I Kept the Same Waistline for 32 Years — How to Keep Your Body Fat Low
It doesn’t include sit-ups
Forget getting your constipated face on to complete grueling 6 am PT sessions. Simply your low body fat habits.
I am more worried about my waistline now than when I was in my ripping 20s.
While I have had to be smarter about the potential battle of the bulge as age. The weight loss principles are the same now, in my late 40s, as they were when I was in my late teens.
Adopt these healthy lifestyle habits now to easily reverse the effects of your aging metabolism.
Frequent visits to the toilet
At the start of 2021, for 6 months, every Saturday morning I would visit the monastery of a hard-ass Mahasi Sayadaw monk.
The monastery was located on the outskirts of Melbourne. It was very scenic and peaceful. Well, until I entered.
These Burmese monks are tough as nails. And this one was next level.
Like all of them, he was lean, with dark skin, long fingers, and long earlobes. Your typical looking Burmese monk.
For some unknown reason, one fine morning, he decided it was time to rip into me. And for an hour no less!
He taught in the old-school model — always being overly critical.
And so his unprovoked tirade started in earnest:
“And you turn up here and the first thing you do is go for a piss! Your body is breaking down. You are getting old, Damian. Wake up to yourself and fully commit!”
Maybe he didn’t have his morning lassi, but he wasn’t happy.
But really, attacking me for going to the toilet. If you are going to have to go, you gotta aim at something true.
It was an hour’s drive to get to the monastery.
But the reason for my first visits to his toilet was because I skull 1 liter of water every morning.
I swear by this and do it every day. Including:
- Weekends
- When on holiday in Bali
- Starting a new job
- Visiting a psychotic monk
- When I visited the Giant Pineapple in Gympie, Queensland
- Natural appetite suppressant — when the stomach is full, it signals to the brain that no more food is required.
- Increases calorie burning — the body burns calories to heat the water for digestion.
- Removes waste from your body — when you are dehydrated, the waste from your body cannot be removed appropriately. Water assists the kidneys in removing toxins.
- Opportunity cost — by drinking water you are avoiding drinking soda, beer, or your nightly scotch and coke.
- Used to burn fat — water assists in the metabolization of stored fat.
Helps when you sweat — water is a crucial aspect of exercise as it assists in the healthy function of muscles, connective tissue, and joint movement.
Eat Plant-Based (or vegetarian)
Question: How do you know when a vegan is in the room?
Answer: They will tell you
I was in several vicious vegan Facebook groups several years ago. What I noticed, and had seen in some other vegans, was they use a social cause to project their unresolved anger onto others.
I see animal rights as an incidental positive of going plant-based. To be honest, I am the type of person that steers clear of animals for fear of being bitten or they will jump up on me and dirty my clothes.
Possibly a little pathetic and odd, I know.
I have been vegan for the last 13 years and vegetarian for 14 years before that.
I think this is by far one of the bigger things to keep my weight down.
This is for several reasons.
- When I go out, I cannot eat a lot of stuff due to a lack of options.
- The stuff you can eat is normally unhealthy, anyway: chips, fried onion rings.
I see limited options as a bonus. Accept this is the way it is.
When I see others gorging on unhealthy foods with their head in the trough. I think to myself I am happy with my limited options and staying lean.
“Oh, Damian, you are missing out,” they sometimes say
Yeah, I am missing out on a bulging waistline. A little salty, I know.
It’s hard to change the way you eat because you cook and eat the same as your parents did.
If you don’t believe me when you next walk down the street. Note the body shapes of families. The kids will have the same body types as their parents.
Your body doesn’t lie.
Eat unhealthily. Look unhealthy.
How eating plan-based helps:
- Full of fiber — fiber helps with filling you up without the added calories.
- Limits oil intake — not eating meat, cheese, and eggs eliminates fat from each meal.
- Avoiding unhealthy foods — by eating fruit and vegetables, you are not eating processed foods and other weight gain foodstuffs.
- Eat less — Plants are choc full of natural goodies. They are nutrient dense. Large quality at each meal time is no longer required.
Plant-based for me means eating organic fresh fruit and vegetables. Not Oreos and any other vegan junk food.
Eat what you like
You are either a savory or sweet type of person.
While I am no Burmese monk, most would say I am not a sweet person. But I love eating sweet-tasting food.
Our grandparents and Mrs. Kennet (their elderly Italian next-door neighbor) would overfeed my sister and me when we visited, with sweets when we were kids.
- Chubba Chops
- Wizz Fizz
- Fantails
- Western Wagon Wheels
When we walked into Mrs. Kennet’s place, it was like walking into Willy Wonker’s chocolate factory. It was sweets for everyone!
Maybe I developed a taste for it then.
I tried not having a lot of sugar a few times over the years. But my body craves it. When I denied myself sugar, I end up buying chocolates and caramel slices, when I am out during the day.
So when I went vegan and with an aging metabolism, I found a new way to get sugar.
I turned into a fruit bat.
Maybe it’s because I am physically active, but I need a lot of calories for running and yoga. Eating a lot of fruit (sugar) gives me the energy from the glucose for destroying a 5km Park Run every Saturday.
Pro tip — eat seasonal fruit.
How eating what you like helps:
- Stick with it — when you eat what you like, losing weight is enjoyable.
- Long-term — you are more likely to continue on your weight loss journey when are doing things that you want to do.
What you talkin’ about Willis?
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women are merely players;
— William Shakespeare, As You Like it (Act 2, Scene 7)
Whiles Shakespeare here is referring to being flexible in the world to take on different roles in the world. Having an adaptable attitude to what you eat and drink is critical for weight loss.
I have always viewed how I eat and exercise as an ongoing, lifelong experiment. I have always found it interesting and fun.
While I have pushed the envelope a few times when trying fasting in India. Fasting for Lord Shiva on Mondays. For Ekadashi on the 11th day of the full and new moons.
Experimenting is about trying new things and seeing how your body responds. Rise and repeat.
It’s intriguing. You never know what will work. And what will not.
Don’t force yourself to do things. Or put yourself under pressure.
Summer bodies aren’t built-in winners. We built them over a lifetime of intelligent and fun experiments.
Relax into weight loss and a healthy living lifestyle.
How the right attitude helps:
- Mindset — when weight loss is viewed as an exploration into something that will benefit me, it’s something I want to do. There is no force or rigidity.
- Approach — going on your journey with a long-term mentality will allow you to experiment. There will be things that work and experiments that bomb. When done long term, you keep adding to your tool belt the things that work. And don’t give up when you do something that doesn’t work.
- Enjoyment — it’s fun and exciting when you see yourself as a scientific experiment. Weight loss is a personal and spiritual development journey. You learn about who you are in your essence along the journey. Which allows for freedom in living.
How to the how-tos
Adopt one of these habits at a time. And do it slowly over time.
Not want you wanted to hear. But long-term success is birthed from baby steps.
You will find that after a few months, no effort is required. The healthy habit will lock itself into your life. And you can then move on to the next one.
If you are thinking about weight loss at night. And how difficult it is to do these things. Revisit your approach.
These habits are natural and, after an initial bedding down period, easy. Because you are giving the body what it wants.
- Drink water
- Eat plant-based or vegetarian
- Find healthy foods you like to eat
- Investigate new things in a light-hearted way
This is the recipe for a long-lasting teenage waistline
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