Hey everyone!
I have a less than simple health and wellness situation so bear with me please while I give you the needed back story. I'm 27, 6'2 and I've played sports most of my life and am generally quite strong and athletic. Size and strength are in my genes. Everyone assumes I'm about 50 pounds less than I actually am. When I was 12 my weight inflated like a balloon and I dropped from the number 1 hockey league in the city to the bottom one. I went from a top division, MVP hockey player at 150 lbs to a bottom division 280 lb whale in about a year. I ran into some serious stomach / digestion issues and to this day I still have a very touchy, high maintenance digestion system that doesn't do well with beer or most grains. I've also had some blood sugar issues but don't have diabetes or hypoglycemia, etc. Since being 12 I've had varying levels of over weight-ness, from "husky" to "obese". In any case, I've always shocked people at my athletic ability. Due to my size and speed I walked onto the senior football team in high school with zero experience playing football and played as a starter on both the O line and D line... so in the past I've found frustration with recommended exercise regimes that seem to have been designed for people with a much lower level of athleticism.
My lower body is actually quite thin and toned (pant size is 38 compared to my brother who wears a 36 waste and is an icon of physical fitness in our family) but my upper body is soft... it used to be concentrated around my belly but I've been on a slow weight loss trend for the last 2 years so it's pretty evenly distributed around my tummy, sides, and chest.
I currently have a side job as a snow shoveler... I have a 25 property route that takes me about 5-6 hours and I feel able, capable, and strong during and after this so part of what I'm looking for is something that's got the right level of challenge but is sustainable. It doesn't snow enough for this to be a real weight loss contributor, though
Diet wise I take kelp, spirulina, and a fibre supplement and these all help a lot. I avoid starches (ie: wheat) and milk products, although somehow cheese actually seems to help my stomach woes and give me a feeling of satisfaction and energy after I eat it so I typically incorporate a bit of cheese into my diet. Focusing on a low starch diet does a world of difference but I do get acid reflux and a general feeling of fatigue after I eat fairly frequently no matter how good I've eaten. For some reason sometimes only a little bit of coke or pepsi helps it. Go figure.
According to the calorie calculator I shouldn't exceed about 2200 calories (based on a sedentary life style).
My goal is this: I would like to trim up a shirt size by about July so that I'm a bit more proportional and plan on doing some regular cycling now that the weather is warming. I'm not trying to get on a sports illustrated cover... I don't feel as fat as I am, but would still like to fit into clothes better. I've also bought some new skates and will be able to do drop-in hockey during the lunch hour. I tend to hate gyms, but in the past I've done a 20 minute circuit training thing that I wouldn't be opposed to a couple times a week.
How much cycling, weights, and hockey should I be doing? And what sort of strategy should I go for regarding eating?
I've attached a couple photos to help assess my situation. Suggestions are appreciated!
View attachment 21854View attachment 21855
I have a less than simple health and wellness situation so bear with me please while I give you the needed back story. I'm 27, 6'2 and I've played sports most of my life and am generally quite strong and athletic. Size and strength are in my genes. Everyone assumes I'm about 50 pounds less than I actually am. When I was 12 my weight inflated like a balloon and I dropped from the number 1 hockey league in the city to the bottom one. I went from a top division, MVP hockey player at 150 lbs to a bottom division 280 lb whale in about a year. I ran into some serious stomach / digestion issues and to this day I still have a very touchy, high maintenance digestion system that doesn't do well with beer or most grains. I've also had some blood sugar issues but don't have diabetes or hypoglycemia, etc. Since being 12 I've had varying levels of over weight-ness, from "husky" to "obese". In any case, I've always shocked people at my athletic ability. Due to my size and speed I walked onto the senior football team in high school with zero experience playing football and played as a starter on both the O line and D line... so in the past I've found frustration with recommended exercise regimes that seem to have been designed for people with a much lower level of athleticism.
My lower body is actually quite thin and toned (pant size is 38 compared to my brother who wears a 36 waste and is an icon of physical fitness in our family) but my upper body is soft... it used to be concentrated around my belly but I've been on a slow weight loss trend for the last 2 years so it's pretty evenly distributed around my tummy, sides, and chest.
I currently have a side job as a snow shoveler... I have a 25 property route that takes me about 5-6 hours and I feel able, capable, and strong during and after this so part of what I'm looking for is something that's got the right level of challenge but is sustainable. It doesn't snow enough for this to be a real weight loss contributor, though
Diet wise I take kelp, spirulina, and a fibre supplement and these all help a lot. I avoid starches (ie: wheat) and milk products, although somehow cheese actually seems to help my stomach woes and give me a feeling of satisfaction and energy after I eat it so I typically incorporate a bit of cheese into my diet. Focusing on a low starch diet does a world of difference but I do get acid reflux and a general feeling of fatigue after I eat fairly frequently no matter how good I've eaten. For some reason sometimes only a little bit of coke or pepsi helps it. Go figure.
According to the calorie calculator I shouldn't exceed about 2200 calories (based on a sedentary life style).
My goal is this: I would like to trim up a shirt size by about July so that I'm a bit more proportional and plan on doing some regular cycling now that the weather is warming. I'm not trying to get on a sports illustrated cover... I don't feel as fat as I am, but would still like to fit into clothes better. I've also bought some new skates and will be able to do drop-in hockey during the lunch hour. I tend to hate gyms, but in the past I've done a 20 minute circuit training thing that I wouldn't be opposed to a couple times a week.
How much cycling, weights, and hockey should I be doing? And what sort of strategy should I go for regarding eating?
I've attached a couple photos to help assess my situation. Suggestions are appreciated!
View attachment 21854View attachment 21855