A few weeks ago I had an appointment with a nutritionist to help me look at my physical health and diet so I could work out a healthy approach to aging (I'm just over a year away from being 60).
They did a bioimpedence scan (like bathroom scales but with a T shaped handle you hold so it measures electrical impedence in your body) and I had to stand there in my underpants while she used a set of skinfold callipers all over my body to measure the subdermal fat in a most undignified way. Height, weight and age were all plugged into the software and the results were that I was well above average for muscle mass but also for body fat.
As a result I need to drop 9kg to get back into the healthy range for the long term. I've been around my current weight for 4 decades now so it is going to take quite a shift to drop the weight (done it before, twice) and keep it there.
I've started out on a slightly lower calory intake (1,500 a day) and upped my gym sessions to just over 2 hours a day (about an hour each), one of which is all cardio.
So far so good, dropping about 1.5Kg a week over 2 weeks but I know that I'm approaching a normal barrier for me where it takes a big effort to drop more and the effect of dieting starts to make me crave my favourite foods badly.
I'm planning on taking up running in addition to my gym activity, but when a work project comes along then the routine for all this goes out the window for 2-3 months. The work itself if quite physical at least (I renovate apartments) but it is hard to plan ahead well enough to eat healthily when there is no fridge, little running water etc for most of the day.
How do you cope with this stage of a diet? What motivation keeps you going when all you want is a big plate of chips and ribs then ice cream or whatever?
I do love my food so this is a real challenge for me.
