Reformed Couch Potato

First of all, this feels really stupid to be "sharing" on-line with a bunch of strangers.  I'm a 50 year old man ("man" in every traditional sense of the word) so touchy, feely, "let's talk about our feelings" sorts of things are just not in my DNA.  I used to be the only male in my office and every Friday, all the gals would gather around to talk about their latest OB/GYN visit, or gripe about the runs in their hose, etc.  I'd eventually have to get up and walk out, telling them I was going to find someone to scratch and spit with.  I felt like if I didn't get out of there I was going to have to start hanging gingham curtains and bringing in sewing tips :)

Anyway, if you looked up "couch potato" in the dictionary, you would have found my picture next to the entry.  Except for getting up and going to a very sedentary job (software engineer) each weekday, I've spent pretty much every available leisure hour sitting in my recliner watching TV or reading a book.

For most of the time this wasn't really a problem (or at least I didn't perceive it as one).  I was blessed with pretty good genes most of my life and could eat pretty much whatever I wanted without experiencing obvious weight or health problems.  And up until age 45, I always felt really good about myself.  At that point I didn't have much trouble with normal daily activities (stairs, walking, yard work, etc), and although I was about 15 pounds over my recommended max weight, I felt and looked good.

Amount of food intake was never an issue with me.  I always ate very reasonably sized meals, rarely took seconds, never eat desert.  However, I was never very conciencious about WHAT I was eating.  Red meat, bread and butter, lots of whole dairy, very few fruits and vegetables, soda and sweetened ice tea, no water.

And what I didn't realize was that my eating habits (which were bad) and my exercise routine (which was non-existent), were very slowly and very insidiously attacking my body in subtle ways that I couldn't readily detect.

Well I don't know what turned the light switch on but I woke up one morning in January 2008 and said to myself, "I feel like crap!"  My body seemed to always be experiencing pain or soreness in one place or the other.  I got easily winded doing the simplest of physical tasks.  I had to cross my legs to tie my shoes because I couldn't bend over at the waist and reach my feet.  Just mowing the yard left me exhausted and hurting.  My energy levels were so low that I was falling asleep at my desk everyday at about 2:00 PM.

So off to the doctor I go for a physical.  And the news was less than cheerful:

Height - 5' 7"

Weight - 195

Blood Pressure - 157/100

Total Cholestoral - 224

HDL/LDL Ratio - 6+

Now granted, by comparison to most American men my age, that probably puts me in the "normal" category.  In fact my research shows that my weight is at the 59th percentile for my age - so a little heavier than average but not much.

But I walked out of his office with an ignited passion and desire to do something.  None of this had anything to do with "body image", "self esteem", "loving myself", etc.  I was just plain sick and tired of feeling like I was 90 years old.

Being an engineer, I have taken an engineer's approach to the problem.  I started with an application of the 80/20 rule.  The 80/20 rule is a general principal that says about 80% of observed phenomenon can be traced back to about 20% or root causes.  The idea being that if you can identify the 20% and correct that, you can achieve dramatically changed results.  And once you root out and correct that 20%, you look at what's remaining, find the 20% underlying that and correct it, then go again (repeat as often as necessary).

For me, identifying the first 20% was very easy - 3 regular Coca Cola's per day, no water, and no exercise.

So Week 1 - cut out all sodas, go strictly to water - at least 1.5 to 2 liters per day, and 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, 3 days a week.  Results - 2 lbs lost.

Week 2 - very encouraged by the results so far so now I start looking for the next 20%.  Not too hard to find.  Too much dietary fat and sugar, and not enough exercise.  So I start trying to make some better food choices and up my exercise to 5 days a week, 45 minutes each day on the eliptical.  Quit sticking my hand in the candy dish on my receptionist's desk every time I walk by. Results 3 - lbs lost.

Week 3 - very excited now.  Really enjoying the new routine.  Feel a whole lot better in my body.  Can take the stairs at work without killing myself.  Have a bit of a spring in my step that I haven't felt in a long time.  Had to pull my belt up one notch.  Found this great site called CalorieCount and have started logging all my food, weight, and activity.  This takes advantage of another general engineering principal - only things that get measured get fixed.  Didn't realize how overall unhealthy my eating was until I started writing it down.  Have set up a 1900 calorie per day eating plan with a 3000 calorie per day burn plan.  This should help get me on a steady and healthy weight loss regimine of about 2 lbs per week.  I miss the late night snacks and greasy cheeseburgers but not so much that I'm miserable or can't resist.  The eating plan I'm on is enjoyable and sustainable.  I don't feel deprived at all.  In fact on most days, I have to scramble around at night and find a healthy snack to make sure I get all my calories in.  So now I'm ready to find the next 20%.  Also simple enough - rebalance my eating to reduce fat and sugar, add more fiber, protein and carbohydrates.  Currently getting a B+ on my CC nutritional analysis.  Also getting a little bored with the gym routine so signed up for a martial arts class.  Now I alternate every other day between tae kwon do and the eliptical.   Six days of exercise per week with Saturday as a down day.  Results - 3 lbs lost.

So here I sit 10 lbs lighter than when I started 3 weeks ago.  The couch has now become my enemy.  I enjoy really good movies and have one or two favorite TV shows that I sit and watch.  But I can no longer just lean back and mindlessly channel surf for 4 hours every night.  The very act of sitting still makes me anxious and antsy.  I need to be up and moving about.  So now I'm attacking the 150 or so little chores around the house that I've been putting off for I don't know how long - paint the kitchen, new light fixtures, clean and straighten out the garage, and many more that my wife will think of.

I bought a highly reviewed, very accurate digital scale and weigh myself every day immediately after my morning shower.  As of this morning on my scale, in nothing but my drawers, I weigh 181.  I was 195 on the doctor's scale 3 weeks ago but I know my daily work clothing weighs 4 pounds so that would equate to 191 in the "all together".  Therefore I've pegged 191 as my starting weight.  CC recommends I weigh 147, which I think is a little light for me.  I'm looking more toward 155, so I've got somewhere between 26-34 pounds to go.

Feeling great and already starting to plan what my new regimine will be once I hit my goal.

you sound like a "poster child" for caloriecount.  it's really amazing how this can turn things around for people, is it not?  i've been "hooked" for over two years now.  good luck in your adventure!!

Thanks for the encouragement. My wife still thinks aliens came down and snatched her husband and left an imposter in his place. No other way to explain the raving fitness maniac I've turned into.

ha ha!  feeling good is addictive.  kudos to you.

Wow, love this post. Thanks for sharing. :)

And good luck to you on the rest of your journey. :)  

Thanks Rachel. Living in Ireland - how awesome is that! My wife and I are coming up on our 30th anniversary this year and had originally planned to take a trip to Ireland to celebrate. Some unexpected medical and legal expenses in 2007 blew our trip savings away so we won't make it this year but I've always wanted to visit there and will definitly make it some day.

Good luck to you on your weight loss journey!

 

Well, that's unfortunate. But, your 30th anniversary - how awesome is THAT! Congrats! :)

And thank you. :)