TopherKersting

TopherKersting t1_j5zcyor wrote

(I am 53m, 5'11" [1.8m])

Three years ago I was 295 lbs. (134 kg) It was the start of the pandemic, so I couldn't go to a gym or buy any equipment--and I didn't have anything.

I started slowly, setting a goal of 6000 steps per day and doing 30 minutes of a mostly body weight workout four days per week (Squats, knee pushups, elbow planks, and water bottle curls). The only change I made to my diet was to cut sugary drinks.

After a couple of months, I started working with a personal trainer and nutritionist over Zoom and chat, gradually increasing my step count, improving my diet (and not ever starving myself) with small, but regular changes that I could live with, and adding weights and exercises to my routine.

I ended up dropping to 192 lbs. (87 kg) in about eighteen months before gaining back about 22 lbs. (10 kg) of muscle (I'm currently up an additional 15 lbs./7 kg because of my seasonal affective disorder, but historically I drop that every spring).

tl;dr Incremental changes over a longer period got me to where I am happy with how I look and feel.

43