For Pelican Fatties: Moderate Fitness Improvements Can Make A Big Difference

[jyl]

This is mentioned already on the weight loss challenge thread, but as there's like two of us following that thing anymore, I wanted to make it known more broadly. I think it might be relevant to a few of us, especially the older and fatter Pelicans (don't get offended, I include myself).

At my annual doctor's visit this week, I learned that moderate improvements in one's physical fitness can make a substantial difference to our medical condition.

In the last two years, my weight has gone from 214 to 182 and my activity level has gone from sedentary to light activity. The result has been that my cholesterol levels have all gone from high to normal, my blood sugar from "borderline pre-diabetic" (per doctor) to normal, my blood pressure from 120/80 to 102/51.

The point I want to emphasize is that this didn't require going from morbidly obese to ridiculously fit. This only required going from rather fat to still somewhat heavy.

At 214 lb and 5' 11", I looked kinda heavy but, frankly, not unlike the average near-50 y/o guy you see in most parts of the USA. I wore 36" pants and L tops. At 182 lb, I look better. Wearing 32-33" pants and M tops. But I am still borderline obese per the traditional BMI charts and there is still plenty of fat in there (I used to scoff at the BMI charts as being unrealistic, but after doing some body fat testing, I'm becoming a believer).

We're coming up on the holidays and then the traditional New Years' PPOT Weight Loss challenge. Just a thought. My goal for 2012 is 160-170 lb.

[Zeke]

Good info and very true.

[HardDrive]

Very true. My weight tends to fluctuate about 15 pounds, which doesn't seem like much. But I feel pretty lethargic with that extra 15 on me.

[azasadny]

I'm at 190lbs and I'd like to get to 175, but I also use my liver enzymes, uric acid level, overall health and well-being as a gauge of my health status. I seem to gain weight every fall in preparation for our MI winters, then lose it in the late spring. I'd like to break that cycle this year...

[Tobra]

Will be tough to do Art, humans are sort of hard wired to do that. If you don't do your aerobic activity early in the day, try and fix it so you do. After you work out, your metabolism will tend to stay up, puts you on a faster idle, so to speak. You are sort of limited on diet changes you could pull off.

120/80 seems more of a normal BP than 100/50. How is your energy level? Are you are on a BP medication? What is your resting heart rate?

[strupgolf]

What did you do to loose the weight? I'm in the same boat as you had been.

[kach22i]

It's getting cold here, frost warnings tonight. It's going to get harder and harder to stay active.

[jyl]

Tobra, my energy level seems normal. 56 bpm just now, of course it is 5:30 am and I've only recently awoken. I've been on 25mg atenolol since I was 30 y/o and 162 lb. Back then I was 150/100 and 100 bpm resting, without the beta blocker. In the decades since, the drug has typically kept me around 120/80 and 70-80 bpm. A couple years ago I went up to 50mg, now I'm back down to 25mg.

I'm thinking maybe I try halving the 25mg. Doctor said I could try going off it entirely. I'm going to check my BP a few more times.

The one med change I have definitely planned is to stop the statin and see what happens.

[jyl]

Strupgolf, sending you a pm. Basically, counted calories.

[djmcmath]

I'll pass along my single greatest fitness tip: shop healthy.

If I can maintain my discipline when I'm at the store, I don't bring unhealthy food into the house, so I don't eat unhealthy food. I have to plan ahead, but I pack lunches that are primarily fruit/veg/protein (no starch!) and I don't eat junk. It makes a huge difference, really. To reward myself for eating healthy during the week, I eat (almost) whatever I want on weekends, and I still make gains.

The second greatest lesson learned: Make a point of getting your heart rate up once a day. Twice is better, if you can manage it, but isn't required. It doesn't even necessarily have to be a formal "workout" and what-not. I found that when I walked the two miles to work instead of taking the metro, even if I wasn't running, I was still in better shape. Subtle, but it helps.

[cantdrv55]

Congrats on the weight loss, John!

I agree with you about moderate fitness improvements. A couple of months ago I took a customer on a road bike outing. I had been riding a little bit but he hadn't so he was really dragging his butt. Since then, he's joined a running club and had been walking 30 - 45 minutes a day while maintaining his heart rate around 75% of max HR. He's been careful about his diet as well. I saw him again just last week and he's dropped 17 pounds whereas I'm still a fattie! I just need to focus on riding more, regardless of the distance instead of always planning on doing epic rides every month or so.

Originally Posted by jyl

This is mentioned already on the weight loss challenge thread, but as there's like two of us following that thing anymore, I wanted to make it known more broadly. I think it might be relevant to a few of us, especially the older and fatter Pelicans (don't get offended, I include myself).

At my annual doctor's visit this week, I learned that moderate improvements in one's physical fitness can make a substantial difference to our medical condition.

In the last two years, my weight has gone from 214 to 182 and my activity level has gone from sedentary to light activity. The result has been that my cholesterol levels have all gone from high to normal, my blood sugar from "borderline pre-diabetic" (per doctor) to normal, my blood pressure from 120/80 to 102/51.

The point I want to emphasize is that this didn't require going from morbidly obese to ridiculously fit. This only required going from rather fat to still somewhat heavy.

At 214 lb and 5' 11", I looked kinda heavy but, frankly, not unlike the average near-50 y/o guy you see in most parts of the USA. I wore 36" pants and L tops. At 182 lb, I look better. Wearing 32-33" pants and M tops. But I am still borderline obese per the traditional BMI charts and there is still plenty of fat in there (I used to scoff at the BMI charts as being unrealistic, but after doing some body fat testing, I'm becoming a believer).

We're coming up on the holidays and then the traditional New Years' PPOT Weight Loss challenge. Just a thought. My goal for 2012 is 160-170 lb.

[jyl]

You must have bike legs that stay with you even when you don't ride much. I get on the bike after a while of not riding, and I'm weak as a kitten. Not sure I ever get much stronger, actually.

[Baz]

John,
Congratulations and thanks for the inspiring post!
I have found walking to be a very easy way to help stay fit - and I live at the beach so there's a huge plus for this type of activity.
I usually take on some pounds in the winter but am going to fight it hard this year.
Again - kudos on your post and efforts!
Baz

[Tobra]

Unless you lost in genetic roulette, you should be able to go off the statins. You are probably pretty acclimated to the 100/50 thing.

Perhaps the single most under rated thing for good health is adequate, restfull sleep.

If I need to lose a little weight, I stop eating late in the day. Drink more water and don't eat after 1600 and it comes off me steadily, so far anyway. Maybe I turn 50 and it goes south on me.

[T77911S]

i dropped 35 pounds. im down to 190 and need to lose another 30 but i am stuck.

when i raced bicycles i was around 165, and even though i would ride as much as 300 miles a week, i had a hard time losing weight back then.

[jyl]

When you hit a plateau, assuming you've been dieting to lose the weight, sometimes you can eat more (like, maintenance calories) for a couple weeks, then go back to dieting. Also you can drink more water.

I, too, was 162 lb back in the day. I don't see a logical reason I can't be so again, though I'm not necessarily going to try.