I Need Help! (Advice for Out of Shape 40 Year Old)

[rexster314]

First thing is to go see your doc and have a checkup including EKG and/or stress test. Get any health issues, if any, taken care of before you start any regimen. Unless you've been doing this all along and if so, you're good to go

[WillBrink]

LOL. Perfect response. Game. Set. Match.

My problem is portion control: I always seem to think I need more than I do. I'm learning how to eat less, and I find that I don't miss the "extra" portion. For example, when an 8 oz steak is just as good as a 12 oz steak as far as not feeling hungry in an hour.

You might experiment with maybe ordering "just" the burger without the fries and see if that fills you up, or "just" the small breakfast portion instead of this plus that plus that and that.

Probably not a huge surprised I'm divorced. You can win the battle, but lose the war, by opening your pie hole. I note men who stay married a long time, keep their mouth shut to keep the piece, and or, always seem to have a shop in basement or garage they spend a lot of time in.

[Hmac]

Irrelevant to the thread. Never mind

[Pappabear]

Im 56 and 205lbs, pretty lean for an old fart. I always give a few suggestions for people starting. If you miss for a day or a week, don't freak out and quit. The is a long term lifestyle change, the more consistent the better but don't throw in the towel- EVER. Carbs are the enemy of all people, try to cut them down. This is a general statement as Atkins said, "The whiter the bread the quicker your dead". Eat foods of color. Green is a good one and lean meat.

You don't have to kill it to start seeing progress. Try to do something every day, walk or bike or hike or lift. Light weights 2 to 3 times a week is fine. You don't have to do Chest and shoulders on Mon-wed and back Bis legs Tues Thurs.
Do a full body workout that last 30 to 45 minutes when you lift. You can build from there if you choose.

Start simple and enjoy the process. Your wife is worried your going to die in your arm chair. Tell her thank you. You can always run with an M4,

PB

[Greentimber]

You can always run with an M4,

PB

This helps tremendously.

[JimP]

Papabear hit it!! I'm same age and same philosophy. BLUF: It's all about what you put in your pie hole. I'm about 12-13% body fat, my blood work is better than it has been for years, I feel and look good. I'm eating Keto and doing intermittent fasting. Hit the gym intensely 4X a week but do HIIT so I am out in about 30-40 minutes. best shape I've been in in years.

Also - need to get some good sleep and reduce stress.

[militarymoron]

"I'll go if you will" would be my response.

I'll advise to the contrary - one should take complete responsibility for one's own health and fitness. I know that it's sometimes tough, but once you realize that you have to be fit for yourself first, loved ones after, you should never miss a workout because your partner doesn't go. Be the partner that motivates the other person, not the other way around.

It's your health. It's your pain. It's you who suffers first (if you neglect your health). Take the lead. Go to the gym. Get in shape and make her jealous.
My wife and I both do our workouts separately (except for rock climbing) because we both take personal responsibility for our own health.

If I had to prioritize changes, it'd be eating habits > cardio > resistance training.

[militarymoron]

You can win the battle, but lose the war, by opening your pie hole. I note men who stay married a long time, keep their mouth shut to keep the piece, and or, always seem to have a shop in basement or garage they spend a lot of time in.

Depends on the woman. My wife and I have had arguments where I didn't back down and stuck to my principles. Later on when we talked it over, she admitted that the respected that. She said 'I already have a pussy; I don't want to be married to one." This april will mark our 20th anniv.

[WillBrink]

I'll advise to the contrary - one should take complete responsibility for one's own health and fitness.

Obviously agree on all fronts as that's how I approach things, but I also will give kick back to anyone who decides my business is their business, GF, wife, or otherwise poking at me about something they themselves not doing/not willing to do, then mind you're own biz. Real world, my GF was a competitive bber when I met her who has been very hit or miss for extended times on her exercise, which has no impact on my schedule. I don't know his wife obviously, but it's rare he needs to lose some weight/get in shape, but she does not...obviously, she could also be a fitness model in crazy good shape.

Two, statically speaking, if one person gets focused on losing weight/getting into shape, in a relationship when the other does not, success rates drop dramatically.

[Doc Safari]

I do want to add one incentive for exercise: all the diet and supplements you take are very much only part of the story.

My new motto is: there's no pill like the pill called "exercise."

I'm borderline diabetic with high cholesterol, although neither is high enough to warrant medications.

The doctor told me to start walking at least three miles a week. For reasons I won't get into I had slacked off over the last year even doing ranch work and it showed.

As soon as I started back into my hiking regimen all my numbers dropped by several points. I could not have done that on diet and supplements alone.

There's no pill like the pill called "exercise."