by ToothlessFerret » Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:12 am
I am MUCH fitter and as far as I know, much healthier than I was years ago!
I'm 45 years old going on 21. Three years ago I was fat and unfit. I had never exercised, never played sports, never been inside a gym, never ran, didn't even like sports! I had lived on a diet of junk food - the sort of processed stuff that fills the supermarket aisles - sweets, pies, chips, crisps etc. My BMI was 29.9 and it was fat!. I couldn't sprint, I would get out of breath going up stairs, I suffered from lots of colds and sickness, and I suffered from awful heartburn / indigestion. In my head I sort of expected an early death - I guess that its a common attitude and maybe down to low self esteem. A nurse warned me that I had to do something about my lifestyle, or my lifespan expectancy was going to plummet - but like the others, I continued to ignore the warning, despite the levels of heart disease in my family history.
Then I bought a dog, and something seemed to click - I don't know what, but suddenly I became aware. I started learning about nutrition, eating healthy, dog-walking, then jogging, running, joined a gym - I'm an all or nothing type, and I got caught up in it all like a born again fitness freak.
In less than six months I lost 4 stone (56 pounds or 25 kg). I regained some of this weight and fat by mistakingly bulking too much for the weights that I was lifting, so I've had to cut back a few times. I try to maintain a weight of around 70 to 72 kg. I'm 173 cm tall (5ft 8") tall. I found that under all of the fat that I am actually a small bloke. I train for strength and fitness. I have been following a 5 x 5 routine now for several months - working out at home. Sometimes I'm very good - I keep to 3 x per week. Other times though I drift into other exercises for a little while such as running (training for a race) or hiking, and the weight training goes onto the back burner for a month. Then I get back to the weights again! My biggest downfall is also the booze! I don't drink as much as the old fat me, but it does sometimes build up a little. Just recently I've been drinking too much cider and red wine.
Differences between now and three years ago: I have more self confidence, the heartburn and indigestion is extinct, my skin feels great, my muscles are becoming more defined, I don't see my doctor, above all - I enjoy living more. And not just under the barbell - I love it outdoors more, its as though I can appreciate my surroundings more.
Oh - the other difference ... whats a cold? I rarely fall ill anymore. Ok, I'm still very allergic (I'm an asthmatic and also suffer chronic hives), but I don't often get colds or 'ill'.
Do I feel 10 years younger? No, because I wasn't as fit 10 years ago. If any fat and unfit 43 year olds read this - my message is, that you can become the person that you want to be - just start working at it. The rewards will soon start to arrive in terms of better well being, fitness, and self confidence.
But I did. These guys have been a great help and encouragement through some tough times for me and they probably don't even realize it. - Pagangoddess
) do now that I did when I was much younger. I have more aches and my recovery after lifting is not as good. However, I am squatting and bench pressing more than I ever have and I am sure that I will have the lowest body fat percentage that I ever had within the next 90 days. 
