gbuff

Attaway, Matt

Whenever I want to eat something fattening the Mini looks at me and says "You'll pay for that"

Now if it could just keep me away from the ice cream stands this summer

Gary

mglobe

Managed expectations here. I've raced some of the really fast MX-5 Cup guys in another series, and I can't catch them. My objectives are to have fun and finish, with a stretch goal of finishing mid-pack. If only I were 30+ years younger...

jdistefa

All joking aside, just finished doing some circuit training. The demands of middle-age life make it easy to forget about taking care of oneself and if we can be motivated by the goal of driving better then yahoo. This is a timely and inspiring thread.

Did I mention beer?

T&T Racing

I do an hour workout at the YMCA, 3 times per week. The session is 30 minutes of aerobic dance movements emphasizing flexibility, aerobic heart rate, core work, and stability. The second 30 minutes is strength training with weights, bands, stability ball, and own body weight and includes flexibility, stretching and core work. This routine is also good for reducing the risk of dementia and alzheimers disease.

Gretchen Reynolds's Well piece in the NY Times, November 28, 2017, edition, To slim as You Age, Add Weights, She states "As the percentage of our body composed of fat tissue rises, our metabolic rates fall and we burn fewer calories throughout the day, predisposing us to continues weight gain." Strength training maintains muscle mass.

My diet is portion control and high protein, some good fats, low carb intake diet and have difficulty try to lose the 10 pounds. Full disclosure, I am north of 75.

ProCoach

Great post. And easy to do.

I work with several drivers north of 75 who are very fit. And their driving shows it.

As an aside, with a recommendation from Matt, I installed a food log app (which tracks exercise from my phone and iWatch 3) this morning. And this 1780 calorie daily diet I need to follow is going to be tough...

Matt Romanowski

You can do it though. I'm 2000-2100 calories. Just focus on it as a daily task and it will happen.

T&T Racing

Peter, thank you for support. That calorie daily diet leaves out a couple of glasses of good wine at the end of the day. Looking forward to seeing you at Lime Rock on 2018.

hf1

For me...
Calorie counting doesn't work. After eliminating all carbs, grains, and plants (fruits, vegetables) I can eat as much as I want (meats, fish, eggs, bacon, butter, cream), maintain/lose weight without even thinking about it, and feel great while doing it.

Another paradigm shift was learning/realizing that exercise has nothing to do with burning calories but with building/maintaining muscle mass and stimulating your metabolism so it burns calories (fat) during the rest/recovery period between exercise sessions. In my carb-eating days I used to work out a lot, at least 3x1hr a week. Now I have dwindled it down to about 30min a week strength (mostly bodyweight, 1x series, all groups to failure) and 3x a week (HIIT: 3x30sec all out bursts of sprint action, run, bicycle with rests in between). The simpler I make things both with food and exercise the better I feel and the more progress I make. I wasn't able to do a single pistol (one legged) squat even in my best days. I can do 3-5 full ones now, when rested. Eliminating carbs and plant oils also eliminates joint inflammation so joints are stronger and injuries are much less likely.

The older you get the more time you need to recover. Many people overdo it, thinking more is better. I'd guess 1x, tops 2x a week is enough for anyone > 50, especially if you bring the muscles to failure.

Taking all showers ice cold also stimulates the metabolism.

Here's an interview with a guy I follow on twitter (@SBakerMD). 100% carnivore, MD ortho-surgeon. Long but worth listening as he addresses most of the common questions people have about going full carnivore:

multi21

This thread is an eye opener and inspirational. Kudos to all you guys for keeping it going for so long after our "prime" years. I'm a bit on the other side -- had ankle surgery last year which added some pounds due to the recovery and rehab. Then had an umbilical hernia and waited several months for surgery which added some more weight and am now at the heaviest I've ever been. The family has tried to encourage me to go back racing, but know I'm not in shape for that kind of thing, at least not right now.

I'm trying to be as active as possible by going to the gym and working on cardio, arm and shoulder strength (no core yet as I need to recover more from hernia surgery), but other things like walking the dog, cleaning out the garage, cleaning out the office, gardening... anything to keep moving. I'm also going to take up some of the things I read in this thread and incorporate it into my diet, primarily the "think of carbs and sugars like poison"!! I don't think I can do the ice cold shower thing, however. lol. Thanks.

sbelles

I've got the opposite problem. I put off needed gut surgery for Crohn's until after racing season and it was too long. By the end I was down to a weight I haven't seen since Jr. High and basically zero body fat. I lost a good deal of muscle too. Five weeks out I'm still eating as many calories per day as I can and getting stronger every day. Heading to FL for the rest of the year. The plan is to keep eating as much as possible but run on the beach twice a day. Next month I should be able to ski again and I've got two weeks in Vail before RA in April so I'm hoping to be in shape by then.

wanna911

The problem with these types of diets is that they are too impractical for most people to follow for long periods of time. I utilize Keto occasionally to break carb cravings, which is very real. I also advise it to clients who have joint issues, gluten or carb sensitivities or addictions. However, never as a permanent lifestyle change as frankly, most people are just not going to do it long enough or accurately enough for it to work properly. I stopped the video at the point the doctor devalued bloodwork. I may watch the rest later, but for most people, health is the number one priority. This needs to be reflected in tangible measures, and bloodwork is certainly of of those.

ProCoach

Veloce Raptor

Sorry, I've never been a fan of fad/trendy/extreme diets. As Dez said, they're unsustainable, among other problems.

Eat balanced, avoid extremes of any food type, get balanced exercise, and lots of sleep. Simple. Just like many of the longest lived peoples of the world.

Matt Romanowski

I found the same thing. It was really eye opening once I saw how little I was moving on some days and how much I was eating.

This article is not in depth, but helped me change how I think about travel and moving https://blog.fitbit.com/lose-199-pounds/ Now I take the long way around the shop to get somewhere, walk around the airport terminal instead of going right to my gate, always park in the back of the parking lot, etc. After 2 weeks, the habits are ingrained and you can build in a lot of activity without thinking about it.

hf1

Eating meat (animals) is not a "diet". There are and there have been many 100% carnivore human communities and societies over millions of years of evolution. Frankly, I find it very easy and liberating not to have to worry about food anymore. Shopping gets extremely simplified, too. Just stack your fridge or freezer with whichever quality meat is on sale at the moment, and make sure you never run out of propane for your grill in the back.

Switching in and out of fat-burning mode is bad for the body and for discipline. That's like saying you occasionally get off heroin when you become too addicted to it and you want to break the cravings. Once you get off, it's best to stay off. The first 2-6weeks of going cold-turkey on your carb-addiction are the hardest -- no need to go through them every time you fall off the wagon.

He has seen hundreds of blood numbers from people going 100% carnivore. He doesn't completely reject them -- just doesn't give them the value most people do. Most of those "tangible" measures are based on faulty science at best and outright pharmaceuticals/agro business propaganda, at worst.
The Big Fat Surprise reads like a thriller, has tons of references, and is eye-opening. The MSM and mainstream "science" on "healthy diets" is full of fads, lies and propaganda by a plethora of lobbies and interested parties to whom your health is the lowest on their list of priorities and agendas. Just note how many times the suggested numbers and types for cholesterol have changed over just the last few decades. The latest: Turns out that even the "bad" LDL cholesterol may not be bad at all.

I've had "high cholesterol" all my life, even after trying all the mumbo-jumbo "healthy, hearty, balanced, low-fat" diets, and every freakin' doctor has tried to put me on statins "or else you'll die!". So glad I never succumbed, as studies are now showing HIGHER all cause mortality statistics the LOWER the cholesterol gets. Not to mention all the statins' horrific side-effects, one of which is diabetes. My recent Coronary Arteries Calcium screen (which is at least 10x more predictive of heart disease than any other measure out there) showed no plaque whatsoever -- score: ZERO. If I had believed all these doctors, I would have expected tons of "cholesterol" to have completely "clogged" my arteries by now. Like with most things in life, if you don't take control of your own health, no one else will do it for you. Listen to the rest of the video from where you stopped -- the DR is well prepared. He's making this case much better than I ever could.

Finally, do what works best for you. Over the last few years after I went down this road, I feel like I've stopped aging and I literally am getting younger with zero supplements, zero medicine, and much simpler eating and excercise. All the typical complaints people around me make about problems and pains with this and that -- which they associate with "simply getting older" -- have simply gone away. I am not under 50 and I've never been stronger, faster and looked and felt better in my life -- I've never been out of shape either.

I am aware that I may sound preachy and like a fanatic. I do it only because I am utterly caught off guard and amazed by the results, so I feel compelled to share it with as many people as I can.