My Physically Fit Journey Part 2
Today’s episode is entitled My Physically Fit Journey Part 2. So far, the my Fit Hippy Dad channel hasn’t grown much or had very many views. It would help if I could promote it. I am not good at putting myself out there, especially with people I personally know. It’s embarrassing to put yourself out there. I’ll work on that. I must say that the first YouTube short I put out there had quite a few views. So, I think I’ll do a few more of those and promote the channel as well. I know, I know, I have to get over it if I am going to do this! And, before we dive in with today’s video, please check out my Spotify podcast, which is my YouTube channel at Fit Hippy Dad and my website at fithippydad.com.
To review from the last episode. I was a normal kid for the most part growing up. The first time I really gained weight was at the end of my junior year in high school. I lost weight during the summer. I was over 200 pounds, I think 204 and got down to about 175. So maybe thirty pounds lost. I continued to gain weight throughout college and by the age of 27, I tipped the scale close to 250. It was easy to do-don’t weigh yourself. Last episode I also briefly mentioned my family. I think my weight gain was entirely me, not genetics. I shared how much I could eat-5 double cheeseburgers, three footlong subs at one time. Not throughout the day, but for one meal. The last video ended with my introduction to the hippy life-my hip replacement diagnosis. I had Avascular Necrosis, or AVN for short. My hips had no blood flowing through. It could have been caused by asthma meds or Prednisone or genetics. Why this only affected my hips, who knows, but the damage was done.
I was 27 when I found out about the AVN diagnosis. I had lost some weight and was no longer 248 at the time of the diagnosis. Check the photo out. That is me, my sister and niece. I was a hoss from head to toe. I lost 60 pounds between the time I found out in March of 1997 and when I had my first hip replacement in 1998. So, we are now caught up.
How did I lose the weight…well, smoking was involved. I don’t recommend this but I used smoking to help me lose weight. When I wanted to eat, I smoked. I also worked at a grocery store and the stocking really helped. I didn’t exercise or go to the gym or anything like that. The grocery store work was exercise. Trust me. You are on your feet all day, stocking, lifting. It’s a workout. In a lot of ways, I used smoking as a substitute for eating until my second hip replacement surgery in 2002. I quit smoking after the 2nd surgery. My physically fit journey really begins there in July or 2002. I couldn’t substitute smoking for food. But, I could substitute exercise for smoking and food! During those years, 1997-2002, I spent a lot more time taking better care of myself. I was more conscious of what I ate and can’t say smoking was the only reason I lost weight. I think the important concept here that will be a part of my journey is awareness. I knew I had to lose weight to keep the weight off my hips for the rest of my life. Remember awareness!
So, now we are in 2002. I quit smoking after the surgery. On a side note, I quit caffeine as well. That lasted about 6 weeks before a drive up north to Wisconsin made me make a choice. Smoking or caffeine. I chose caffeine. Now without smoking, what was I to do? How could I keep the weight off and now no longer having smoking, or really the nicotine to keep my weight in check. As mentioned a minute or so ago, I chose exercise over smoking and food.
Even back in 1998 when I had the first surgery, during recovery and for many years after that, I did a lot of exercises for my hip, to strengthen and increase the mobility of the joint and the surrounding area. I walked a lot. I kept moving. But, it was really in 2002, after the surgery, and without smoking, that I took a personal journey to health, to be physically fit. To be healthy!
Now, after the second hip surgery, I’m 32. I started biking. I bought a stationary bike. Whenever I would want to smoke, after a meal, in the morning when I first go up, sometimes in between meals, I rode that stationary bike. 6 weeks after the surgery in 2002, I weighed 169. The day of the surgery, I weighed 176. I lost 7 pounds being on crutches and no weight bearing on my surgical leg. How did I do that? I moved. If awareness is a key part of my fit journey, movement is the medicine I use to keep my weight off. I didn’t really lift weights nor did a lot of bodyweight exercises like pushups for many years after the surgeries in 1998, 2002, and 2009. I probably did up to 2 hours of aerobic activity a day from 2002 until 2009. I also was extremely conscious of what I put in my body. Again, that awareness I talked about earlier. As you get to know me on this channel, I can have a bit of an addictive personality.
So, the moving. I did something without knowing what it was. I did what is called NEAT. Have you ever heard of NEAT? N E A T? When it comes to exercise and moving? It stands for non exercise activity thermogenesis. Basically it means how active you are when you aren’t trying to actually exercise. If you are a figitor, you are practicing NEAT. It’s like exercise snacks. It’s little activity and movement throughout the day. I’ll share a few links in the description if you want to check out more about NEAT or exercise snacks. What are examples of this in my life? Well, I started taking stairs, not the elevator. I parked farther away from the store to get more steps in. 10,000 steps became a daily goal. If I sat too long, I’d go for walks at work or at school or at home. I just moved.
Honestly, up till about 2013, that is what I did. Move, being aware of my movement, the stationary bike, some home calisthenics, and being mindful of what I consumed. I could give you a ballpark number of how many calories I ate a day for years. All of these modifications in my life must have worked. I have kept 90 pounds of weight loss off for 27 years and counting now. No drugs, no Ozempic. It can be done.
Next time I will wrap up with part 3 of my physically fit journey with really my exercise journey beyond NEAT and walking.
Don’t forget the Spotify podcast. Check out Fit Hippy Dad and the my website fithippdad.com. Hope you will come back!