Turning 65 in May; "If you want to change some things in your life, you're gonna have to change some things in your life" ***UPDATED 5-11-23***

[jonsnow]

The WRX community has become my go to support group, therapist, personal trainer, nutritionist & golf instructor over the years. Lots of members with lots of knowledge & good advice. You work cheap, too, which I really appreciate. As the title says I'll be turning 65 in a little more than 90 days & it seems like a good starting point to address some lifestyle changes I should have made many years ago. Specifically, I'm going to achieve a healthy weight; I'm going to exercise consistently & become an (old) athlete again; & I'm going to stop using smokeless tobacco. That's a lot to take on all at the same time & I'm sure I'm going to have many stumbles along the way, but I want to be patient with myself & start over when I stumble rather than quitting in frustration as I have when I've attempted similar changes before. 

 

I'm slightly over 6'1" & weigh 240 pounds. When I graduated HS I weighed 175, when I graduated college I weighed 195 & basically have averaged a pound a year of weight gain since. I plan to weigh 185, whether that takes a year, 2 years or longer. I feel like that is the weight my frame is built to handle. My plan is to GREATLY reduce carbohydrates & sugar in conjunction with intermittent fasting (16/8 method) & a large increase in water consumption. My weakness is carbs & portion control; I don't stop eating when I'm no longer hungry, I eat until I'm full (stuffed) & there is a difference. I don't have any known health issues (although that doesn't mean I don't have a tangerine growing in my brain pan that hasn't been discovered yet) & don't take any medications, although I need to lower my blood pressure or my doctor is probably going to want me to go on medication to lower it if I don't get it down on my own by the time I have my annual physical. Still got all my original body parts & no major problems with any of them. I've actually been very fortunate with my health given that I've taken it for granted so long.

 

On the fitness side, I was a good HS athlete in a couple of sports besides golf; basketball was actually my best sport. Not good enough to play at the college level, at least not where I went to college, but I know my way around a gym & have a pretty clear idea what I need to do. I know there are a lot of people here who have a lot of knowledge on fitness & I'd love to hear your thoughts & suggestions. I do know I'm going to include more cardio (probably walking, not going to try & run until I've lost some weight) & yoga than I have in the past. I still can walk & carry for 18 holes although I don't as often as I used to & I want to get back to that being my default.

 

The biggie is smokeless tobacco. I've been dipping over 40 years & wish I had never started. I've quit many times over the years, once for 6 months, but always backslid & ended up right  back where I was going through 2-3 cans a week. I'm concerned about the health issues I've brought into play for myself. I may have already set myself up for some serious health problems down the road; I can't change the past but I can change my future habits. I'm not kidding myself it's going to be easy, I've tried quitting enough times to know better. But I've found that using ground coffee as a substitute helps with the psychological aspect (tried other things like celery seed but didn't work for me). The physical withdrawal is pretty intense but the worst is over in a couple of weeks. 

 

Some of these things work against each other: when I've stopped dipping in the past I started eating more; when I start eating more I don't feel like working out, etc. My wife is fully on board with this & is well aware I may be more difficult to live with than normal for a while but she's promised to be patient with me & I've apologized in advance to her for the mood swings I'm anticipating. 

 

Sorry to be so long winded, but in addition to all the other things I lean on this community for, I'm now asking you to be my accountability partner. I want to go on the record with what I am doing to my friends here & ask you to not only support me & encourage me but call me on my BS when you smell it. My plan is to post a short update each Monday (starting 2-13) for those interested letting you know what the previous week was like. 

 

 

Edited May 11 by jonsnow
update

[CSagan]

GL sir. Download myfitnesspal and track calories for a while...that'll be the best way to shave some pounds.

 

 

[jonsnow]

5 minutes ago, CSagan said:

GL sir. Download myfitnesspal and track calories for a while...that'll be the best way to shave some pounds.

 

 

Thanks!

[Pepperturbo]

LOL, lots of BS.  Problem, quit dipping and overeating.

 

I am simple, set goals and make them happen, kinda guy.  At 70+ I still hit the gym and keep my weight at 212-215lbs.  My son's grown and have a person in-charge of Operations.  Not a good candidate for calling others on their BS; accountability is big job, that often goes unrewarded. 🙂 

 

But, I am sure others will be chomping the bit at the chance to tell you what's, what.  Good luck!

Edited February 3 by Pepperturbo

[jonsnow]

11 minutes ago, Pepperturbo said:

LOL, lots of BS.  Problem, quit dipping and overeating.

 

I am simple, set goals and make them happen, kinda guy.  At 70+ I still hit the gym and keep my weight at 212-215lbs.  My son's grown and have a person in-charge of Operations.  Not a good candidate for calling others on their BS; accountability is big job, that often goes unrewarded. 🙂 

 

But, I am sure others will be chomping the bit at the chance to tell you what's, what.  Good luck!

Thanks, Pepper! I knew I could count on you to shuck it down to the cob, as we say down South.

[FormerBigDaddy]

Went from nearly 320 lbs as a college offensive lineman to maintaining a current weight of 205 lbs for the last 15 years.  To me it boiled down to 2 things...

 

Tracking Calories and Exercise. It actually works...

 

Over time I made lifestyle changes and dramatically changed my eating habits.  I want to be full for the least amount of calories as possible.  So what does that mean?  Lots of protein, less carbs, and almost no sugar.  I refuse to drink my calories and I exercise enough that I can treat myself when I want so I stay sane.

 

 

Edited February 3 by FormerBigDaddy

[bladehunter]

Brother !   I love to see anyone wanting to better themselves.   I’m the worlds worst  at letting myself go. Working through injury and just not caring in general.    Time is always the issue.  But after 40 that’s telling one me. I’m 43 and have had to make changes.   
 

best advice I can give you on eating is portion control.  Make less. Order less. If it’s not on your plate.  You can’t eat it.  I’m just like you. Conditioned to clean my plate. So I started to just take out less  , or cook less. And I found that I don’t miss the extra. At all.  
 

one more thing. Protein.  I don’t know if everyone  is like this. But for me. I have replaced most sugar with protein . Gone to 2 meals a day.    3 egg omelet with turkey and cheese for breakfast.  That lasts till welll in the afternoon most days. Snack on walnuts , almonds or similar in between and then I have fish or chicken most evenings . Steaks sporadically . This keeps me regulated. No crashes.  It’s not a true “ carnivorous “ diet. But it’s close. And you will see weight drop , and energy go up.  

[Pepperturbo]

5 minutes ago, jonsnow said:

Thanks, Pepper! I knew I could count on you to shuck it down to the cob, as we say down South.

I like that...

 

That said, lots of guys dip, and guys like me enjoy cigars.  Same difference... LOL.  It's not a problem for me. 

[jonsnow]

7 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

Brother !   I love to see anyone wanting to better themselves.   I’m the worlds worst  at letting myself go. Working through injury and just not caring in general.    Time is always the issue.  But after 40 that’s telling one me. I’m 43 and have had to make changes.   
 

best advice I can give you on eating is portion control.  Make less. Order less. If it’s not on your plate.  You can’t eat it.  I’m just like you. Conditioned to clean my plate. So I started to just take out less  , or cook less. And I found that I don’t miss the extra. At all.  
 

one more thing. Protein.  I don’t know if everyone  is like this. But for me. I have replaced most sugar with protein . Gone to 2 meals a day.    3 egg omelet with turkey and cheese for breakfast.  That lasts till welll in the afternoon most days. Snack on walnuts , almonds or similar in between and then I have fish or chicken most evenings . Steaks sporadically . This keeps me regulated. No crashes.  It’s not a true “ carnivorous “ diet. But it’s close. And you will see weight drop , and energy go up.  

I've conditioned myself to clean not only the plate but the pot, too.

[dfeldss]

Good luck amigo. Need to stop dipping myself and also wished i never started. Zyn pouches help me cut back but i haven't kicked it completely

 

As for everything else my advice would be to take it one step at a time. Completely overhauling your lifestyle overnight is unsustainable. The most successful changes i've made for myself have all happened when i make changes in increments (ie. start walking a mile every other day on a treadmill then two weeks later add an exercise or two or a mile or two etc. etc. And that goes for diet stuff or anything else too)

 

I'm a youngin' around here (in my 20s) but that's what's always worked for me

[bladehunter]

2 minutes ago, jonsnow said:

I've conditioned myself to clean not only the plate but the pot, too.

Lol. Man. I get it. Put a pot of pinto beans and a cake of cornbread on front of me on a cold day and I’ll eat till I burst.  And then be gassy for a month.     
 

I think for me once I saw progress , that little bit of willpower became easy. I’d finish what I took out and then wait 3-4 minutes.  And then say “ nah I don’t need more “.  And get up and put my dishes in the washer.  Once i had the power to do that. It got much easier.  
 

you also have to not buy junk.  If it’s in the house. You’ll eat it. But it’s worth it.  You’ll feel better.   Find alternatives for snacks.  

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

43 minutes ago, CSagan said:

GL sir. Download myfitnesspal and track calories for a while...that'll be the best way to shave some pounds.

 

 

The affiliated mapmywalk and mapmyrun apps are decent too.  It's nice seeing how many miles you've gone and how many calories got burned over the last month and year.

[KD1]

Keep some photos of people with their jaws removed in your wallet as motivation to kick the chew.

[jonsnow]

I'm still haunted by the story of Sean Marsee. He died nearly 40 years ago.

 

https://archive.org/details/smokelesstobaccotheseanmarseestory

 

 

21 minutes ago, KD1 said:

Keep some photos of people with their jaws removed in your wallet as motivation to kick the chew.

 

[physasst]

Good luck...I'm turning 52 tomorrow and am trying to focus on losing about 50 pounds as well. 

[VNutz]

@jonsnow

 

Best of luck to you. I feel like I'm reading 20 years into my future on the path I was on 5 or so years ago. The carbs and stuffing myself is my weakness as well. The past 3-4 years I've committed myself to better health via diet and exercise. I like what I'm hearing on limiting the carbs and sugar. I've found when I commit to that (keto) for an extended period of time, not only do I lose weight but my appetite and food cravings diminish greatly. No longer do I need that mid day snack or two. There's a curious satisfaction to it, and it turn with the addition of the weight loss I can feel my blood pressure, anxiety, tension, all tempered.  Just don't go full out red meat and cheese, find some veggies you like along with some chicken, salmon, etc.

 

As to fitness, find something you enjoy that isn't overly taxing on the body, and build from there. Walking is great for many. I'm fortunate to have a long bike path near my house that I can put in 10 miles on to start my day. I can go easy and have a relaxing ride or I can push it and see if I can beat my best times, all without wear and tear on my legs like running. In the summer I'll do that 3-6 times a week and since I enjoy doing so it doesn't feel like a chore that I have to keep up with, it's something I legit wake up wanting to do. Find something similar, or get a friend or spouse to do it with you and help keep you accountable.

 

I'll agree with those that have suggested the MyFitnessPal app, it's such a great tool for keeping track of your intake as well as your progress. It was eye opening when I first started to realize I was occasionally eating over 3000 calories a day at times when I thought I was having a decent food day. When you're aware of what you're eating all day long it helps put things in perspective.

 

One final thing that has helped me considerably as well has been purchasing a smartwatch. I use a Garmin Venu SQ, really simple and inexpensive, and track every activity with it, in fact I track my entire day with it. Steps, heart rate, stress levels, calories burned, sleep, etc. That can tie in with the MyFitnessPal app as well with calories burned to help you get an idea of calories in vs out for the day.

 

Best of luck and keep us posted on the progress.

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

1 hour ago, KD1 said:

Keep some photos of people with their jaws removed in your wallet as motivation to kick the chew.

I've family who've had lip cancer and oral cavity cancers from smokeless tobacco use.  Not as bad as losing their jaws, but the recovery can be really damned unpleasant.

 

So is kicking the habit.  As you know, OP.  You don't want to have to deal with face cancer if you don't need to, OP.

[Soloman1]

The greatest power for success is will power.

[vernon]

I'll be 70 the end of March and just started back to the gym last week.  Looking to rebuild some muscle mass and drop twenty pounds.

 

Was in superb shape on my 60th birthday, weighed 205, could bench 296 and had 12% body fat.  However got rear ended on the interstate and messed my neck and back up pretty good as well as a severe concussion.  

 

The combination kept me out of the gym for nearly two years.

 

A month after I finally got back in the gym I ruptured my achilles while working out and just kinda gave up.

 

Now I'm fat (230) and weak and sick of it.

 

Time to get back in the fight.

 

And by the way, ask your doctor about smoke cessation drugs.  I never dipped but I smoked and like you quit numerous times but always went back.  My doc prescribed Wellbutrin and I was off the cigarettes in less than two weeks and have never wanted one since.  Can't even stand the smell of 'em and that was almost thirty years ago.  

 

I realize that smoking and dipping aren't the same thing but I have a couple of friends that were equally successful with Wellbutrin that had dipped since high school.

 

The chemical in the drug blocks the effect that nicotine has on the brain - hence no reward or pleasure.

 

I was tobacco free and off the medication in thirty days.

 

I'll be following along - best of luck to both of us!

 

[jomatty]

Good luck!  I’m in the first few weeks of a diet and hoping to keep at it.  I’ll be looking forward to hearing about your progress.

[jtmagic]

Best wishes to you and commend your intentions.
 

Hardest thing I have ever done was quitting dip. Similar to you, I was 5 cans a week for 25 years (and married to a dental hygienist so you can imagine the loving lectures with clinical pictures included).  I tried every substitute that I could find to quit but none stuck. Finally realized it was solely up to my level of commitment to do it.  Went cold turkey one day and it has now been 10+ years without a dip.  It took months for the craving to cease especially if I smelled it from being around another dipper.  Gained a few pounds but was only temporary.  
 

Hope you have similar success quitting. 

[againstthegrain]

That's a lot of change all at once.  Good luck!!!

[carrera]

An easy way to start things is to walk/hike every morning.  Listen to a podcast/Audible and get in the habit of waking up, have a cup of coffee and then go for a 4-5 mile walk.

 

My son is in the Navy and he has started dipping - wish he didn't.

 

Good luck...walking and avoiding snacking/bad food is an easy way to get to a healthier weight.

[Kurtis4K]

Awesome to see anyone want to change for the better.  Set small nutritional goals and give yourself graces one mistake doesn't lead to spiraling.  

 

One of the best health hacks I would advise (especially to those on this site) is walk as many rounds as you can.  Walking 18 holes is a great addition to any fitness routine.  Hope to not bring up a polarizing topic but get a push cart.  I was 100% against push cart nation until I got one to make myself walk more and love the decision.

 

Good Luck!!!

[Ex Blade User]

It’s not sexy but try and eat 1 gram of protein for every pound of weight you want to weigh so 185 grams of protein EVERY DAY. Easily accomplished with protein powders. It’s simple but not easy BUT after a couple months the pounds will literally start melting off and you’ll feel awesome 

[MonteScheinblum]

8 hours ago, jonsnow said:

The WRX community has become my go to support group, therapist, personal trainer, nutritionist & golf instructor over the years. Lots of members with lots of knowledge & good advice. You work cheap, too, which I really appreciate. As the title says I'll be turning 65 in a little more than 90 days & it seems like a good starting point to address some lifestyle changes I should have made many years ago. Specifically, I'm going to achieve a healthy weight; I'm going to exercise consistently & become an (old) athlete again; & I'm going to stop using smokeless tobacco. That's a lot to take on all at the same time & I'm sure I'm going to have many stumbles along the way, but I want to be patient with myself & start over when I stumble rather than quitting in frustration as I have when I've attempted similar changes before. 

 

I'm slightly over 6'1" & weigh 240 pounds. When I graduated HS I weighed 175, when I graduated college I weighed 195 & basically have averaged a pound a year of weight gain since. I plan to weigh 185, whether that takes a year, 2 years or longer. I feel like that is the weight my frame is built to handle. My plan is to GREATLY reduce carbohydrates & sugar in conjunction with intermittent fasting (16/8 method) & a large increase in water consumption. My weakness is carbs & portion control; I don't stop eating when I'm no longer hungry, I eat until I'm full (stuffed) & there is a difference. I don't have any known health issues (although that doesn't mean I don't have a tangerine growing in my brain pan that hasn't been discovered yet) & don't take any medications, although I need to lower my blood pressure or my doctor is probably going to want me to go on medication to lower it if I don't get it down on my own by the time I have my annual physical. Still got all my original body parts & no major problems with any of them. I've actually been very fortunate with my health given that I've taken it for granted so long.

 

On the fitness side, I was a good HS athlete in a couple of sports besides golf; basketball was actually my best sport. Not good enough to play at the college level, at least not where I went to college, but I know my way around a gym & have a pretty clear idea what I need to do. I know there are a lot of people here who have a lot of knowledge on fitness & I'd love to hear your thoughts & suggestions. I do know I'm going to include more cardio (probably walking, not going to try & run until I've lost some weight) & yoga than I have in the past. I still can walk & carry for 18 holes although I don't as often as I used to & I want to get back to that being my default.

 

The biggie is smokeless tobacco. I've been dipping over 40 years & wish I had never started. I've quit many times over the years, once for 6 months, but always backslid & ended up right  back where I was going through 2-3 cans a week. I'm concerned about the health issues I've brought into play for myself. I may have already set myself up for some serious health problems down the road; I can't change the past but I can change my future habits. I'm not kidding myself it's going to be easy, I've tried quitting enough times to know better. But I've found that using ground coffee as a substitute helps with the psychological aspect (tried other things like celery seed but didn't work for me). The physical withdrawal is pretty intense but the worst is over in a couple of weeks. 

 

Some of these things work against each other: when I've stopped dipping in the past I started eating more; when I start eating more I don't feel like working out, etc. My wife is fully on board with this & is well aware I may be more difficult to live with than normal for a while but she's promised to be patient with me & I've apologized in advance to her for the mood swings I'm anticipating. 

 

Sorry to be so long winded, but in addition to all the other things I lean on this community for, I'm now asking you to be my accountability partner. I want to go on the record with what I am doing to my friends here & ask you to not only support me & encourage me but call me on my BS when you smell it. My plan is to post a short update each Monday (starting 2-13) for those interested letting you know what the previous week was like. 

 

 

With you.  I’ll be 56 in May.  Was 175 in college, 185 in my 20’s and 30’s and 200 until I was 47.  
 

From 2014 to 2020 I had 3 major injuries that eliminated my activity for months and the Covid lockdown did the same.

 

I gained 10 on each one and have found myself 240-250 since late 2020.

 

Food is my vice and I’ve gotten back to high 220’s a few times and then fall off the wagon.

 

Going to give it another go in 2023.

[Lobby]

I’m 68.  On Medicare. 
 

my wife found that we qualified for free gym memberships thru our insurance. 
 

silver sneakers is the program. 
 

we use golds gym. 

[Cwebb]

This is a great idea, to put yourself out here.  Anything to increase accountability will help.

 

I think you'll get there, because you are brave enough to go for it

[Nels55]

I have done 16 hours fasting per day for about 7 years now.  The daily fast probably helps a bit with weight control for me but is a small part of it.  I lost 30 pounds about 6 years ago and maintained pretty well until a few months ago.  I am about five pounds over where I want to be right now because I have slipped up on lifestyle a bit.  Working on it lol!

 

You have to find your own way but I tell you a few things that have helped me:

I logged my weight every morning on an excel sheet that a friend also logged on.  Knowing I was going to weigh myself in the morning helped me to avoid eating bad stuff.

 

Saying “I don’t eat that”.  when I am tempted to buy or eat some sugary treat is useful.  Saying “I can’t eat that” means I will.

 

Avoiding or eliminating sugar is one of the best things you can do for your health!  Eating anything modified to be low fat is the worst thing you can do for your health.

 

I have found that I need to let myself over eat maybe once week to reset my system.  
 

I strove to change my lifestyle as opposed to dieting with an end goal that would end the process.  It’s a life long process.

 

Lol when you do lose weight people will offer you bad things saying that you are so skinny that you can eat anything you want.  Tell ‘em they have it backwards! 
 

Okay, I could go on but that’s enough for now…

 

[jonsnow]

8 hours ago, Pepperturbo said:

I like that...

 

That said, lots of guys dip, and guys like me enjoy cigars.  Same difference... LOL.  It's not a problem for me. 

If you like that one, I've got another Southern saying I think you'll like. We sometimes refer to someone as a "pudding stick" or more accurately, a "puddin' stick." Years ago in the rural South when indoor plumbing was still relatively rare, we had outhouses. They were usually built on an elevated site because "s**t don't flow uphill." In the outhouse there would be a long, sturdy stick & a bag of lime. Periodically someone would have to pour lime in & stir the "puddin" to cut the smell & help with drainage. So a "puddin' stick" is someone who likes to stir the s**t.

 

Lots of puddin' sticks among the WRX community. I'm one of them.🤣