the accepted list. Tea and water are as well and I drink a lot of water during the morning along with my coffee. The nights, well, some nights are an issue. The closest I’ve come to saying to hell with all of this has been after my wife and son have gone to bed and I’m alone with my thoughts and a full cupboard. Back to my coffee for a minute. I drink it all day, decaf at night, a couple cups during the day, usually more on the weekends. I put a little cream in at night, but black in the morning. For the first year, however, I put a little cream in to cut the acidity. I read some great words early on, it said if you need a little cream, put the cream in, you won’t lose as much, but if that is what you need to get through the day, by all means. I think that is what the key to this diet has been for me. Keep my sanity while going through this. I needed simple, I needed flexible, I needed a diet that didn’t cut out one of the food groups and forbade me from items. For me, any of those like keto, or no fat, or vegan, or whatever were too restrictive and therefor, destined to fail. If those are right for you, by all means, do those. The calories, at least in the short term, are the key. But for me, fasting has been the steady part, the ongoing ritual I’ve been able to stick with. If you’re thinking about trying it, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do the research. When is a weight of 235 pounds considered a success? When you wake up one day and the scale reads somewhere north of 300 pounds. The total I put into Fitbit was 307, it was the first weight read on a digital scale and became my starting point. But there is no way that was rock bottom. If you follow this site for long, you will certainly see photo evidence of that. A year and a half later, 70 pounds, a 5K, a half marathon, a regular at Wednesday noon yoga, different protein shakes, fitness bars, about 4 pairs of shoes, countless miles walking, jogging, running, hills, sidewalks, the Wellness Center, heavy weights and light weights, high reps and low reps, ellipticals, treadmills and bikes, 2 Fitbits, and an entire new wardrobe and we are at where we are today. Done? Not even close. Satisfied? Nope. Happy? Most days. So enter the blog. This is my therapy, my accountability, my reminder of how far I've come and how far I have to go. And, it's my medium as a writer. "Get this journey down on paper" has been in the back of my head for a while. But it's 2020, nobody uses paper anymore! Will the things I talk about help you? I hope so. Is it scientific? Well, I read a ton and there is some proof in the pudding, but I'm not a doctor, not a dietitian, not a strength & conditioning coach. I am, however, someone who believes completely that a wellness journey is obtainable by anyone who takes the time - no matter how much time - looks deep down, and commits. There is very little equipment or science necessary in its raw form. Just some miles and determination. The new journey for me begins, I hope you are along for the ride! |
Michael LinnellHefty Northerner on my way to svelte. Scribe, wordsmith, photographer, half marathoner, rediscovered gym junkie & most importantly husband & father.
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