FAT, FORTY & FED UP

My journey back to good health.

Fat, Forty & Fed Up

At the start of 2022 I became quite sick with various ailments and concerns.  My doctor sent me to get a blood test.  I was “pre diabetic”.  After a few more tests I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea.  I ended up in hospital with some heart troubles.  It wasn’t a heart attack.  It was “just tachycardia”.  I had an infection in my eye for over a year that wasn’t going away.  I had seen 3 ophthalmologists and tried various medications and therapies.  I had high blood pressure.  

The real diagnosis was:  being fat.

Not just fat.  I was “obese” Level 3. 

I checked the scales and I was 150kg.   My waist circumference was 150cm. 

I was really fat and it was killing me.

In 2022, I turn 40.  It was time to address this or I wasn’t going to make it to 50.

nutrition, fat loss, weight loss, fit, transformation

I began this journey in February 2022.  Over the years I have read a lot about nutrition.  I’ve started a youtube channel to share what I’ve learned and experimented with.  I am NOT following a specific program or diet.  My approach is using the best and most current evidence based science to develop my own diet within my values & principles.  

“Diets” have become like little neo-religions in recent decades.  People cling to a group that follow a bunch of rules that are determined by the group.  The “commandments” are subsequently validated with whatever science happens to line up with the belief and therefore permits them to do what they are going to do anyway.

The science says for a man my height my weight should be about 83kg.  So that’s one target.  The problem is, there are many unhealthy ways to lose weight.  I value my life and consequently healthy choices that support my life.  I don’t want to lose weight at the expense of my health.  I’m not putting a time limit on my weight loss.  If I only lose a kilogram per month that’s okay.  As long as I’m proceeding in the right direction.

Humans have evolved firstly from hunting and gathering and then more recently from agriculture.  We ate food and the food that proved to demonstrate nourishment and promoted good health was encoded into the culture with recipes and rituals.  Over thousands of years we developed rules for food and diet that worked in seperate communities all over the planet.  In recent times that has been disrupted.  With the globalisation of our “community” all the rules have changed.  On any day we might have cuisine from a meal that was developed and then cooked from ingredients that were developed in different countries.  On top of this each of bodies are unique.  Different genes are predisposed to certain weaknesses, illnesses and strengths.  Every individual human now has to develop their own rules, their own culture and menu of recipes.  Rules that determine which is best nutrition to fuel and maintain the body.  How much of a certain food satiates both the tongue and the tummy?  When should these foods be eaten?  When should you not eat?  These are questions we all need to answer.  This is my attempt at answering these questions for me.

I have started the youtube channel and sharing about this in the hope that it might encourage others.  I hope the information share might be informative and help others on their journey.

My primary health & fitness Targets

Starting Stats-

Date:  February, 2022

Weight:  150kg

Waist:  150cm

BMI:  44.8; OBESE LEVEL 3

VO2 Max:  23.6; Very Low Cardio Fitness

Target Stats-

Date:  ~2024

Weight:  83kg

Waist:  93cm

BMI:  24; Healthy

VO2 Max:  51; Good Cardio Fitness

Tertiary Health Targets

  • Improve immunity and longevity
  • Get rid of the infection in my eye and regain full eye sight
  • Develop great posture
  • Increase vitality and energy
  • Improve sleep and recover from Sleep Apnoea
  • Recover from depression

 

Other Goals

  • Develop a sustainable personal culture of eating rituals and nourishment that gives me health, immunity, longevity and is mostly tasty.
  • Develop fitness schedule to maintain my physical capability, prevent my body from likely injury, promote strong mental health and longevity.

 

Values, Principles & Guidelines

  • Be guided by the best and most current evidence-based science available.
  • Don’t go hungry.  Find ways to satisfy hunger, nutritional needs AND fat loss: without feeling overly hungry.
  • Healthy.  Overall, longterm, whole of life health is the penultimate goal.  Don’t lose weight using knowingly unhealthy and damaging supplements and tactics.
  • Kaizen.  Constant improvement.  Progress instead of progression.
  • Tasty.  It’s gotta taste great.

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