This is sort of a self-introduction and progress post, but I thought I would share an experience. In general, I think the advice to make small, gradual changes is good. I approve of it in principle, even though I haven’t been able to build up from these changes successfully in the past. But that is not what happened this time. I didn’t really choose my approach, rather I was somewhat driven to it…but, it’s working.
How it started:
At the end of 2022, I was having a combination depressive episode and midlife crisis moment that was only exacerbated by the bacchanalia and enforced gaiety of the holidays. In an effort to climb out, give myself a project or two, and turn crisis into opportunity, I decided to try out a few simultaneous changes to my diet and lifestyle, figuring that if even some portion of them stuck it would be an improvement. On December 31, I did the following:
- I stopped eating meat. I do still eat fish, but with a bias toward small fish (sardines above all, but also anchovies, mackerel, herring, etc.) and shellfish (clams, oysters, shrimp, crab, squid). I also still consume eggs and milk products. So pesco-ovo-lacto, but I have shifted to basing a lot of my meals around legumes and soy (tofu, tempeh). This was not primarily about weight loss or even health, but it has made me think about what I cook and eat.
- I stopped drinking alcohol. This, also, was not primarily about weight loss. I needed to start by determining how problematic my relationship to alcohol was.
- Then I figured that I may as well try to lose weight too. I eyeballed down my portion sizes, tried to eliminate junk food snacking, and aimed for protein and fiber at every meal while curtailing starches and sugar.
- I had never stopped going to the gym entirely. I’ve been going to gyms, off and on, for weights and/or cardio, since my teens. But my last real moment of high gym effort was 7-8 years ago, in my mid-40s, and it was eventually slowed by a shoulder injury and unrelated hospitalization. By late 2022 I was going 2-3 days a week, more or less just for cardio. This was certainly a good thing. But starting with the new year, I’ve been trying to increase my intensity, and on an ideal week now aim to go 5 days/week for strength and hypertrophy-oriented resistance work, with the standard goal of trying to maintain musculature while in deficit, along with 20-30 minutes of cardio in which I mostly try to get my heart rate up for a decent interval or two. On days 6-7, I usually get some walking in.
- I tried to start walking more in everyday life – notably, to/from work, which is about 1.5 miles away.
To be honest, I haven’t been counting calories or measuring portions closely. Since my old, bad diet had kept me hovering at 230+/-5 lbs. for a few years, I just figured that the new, improved version would be enough to kick me into deficit, and it has been. I mean, for starters, I was probably drinking 3-400 calories in alcohol per day; that’s 3/4 of a pound per week with no other changes. But I probably should get a bit more precise in the future.
How it’s going:
Not bad, over all. I probably came in a bit hot. I track my daily weight, a seven-day change, and then a trailing week’s average of seven-day changes, and for a bit in January that average seven-day loss was over four pounds/week. OK, water weight. But my February average was three pounds/week, and by that point I think any water weight effect should have disappeared. I’ve tried consciously to eat a bit more to bend that down to two pounds/week or less, and that mostly has worked in March. But my energy is up, so I think I escaped unscathed. My face is narrower, my waist has dropped from a tight 36 to a loose 34, and a 43 jacket that I couldn’t button three months ago is loose around the middle. The 46 is now a tent. My acid reflux has disappeared.
Beyond a planned “cheat day” on January 6, when we had dinner over friends’ house, I’ve stuck to my meatless diet, although I’ve compromised on salmon on a few occasions, particularly at restaurants whose version of vegetarian is dreary or protein-less. I’ll probably land on some version of flexitarian long-term, because of social obligations and because there are places I travel where non-meat eating can be harder, but I’m trying to be strict at home. I kept to no (significant) alcohol – I do still cook with wine – from January 6 until March 10, when we went on vacation and I had a few drinks over a few days. Then I stopped. Then I had a Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day. Then I stopped again. Empty calories aside, this was to be demonstrated. Likewise, I would be happy to land as an occasional drinker.
I do cook, and my staples for winter were a variety of bean/legume stews - ribollita, a variation on lentil and beef stew substituting roast mushrooms for the umami element, pea soup without ham, a ground nut soup, variations on chana masala. Also some other soups, like seafood gumbo and clam chowder (minus bacon). I still do have pasta (puttanesca, for one), just watch the portion size. Also, I do a lot of stir-fries with tofu, tempeh, or shrimp. For lunch, I gravitate to leftovers, hard-boiled eggs, hummus, or a can of sardines with some vegetables or fruit. For breakfast, a bowl with some added fruit and greens and a bit of muesli based around yoghurt or cottage cheese, or sometimes some eggs. I also make up big batches of foul mudammas – Egyptian cumin-lemon fava beans – throwing in some kale or spinach or a bunch of cilantro and keeping the olive oil grace notes down. Other favorite things include unsweetened kefir, good feta, and, for snacking, dry-roasted edamame, which is what I reach for instead of the salty snacks (chips, pretzels) I used to love. Highly recommended if you are not specifically sodium- or soy-adverse; look at that protein, look at that fiber.
At the gym, I think I’m still making slight strength gains, which, without measuring myself constantly, is the proxy for my attempt to lose more fat than muscle. In absolute terms, I’m not strong. In relative terms, well, the ship of my 25-year-old strength has probably sailed, but I wonder if I can get back to where I was at 45 (without having been lean, then). Possibly that will have to wait for maintenance.
I live in a city where DEXA scans are commercially available and affordable, so I had one in early February when I weighed 213. That showed 136.8 lbs. lean tissue, 6.6 bone mineral content, and 69.7 lbs. (32.7%) body fat. I set 175 lbs. as an initial goal weight based upon the idea that if I can maintain those lean mass figures, that would bring me a few pounds below 20% body fat. Big if, but it struck me as a point at which I might want to take stock and decide whether I want to glide toward maintenance or recomp or something like that. Plus, it was a college weight I remember. Plus, it would be an even 50 pounds. Or maybe I’ll decide to shoot for 170 or 165.
The last few weeks have given me my first pause and significant setback. We went, briefly, on vacation on March 10 and ate out a lot for the next few days, and the hotel gym facilities were sub-optimal. I was paying attention, but not religiously, and not weighing myself. And then, at the beginning of last week, I came down with Covid, and while it wasn’t a bad case I’ve been dealing with that for the last few days and certainly not trying to be in deficit. I’m mostly over it now, and was able to go on a walk of a few miles this morning, but for a variety of obvious reasons I do want to take it slow in going back to the gym itself. Still, March 10 195.4 lbs. to March 26 191.2 lbs., but some of that may not have been good weight to lose.
Fun things about being over 50:
I have a usual assortment of joint issues: back, ankles, a prior shoulder impingement, and bad patellar tracking on my left knee. Just four days of no exercise with Covid left the latter feeling really sketchy. None of this is improved by weight, but neither does it go away magically with weight loss. I’m still not going to be a runner.
I also tried to push weight on legs a bit quickly, and gave myself a bilateral high adductor strain – aka a groin pull – that has been lingering for a good eight weeks now. I do miss rapid recovery.
My testosterone tanked circa 2021. This is not something I’ve addressed. There’s an inverse feedback loop between testosterone levels and adiposity, so I’ll be curious to see whether it comes back.
Likewise, I’ve been on a statin and a blood pressure medication for almost twenty years. They have had very low side effects for me. I’ll be interested to see whether my doctor advises weaning off.
Fat on my face made me look young; as I lose it I’m starting to see more wrinkles. Worth the price, but still.
Finally, let’s just say that forum advice to keep hydration up and get a good night’s sleep have been at odds when I’ve been getting up to pee four times a night!
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