by Max Seabrook
I often hear from people that it’s too late for them to get into shape or that changing to a healthier diet wouldn’t help them lose weight at their age. I even heard a doctor say that it’s not worth telling patients over 45 years old about lifestyle changes because they won’t adhere to them. That’s why I wanted to share Chris’s story to show that it is absolutely possible to transform your health and fitness at any age.
Chris has been a client of mine for the past year, but his journey began a few years before that when he was 50 years old weighing in at 216 lbs with a BMI of 32. He decided that he’d had enough of being overweight and even though he hadn’t been working out since his 20’s, he was determined to turn things around. He started going to the gym and improving his diet, moving towards a wholefoods plant-based diet. After a lot of hard work in the gym and sticking to a mostly wholefoods plant-based diet, he lost over 60lbs, 12% body fat and brought his BMI down to the healthy range!
His photos, body stats and story below:
Here’s what Chris has to say to anyone else in a similar situation as him
What motivated you to get started?
Being unhealthy – I just felt miserable. My co-worker, Brayden Nash, kept asking me to join the gym for about a year. So, I finally joined the gym and started working out with Brayden. Looking back I wish I had joined earlier. My dad had a couple heart attacks and prostate cancer, and my family all have high cholesterol and elevated blood pressures. I didn’t want to have to take all the chemical medications to correct those problems. I wanted to be healthy.
What was the hardest part about getting started and keeping it going?
Getting started was the hardest part. What I mean by that is changing the 6-8” between my ears. Making a conscious decision was three-fourths of the battle. Everything about this process revolved around accountability for me. I need someone just to be there in the background. That’s what makes me keep going. At first it was Brayden working out with me in the gym. Now Max is looking over my shoulder with the workouts he sets up, reviewing my food journal and reviewing my stats. If it wasn’t for good people like Brayden and Max, I wouldn’t have achieved as much as I have. During the times when I didn’t have someone in my corner, my weight went back up, and I didn’t push myself as hard as I should have in the gym. An accountability partner keeps it going for me.
What advice would you give anybody looking for motivation to lose weight?
It takes time – persistency and consistency is the key. I, nor they, didn’t gain all the weight in a month or two, and it’s going to take time to lose the weight and get back into shape. The key is to get started sooner rather than later. The older you get, the harder it is to make the changes. Your body physically changes and your hormones change, so it’s harder. It’s harder but not impossible. The possibility is always there; one just has to work at it. If a 50-year-old man who hasn’t exercised regularly in over 30 years and who is not very self-motivated can do it, SO CAN YOU. Just find your motivation. For me it was an accountability partner.
How did Chris do it?
Chris’s transformation is excellent and it all came down to being consistent. A lot of the time we want to hear something about some magic diet or supplement that was responsible for weight loss. Long-lasting success with health and fitness will always come from sustainable consistency.
Diet: Tracking macronutrients, calories and eating a mostly wholefoods plant-based diet whilst in a sensible caloric deficit.
Training: 3-4x weekly weightlifting sessions hitting all body parts and also HIIT cardio sessions.
Body tracking: Scheduled tracking of body-measurements like weight, hips, waist etc.
Partner: Chris had a gym partner or trainer keeping him accountable in and outside of the gym.
Chris is a real inspiration and clearly shows that anybody can take control of their health and fitness at any age. We all applaud you, Chris! Looking forward to seeing your future progress too!
If anyone reading this is wondering where to get started here’s an article on getting back into fitness: http://www.veganmuscleandfitness.com/getting-back-into-training/