Fit enough....? Where do you say "I'm happy"?

[SkinnyPete]

This is all relative I know, but I'm kinda worried that we are all getting to the mindset that we HAVE to be physical specimens to kill animals..
3 years ago, I hit 100lbs lost (I started this all at 415lbs, feeling and looking like a pile of been chewed gum), now I've kept most of it off (+/-10lbs depending on how much Key lime pie makes it here around the holidays...) and have stayed at a fairly even level of fitness.
It took me about 2 years to lose the weight. 5 years I've been at this. All in.
I'm 41, I weigh 309lbs today.
Now the question, where is your realistic comfortable fitness level? I'm in a place where I'm not sure if I want to keep beating myself up for another 20 or 40 lbs lost. I'm tired, sore and kinda burnt out. I workout 5x a week, 3 weight/light cardio cooldown and 2x cardio.
I can do 3mph'ish just about over anything with just about as much weight as I want. (My normal 2x a week "cardio ruck" is 3mi, 500ft of elevation gain loop with a 40lb pack. 40-45min, avg HR @125-130) if I want I can drop the pack and cut 12-13min miles for as far as I need on hiking trails and mixed footing. 200 floors in 40min on a stairmaster is the norm... I can lift as much as I want now (my 3 lift total is just over 1200) and besides still being a 300lb ogre, life ain't bad.
In a world of "Keep Hammering" (I'm in Oregon, so everything hunting fitness goes back to Cam Hanes~ nice guy, but I'm not going that far...) I'm just not sure if "the juice is worth the squeeze" to hammer harder... I mean, I've never had to run down an elk... heck, most of the time we need to slow down..
What do you guys think, fit enough to hunt?

 

[Clifford]

Fit enough is probably relative to each person and their goals. If you can do everything you want to do with no limitations then I’d say your are fit enough. That being said getting a bit stronger or lighter will generally make us better at the things we like to do.

It sounds like you hit your initial fitness goal so set a new one to keep the motivation up.

 

[elkstabber]

Fitness has very different meanings for every person. We are all in different positions in life. We have different genetics and metabolisms.

I just turned 50 this year so I'm happy when I don't hurt somewhere.

 

[*zap*]

Since your not going to be 41 forever...…..309# is going to catch up to you one day. Unless your very tall that is a lot of weight. Sounds like your cardio fitness is wonderful since sub 15 minute miles with 40# on difficult trails is top tier time. I view diet as what controls body weight to a large degree not exercise. Processed foods are the devil.....

Anyway, @63 I push very hard with fitness/diet so my quality of life is good. Fitness/diet is #1 for me today, before anything else..and I am happy when I am the hardest worker in the room.

 

[brimow]

From experience, I can tell you that staying "fit" after 40 is more difficult than getting "fit" at 40. Maintaining strength and cardio fitness gets more difficult with each passing year. I wish I would have gotten that next 30lbs off at 40 because it is much harder now at 46. It is also more limiting now as well. The impact on my knees and back while working out now is much different than just a few years ago. I am still working at it daily but this was the most challenging year on the mountain I have experienced from a fitness perspective. I thought I was in better condition than last year but the hills proved otherwise.

I am proud that I can put up over 1,000lbs for my 3 lift total @ 6', 245lbs. I have always enjoyed being "a big guy" but now my goals are based around getting much lighter on my feet so that I can push up those hills for another 20 or more years. The guys that I see having longevity in the field are generally not carrying around big bulky frames.

 

[Hooverfb]

Fitness is a lifestyle, not a goal you drop once done. To me atleast. Do you like your current health and lifestyle of working out? If its just a means to an end you'll burn out. I know I like hunting and being outdoors, I know I like playing with my son, and I know I like sex haha. Being fit is part of my enjoyment of all those things, so even when I'm taking it easy I still workout, etc.

 

[Wrench]

I too have gone from fat to fit (ish). Once you hit 40+ degree slopes with thin air and shit on your back, you learn that you are not there yet, and you need to eat more.

 

[Poser]

My 2 cents is that there is no good reason to weigh more than around 250 lbs or so unless you are a specialized athlete where that kind of size is required: NFL lineman, competitive strongman, competitive bodybuilder in a bulking phase etc. at both ends of the spectrum (skinny sports or strength sports), there is often a compromise of health for the sake of performance.

At that size, I would consider a body recomposition while continuing to focus on strength training. It’s just hard to justify that bodyweight. And while I am a huge advocate of strength training as being the single most important thing a person can do for general health and well being, and while I give you credit for having some focus on strength training, a 1200 lbs total for a 300+ lbs Guy is just not anything close to being impressive. Certainly stronger than the average person walking around, but it’s no means a justification since I have no doubt you could achieve that total or stronger while 60-70 lbs lighter.

I would consider hiring a nutrition coach with a speciality in strength training with a goal of recomposing your body over a 10-12 month period. I wouldn’t worry one bit about off season rucking as, with an already strong body, you can get in shape for hunting season with just 3-6 weeks of specific conditioning.

 

[LostArra]

while I give you credit for having some focus on strength training, a 1200 lbs total for a 300+ lbs Guy is just not anything close to being impressive.

Poser: I'm always interested in your fitness posts but this seems a little over the top. I'm betting a 1200 total for all 41 year old hunters is in the 1 percent class. Maybe in your sphere of fitness friends it's not impressive but the average deer/elk killer isn't close to that total.

 

[DavePwns]

Congrats on loosing the weight and keeping it off long term! That's an amazing feat . For me, I chase performance, not some majical # on the scale

 

[BeaverHunter]

Poser: I'm always interested in your fitness posts but this seems a little over the top. I'm betting a 1200 total for all 41 year old hunters is in the 1 percent class. Maybe in your sphere of fitness friends it's not impressive but the average deer/elk killer isn't close to that total.

I agree it's impressive but he weighs over 300 pounds, you have to factor that in.

To the original poster, I have the opposite problem as you, it's very tough for me too add muscle and weight. I used to see people that were much bigger and stronger than me at the gym and say to myself "If I was in that good of shape, I wouldn't have to work out anymore". I've now realized that staying in shape and working out will be something I do the rest of my life(God permitting) and take the good weeks along with the bad. I don't go overboard working out 7 days a week and taking weight gainer or anything crazy. I just work out at a gym 3-4 days a week, hike as much as I can year round(southeast Idaho makes that tough in the winter) and eat as good as I can with lots of wild game meat and fruits and veggies. I look at it not as a point I will reach, just a never ending quest that will hopefully make me feel better and allow me to hunt the areas I want to hunt for as long as possible. Just what works for me. Good luck

 

[Poser]

Poser: I'm always interested in your fitness posts but this seems a little over the top. I'm betting a 1200 total for all 41 year old hunters is in the 1 percent class. Maybe in your sphere of fitness friends it's not impressive but the average deer/elk killer isn't close to that total.

In order to justify a 309# Bodyweight, I’d expect a trainee to total 1200 in just their squat and deadlift alone. In my mind, you can’t justify that Bodyweight unless you are exceptionally strong. Now, if we’re talking the average hunter, sure, a 1200 lbs total is impressive, but there is no way to justify a elk hunter weighing 300#. You have to justify that Bodyweight somehow and having squat and a deadlift well north of 600# is really the only way to do it. Otherwise, weight needs to be lost as it’s just not healthy to be that large unless you are carrying a considerable amount of lean body mass which a 1200 lbs total at 300+ lbs doesn’t imply.
I’m glad the OP is strong and I’m also glad the he can hunt the way that he wants to hunt effectively at 300#, but, at the end of the day, he’s going to be healthier and likely have an improved quality of life losing 50-70# and he can probably be just as strong as he is now. A 250# 41 year old with a 1200 total and a big, strong man. A 309# 41 year old with a 1200 lbs total is a fat, strong man. That’s the difference and there’s no nice way to say it. At 300+ lbs, the concern is his long term health, not his total and not his ability to hunt.

 

[Jbehredt]

I joke with my wife that as soon as I can wake up looking like I do right after a workout I’ll be happy. I also have said that if my large shirts get too shmedium looking I’ll cut back my lifting. Not worth buying a whole new wardrobe.

 

[SaltySailor]

I'm a guy who has had 60+ lb weight swings a number of times in my life now. This mostly stems from knowing when to push the plate away.....I keep forgetting how. I'm encroaching on 40 and for the first time in my life I am getting pains from working out that stick around. You say you are worn out and sore from working out, I was too and so I tried swimming. I swam laps 3-4 times a week for 45mins to an hour, and it really saved my feet and other joints yet kept me losing weight. I had never swam a lap in my life before trying this, and I still wouldn't consider myself a graceful lap swimmer, but it did help me lose weight while saving my joints. Why not give it a try?

 

[sram9102]

Man it sounds like your a diet away from being a monster... At 250 you could run that cardio loop. Your joints will thank you later.

 

[Jxferg7]

Sounds like a Plateau. If your happy then great! I’ve also been there an Down 70lbs....I’d say instead of getting fit to hunt may be the wrong reason. I’d get as fit as you can and go from there everything will be easier...if you don’t have a family, kids, or any reason to keep on keepin on that your good to leave it at that.

 

[*zap*]

Swimming is a very overlooked way to do cardio.....moderate intensity longer duration and very high intensity short duration sets of swimming is, imo, a very good combination especially if your doing strength and ruck training along with it.

 

[SkinnyPete]

This is what I love about this place. Lots of opinions, great input, all while still being polite and positive.
I'll agree, Poser may be blunt and honest, but he's right I'm fat still. Less fat than before, and still have work to do if I choose.
I appreciate how so many can share of what they feel their version of "fit" is and what it relates too, and how they are working to get there.
I love the input and ideas for future application. To be honest, I live in a town that has little to no resources for someone wanting to better themselves physically and nutritionally. I did research and applied what I learned, now I had to take a honest look and admit I'm at the end of my knowledge stream. I'll most likely have to travel to Bend or Eugene to get some solid science based advice if I want to move forward on those last 40 or 50lbs.
I would love if this thread kept going, I think it would be good for people starting the journey to see ALL the ideas of what "fit to hunt" is to different people and to discuss that.

 

[Clifford]

Dropping weight just involves eating fewer calories than you need. Doing it a bit slower as you get closer to your ideal weight is a good idea to avoid getting too weak.

 

[JDBAK]

Dropping weight just involves eating fewer calories than you need. Doing it a bit slower as you get closer to your ideal weight is a good idea to avoid getting too weak.

Involves eating fewer calories, yes. But I respectively disagree with the "just" part of the sentence. Used to believe that, but I no longer think it's that simple (to simply eat less). That doesn't account for the hormonal problem (i.e. insulin being elevated, thus in fat storage mode on a high carbohydrate diet).

I used to carry another 40 lbs of fat on me. Like the OP, I exercised like crazy, tried to calorie restrict. It sort of worked, in the short term, but weight fluctuated, and it's miserable being hungry. Exercise is great, but it's a losing battle to try and outrun your fork.

At 44, I'm leaner and stronger than ever, and it's not the exercise that got me lean, or this strong without injury. It was radically changing my diet. Basically went from trying to follow all the conventional wisdom nutrition advice (high carb, moderate protein, low fat), to going ever lower and lower carb. The more I prioritized animal protein (got full eating meat), the less starches I ate, the leaner and stronger I got. And the joint pain went away, along with a host of other improvements. I finally just said the hell with it and went 99-100% carnivore 16 months ago.

Anyway, don't think that you have to go as extreme as I did, but will say the more you get off carbs, the easier weight loss might be.

I'm a very lean 160 lbs now, lift a combined total 1025#, can do 30 strict pullups. I'm never hungry anymore, and I don't have cravings. Or digestive problems. Or skin problems. It's just bizarre.

Oh, and it's way more fun exercising now since I recover faster and am lighter. It just doesn't seem like a grind.

Best of luck, and its really commendable to loose that kind of weight.