Exercise to a sedentary person is stressful enough, I did not want to add to the
stress, so we decided to wait a month or so before we added a strict diet
program. We tripled his water intake, for if there is such thing as a magic
solution to losing weight it is WATER. He was drinking nearly a gallon a day
and barely able to make it through an entire mass without rushing to the rest
room. But the water helped flush his system, enabled the body to burn fat as an
energy source more efficiently, and kept his body cool during exercise.
Within a few weeks, father Hoog showed no signs of weight loss and was
getting frustrated. He was building muscle in areas that were inactive before,
but he was losing fat at the same time. Father Hoog did not notice the change
in body composition by the scale, but he did notice by the tape measure and the
tighter notch on his belt. This was pleasing to both of us, but we still had 75
pounds to go.
Two months into the fitness program, we decided to start monitoring food
intake. I made him write down everything he put into his mouth. This proved to
be the area where he needed the most help and the documentation of every
piece of candy in between meals helped him realize that. Soon he had given up
M&Ms, cookies and other sugary snacks for apples, oranges and other fruits.
The water consumption helped out in this area as well, for most people confuse
hunger with dehydration. A quart of water during the late morning and
afternoon helped curb his appetite for lunch and afternoon snacking. It all
made sense to him as I mentioned these tips, but changing dietary habits that
are 50 years old is as challenging as beginning an exercise program. But Father
Hoog was well on his way physically, so I started to have as much faith as he
had determination. This was the month that his doctor reduced the high blood
pressure medicine as well. So we were making progress. "You do not get out
of shape overnight, you can't expect to get back into shape overnight either." I
told him. So with that, he shifted into long term mode, which took off the stress
on weigh in days.
At the sixth month, we had seen much progress. Father Hoog was now running
with me for a few miles, then walking a bit in between. Father Hoog started
running by just completing 50 yards at a time then walking 50 yards to catch
his breath. We repeated this several time during the run / walk. This workout
seemed to help rejuvenate the metabolism and melted nearly fifty pounds of
Father Hoog away by Spring. It is not easy losing fifty pounds during the
winter months, most people in the Northeast gain weight since it is colder
outside and fewer activities available. But Father Hoog was now weighing just
230 pounds, could run the mile and a half in the prescribed time and pass the
pushup and situps test. Our calisthenics program had paid off. Hundreds of
repetitions of pushups, crunches, squats and even pullups and dips, helped
Father Hoog add the strength he needed to pass the Navy Physical Fitness
Standards for a fifty year old man. Now it was a battle with just thirty pounds.