I'm 43 year old father of 4 and stuck in a high stress business. At the rate I'm going Ill be lucky to get to 50. I have decided enough is enough. I want to be the man that gives my daughter away. I want to be there for my future grand children. I'm starting my Journey today. So begins the next chapter of my life.
I intend to lose as much weight as possible and maintain it. Its going to be a tough journey with ups and downs but its no longer 'I need to sort this out' its now I have to or I wont be around to have any further say in the mater.
I'm looking for advice to get back into walking type exercise to start. Change my diet significantly to anything that will not increase the risk of gout.
So I'm turning to this forum as the starting point.
All advice will be greatly welcomed and recieved
Written by
RobSoper
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Very good! Your thinking and situation seems to have been a little like mine. How much weight to you want to lose? And do you like exercise? If you're in a high stress business you may find it harder to make time, though. And if you are often eating out that makes it tough as well. Starting with walking is great. Just remember that it's eating less and really cutting down on alcohol which really makes a difference.
It high stress as I own the business. The cutting down of alcohol wont be so hard for me . I drink once a month and then not much. My biggest problem seems to be the lack of motivation after a hard days work. My kids all eat the usual rubbish and I often end up eating similar rubbish sadly. The exercise will be a key issue for me being I often work 8 till 8 and then try my best to rescue my wife from the 4 kids. But its something that must be done.
I wonder if theres some exercise you could do with your children after work? Killing at least 3 birds with 1 stone, kind of approach. I'm sure you feel knackered working such long hours, but you might find exercise helps with stress and also you should sleep better. My hubbie (also 43) takes our kids swimming quite often - so not exactly a formal exercise program but great cardio work out chasing them pretending to be a shark. Also cycling, kick about in the park. My son wants him to do the park run with him on saturday mornings but he tried that once and took about a week to recover!!! So thats a future plan - couch to 5k first perhaps. Now its lighter in the evenings it'll be easier to do this kind of thing.
yes I'm actually looking at helping my sons learn to play rugby better in the evenings. I've bought a pair of rugby boots. I've bought a tackle shield and I'm looking for a tackle bag next. Swimming isn't really something I like to do personally (probably because I'm aware of my appearance) and in our area the late evenings are reserved for scuba diving and swimming Clubs.
I've already bought my self a solid bike and intend to start going up the reservoir with my boys every weekend if I can.
As stated I have a plan for the physical side of things. My issues are more diet based I think.
Up until February 2013 I actually had an active life style. I was still competing in Kickboxing events and I was a junior instructor for Wado Kai Karate....this all ended with a severe injury and the on set of a 10000 to 1 condition called compartment syndrome. Depression set in and the weights now going up and up every year.
Yes it sounds like you have a really active past and it wont take too much to get back into it I'm sure. Its difficult to go from very active to not at all, and all to easy to gain weight in that situation when you aren't burning off all the extra calories. You are right that diet is the main thing anyway, and you sound like a very determined character! Best of luck with your first week.
Hello RobSoper and welcome to the weight loss forum. You have some very positive incentives there and I'm sure you will succeed 😊
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Have a look at the NHS 12 week plan, as many people have had success with it. Also use the BMI checker to find your target calories, it's important to eat enough. This was a major turning point for me, realising I could eat anything I wanted as long as the calories are accounted for 😊
Don't forget to take your starting measurements and a 'before' picture, as they can be very motivating on days that the scales refuse to co-operate 😊
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I have been on this journey for a few months and I find it very supportive. I have not followed and named diet, I have just started eating sensibly and smaller portions. I have investigated mindfulness and am trying to incorporate it into my life and I find I am less stressed for it . good luck on your journey
Good luck on your first week. I'm starting week 4. If exercise is not going to be the problem, try counting the calories of what you eat on a normal day. This actually shocked me, as I eat quite healthily, and I was way over the top, consuming too much!!! Maybe seeing what you actually consume will help. It also helps to keep a food diary. I find that writing it all down (good or bad) helps see what you're actually consuming. Maybe that will help!!
Firstly, welcome and congratulations on your decision to lose the weight! Reading your post and your answers to others, it strikes me that your main downfall appears to be eating the wrong foods. Not sure whether you have any allergies/intolerances, but perhaps starting with adding more fruit for snacking into your diet and weaning the kids and you from any junkfood you are eating may be a good way forward. Have a look at high GI foods (carbs, but good carbs that don't spike an insulin rush) and see whether you can get your family to join in. After all, healthy eating is good for everyone, not just the overweight. Very best of luck - you children will thank you for it!
Hi Rob, I recognise several similarities in your post to my situation. I too decided enough was enough and started doing something about it in January. Here are my observations / tips:
It sounds like you have the motivation you need which is fantastic.
You hardly drink which is a great start
You have exercise in hand which is superb
So it really does come down to what you put into your body. Work out what calories you need to lose weight at a steady and sustainable rate. There are many online tools to do this. Then you just need to stick to it. There are also many calorie counting tools / aps available (my fitness pal for example). These will help you keep track of your food intake. Once you have got that bit sorted then you can start to look at things like the types of carbs you eat, when you eat, the balance of your diet etc. But I would recommend taking small steps.
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