Greetings from Ahch-To...

[benzmike]

So, all...I've recently turned 58 and hit my highest weight ever for my 5'10" frame (265lbs). I've been struggling with high blood pressure, visceral fat and a stalled metabolism. I'm out of breath walking up a moderate 100 foot hill to my morning meeting. My current physical state has me overwhelmed, feeling very vulnerable, struggling with self esteem, and caring less and less about the way I look. The bloating and heart-burn I experience lately disgust me, and I have zero motivation to work out. Somewhere along the way, I got lost.

 

Recent efforts this past summer to exercise and eat cleaner did help me feel better, but yielded no results in weight loss after 3 weeks. I was disillusioned to say the least ("crushed" would describe it better). The lack of results I assumed was a product of my age. I always got good results earlier in life, and was never afraid of hard work-outs and daily gym time. But once I got back to work, all the good habits went away...with a vengeance.

 

The good news is, a little over 3 weeks ago, I got the job I always wanted; Executive Chef at a busy hotel overlooking the Hudson river in New York. I have a great staff and an even more awesome management team supporting me. My days mostly begin at 4am and often end after 8pm. Most of my co-workers are surprised at my long-haul energy, and I usually arrive before, and leave after my Sous Chefs.

I love my work and the challenge, and want every edge I can get to keep this job and excel at it, along with the rest of my life. I know that improving my overall health and improving my strength and endurance are the keys; but as I said before, I'm overwhelmed. Where do I start? How do I fit a workout plan into my work schedule? What the hell do I eat? I seriously feel like I don't know anything anymore, except that it looks like its time to come back from exile and join the rebellion.

 

I welcome the advice and critique of all...

 

 

[Vron]

26 minutes ago, benzmike said:

Where do I start? How do I fit a workout plan into my work schedule? What the hell do I eat? I seriously feel like I don't know anything anymore, except that it looks like its time to come back from exile and join the rebellion.

Hi and welcome.  First of all you have already started by signing on with NF and reaching out for help.  I totally know how you felt after putting in effort for a few weeks and not seeing the number on the scale change.

 

I can't say what will work for you or tell you what to do.  What I can say is that for myself I have realized that I have to be in this for the long haul.  It took me a long time to pack on all the weight.  It will take me a long time to take it off in a healthy way that I can sustain as part of my life.  In the past when I tried to lose weight I weighed myself every week.  This time around I will only be weighing myself once a month.  I do want to lose weight (of course) but that can't be the main focus for me because then that number rules my life. 

 

This time around I am focusing on slowly changing my lifestyle to something that is healthy, that makes me feel good, and most importantly, that I can enjoy.

 

I think it would be good since you are feeling overwhelmed, to start very very small.  Follow the pace that NF sets.  Do the mindset module, do the steps in the emails they send.  I am finding it easy to do.  The hard part is letting go of my anxiety of wanting to do everything all at once and just get there already.  But that has always failed me eventually in the past. 

 

The only exercise I am doing right now is walking everyday.  Only for about 15-20 minutes.  What I have noticed is that after almost 4 weeks, I look forward to my walk most days.  I walk faster.  Don't plan it, just my pace is faster now as a default.  I am not out of breath or tired at the end like I was when I first started.  I will do body weight workouts as they come up in the NF progression.  I want to keep it simple and have it be something I can do at home.

 

The other thing I'm doing is part of my January resolution.  I decided not to drink or eat sugar (except in my coffee, maple syrup, jam, and dark chocolate).  It made it much easier to shop and navigate day to day.  Should I have a donut(s)?  Is it drinking too much if I buy another bottle of wine?  None of those questions come up.  Now it's just a no brainer because the answer is no.  But i still am eating not enough vegetables, eating fast food occasionally and my portions are too large.  But I'm tackling one thing at a time.  February I will allow myself sweets or alcohol but only in a social setting away from home.  That way I can enjoy life.

 

Sometimes I think Oh my god, does that mean I will never know the joys of drinking wine till I'm really buzzed, eating half a large pizza and then 3-4 entemanns donuts?  And my answer to myself is twofold.  First the joy is very very shortlived.  Second, I probably will do that again sometime.  The difference will be when it happens, the next day I will not repeat it.  

 

Oh, also now I am just starting to try out batch cooking.  That way I have a bunch of food to eat and some to freeze.  I posted a successful recipe I tried called Butter Chicken in the recipe forum.  (don't worry, it has no butter).

 

Didn't mean to ramble at you.  At the core I want to say to you: Congratulations on having a job you love and on choosing to try to work on yourself.  Don't panic, you don't have to do it all once.  You don't even have to do most if it all at once.  Be kind to yourself, work with yourself instead of as your own enemy.  You can get to where you want to go.  You really can.  But it's going to take one step after another after another.  That's the good and bad news about it. 

 

 

[zeroh13]

Hi benzmike, welcome! Congrats on the job! 

 

After a long day at work, you won't feel like doing anything. One thing I did when I had days like that (and was consistent with exercise) was take short "exercise breaks" when no one was looking. Like a handful of push-ups using the countertop or wall. It's not much, but it can really add up. And then on my day off, instead of sleeping in I'd go out and do a proper workout. Just get in what you can, when you can. Also, with a job that I'm on my feet and moving around a lot, and hauling around pots and pans and boxes and etc, I've noticed that I generally have more endurance overall. So, depending on how active you were before you got the job, just day to day work could improve your strength and endurance.

 

The real hard part is going to be the food. And it's not just eating cleaner, it's also how much you eat. (The first time I started eating cleaner, I actually gained some weight because my calories went up from snacking on nuts and seeds (which had replaced snacking on chips and candy).) And being surrounded by food at work makes it even harder. One thing to pay attention to, is when you're taste testing. Is it a small bite, or a big spoonful? And do you find yourself grazing? A lot of chefs I know are guilty of both of these. I've also seen a lot of stress eating (and other bad habits), because it's a really stressful job.

 

Feeling better from exercising and eating cleaner is a good sign. Weight loss is a slow and painful process. And there are a lot of reasons that could explain why it didn't go down after three weeks. Basically, if the weight isn't going down, make a couple of changes and see if it makes a difference. I think it's also important to take measurements in addition to weighing in.

 

With where to start, I try to pick something simple and small. Like, limiting myself to one bag of chips or less a week. Or not buying junk food at the grocery store. Or doing a short workout once a week. Or picking one exercise and doing it X times a day or week. (Sometimes doing a workout isn't feasible for me, cause I wore myself out working a long, busy shift on top of working the previous five days and I just want to stay in bed and not interact with the rest of the world. It's not unusual for me to only have one day off a week during the busy seasons, or sometimes none. With a schedule like that, it's just easier to do Y exercise X times a day/week. Because I can usually find a minute to do a couple here and there.)

 

Try picking a couple of things to start, and when you've got the hang of them, add a couple more things.