Chris Berry On The Net

I’m one of those people whose weight has fluctuated dramatically throughout my adult life. While I’ve never been truly obese, at any given time I’ve been more likely to be overweight than underweight. Since my early twenties, my weight has ranged from as much as 235 pounds to as little as 135. Neither of those are healthy figures.

In October, I realized that I was once again approaching the upper limit of that range. I was also counting the days until my 47th birthday. These factors were both weighing heavily on my mind the day my 3 year old son told me I was fat. I don’t think he realizes yet the negative connotations associated with being fat, but hearing those words from him was a call to action. I started walking the next day, and I’ve averaged about 5 miles per day since then.

I’ve never really been a physically active person, and the work I’ve done has always been sedentary in nature. There have only been a couple of times in my life that I’ve ever been in truly fit condition. Basic training in the Army was probably the most concentrated period of intense physical activity in my lifetime, but I was actually very disappointed that the regimen was not more demanding. During my two year enlistment period, I stayed closer to my ideal weight than at any other time.

I lived in the Washington, DC area during my early 30’s, and took advantage of the tremendous network of bike paths and trails that connect the entire region. For about 2 ½ years, I rode an average of 200 miles per week. I finally had to quit when I developed carpal tunnel syndrome and my hands became almost completely numb. It took several months after I quit riding for the sensation to return.

I’ve never been involved in organized sports, because frankly, I don’t have an athletic bone in my body. I took up golf about 8 years ago, and it is one of the few sports that I do truly enjoy. I spend a lot more time on the practice range than the typical recreational golfer, but the improvements I’ve seen over the years are more the result of stubborn determination than natural ability. Unfortunately, buzzing around in a golf cart doesn’t provide much in the way of exercise.

I started my daily walking routine in early October, and in January my wife and I decided to join the Roanoke Athletic Club. I’ve never done any sort of strength training until now, and all I can say is I wish I had started 30 years ago. The effects of middle-age have definitely taken a toll on my body, but I am surprised at how quickly I have responded to the exercise program. The progress I’ve seen is far more dramatic than I expected in a matter of a few weeks.

I have a regimen of 16 exercises using a variety of Life Fitness, Nautilus, and Freemotion machines. I spend about an hour a day on my workout, rotating between two sets of 8 exercises each day. I could barely walk after the first couple of days, but the initial pain has given way to something completely unexpected: I’m actually starting to enjoy the workouts. Since early January, I’ve only missed one day.

When I started walking in October, my primary goal was weight loss. I’ve avoided any sort of strict diet regimen, but I have made a conscious effort to eliminate certain foods and to reduce my portion sizes. These are the kind of changes that are far more likely to result in long-term success than yo-yo dieting. The weight doesn’t come off as quickly, but it is much more likely to stay off once it is gone.

I know I’ve lost some weight since October, but I don’t know exactly how much. My son broke my old scale a few weeks ago, and the new one tells me I’ve actually gained 13 pounds. I know this isn’t true based on the way my clothes fit, but I don’t have a reliable baseline figure to gauge my progress. At this point, I am more interested in the way I look and feel than what the numbers on the scale tell me.

Men tend to suffer a number indignities as they approach middle-age. Some are a result of reduced physical activity, while others are entirely beyond our control. No amount of exercise will give me back my hair or restore my failing eyesight. My beard will still be grey, and my eyebrows are stating to remind me of Andy Rooney. I can’t stop these effects of time, but I have seen unexpected improvements in other areas. My posture is already better, and my lower back pains have vanished. I still suffer from chronic insomnia, but even that seems to be less severe.

Even though my weight loss has been modest so far, the surprising thing is how quickly my body shape is changing. I’ve taken a couple of inches off my waist, and most of my extra chins have already vanished. I’ve added far more muscle mass than I would have thought possible in a matter of six weeks, and I’m already seeing significant definition in my arms and legs. I still have plenty of extra padding around my mid-section, but even that is firming up rapidly. Thankfully, I never developed the most dreaded affliction of the overweight male. I may be fat, but at least my son didn’t have to ask why I had man-bosoms.