51 Now what?

[Whopper stopper]

I have had problems with weight all my life. I am one of the lucky ones that put the extra weight on in the gut, get handles and start growing breasts. I have never allowed myself to get totally out of hand but at my worst 30-35 pounds is bad enough. This January the 5th to be exact, I again went on the warpath against fat. I started at 227 pounds. My main goal was to get to 200 ponds and again be able to dig in the closet for my skinny clothes.

As of last Monday I was down to 195. Now looking at myself, and my age, I want to take it a step further. I have set my goal to get down to 180. I am 6’3” and have a decent frame to build off of. I am at the point now where the breasts have rescinded, the belly is much better and the handles take some digging to grab. I have no idea where I am in terms of body fat but I do know that the belly still has a ways to go if I ever want to come close to seeing my abs. Hell I would even settle for just seeing two of them.

My primary exercise besides work is the elliptical. I started out doing 30 minutes a day and have added extra time to it to keep my body guessing. I am currently going 50 minutes first thing every morning and I definitely attack it as aggressively as possible. From here I plan to begin taking advantage of the soon to be warmer weather. I will walk and also ride bike. My diet is 100% based on Weight Watchers. My wife is a member and so are a couple of other close family members. If anyone is familiar with it I started out eating 28 points a day and now lucky me am down to 24 points. This translates into roughly 1200 calories currently a Day (1 point is about 50 calories). At the point of meeting goal the idea is to adjust your intake tomaintain a steady weight. At this point depending on activity and training you can up your intake as much as needed to remain on course.

My other plan is that once I get to 180 pounds I want to start working out with resistance training. Yes I have a Bow-Flex and my plan is to use it. Maybe not the best choice from what I hear but I bought it and now I must face the music.

I have looked over this board and looked through some of the archives. I know there is a wealth of information here and many, many opinions. The main question I have is do you think the belly fat will disappear with cardio alone?

I am the type that has always taken one step at a time. That is why first I get to a weight and then I try to build and maintain. The maintaining has always been my nemesis but I am trying to over come that now that I am heading into the second half of life. Due to the point system I definitely have a hunger. I would love to start working some of the foods into my meals but 24 points does not allow much experimenting with say nuts and yogurt. One egg is 2 points. I plan to rework my entire eating structure once I start with the Bow Flex.

Anyway good or bad I would love to hear the thoughts from you experts. I would love to hear what you would do if you were starting out as I am. Don’t worry if you bash me I am a big boy. My ultimate goal is not to build into a huge monster. I simply want to get into good shape for a nearing old man, and at the same time prevent on the job injuries the best I can. My trade is tree related and besides the physical part I still enjoy climbing and swinging around with kids half my age. I also know that I am nearing the chapter in my life where health issues start to manifest. Anyway, thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing some responses!

Thanks!

WS

[vassille]

U did great man, lost some weight and being on a diet like that takes guts to keep all the calories in check.
I like drugs..lol and I don't know if you do but if you do look into HGH. Of course do a full blood panel first then look to go into HGH therapy if you can afford it.
just a thought...

[Whopper stopper]

Thanks! What is HGH therapy ?

WS

[vassille]

Originally Posted by Whopper stopper

Thanks! What is HGH therapy ?

WS

Human Growth Hormone....great stuff!

[DamagedControl]

I have a different phiosophy and don't agree with going the HGH route.

I'd say to do cardio, I've had a similar issue all my life and am finally getting it together with diet / training. Drugs aren't a permanent solution in this case.