After losing 170 pounds and getting into the best shape of my life, I still felt behind. The problem was not my body. It was the scoreboard.
I started lifting at 50 after thirty years of nothing: the dumbbells in my office, the gym that scared me off, the coach who made it stick, and what the evidence says a beginner actually needs.
I’m 53 years old and 170 pounds lighter than I was a year and a half ago. That’s the number everyone asks about. It’s also the wrong number. The number that actually tells the story is one the bathroom scale never showed me. Over one six-month stretch, the scale said I’d lost 35 pounds. The
I’m 170 pounds down on tirzepatide. The most-asked question I get now is ‘is it keto?’ It wasn’t. A 50-something dad untangles what keto, carnivore, low-carb, Mediterranean, and DASH actually are — and what the evidence says about each.
Many fitness tracking apps and wearables offer metrics — so many metrics, that it’s easy to get lost. scores for everything: sleep, fitness, training readiness, heart rate (variation) and many many more. I am a self-confessed data nerd and I feel overwhelmed by these metrics. I am trying to pay only attention to the things
On my weight loss journey for a year only tracked scale weight but I finally wanted to gain more insights. Dexa scans are widely considered the gold standard for body composition analysis, in addition to their original target of bone density analysis. I found a Health/Fitness optimization place nearby that had a Dexa machine and
After starting GLP-1s, I knew I had to work out to avoid losing muscle mass and to help with general fitness. Alas, I had never really worked out… ever. So, I started slowly and bought an indoor bike. This seemed like a good choice as I hate running (I blame a bum knee!) and I
November 2024 Once my PCP prescribed Zepbound, the challenge began: convincing insurance to pay for it or getting it filled while paying myself. For background, I work for a large company and think I have pretty decent health insurance (administered by United Healthcare). My pharmacy called me to tell me that the insurance rejected the
October 2024 I had avoided getting a physical for years because I felt guilty and was tired of doctors telling me “you could lose some weight”. I know this is a stupid attitude and I am embarrassed about it — however, alas I suspect this is a pretty common pattern with middle-aged, overweight men. My
If you’ve noticed your arms looking a bit smaller or your strength declining despite hitting the gym, you’re not imagining things. Losing muscle mass in your 50s is a real phenomenon—but it’s not inevitable. The Science Behind Muscle Loss After 50 Get the next one in your inbox I write about longevity, training, and preventive
