Overheard conversation:
“I don’t know, Jim. I’m putting on weight. All I have to do is look at food, and I get fatter.”
“Jeez, Carl. You just need to exercise more.”
Wrong!
I’ve been down that road and even gained weight while running, rucking, and walking my ass off, doing bodyweight workouts while putting on pounds.
My middle gets bigger, and it seems like a mystery — until I add up all the snacks and “reward” meals, glasses of wine, convenience store snacks, and pieces of toast.
Some of us seem doomed to go round and round and round on this bus, gaining weight and then moving mountains trying to lose it again. Up and down 20 to 30 pounds. Never happy.
The bottom line is this: I’m a motivated person who does 99% of everything right. But if you’re like me, you are probably screwing up the one thing that will make you bulge in the middle: Food.
I Hit Rock Bottom and Had to Try Something New
I gained a few (!) pounds with lockdown snack-down and lack of activity last winter. No surprise. Time to get the running shoes back out and work my ass off. My jeans don’t fit, and I’m not buying new ones.
I did everything I’ve tried before. Full speed ahead! Except it didn’t work.
I was intermittent fasting daily. I’m a long-time proponent of it; been doing it for four years.
I was doing a kettlebell workout pretty consistently for over three months. I saw strength gains but no loss of fat at all. I was still going up.
I’ve been putting miles on outdoors. I got back into my Super Slow Running program, and I enjoyed getting back out in nature. But no change on that gut size.
I love to Ruck. Twice a week, I was putting up to 40 lbs. on my back and going on a one-hour hike.
And getting fatter.
What in the world is Rucking, you say? Check this story I wrote about it! How to Turn Walking Into Super Stealth Cardio.
