a) I was in a personal nose dive and then I pulled out of it and that part of the story is important, and
b) I have recently received what were to me surprising responses from other men from age 35 to mid 60s looking for some personal change. The post seemed to resonate with what they were trying to do for themselves. I am assuming that they probably thought "if the old dude can do it, so can I." And if that's what it takes to help inspire action, then here we are.
See also a post on: Fitness after 60: Intermittent Fasting was Not Enough
And also a note on core work: Some Core work in my mid 60s
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- Unplanned and undesired move to FL
- Surprise divorce
- Global Financial Crisis
- Social isolation
- No hobbies or activities
- Series of toxic post-divorce relationships
- Likely a bit of Dysthymia
- Financial and personal stress
- No exercise, sedentary
- Probable over-use of alcohol
- Uninspired
- Low testosterone due to all of the above
- Zero energy/libido
- Weight gain from baseline of 165 to as high as 195, twice
- Self confidence low
- Weak
Muscle mass mediates associations of BMI with adiposity and mortality and is inversely associated with the risk of death. After accounting for muscle mass, the BMI associated with the greatest survival shifts downward toward the normal range. These results provide a concrete explanation for the obesity paradox
Association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and all cause mortality
Ultra-processed food linked to early death
Red meat as part of a healthy diet linked to reduced risk of multiple sclerosis
Reversion from prediabetes to normoglycaemia and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality: the Whitehall II cohort study
Ultra-processed food linked to early death
Effect of restriction vegan diet's on muscle mass, oxidative status, and myocytes differentiation: A pilot study.
------
I was recently flattered by having a guy in the UK use my before-and-after pic to promote a fitness program. I mean, really, I'm turning 61, wtf? The "game" seems almost over at this point. But it's not really. The whole point of RiversHedge is not to sweat pennies and do simulation, it is to live a life. To live a "life" needs healthy finances, of course, but that is a dead-end without health. Two years ago I did NOT have health, now I do. More on that later because that is the point of this page.
In case anyone might find it useful, in this post I will only describe what I do. I will not promote (for money) or sell a program or cite science or evidence. That is easy enough to find and everyone seems to have their own evidence these days, anyway. I will just describe what I did should that be useful.
The reason that foreveralphablog.co.uk happened to promote me was because we corresponded and I mentioned that while I don't follow his program, what I have done for the last two years is exactly his program. He thought the transformation was exceptional on an age-adjusted basis and asked to use my pic to which I agreed. So while I am not exactly promoting his program I am at least promoting myself. And if I can't promote myself then that seems to be some kind of road to self-negation or self-extinction. And I've already been married so I've had enough of that already.
I'll set this post up with
- some baselines,
- an intervention, and then
- an "after"
Before Baseline 1: 1973-1985 - Youthful Intensity
- Competitive swimmer thru senior year in college
- Training up to 6 hours/day and over 10k meters
- Body fat low enough to sink with full lung of air
- Resistance training over full range of baseline 1
- Suit size 44-46 chest, 29 waist i.e., couldn't buy one
- Self challenges like 1000 pushups/day in summer of 1979
- Focus on education, career, and fun
- Average weight ~ 155 and super-fit
Before Baseline 2: 1986-2007 - Career and Family Plateau
- Mostly sedentary
- Much computer screen-work and sitting
- Focus on career and family
- No physical endeavors to speak of except some hiking
- Strong-form commitment to 3 daughters and my now ex-spouse
- Average weight ~ 165 and generally not all that fit
Before Baseline 3: 2008-2016 - The "Nosedive"
- Unplanned and undesired move to FL- Surprise divorce
- Global Financial Crisis
- Social isolation
- No hobbies or activities
- Series of toxic post-divorce relationships
- Likely a bit of Dysthymia
- Financial and personal stress
- No exercise, sedentary
- Probable over-use of alcohol
- Uninspired
- Low testosterone due to all of the above
- Zero energy/libido
- Weight gain from baseline of 165 to as high as 195, twice
- Self confidence low
- Weak
Before Baseline 4: last 50+ years - Family Health History
- Father = fatal 3rd coronary at 47
- Brother1 = 100% blockage of main anterior descending artery at 50 (widow-maker). Survived
- Brother2 = 99% blockage of main anterior descending artery at 51. Survived
- Mother = Dementia and decline starting around 80
THE INTERVENTION (see below) - Q3 2017
After: Q3 2017 to Spring 2019 (now)
- 2x to 8x increase in strength, depending on how that is defined
- 20+ lb weight loss of mostly the visceral fat in belly, the coronary maker
- Estimated 10-15 lb of muscle weight gain
- Shirt size bigger
- Pant size smaller
- Self confidence sky-high
- Cardio health (via recent state-of-the-art cardiac CT angiogram) is solid
- Self frame of reference irrevocably anchored and solid (see TheRationalMale.com)
- Equilibrium weight is around 177 but still shooting for 169. That'll be hard with the muscle gain
- Intellectual achievements are solid if you buy into my blog...
- Dating and relationships have become ridiculously simple and easy now, it seems
- Relationships with children are super solid but always have been, ask them
Here, by the way, is the before-and-after that ForeverAlpha posted, where "before" is the end of 2016, when I was at the peak of my mental and physical ill health. "After" is April 2019 when I was ~60 1/2 ... and note that I probably still have about -10lb to go. The actual time in the gym was around 20 months from start of program to that image. I have to say that I got absolutely killed for posting something similar to this on Twitter once but frankly I don't give af anymore. This is my life and it sucked before and is spectacular now so I get to tout:
The Intervention - Q3 2017
The original impetus for me to change was a relationship break-up somewhere around Oct to Dec 2017. I had allowed myself somehow to be browbeat by someone something like 2x per week for 4 years. That's more than 400 times if you do the math but it was probably even more than that. Jesus. That is so messed up. Too bad it took me years to see it for what it really was. I had also gotten fat, especially the gross, dangerous visceral kind, and I was a little bit of a downer due to the internalized stress and lack of clear purpose or meaning. I likely drank too much. I was weak, sedentary and anti-social. Uninspired. Then, suddenly, I found myself blissfully single at 59. Blissful but totally-single was not really my goal after a chaste-ish 20 year marriage and 10 years of messing around with FL freaks. I knew I had to do something to up my game. I also had made a very very hard commitment to one of my daughters that I would care-take my health so that I would be around for as long as I could be for her. That commitment I took very very seriously. That was the real reason for intervening. And intervene I did. Self intervention: "RiversHedge? Sit down, there's something I need to talk to you about..."
Here, in a very small nutshell, is what I did to get from point A to point B in 20 months:
- Stopped drinking completely for 6 months
- Went to the gym, incrementally*, almost every day for ~20 months. The "incremental" I'll explain
- Very carefully and consistently followed an intermittent fasting routine
- Ate nothing but protein, veg, a little fruit, and a little carb. Nothing dogmatic. Very sustainable.
That's it.
*A quick note on "incremental:" By this I mean that I tried, very very carefully, to connect my goals to what was implementable for me that day...but always with a challenge. On the very first day I "intervened," I HATED the idea of going to the gym. So I made myself the goal, on the first day, to just go to the front door of LA fitness, open it, and then give myself permission to go home...but to at least try to make it to at least one machine. There was literally no way to fail and there was no way to make an excuse short of death. I actually made it past the door that day but not by much. Each day after that, the goal and implementability were matched in a similar way but each day had a stretch challenge added, too. That kept the game going with an upward trajectory with the result in the photo above. Now it's ~1.5 hours with heavy weights.
The Diet
- Intermittent fasting on an 18 hour fast, 6 hour eat routine. No variance. No acceptance of shaming.
- Focus on protein, veg, some fruit, a little carb. No absolutes. I have a weakness for chips. And Rye.
- I attempt to eliminate sugar and processed foods. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
- Flexibility and joyfulness are an absolute must otherwise it can be a repetitive death march.
The Training
- I started with 7x/week sessions in order to eliminate excuses and inconsistency
- I then went to 6x per week in alternating splits, but after that...
- I then went with 3x per week due to age and injuries and an age-need for recovery
- I am now back to 6x per week with 3x/wk on major muscles and a fill-in for isolation 2-3x
- Focus is on major muscle groups on the 3x/wk
- Reps are maybe 8-12 per set with 3-5 sets, not less than 2, but.... and this is important...
- no rep or set is meaningful except the very very last rep/set that I can't do. That one is gold.
- Progressive weight is added weekly or monthly
- Periodically, say every fourth week, I will deload by dropping weight or reps
- Given a hard choice between cardio and resistance, I will always choose resistance.
Supplements
- None most days
- If any, I'll sometimes use
o Creatine, BCAA, Citrulline -- for workouts. Jury is way out on this, though
o Vitamin D3, Zinc, B12, Magnesium, B6, Omega3, grape seed ex, some other
- Note: I do not really support the use of supplements or fully believe in the effectiveness
Testosterone
Of the 20 months I mentioned above, in only 2 of those did I used TRT. So that is not the thing that helped me here. If there is a "trick" to what I've done it is the fact that I had "baseline-1" above where I had swimming and lifting in my 20s. That body was still hiding inside. The base allowed me to shred a bit at 60 where if I had been a total lump it would have been very difficult for me to do what I did. Few 60-year-olds with bodies that have never been conditioned are going to be able to pull off a major transformation without a solid baseline. It's not really impossible, it's just harder.
Here is the thing on test, though. At 60 it goes down quite a bit. Trust me, it really does. And that change does affect one's attitude and body. So, here are some things that I know personally that will impinge on test at an age like mine:
- Age
- Alcohol
- Nurturing and caregiving (I was a stay-at-home dad forever, this really affects test)
- Stress and/or lack of sex or female companionship
- Lack of competition and aggressive, challenging male company
- Dietary deficiencies like low in meat/protein
- Lack of hard resistance training
- Lack of sleep
- Some other stuff I haven't bothered to search out yet
So, don't do those things.
Also, doctors will almost always say that your low-test reading is "normal." Me? I'd say challenge that pronouncement. Here, for example, is a "normal" reading at 60 years old according to your doctor. This (the 10 on the y-axis in the chart) is somewhere in the 280-300 Ng/Dl range for a 60 yo. This is well within "American" normal readings. Here is the full scatter distribution at various ages with "normal" overlaid:
Here is another look. I can't remember where I lifted this but it represents box plots for three different studies by age. I don't recall if this is actual cohorts or not. The 10 nMol/L above is the same as about 288 nanograms per decaliter (blue horizontal line). Recall that this is often called normal in the US
This kind of testosterone reading (haven't gotten to "free" test), despite what they will tell you, is clearly not "normal." It is low. So, either man-up and fix that based on what you can do with the list I provided above...or get some TRT. Read the research. I do not supply that research here. The results and consequences are something you have to figure out on your own. The payback in fitness and confidence might be worth the risk. But it might not be. Your call with your doctor.
Whom do I follow?
Well, no one, really. But if I had to recommend something for men, I'd say I'd go with the following. I trust these guys:
Random Links to which I will try to add later... and organize...
Decreased muscle mass and increased central adiposity are independently related to mortality in older men. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 86, Issue 5, November 2007, Pages 1339–1346,
NV-5138 as a fast-acting antidepressant via direct activation of mTORC1 signaling [ PD mangan: "What else activates mTORC1? Resistance training, which is proven to fight depression. And it's also fast-acting." ]
Hypertriglyceridemia and omega-3 fatty acids: Their often overlooked role in cardiovascular disease prevention
Effect of a Very Low-Protein Diet on Outcomes: Long-term Follow-up of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study
How Carbohydrates and Not Protein Promote Aging
50 ways to naturally increase testosterone
The relationship between peripheral blood mononuclear cells telomere length and diet - unexpected effect of red meat.
Do Calories Matter?
- Periodically, say every fourth week, I will deload by dropping weight or reps
This kind of testosterone reading (haven't gotten to "free" test), despite what they will tell you, is clearly not "normal." It is low. So, either man-up and fix that based on what you can do with the list I provided above...or get some TRT. Read the research. I do not supply that research here. The results and consequences are something you have to figure out on your own. The payback in fitness and confidence might be worth the risk. But it might not be. Your call with your doctor.
Random Links to which I will try to add later... and organize...
NV-5138 as a fast-acting antidepressant via direct activation of mTORC1 signaling [ PD mangan: "What else activates mTORC1? Resistance training, which is proven to fight depression. And it's also fast-acting." ]
Hypertriglyceridemia and omega-3 fatty acids: Their often overlooked role in cardiovascular disease prevention
Effect of a Very Low-Protein Diet on Outcomes: Long-term Follow-up of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study
How Carbohydrates and Not Protein Promote Aging
50 ways to naturally increase testosterone
The relationship between peripheral blood mononuclear cells telomere length and diet - unexpected effect of red meat.
Do Calories Matter?
Muscle mass mediates associations of BMI with adiposity and mortality and is inversely associated with the risk of death. After accounting for muscle mass, the BMI associated with the greatest survival shifts downward toward the normal range. These results provide a concrete explanation for the obesity paradox
Association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and all cause mortality
Ultra-processed food linked to early death
Red meat as part of a healthy diet linked to reduced risk of multiple sclerosis
Reversion from prediabetes to normoglycaemia and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality: the Whitehall II cohort study
Ultra-processed food linked to early death
Effect of restriction vegan diet's on muscle mass, oxidative status, and myocytes differentiation: A pilot study.
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I am paid for none of this.
Postscript 10/9/19
I was hesitant to add updated pics but I had added one to
- Fitness after 60: Intermittent Fasting was Not Enough
so I might as well add one here. I humble-bragged my way through a disclaimer there but here...whatever...my point is to try to illustrate what an additional 15 lbs of body-fat loss will do. Not sure it shows up but at least I can feel it.
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Postscript 10/9/19
I was hesitant to add updated pics but I had added one to
- Fitness after 60: Intermittent Fasting was Not Enough
so I might as well add one here. I humble-bragged my way through a disclaimer there but here...whatever...my point is to try to illustrate what an additional 15 lbs of body-fat loss will do. Not sure it shows up but at least I can feel it.
I am going to try the 16:8 fasting and daily lifting added to my VLC protein-first diet. I’m female, 59, and I want to feel better and live as long as possible with cognition intact! Thanks 🙏
ReplyDeleteGood luck. IF works me because I never really ate breakfast so it was never a new shiny thing for me. I don't think there is a ton of autophagy going on, mostly it is a calorie reduction technique. I started at 58 and the resistance+"a diet of single-ingredient foods" was great. Lotta research coming out on that. In any case I know it's better than sugar, hot dogs and Netflix...or whatever is being consumed these days.
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