How I Got in the Best Shape of my Life on the Wrong Side of 40

It happens to the best of us, we get older and our health starts to decline and our good looks and in-shape bodies start to go. This is one of the pesky facts of life as a human being and one that is difficult and painful for many to accept and one that causes people a lot of problems.

However, it does not have to be that way. We can always change and become better versions of ourselves. It is never too late to become better and it most certainly is never too late to improve our bodies and to get in shape, the best shape of our lives.

I understood this and that is why at 44 years old I decided to embark on a new journey of health and to become a better me, both physically, mentally, as well as spiritually. In this article I will focus on the physical changes that I made in the last year to go from being overweight and out of shape to thin and in the best shape of my life.

There are several things that I did to make this change possible, these things are essential to achieve the kind of results that one desires and to live fit and be healthy. It is not about changing one thing, but about changing everything and that is what I learned along this journey and what enabled me to change into the healthier me that I am today.

Better Eating Habits

One of the major things that those who change their bodies and lose weight do so by starting this change first, the diet change. In my case, what I did was stop eating certain things and reduce other foods while developing a healthy but very specific diet to address two major goals, staying full while reducing calorie intake.

The basic science of weight loss follows a very simple formula, calories in vs calories out. The thought that you cannot eat the foods that you enjoy if you want to lose weight is nothing but a myth, mostly. Of course it helps weight loss to eat healthy foods, but you can absolutely lose weight and achieve your weight loss goals while eating the foods that you love if you follow one simple rule.

You can eat basically anything that you want. It is not WHAT you eat, but rather HOW MUCH you eat.

This is the basic mathematical formula for weight loss. This is why I count calories, so I can eat the things that I like while not eating too much of the foods that will pack on the pounds. I do have some rules in what I eat and what I do not eat and I do my best to stick to these rules and so far, my plan has paid off with some impressive results.

The three key elements to weight loss are Protein, Calories, and Healthy foods. I eat a lot of protein and for me it is more challenging as I am a pescatarian and do not eat land animals, but still make sure that I get enough protein in my diet and it helps me in my weight loss goals. One way to get protein is by various meats and fish too and another way is how I get most of my protein is with protein shakes, I like to have at least two a day.

Protein shakes can get up their in calories and that is why I like to make my own at home so I can manage how many calories are in them. I use a low-calorie protein and always Whey protein and add almond milk and an add in for flavor, like a small amount of chocolate candy. I also always add a scoop of creatine in my shakes for muscle building properties, especially before I do a workout.

Calories are very important to weight loss and I usually try and stay below 1800 for the day , that is net calories, after exercise. I sometimes get extra hungry so will eat more but routine is important and that is just as true with diet as it is with exercise. I make sure that I always have breakfast, it is a vital part of being energized for the day and when you are working out it is very important to have food in you.

I have a protein shake with my breakfast. I eat three meals a day and some snacks mixed in and lots and lots of water, another important part of the whole process. I stay away from fatty foods for the most part and eat healthy snacks like yogurts, low-calorie ice creams, veggie chips, hummus, and protein bars and so forth. The key is not to starve yourself but rather eat clean and healthy and that is a big part of all this and part of how I have achieved my goals.

Live Active

This is also important and part of got me to where I am at now. I stay very active and workout everyday or at least five days a week and that goes along with my physically active job. I believe in staying fit and part of what enabled me to get in shape was to eat right, but that was not enough, the second part of this process was to get moving and track my movement whether it be at work or at the gym or anywhere else.

There are several parts of my workout plan and each one is equally important to getting and staying in shape.I do kickboxing on the heavy bag at the gym and incorporate a variety of punches and kicks and that helps me burn a good amount of calories. I also lift weights and that has got me to gain muscles and lose pounds too, and I also run and ride the stationary bike and all of this has been big for me losing over fifty pounds.

The two go together. Diet and exercise. It is not a one or the other approach, but including both working out and eating right and the big part of that is staying active. You can do something as simple as walking or doing a few sit-ups in the morning. You can really do just about anything to get active and live an active lifestyle and you do not have to take it to the workout extreme that I do of constant gym workouts and such. You can take simple steps to get in shape and be active and you can start now.

Motivation

I stay motivated by remembering where I was at and deciding that I do not want to go back there. It was hard work to get in shape and lose all of that weight, so maintaining it is the easy part. Part of motivation is not to get frustrated when things do not happen and that is what happened to me when I first started out and when I was not losing the weight, but was putting in the effort.

I kept at it and the results eventually started to come. I was motivated to lose the weight and get my body to the best point it has been in my entire life and I continued to push myself and because of my actions I achieved the results that I desired and I believe that anyone can do the same. You just have to make a start and decide that this is what you want and you will do whatever it takes to see it through and make it happen.

I believe that people can get in shape and change their bodies at any age. I did it at 44. I lost a ton of weight and built muscles and it did not take me very long to get to this level. I procrastinated for far too long and then I realized that I just needed to start and once I started then I was well on my way and now where I am at is maintaining my weight and staying on this path and staying fit!