Fitness

Chuck Bent

Age 69, HMR Weight Loss Program Director at Baptist Health/Milestone Wellness Center

YOUR AHA MOMENT?

The salesmen at Men's Warehouse were happy to continue to supply me with larger and larger pants and jackets. One day, as I tried on a new jacket, the salesman told me that my jacket size was now an "Executive Cut". It sounded nice, but basically that meant there was lots of extra material around the waist. Then prior to my 55th birthday, as I was walking up the one flight of stairs to my office at home, I had to stop halfway up to catch my breath. My knees were killing me, and something inside me snapped, and I said that's it. I'm done. I had tried to lose weight in the past, but had always failed and gained it all back. But this time was different. I was not going to fail.

FOOD?

Lots of high volume, high nutrition, low calorie foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins like chicken and fish, and a few whole grains. A couple of easy food tricks: Add a scoop of chocolate protein powder into my decaf coffee -- It's like a Starbucks Mocha Grande without all the calories. At Jason’s Deli I will get the salad bar to-go and fill up with over 2 lbs. of veggies and 4 hard boiled eggs. I will throw away 2 of the yokes and chop everything up in a large bowl, use my 10-calorie Honey Dijon dressing, and eat on that throughout the afternoon. It’s very filling.

HIS ROUTINE:

Hour of cardio each weekday morning: step class, a high-intensity interval training class or racquetball. Lift weights daily: Monday is chest day, Tuesday is back and biceps, Wednesday is leg day, Thursday is shoulders, and Friday is triceps (and with TRX straps to focus on the smaller back and upper body muscles).

HOW TO KEEP GOING?

Once you make up your mind to lose weight and to get fit, don't make excuses. Do it. Make that your top priority and make everything else fit around that. Don't say, well I am on vacation this week, or it’s our anniversary, or birthday. Once you start, don't look back until you reach your goal. Then set new goals. Whether it be a race, like a 10K or something else. One of my goals this year was to be able to bench press 225 [pounds], which I did for the very first time just last month. Nothing is impossible. But you also need some way to be accountable. To do that, you could join a structured weight loss program or find a friend with the same goals and work together.

Read Chuck’s full article, including his food journal and tips for staying motivated at Todaystransitions.com.

By Chuck Bent | Photo by Melissa Donald

Fall 2022 / TodaysTransitions.com