I was about to turn 59 in the summer of 2020 and was in god-awful shape. Lazy, flabby, and generally unfit for much of anything other than changing TV channels. In fact, I was cruising down heart attack highway just waiting for something to happen (that sounds like a Springsteen lyric or maybe “Gramps like us, baby we were born to die”). Then I had an epiphany – a wake-up call – I decided that I’d get into the best shape of my life by the time I was 60. So, I dug in and a year later I was 46 pounds lighter then topped things off by running a marathon a day for 3 days straight. I was a lean, mean running machine. It was also the birth of Project 60+.
I had successfully reached my goal of getting into the best shape of my life but what now? You see, you can’t keep up marathon-level training forever. In fact, studies show that continuous high level endurance training can be bad for you, leading to inflammation of the heart, potential hardening of the arteries, muscle damage and lower immune function. So, I scaled back the running to an optimal, some may say sensible, level. Here’s the rub: when you’re in heavy duty training, marathon training, you burn a lot of calories. So, along with marathon training comes marathon eating (that’s eating pretty much whatever you want). When you stop marathon training you should also stop marathon eating. Yeah…well I stopped the marathon training part but not so much the eating. That’s when the pounds started to creep back.
After all that hard work I was certain I could ride the old “best shape of my life” wave at least for a year? Yeah….no. Apparently, there’s no coasting. Coasting for a year may have been possible when I was younger but my metabolism slows as I age so, coasting isn’t an option. I was now in line for the nasty “fit to flabby roller-coaster”, a ride that leaves you screaming for all the wrong reasons, and one I don’t want to be on. I need to get out of that line and back on track fast.
Since exercise is still part of my daily routine, there’s no doubt that my current flabby state has to do with food. To be clear, the previous year was not a total waste. I have not gained back all that weight. I started this journey at 206 lbs. At my leanest, I was down to 164 lbs – that was pretty skinny, but I felt fantastic. I’ve now put on about 20 lbs but that feels like about 10 or 15 too many and I’m not feeling so hot.
So now what? I want to drop some weight without running my ass off – literally. Looking around there’s no shortage of diet plans. There’s the Anti-inflammatory diet, the Galveston Diet or the Maker’s diet (If the M in Maker were a B that diet would win for sure). Then there’s the Paleo and Keto diets? What about the South Beach Diet? Is that still a thing? It’s winter in Canada so South Beach is sounding pretty good even if I am spilling over the top of my Speedo. Truth is, any one of these diets might help me drop weight as a quick fix, but I want to avoid the roller coaster and keep my weight in check long term. I’m looking for something sustainable because I know that as I age, my daily eating habits will have the biggest impact on my weight and my health in the long term.
To get back on track, I’ve decided to set aside the fad diets and focus on the basics of healthy eating. What does that mean? Well medical experts agree on these few basic points regarding weight loss:
- Burn more calories than consumed. To lose weight you need to run a calorie deficit. For a male my age height, age, and activity level, I should consume no more than 2400 calories a day. If I consume more calories than I burn the excess will be stored as fat – the opposite of what I want to have happen.
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, fish, beans, lean protein, and low-fat dairy products. Sign me up!
- Limit or avoid foods with empty calories – like sugary sweets, and junk foods with little nutritional value.
- Drink plenty of water – around 8 glasses a day – Okay that seems like a swimming pool worth of water, but water is key in the weight loss process. (Just walking to the john that many times a day will burn a pound or two!)
Well, I’ve discovered one diet that not only follows these basics, but it’s one that many medical professionals recommend – the Mediterranean diet. It works because it’s not really a “diet”, like those food restricting fad diets. It’s an eating plan that lets you eat a wide variety of foods and is simple to follow. That’s because it’s centered around plant-based foods that don’t require a ton of processing, fancy sauces or ingredients found only in specialty stores. That last point is particularly important because I live in the country now, where salt and pepper are about the only gourmet spices available.
The Mediterranean diet is based on traditional foods from Greece, Italy, France and Spain where researchers found that people were exceptionally healthy and had a low risk for many chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. What’s great about it is there are no strict rules. The idea is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, fish & seafood, and extra virgin olive oil. These foods are loaded with nutrition and healthy sources of fats and carbohydrates which our bodies need. Add to that, moderate amounts of poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt. Then rarely eat red meat, sugar-sweetened drinks, and any highly processed foods like cured meats, oils, sweets, snacks and cereals. Talk about European style, eh?
Could it get better? Well yeah…. to follow the Mediterranean diet, I don’t have to be Gordon Ramsey in the kitchen and that’s way better. See I’m an eater not a cooker. However, I know that you can find hundreds of recipes online that are simple to make and taste delicious. (I know because I’m married to a fantastic cook who does just that). So come along for the ride as I have some fun going from fairly flabby to fit again, and this time, I guarantee it won’t require running a marathon…probably…okay maybe I’ll run a half marathon, but you don’t have to…I promise. Let’s do this.
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