+40 at 40

[Que]

I was looking at my wedding picture the other day. I got married when I was in the Army and was a SOLID 180 pounds! I enjoyed conducting PT and staying in great shape. As I look at myself now, I am currently at 220 pounds, but everyone says I look like I work out. I know it's bull and I'm fat and out of shape. But I lie to myself and say, "Well, I don't have a belly." I need to get serious before some kind of health issue warrants the change.

For those of us who have turned 40, how much weight have you gained between 20 years old and now? Also, do you plan to do anything about it?

 

[Denny347]

I was 180lbs graduating high school. I am now 220lbs 19yrs later (6'2"). I Crossfit 5 days a week and play indoor soccer 1 night a week. I played soccer all through grade and high school and haven't played since graduation in 1991 till just a few months ago. I tell you what, I've never felt healthier at 37. I've Crossfitted for about 6 months. I've been lifting weights and running for about 10yrs with little effect. It was not until I started Crossfitting that my energy skyrocketed and I shed about 6-7% body fat (from 19% to 12%), all while getting stronger...I've only dropped about 4lbs in weight so the rest is added muscle. I can now dead lift 445lbs, bench 315lbs, shoulder press 155lbs, and back squat 305lbs.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I was 140lbs out of HS. I'm 200lbs now and within 20lbs of the weight I have been since I was 25. I have more bodyfat than I would like, but I'm hardly fat. I have noticed that I have to work harder and harder to maintain my weight, but I'm really not concerned about absolute weight as I am bulk overall, my day to day activities require me to fit into small places a lot.

 

[Que]

I was 180lbs graduating high school. I am now 220lbs 19yrs later. I Crossfit 5 days a week and play indoor soccer 1 night a week. I played soccer all through grade and high school and haven't played since graduation in 1991 till just a few months ago. I tell you what, I've never felt healthier at 37. I've Crossfitted for about 6 months. I've been lifting weights and running for about 10yrs with little effect. It was not until I started Crossfitting that my energy skyrocketed and I shed about 6-7% body fat, all while getting stronger...I've only dropped about 4lbs in weight so the rest is added muscle. I'm far from done.

Do you go to a gym or do you have a workout room at home? I was considering P90X, but I know that is unrealistic with everything going on in my life.

 

[Revelations]

I'll let ya know is 358 days.

 

[Denny347]

Do you go to a gym or do you have a workout room at home? I was considering P90X, but I know that is unrealistic with everything going on in my life.

My department has it's own certified Crossfit gym (Indyshield Crossfit http://www.indyshield.com ) but there are a few certified gyms in Indiana as well.
Welcome to CrossFit: Forging Elite Fitness

Check out the list of affiliates (CrossFit Affiliates-Forging Elite Community ) click on Indiana and see if there is one near you. Otherwise, you can do many of the WOD's (work out of the day) posted free on the main Crossfit website at home with minimal equipment. They even have videos on the main site showing you how to do them. That is what I did before our gym opened up.

 

[The Keymaster]

I was 260 when I graduated high school. I am 220 now. I had myself down to about 180 in the mid 90's, but people kept asking me if I had AIDS, so I decided to put some of it back on. I would really like to get it back to 200, but i really like to eat also.

 

[IndyMonkey]

I was 140 out of highschool. Hit 150 after basic. I stayed a consistent 175 until I hit 25 now I run around 190 and dont feel comfortable at this weight but dont want to make the sacrifices to get back down to 180.

Im 6'1" for reference.

 

[Fletch]

I was 140 out of highschool. Hit 150 after basic. I stayed a consistent 175 until I hit 25 now I run around 190 and dont feel comfortable at this weight but dont want to make the sacrifices to get back down to 180.

Im 6'1" for reference.

Wow, beanpole alert!

I come from a long line of short, stocky men. 5'9", 190ish in college. Been as high as 240 at age 36, decided that wasn't working for me, started working out. Powerlifted for a couple of years, got down to 205, then floated back up to 225. Started P90X last June and have been doing it ever since; now around 210, trying to push lower. Would like to be 180, just to see what it looks like again, but have a godawful Dr. Pepper habit that is taking some serious work to break.

We bought a new house last year, specifically choosing one that had room for a home gym, and it has made all the difference in the world. Been thinking we should have a home gym pic thread, since mine is now more or less complete and I want to show it off...

 

[eldirector]

I was scrawny in high school and college. Not so much now! 180 was a good weight about 10 years ago. At 38 years old, I'm sitting around 215 or so. I'd like to get back near the 180 mark, but am lacking the motivation. I'm eating better, but need some regular exercise. I used to cycle 10+ miles a day, plus any number of other activities. Not any more...

 

[shibumiseeker]

I was 140 out of highschool. Hit 150 after basic. I stayed a consistent 175 until I hit 25 now I run around 190 and dont feel comfortable at this weight but dont want to make the sacrifices to get back down to 180.

Im 6'1" for reference.

Ha! My 200 or so lbs is on my 5'6-7" frame. At 180# I look cut, and at 160 I'd look skeletal.

 

[groovatron]

I was 180lbs graduating high school. I am now 220lbs 19yrs later. I Crossfit 5 days a week and play indoor soccer 1 night a week. I played soccer all through grade and high school and haven't played since graduation in 1991 till just a few months ago. I tell you what, I've never felt healthier at 37. I've Crossfitted for about 6 months. I've been lifting weights and running for about 10yrs with little effect. It was not until I started Crossfitting that my energy skyrocketed and I shed about 6-7% body fat (from 19% to 12%), all while getting stronger...I've only dropped about 4lbs in weight so the rest is added muscle. I can now dead lift 445lbs, bench 315lbs, shoulder press 155lbs, and back squat 305lbs.

Damn boy.........that's good work I'll be sure not to run if you ever pull me over........not that I have anthing to hide

 

[360]

So far I think I have everyone beat.

I graduated in 1989 at 175 lbs.
Today, I weigh 275 lbs.

I got back down to about 215 when I remarried 3 years ago, and for some reason, I found it all again.

I do have a beer gut, but I can hold the weight fairly well. I am 6'5" tall.

I always win those weight guessing games at the amusement parks.

That's not something to be proud of, but it seems my metabolism has really slowed, along with my will to exercise. I am usually too run down from working 14 hours a day to do much.

I smoke like a train too, and this probably keeps me from topping 300. But that is a whole other story.

I have tried EVERYTHING to quit smoking, but the effing things have a grip on me. I have smoked since I was 15 years old.

The Chantix helped cut back to about 6 a day, but I couldn't give em up completely. But that medicine made me unbearable to be around, and almost caused me a divorce. However, I can say one good thing about it, it made me not want alcohol anymore. I used to drink like a fish too, but rarely even have a beer these days. I just don't want it. I wish I could say the same for the smokes.

 

[Denny347]

That's not something to be proud of, but it seems my metabolism has really slowed, along with my will to exercise. I am usually too run down from working 14 hours a day to do much.

I feel your pain in this regard. My metabolism had slowed to a crawl. About a year and a half ago I went to my doctor and asked him to run a Thyroid test. My mom, aunt, grandma, sister are all meds for slow Thyroid. I was thinking that might be the case for me. Well, my doctor (also a sports medicine specialist) got the results back and kinda chuckled...all normal. He knew I was grabbing straws by doing the test but what the heck. Now I just work out ALL THE TIME and reversed my metabolism. No longer sluggish, tired, or putting on weight. Now I have to eat all the time to keep up my momentum. If I do not have a good brealfast (eggs) and lunch (salad w/ grilled chicken or grilled chicken Subway) at 2pm when I get off work and go work out, I can feel myself hitting the energy wall. Cutting the processed sugar and processed carbs out, eating a ton more fresh fruits and veg with lean proteins...snacking with raw almonds and other nuts...you will have so much more energy and will drive up your metabolism. When I eat something with sugar or carbs, I can feel my insulin spike and I'll get real tired. Easter weekend was hell for me

 

[shibumiseeker]

I feel your pain in this regard. My metabolism had slowed to a crawl. About a year and a half ago I went to my doctor and asked him to run a Thyroid test. My mom, aunt, grandma, sister are all meds for slow Thyroid. I was thinking that might be the case for me. Well, my doctor (also a sports medicine specialist) got the results back and kinda chuckled...all normal. He knew I was grabbing straws by doing the test but what the heck. Now I just work out ALL THE TIME and reversed my metabolism. No longer sluggish, tired, or putting on weight. Now I have to eat all the time to keep up my momentum. If I do not have a good brealfast (eggs) and lunch (salad w/ grilled chicken or grilled chicken Subway) at 2pm when I get off work and go work out, I can feel myself hitting the energy wall. Cutting the processed sugar and processed carbs out, eating a ton more fresh fruits and veg with lean proteins...snacking with raw almonds and other nuts...you will have so much more energy and will drive up your metabolism. When I eat something with sugar or carbs, I can feel my insulin spike and I'll get real tired. Easter weekend was hell for me

I have found that when I am not exercising regularly I crave the junk foods more, and I am more easily tired and less motivated in general. A week off from exercising and I feel like a slug and I have NO motivation to do it. The thing that keeps me going sometimes is KNOWING that when I am done exercising that session I'll have more energy.

 

[Fletch]

I have found that when I am not exercising regularly I crave the junk foods more, and I am more easily tired and less motivated in general. A week off from exercising and I feel like a slug and I have NO motivation to do it. The thing that keeps me going sometimes is KNOWING that when I am done exercising that session I'll have more energy.

Pfft... I get up at 4:30 to work out before going to work... the only thing that keeps me going is knowing that I'll have the rest of the day free.

 

[Benny]

I haven't done cardio or hit the weights in a long time, I eat whatever I want, drink like a fish and still weigh within 5 lbs of what I did in high school(6'6 245 almost 10 years ago, 250 now).





































So what if my body fat % has drastically changed since then, the scale doesn't lie!

 

[shibumiseeker]

So what if my body fat % has drastically changed since then, the scale doesn't lie!

One of the things I do for exercise is hike a 45-55lb pack up and down my ridge, a mile round trip with a 200' elevation gain. The other day the girls and I were out looking for mushrooms and I took an empty internal frame pack with so I could hike some decorative rocks out from the back of the property. We loaded it with nice sandstone and I almost couldn't put the pack on. When I hike heavy loads I use my external frame pack and I have the bar on top I can grab and hoist up so I can get the thing on.

It was about a half mile hike back with only minor ups and downs and it was killing me. I stepped on my bathroom scale when we got back to the house and it went all the way around and finally stopped at just under 300 which was the highest it goes. The pack weighed over 85 lbs! I've never put that much in an internal frame pack before! I think I broke the scale, it hasn't worked right since. I've hiked 80lb packs before when in the desert, but that weight quickly went down since most of it was water.

 

[Tactical Dave]

I was looking at my wedding picture the other day. I got married when I was in the Army and was a SOLID 180 pounds! I enjoyed conducting PT and staying in great shape. As I look at myself now, I am currently at 220 pounds, but everyone says I look like I work out. I know it's bull and I'm fat and out of shape. But I lie to myself and say, "Well, I don't have a belly." I need to get serious before some kind of health issue warrants the change.

For those of us who have turned 40, how much weight have you gained between 20 years old and now? Also, do you plan to do anything about it?

Dont feel bad, I am 26 and am 250ish, when I was 21 I was 200, when I was 18 I was 185ish. I have leveled off and need to get back down to the 200-210 range.

 

[mudwater]

Interesting stories. Alot of it for me is that I was in sports in HS and then had physical work for a few years after. Health issues has been a problem for me also.
I was a lean 185 lbs, 6'2" in HS could press 175 lbs over head, throw shot put, run a 400 meter in 50 seconds was even a hurdler. Wrestled and played football. 32" waist and 44 long jacket.

Well how about now. 44 years old 290 lbs. 2 Cancer operations and on Meds. I try to keep fit by walking the dog and it helps. Tried running some but it was too hard on the feet. I got back into wieght lifting some but I bulked up to quickly rather than getting fit. I was surprised to see that I am stronger now than in HS on low reps but have less indurance. Now 42" waist and 56" jacket.

After reading the stories here I see that what I need in to be more consistant in exercising.