My Metabolic Journey
It all started when…
I was in a room of 75 health care practitioners when the lecturer said something that would change the trajectory of my life. Before this day, I was confused, frustrated and had all but given up as far as my weight was concerned. Like many of you, I’ve been yo-yo dieting since my 30s. I’ve tried it all--Nutrisystem (more than once), Lean Cuisines, juice fasts/cleanses, calorie restriction, endless cardio training, and even trying vegetarianism for a short time--but as the decades passed, my weight continued to fluctuate, and I got bigger each year.
“I settled on being what my sons were teasingly calling me, ‘Frail Old Man.’”
As of January 2018, I pretty much gave up the fight. I settled on being what my sons were teasingly calling me, “Frail Old Man.”
I even had to get my sons to put up all the Christmas boxes because my body was, as they correctly deemed it, frail and when I tried any lifting movements, it was a recipe for a pulled muscle. I was a shadow of my athletic self, and this hurt my ego big time. I grew up a 4-sport athlete, and even after playing baseball in junior college, I taught skiing for 3 years. Being an athlete is how I identified myself, but sadly even this identity was fading from my mind. I was on the slippery slope, like many of you, to being metabolically unhealthy (actually already there).
This state of self diagnosed ill health had an impact on me not only physiologically, but emotionally and relationally. I got to be lazy, grouchy, quick-tempered, and was starting to become miserable in my own skin. People laugh at the term “dad bod,” but it has a big effect on more than just on the waistline. It’s affecting men in this later season of their lives, and it’s crushing a whole generation of men.
As retired Navy Seal David Goggins states in his book, Can’t Hurt Me, “Today people are only operating at 40% of our capacity.” He adds, as a warning to us men, “You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft that you will die without ever realizing your true potential.” You’ll be hard pressed to find men in their 40s, 50s, and 60s fit and metabolically healthy.
What I heard the doctor say in the lecture on February 11, 2018 was the solution for me to get control of my metabolism, regain my health and restore my “Frail Old Man” symptoms. He shared a simple version of the physiology of metabolism that every person should understand, not just for weight management, but to help manage all chronic debilitating diseases.
Armed with this simple understanding, I was able to correct not only my metabolism, weight, and potential chronic illnesses, but also, more importantly, my outlook, relationships and emotional well-being. And that’s what this all about. We’ve become soft, addicted to comfort, taste and leisure, and it is killing our ability to fulfill our purpose on this earth. If I can help anyone through my journey, my mission would be accomplished.
Take a listen to the introductory podcast and see if this resonates with you. Growing old doesn’t have to suck, so join me as I am Finishing Strong.
Grace & peace,
Steve