Talk is a great breakfast but a lousy dinner

If talk were action, I would be further along in my fitness quest as well as in many other endeavours. I really have great plans and I honestly believe I will do the things I talk about, but I just don't do them. Talk is a great start for sure and the beginning step. It shows some willingnness but one must really take a look at oneself and ask if one is really going to do what one says one will do. The key word is honesty. I have to step back and assess whether the goal is realistic and what level of interest there is achieving the goal. Changing habits are entirely possible but it requires a coordinated effort akin to moving a mountain or chopping down a a huge tree. It takes massive effort even if the effort is small and consistent. Shoveling a scoop of dirt or taking one swing with the axe will achieve the goal if you just keep going and don't stop.

Fit at Fifty: A bad knee is no excuse

Fit at Fifty: A bad knee is no excuse: "Got the bad news last week. I need knee surgery soon. It's routine if you can call surgery routine. I expect the ortho doc to find some medi..."

A bad knee is no excuse

Got the bad news last week. I need knee surgery soon. It's routine if you can call surgery routine. I expect the ortho doc to find some medial meniscal damage and maybe some junk in there. I can feel it on the medial side and I don't any instability so I think it will be...routine. Grateful to get it fixed but not pumped that the time to be back in full swing is about 4-6 months. To be sure, I can be walking the next day and perhaps driving in a week but to get back and get fit I expect a few months minimum. That vastus medialis takes time to get strong again and restore stability to the knee at the end of extension. That puts me into the summer for fitness and well past my fiftieth birthday. No birthday challenge on my birthday at least on the legs.
Excuses. This is a good one and the last time I had knee surgery I gained 15 pounds and was nearly 200 pounds. I felt worse than I have ever felt. I had this bloated congested feeling that made every minute uncomfortable. I ate and did nothing else.
This time it will be different. Here is my I can use my lower body to get in shape strategy:
1. Immediate portion control. No more than a handful of protein and a handful of carbs per meal.
2. 8 oz of water 20 minutes prior to meal and every two hours. Goal is 100 oz.
3. No carb in the last meal other than veggies ( brocolli or salad).
4. No food past 7 pm to induce gluconeogenesis. Get that fat to work.
5. Upper body workouts alternate with lower body at 3 per week.
6. Ab workouts 3 days a week.
7. No sugar sodas or sugar except on the cheat day.