Weight

When I graduated from high school I was 5' 9" and 105 lbs, really, a very skinny kid. A year and half later when I enlisted in the US Air Force I was 5' 11" and 115 lbs, under the minimum weight they accepted enlistees but they agreed to take me if I gained weight in basic training.

I did and came out of basic training weighing 135 lbs, going from a 28" waist to a 32" waist. When I turned 30 I weighed 155 lbs. By age 40 I was 165 lbs, by 50 I was ~175 lbs and by 60 I was ~185 lbs. A year ago I weighed 188 lbs.

And today I weigh 165 lbs., losing all of it from walking 1,450+ miles so far this year (Jan. 1 to Nov. 29). My goal is to get down to 160 or less by spring, which is the rest of the fat I've carried on this body for too many years now.

I'd really love to get down to around 150 lbs again, but I'm one of those people who's genetic predisposes them to carry a certain amount of fat and twice in my live at 28 and 40 when I was the fittest I could be, I still carried a few extra pounds around my middle.

I know now this is my last best chance to get really fit for the rest of my life. To return to running, normally an 8 minute per mile pace runner for 3-5 miles (only did one 12K), and hiking when I hiked 8-12 miles with a 30+ lb (day) backpack for photography, is still my goal in a year or so.

Right now I'm up to 12.5-15 lbs in the backpack before my lower back reminds me later in the day what happened in July 2011 and July 2012 when I pinched my Sciatic nerve, the latter leaving me flat on my back for 4+ days.

So the idea now is to get down to under 160 when my fat is at its minimum and get surgery to get it removed (aka liposuction) so it never comes back no matter what happens. And they work to get to 150 or as close as my body will allow without problems.

And all of this will take another year to achieve, another year of walking 1,500+ miles to work on adding running and hiking with some weight training again. This is coming against the advice of almost everyone who are telling me it's ok to be a little fat and to take it easier when you're older.

Everyone except my physician who is for it because it makes my fitter, healthier and better. And what's not to like about that about yourself. At 64 I'm not going out of this life a fat, old man.