👋🏻 Hey, I'm Bryan. I'm sharing my journey to ditch my dad bod physique, in hope that it inspires other men who perhaps looked up one day and suddenly realized how they look didn't match who they want to be.
Where I'm at and where I'm going
All journey's have a beginning and end, mine has had fits and starts for years, but I'm calling March 3rd, 2021 the start of this leg of the journey. On March 3rd I weighed 290.4 lbs, tied for the heaviest I've ever been for the 3rd time in six months. There's more to the story, but that's where I started.
Where I want to be is more interesting, because to get there I'll have to address my body, soul, and mind to sustain the changes.
Where I'm going is a life that is not limited by my weight. And to do that I'm willing to put it all out there, to go hard physically and search deep mentally.
I'm convinced dad bods are made because we lose track of where we want to be, we allow life to happen to us, instead of shaping how we want our life to be.
So follow along as I shape my future. 💪🏼
The journey so far
As of week nine I'm down 8.1 lbs total!
How I'll get there
My strategy is simple, there are no gimmick diets involved, I'm showing up and each day applying the lessons I've learned and building who I want to be one day at a time.
Be consistent
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is consistency is greater than one-time events. It's great to have those big one-time events, but for anyone who's ran a 5k marathon, you know your weight didn't drop 10 pounds from that one event. Weight drops by consistently addressing in your life what needs to change, one small step at a time.
Be accountable
Accountability makes it easier to show up every day. It's easy to slack off when what you're doing doesn't matter to anyone. But when it matters to someone or your word is on the line? Well of course you're going to keep making progress. That's why I have a coach and I talk to my wife about how I'm doing. It's also partly why this site exists. I'm also looking for a couple guys to chat with weekly, just like I do for the business world, I think accountability to others makes a difference.
Lift weights and take care of my body
In time I'll unpack the science, but for now I'll simply state the facts. Muscle needs more energy than fat, your muscle mass impacts your base metabolic rate (BMR) in a positive way. So the more muscle you have the more calories you burn.
Also you just feel better when you move better and muscle mass LOOKS better, even on a dad bod!
I'm also prioritizing sleep and stretching. Because you need sleep and while this hasn't been a problem for me generally I can't lift well if I'm short changing the zzz's. And the same thing for stretching, at 44 I can't just go muscle through something without risk of injury. Plus just like muscle, flexibility just makes you feel good.
Eat smart and sustainably
I used to think I understood good nutrition. I was wrong. Since then I've learned all sort of important facts about macro and micro nutrients, what a body needs for muscle gain, the impact of sugar on your metabolism and mind, and on and on and on. And that's good because it helps me make better decisions daily. BUT, to have sustainable change what I've also learned is I can't make it complex, I need to keep it simple. So I'm focusing on two things:
1) Track my calories to hit my daily range
2) Shoot for 140g of protein a day
That's it, pretty simple. Yes, I'll use all I learned so that those calories are nutritious, but I'm not eliminating any food or food groups, not doing any unsustainable gimmick diets, nor taking any crazy weight loss supplements.
Learn who I am today and align it to who I want to be
Habits can be good or bad. Through introspection I've come to see I have both, but when it comes to my body, mind, and soul I've allowed more bad habits pile up than is healthy. Thus the dad bod. To help with this I'm reading two books: Atomic Habits by James Clear and the Mental Toughness Handbook by Damon Zahariades.
Copyright 2021, Bryan Smith, All Rights Reserved