When I was young, like most I was in great shape. Then in the military I had no choice but to get in better shape. Married life had me getting comfortable. One time the family got sick and in a routine visit I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office. I was at 299 and it wasn't a jacked 299. I was highly motivated to get in shape, it's still sort of a round shape but whatever. Figuring this stuff out can be daunting and I took a gradual path. I thought I'd give some unsolicited guidance on how to begin the journey riffing on how I started. Finding the most optimal approach right away isn't important. What is important is that you do _something_. It has to be easy, cheap and something you'll actually do. The biggest thing is you building habits; making it part of your identity. ## Slow Carb Diet This is from the [4 Hour Body](https://www.amazon.com/Hour-Body-Uncommon-Incredible-Superhuman/dp/030746363X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JZL-4moDKL5z6DqDOd3EA9ySLBQzLxXrmU7vg0rzOL2pKjFuMGDvIsPD-KimPUAUdeStErOkkou47hudtxtsuef1EpSu1lEVndpRGtMNkn_VTC0FfK3T86T80aCtwqlrij-QZWbCUlQNVF3H4NuMwSFYK6HixhdxQ1QxGyYRY8knddTnZ3iE10pxkWePEZuu5ZPlY-bUt_TeGtOHWhEbX16XlXgpDv-LyeHWflPkWxE.6U52HixPnznI0i9HlhEI-Xjj9O9dpFP5C4h4n9Cl9mI&qid=1727806787&sr=8-1) book by [Tim Ferris](https://tim.blog/). I liked the simplicity and it was easy to adhere to. Beans are good to go with Slow Carb diet. Chipotle works out great for Slow Carb; get a bowl and hold the rice. It really comes down to some simple rules. 1. **Don't eat anything white**. No grain products, rice or potatoes. Yeah, yeah you can eat cauliflower. 2. **Eat the same meals**. Figure out what works and stick to that. Sure your dinners might vary but the simpler you make it the easier it will be do stay on track. 3. **Don't drink calories**. No sugar water like soda or juice, no milk. 4. **Don't eat fruit**. Modern fruit has been modified to be a big whack of sugar, avoid. 5. **Take 1 day off a week**. This can be fun to tie into your social calendar so you're not always _that guy_ to your significant other. It gives your discipline a rest. It's also a reminder of how crappy you feel when you don't eat right. Here's a [great 1 pager PDF](https://tim.blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/tim_ferriss_the-4-hour-chef_one_pager_slow_carb_diet.pdf) from Tim Ferris. It's simple but this is going to be an adjustment not just for you but for the people around you. The friends that want to grab a beer, the wife that cooks that awesome pasta dish. Look for ways to still eat with family while staying on track. If you think it's still overwhelming make a goal to add 1 rule a week or 1 rule a month until you've incorporated it all. ## Kettlebell and Bodyweight If you're a man start with a [16 kg / 35 lb kettlebell](https://www.amazon.com/Rep-16-Kettlebell-Strength-Conditioning/dp/B00NLS0L0M/ref=sr_1_60?crid=3WENN9BNJBX1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Y2VzqaKSwiFOfF-YHFinZkdr2msWLSdFvvdtj49Diior9iM861m509NESjLRLxPXwshbG7P7Q5Qp-z_aZfxqmaTYi3ixRlbyGKgCBb9e1CJtk4fzja3rkbvr3rYoeaXMDcP4l7-WQc29iBAJFqqO_pGNx1r8hqIhqg_5VR_eHTDptWBdE6rIEe56-GDBmgbEbgCgQpBzW0Fzvh13Hy6fTgdV7tzU8K_9f18osEFcFdRzxnfVZmQbOHwLrYgnsNWcmRmGJnborNfst0ffFEXJTgj0nVnVyQfrekwy8HGJjRk.NhzHuivmSy9HFsviYXKF6e6ilei16cJgYYRuOlSmRRk&dib_tag=se&keywords=kettlebell&qid=1727806837&sprefix=kettlebell%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-60&th=1). It should run you less than $100. YouTube is really your friend here. Look for [videos on the kettlebell swing](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=beginner+kettelbell+swing). Here are some good ones. - [King of All Exercises? Kettlebell Swings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpMiOItcpmw) - [How to kettlebell swing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buz6gaVzVZs) - [Enter the Kettlebell](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKx8xE8jJZs) by Pavel it's pirated but that's not my problem | exercise | sets | reps | | ---------------- | ---- | ---- | | kettlebell swing | 3 | 5 | | sit-up | 3 | 5 | | push-up | 3 | 5 | Do that workout 3 times a week. After a week, _do more_. More exercises, sets, more reps, higher weight or doing it faster. Most importantly do a little more each week. If you're at a loss add 1 rep to your kettlebell swings. This is your life now; **you keep doing more until you die**. However there are a couple dangers in doing too much more too soon. The first is injury and the second is you will dread working out and you'll talk yourself out of it, so don't let your ego win and think long term. Becoming a person that works out is more important than pushing yourself to the limit. You're going to have to get in a routine and you're going to have to set expectations with the people around you that this is something you just do a few times a week. All that is going to be challenging enough. If you have a week where you can hit it 3 times that's a win. Set yourself up for success, put it on your calendar. If you need to get up a little earlier do you need to go to bed earlier? ### Where from here? Don't be too eager to jump into other things. It's more important to develop the habits. Give yourself some grace and time. Keep riding Slow Carb as long as you can. Like I said if you want to dial it in maybe make the cheat day a cheat meal or remove the cheat all together. For diet you could try paleo, primal, keto or Whole 30. You could play with intermittent fasting. For workouts you can have a lot more fun with the kettlebell; snatches, goblet squats, turkish get-ups. If I could have only 1 piece of exercise equipment it would be a 53 lb kettlebell, don't under estimate it. Beyond that you could also get a barbell and squat stands, put together a push, pull and legs routine. Some tried and true barbell programs are [Stronglifts 5x5](https://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5/) (you don't need the app) or Starting Strength.