I have a buddy, Richard Watson, at the LIFT where I work out regularly. He has done things the right way. I personally have watched the weight peel off of the young man over a period of time. Losing a pound a week is statistically proven to be able to be kept off rather than fad dieting. I’m very proud of this young man as he sets a healthful example for men of all ages. He has gradually dropped 73 pounds since January of 2015. Below is Richard’s story.

Please read his story and see the before and after pictures. My article follows.

My main reason for wanting to lose weight was my health. While I didn’t have any serious health issues going on I wanted to prevent any from happening because my dad passed away at 63 of a massive heart attack. So that was one of my reasons plus I had just had a new baby at home. It became hard for me to get down in the floor to play with my kids. So in January of 2015 my job offered us a deal with the Lift.
I started going to exercise regularly and doing a lot of cardio and I noticed that the weight was starting to come off. And, I was starting to feel better. When I started, I weighed 248lb and by July of 2016 I was down to 190lb and now am down to 175lb.
And I feel great! I lost this 73 pounds by simply watching what I eat, the amount of what I eat and not eating a big meal too late at night. And doing a lot of cardio work. I didn’t run much. I mainly just walked the track at a moderate pace and didn’t stop.

And now, getting down in the floor and playing with my boys is a lot more fun because I am not so miserable.

And just everyday moving around is a lot easier because I don’t tire out as quickly.

~Richard Watson

beforeafter copy

 

Years ago, I was trying to get a friend to come to the gym with me. ‘You will feel so much better’ I told them.
‘You’d have more stamina’ I told them.
‘Your blood pressure and blood sugar will come down’ I told them.
‘You will sleep better!’ I told them.
‘If the treadmill has an ashtray on the side for my cigarette, I might give it a try.’ They told me.

In my career, I’ve seen so many men check out of this world too early and leave crying people behind that needed them.

When it comes to our health, we men don’t like social gatherings with each other where we are all dressed in the same color clothes and have boot dances in barns to bring attention to their healthcare needs. It’s not saying that men don’t get sick or worry about ourselves, we just don’t gather in groups to discuss it and celebrate pieces of it.

We men will either put off getting medical attention (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it) or we typically will wait until we’re hemorrhaging in a toilet or laid across the steering wheel with crushing chest pain.
If you want to get men involved in social healthcare events, you’re gonna have to advertise FREE BBQ, FREE beer, FREE tire rotations and FREE Cialis. With big pictures, not a lot of words and no directions to anywhere because we’re not going to follow them anyway.

Where women are drawn to a social gathering, dressing up, talking and eating for networking on their healthcare needs, men are drawn to the required things in our lives; food, alcohol, cars, sex.

It is what it is.

Indeed, getting men to take care of ourselves can be a struggle. But the thing is that it doesn’t have to be that hard. Here are some guidelines for us guys:

  • Walk, just walk, 30 minutes a day. An uninterrupted walk at a moderate pace is best.
  • Eat pizza and hamburgers and bbq? Sure! But really guys, just eat a portion. We all know that we can eat a regular Five Guys burger and be fine. And not get the XXXXL size burger simply because it’s a dollar more.
    Just act right. Healthy eating is not a secret. No ‘diets’ are needed. And we’re not doing ourselves any favors by just upsizing our pant size when we outgrow them.
    Stop pushing our belts down declaring that ‘hahaha, well, we got our money’s worth’ while trying to breathe in because we committed the deadly sin of gluttony. We will ask for prayer for someone with a drug problem and the whole time we’re sitting there with a belly stuffed full of casserole, cornbread, green beans, chocolate cake, a stroke-level blood pressure of 199/148 and a blood sugar of 487. Yep, it is what it is my brothers.
  • Drink up! Drink water. Cut back or eliminate the sweet sodas. We all know that our bodies need water and not carbonated drinks. We’ll feel better all over inside and out with more water. Bowels and bladder work better and we’re not as crusty. We’re healthier. Buy a case of water and keep it in your vehicle. Stop complaining about the cost of a bottle of water and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat. We never complain about the cost of a Coke and a cheeseburger and fries.
  • Take our meds right. Not when it just hits us that we forgot them, 3 days ago. Get a cheap pillbox for every day of the week.
  • Ask your doctor to check all of your blood levels including your testosterone levels. Testosterone replacement therapy in men is a somewhat new area. Low T is normal as we age. Replacing it can make ENORMOUS impacts on our quality of life which includes better sleep, clearer thinking, much less body fat, more muscle, mood balance returns and crazy improvements in our libido and sexual performance. Now, who doesn’t want all of those things back in their life? Women have been replacing their hormones for many years as they age. Guys, it’s our turn now. Don’t settle for just accepting ‘well, I’m getting older.’
  • Smoking or any tobacco. Just don’t do it. Quit. I quit 30 years ago. Just stop doing it because when you drive you don’t drive into the oncoming traffic do you? Both will kill you. The difference is one is quicker than the other and with tobacco, the people that love you watch you slowly die. Again, bruhs, it is what it is.

 

Men, we don’t have to never eat a cheeseburger again or enter a Tough Mudder contest. We can replace cars, houses and other things that we make sure we maintain but we put our bodies at the bottom of the list of things to keep up.

The one thing that we can’t replace gets the least amount of attention in most men and that’s ourselves.

June is National Men’s Health Month and it’s time that we men wake up, look in the mirror, act right, make better choices and stop being selfish.

We need to make better choices for both us and for the people that love and need us around.

We have to stop putting our love for friend chicken and the TV before our love for our wives and children.

That’s the best that I can tell about it.

~Mark