The Gun Counter

I'm 5'8" on a good day and am quite a bit over 200lbs. In other words, I'm fat regardless of the system used. I'm slowly losing weight by the simple expedient of eating about half of what I used to eat. My goal is about 175-185 in about 3 years, maybe 4. And if I don't make it by then, well I'll just tack on another year or two.

At age 77, I'm in no hurry.

Cut your carbs to 50-100 grams a day and watch the magic happen.

My carbs are already down. I don't eat most fried food (chicken is too tasty to give up), potato chips, onion rings and most desserts.

True story; While stationed at Hahn, Germany, my squadron commander (bless his heart) sent me down to the hospital in Weisbaden to participate in a weight loss program the Army was running at the time. The basis of the program was a diet of 1000 calories a day, all the RC diet cola or water you want to drink and programmed exercise. In reality a month long vacation from daily pressures. The motto of the staff was that the building would lose weight with this program. The only control was the diet and weight checks.

The average loss in the group was about 25 pounds. I lost 12 pounds in that month, barely making it under the weight limit of 187 pounds. It taught me that I would have to be on a diet for the rest of my life in order to keep the Air Force happy. I managed to stay close to my limit until I retired, then I pigged out with steaks and such. That diet made me the man I am today, so now I'm paying the price.

Smaller portions, less fried foods, fewer desserts, leaving some food on the plate when done. It's what I can do without straining or breaking something.

I don't like going to the hospital, that is where sick people are.

Well, I'm 6'2.5", and I weigh about 205, which apparently gives me a BMI of 26.0, which also apparently means I'm overweight.

Now, according to the Army's height/weight charts, I have either 9 or 15 pounds before I'm above max weight for my height, depending on whether you round up to 75" or down to 74".

According to the Navy body fat calculator, I'm at 17% body fat, which qualifies me as "Fit".

I run obstacle course races for fun, and can do 5 miles at a 9 minute/mile pace. Pretty sure I'm not 'overweight.'

Langenator wrote: I run obstacle course races for fun, and can do 5 miles at a 9 minute/mile pace. Pretty sure I'm not 'overweight.'

Cool! Another drinker with a running problem!

Which ones do you do?

First Shirt wrote:

Langenator wrote: I run obstacle course races for fun, and can do 5 miles at a 9 minute/mile pace. Pretty sure I'm not 'overweight.'

Cool! Another drinker with a running problem!

Which ones do you do?

So far, I've done the Spartan Sprint in DC and the VA Super Spartan, plus a bunch of Rugged Maniac runs. My newest infatuation is "Run 'n Gun", which combines running/walking with shooting (2 guns - rifle/pistol) and the occasional obstacle. I did my first of those - the amusingly named Waco Tactical Fitness 5k (they also do a 10k) last month.

All of the Spartan and Tough Mudder races in TX for 2017 ran into work conflicts for me (I'm a cop, and have to work every other weekend, and then every weekend we have a home football game on top of that), but 2018 looks to have fewer scheduling conflicts. Might try to achieve the Spartan TriFecta.

I've done Warrior Dashes (5K with 10-12 obstacles) and Savage Races (10K with 25 obstacles) because they are the only ones in reasonable driving distance. Supposed to be a Tough Mudder in Tennessee this year, and if work doesn't get in the way, I'd like to try that one, too.

You'd think that at my age, I'd have better sense than this, wouldn't you?

It takes me 2-3 hours to get to any of the races in TX (mostly in Houston, Austin, DFW areas), but in TX 2-3 hours isn't much.

What amazes me is the folks who fly around the country for these things.

But hey, we spend $800-1000 on a gun, they spend it on flying to races.

It usually takes me 2-5 hours to drive to a race, the exception being the Warrior Dash in Nebraska, but I only drive to that one because a dozen or so friends are running it, too, and it's as much for the reunion as the race.