Me at 248 lbs. Ain’t going back there.
I’m sitting here planning out 2016 and I thought I’d share one of my goals with you:
I am going to totally transform how I eat.
As you might have guessed, I love to exercise. I think I do a pretty good job burning calories by running all over God’s green Earth. But what I need to do in 2016 is to rethink what I put in my mouth.
You know, the other half of the equation.
Much of what I eat is for self-medication. I eat sugary things (carbohydrates) to give me a boost of dopamine to make me feel better. Life is punching me pretty hard right now and I’ve got a few things that are dragging me down like a boat anchor in a swimmer’s shorts. So it’s real easy for me to eat a salad and then down a jumbo bag of M&Ms.
It’s hard to resist the urge of a sweet treat. I love to shove pie into my pie hole.
To help me learn how to eat better, I’m reading Down Size by Ted Spiker. He’s a writer, athlete, dad and teacher — much like myself. He’s also a Clydesdale — a non-typically built heavy athlete. Once again, just like me. I feel like he’s like a brother giving me some great advice. It’s not just a diet book. It’s a book that explains WHY we eat and gives strategies to help get us on the right track. It’s learning about motivation as much as it is about calories.
And this is me at 205 lbs.
I am 48 years old. I don’t look it. I don’t feel it. But I am heavier than I need for this phase of my life. I weigh 215 lbs — which isn’t too bad for someone who is 6’1″. (I used to weight 248 lbs.!). But I’d like to get down below 200 lbs. (I was 175 lbs. when I was married and when I played football) I’m not tackling running backs any more so I don’t need the weight. Plus, I’ve seen the health challenges my parents have had — and since I’m made up of 100% of their genes, it’s time to get proactive and get healthy. I also know that to be lighter will help me deal with the incredible amount of stress I’m under right now. I’m at the magically age where men like me drop dead from heart attacks. I don’t want to give my body any excuses to take me out. I’m having too much fun.
In a week, I start Fit4Change (again). We will be tested medically and I will share those numbers with you. I’ll also share my eating and exercise successes and failures. I will try to resist the Dark Side of M&M’s and Cap’n Crunch. But I know this isn’t sprint. This a marathon. I want to be just alive when I am 80. I want to be living.
The key word is living.
Now to eat some oatmeal. I might even snort some Kale. Or take a fish oil suppository. Or something healthy like that.