Weight Loss For Men Over 40 – Helping Hubby Get Fit With Priority Bicycles

This ‘Weight Loss For Men Over 40’ post was first seen at Thrifty Nifty Mommy.  While sponsored by Priority Bicycles, as always, all opinions are my own.

This post is going to be a little different than usual as, for the first time ever, I’ll be co-writing it with my husband.  If you’ve been a follower of Thrifty Nifty Mommy for awhile, you may know a bit about me.  My husband and I farm on our little Minnesota family dairy farm.  I also homeschool our five kids.  What I haven’t really shared much about so far is our health.  For a few years now, I’ve been (nicely) bugging my husband to lose a little weight.  Well, lose a little weight AND stop biting his fingernails but he always resisted.  Over the past several years, he has put on over 40 pounds.  I’m not innocent either though.  Our last child was born over 5 years ago and I was still carrying around an extra 15 pounds that I just couldn’t budge; until recently.

A New Mission

Earlier this year, I set out on a mission.  I decided that even if Mike wasn’t willing to lose a little weight right now, I was going to make a change in myself.  (I figured I could work on him again later…lol)  So I set out on my intermittent fasting journey and lost 10 pounds in about two months.  I’m now down to my pre-pregnancy weight from before Lucy but have set a new goal of getting to the weight I was when we got married.  So I have a few more pounds to go. But right now, I’m sitting at about 117 pounds and completely happy with that.

And you know what; the more excited I got about getting healthy and losing weight, the more Mike seemed intent on starting his own journey.  I’m now happy to report that just a couple months in, he’s lost a decent amount of weight (and is growing his fingernails!)  He started his journey back in January at just over 215 pounds and is currently weighing in at about 170 pounds with hopes of losing a few more.

So now I’m going to step back and let Mike take over for a bit.  The next portion of this post is written by him.

Weight Loss For Men Over 40 – It’s Not Easy!

Hello, I’m Miranda’s husband Mike.  I guess this would be my blog debut.  My wife has been writing for blogs for over 7 years now but I think this is the first time I’ve given it a shot.  So I just ask that you take it easy on me.

The first thing I want to say about this topic is that losing weight after turning 40 is definitely not easy!  I used to live off fast food, cookies, and pop in my younger years.  Now if I eat anything other than a salad after 5pm, I know the number on the scale will be up the next day.  When my wife would give me a hard time for eating junk over the past few years, I’d tell her ‘it takes a lot of fuel to run a big tractor’.  She hated that saying but it allowed me to have an excuse as to why I was eating yet another cookie.  I knew I should make a change but it was SO VERY HARD.

Disclaimer:

I’m no weight loss, health nut fanatic.  I still eat ‘regular’ food.  If we go out to eat, I don’t need a special menu.  I’m just more aware now, and if I treat myself one day, I take that into account the next.  You definitely don’t need to spend a ton of money on organic foods or ingredients; just use a little common sense and self-control.  🙂

My Weight Loss Tips For Men Over 40 – And How Wives Can Help Support Their Husbands

Losing the weight hasn’t been easy but I’m here to tell you that it definitely is worth it.  I have more energy these days and feel better; I’m no longer run-down.  I’m also keeping up with the kids much more easily.  (Another bonus is I’m no longer sucking in my gut for photos.)  But the best part is that my pants actually fit again!

Tip #1:  Wives, Don’t Be [Too] Pushy  (And Men, Stop Being So Bull-Headed)

First for the women:  Make sure you’re pointing out the good things your man is doing.  If you’re only focussing on the negatives and pointing out faults, you’re giving him ZERO motivation towards wanting to make a change.

Now the men:If you’re aware that something needs to change, just admit it and make a plan for action.  Putting it off only prolongs the pain.

Tip #2:  Healthy Food Options – Start With Veggies

Be aware of what you’re eating.  A huge help to me was utilizing the free Lose It! App as this forced me to admit how much food I was eating each day.  It was eye-opening as I just never gave it much thought before.

Also, when we sit down to lunch, which is our big family meal, I will start by filling my plate with salad or baked veggies first.  After I finish that, I’ll make a plate with an average or even smaller portion of the main course, sides, and fruit.  ONE PLATE.  I seldom take seconds on anything except vegetables these days.  If I choose to have dessert, I typically will stick to a small piece.  I’ve learned that I had trained my body to over-eat in the past so I’m working on being more conscientious about portions now.

Also, I’m not a picky person at all; I’ll pretty much eat anything.  But I’m no cook either so I eat whatever my wife makes.  So encourage your wife to create healthier meals for your family.  Some of my favorites are:

• Beef Carnitas Bowls
• Chicken Fajitas And Veggies Sheet Pan Meal
• Chicken Tortilla Soup

My wife says a rule of thumb for each meal is to serve:  1 dairy, 1 meat, 1 bread, and at least 2 fruits and/or vegetables.  After using the Lose It! app for awhile and counting my calories, I’ve learned to stay away from certain foods (or have limited portions of them) while filling up on lower calorie, more nutrient dense options.  So I’m still full at the end of a meal but also feel great about what I ate.

Tip #3:  A Few Incentives Can Always Help

This will probably look different for each person however, a positive incentive can’t hurt.  By cutting down on junk food and snacking, not to mention the sheer quantity of food consumed, you could use the money saved to purchase yourself a treat.  Perhaps a new bike?!

Tip #4:  Get Adequate Sleep

This is something I’m still working on and, since I’m a dairy farmer, always will be.  But I hear that getting adequate sleep is quite important.  So I’ll work on trying to get more than my usual 5 hours (if I’m lucky!) norm.  If I could just get that number to 7 hours a night, I’d be happy.  I figure, the longer you sleep, the less time you have to eat, right?

Tip #5:  Weigh Yourself

Most men (okay, I) need accountability.  For me, this comes in the form of stepping on the scale every single day.  If I skip more than two days, that number goes up.

Tip 6:  Exercise

By exercise, I don’t mean you need a gym membership.   It’s great if you do but I personally don’t have time to spend going to a gym.  So you won’t find me ‘working out’ in the typical sense but that doesn’t mean I don’t get exercise.  Not only do I walk over 20,000 steps a day, I’m lifting heavy things as well.  Sometimes that may mean a calf or feed sacks, other times tools and equipment.  Another thing that I do for exercise is bike.  Almost every Sunday during the Spring, Summer, and Fall, weather permitting, we go for a family bike ride.  I also strive to take my Priority Bike out several times a week after night milking.  So I definitely do stay active; one way or another.

So now Miranda will be taking back over here.  Thanks for reading my first post!

Priority Continuum Onyx Bicycle Review

We received the Continuum Onyx Bike from Priority Bicycles for my husband.  As he mentioned, he enjoys taking a bike ride in the evening after chores but the problem was, he was using a really old, crappy bike previously, so it made the ride pretty rough.   But when I told him he was getting an upgrade, he was thrilled!

You can order online and all in-stock bikes ship the same day, so Priority Bicycles makes it easy to get biking, even with most businesses on lock-down.

Assembly:

Putting together the Continuum Onyx was actually quite simple.  Priority Bicycle has a video that walks customers through the process step-by-step.  So while it took about 30 minutes total from unboxing until ready to ride, it was an easy journey.

Overview Of The Continuum Onyx Bike:

Everything came well packaged and arrived safely.  We carefully unboxed and laid parts out before beginning assembly process.

We also turned the assembly into a learning activity by having the kids assist a little too.  (So with many schools being closed at the moment as well, I highly recommend everyone take advantage of tasks like this to incorporate learning.)  But overall, the bike came together quite quickly.

Features Of The Continuum Onyx Bike Include:

• Nuvinci CVT Rear Hub

• Rust-Free Gates Carbon Belt Drive

• Tektro Hydraulic Disc Brakes

• Dynamo Front And Rear Powered Lighting

Both lights run automatically as you pedal!

• Durable Composite Color Matched Fenders
• 360 Visibility With Reflective Decals

• Reflective Highlight Strip On Tire Sidewall

• Internal Gear Routing
• Puncture-Resistant WTB Tires (700×32)
• Pre-Drilled For Most Rear and Front Side Accessories
• Kickstand Included

Safety Lights For Riders-

One of the things that impressed Mike the most were the lights.  They require no charging and automatically go on once the bike is set in motion.  This is truly an awesome safety feature that all bikes really should have as the visibility provided is awesome!

Priority Bicycles Continuum Onyx Bike

So as you can see, there is a LOT to love about this bike!   Style, simplicity, and safety all come together at an unmatched value for four season commuters and sport touring riders.

The Continuum Onyx offers all of the thoughtful bells and whistles you’ll love for year-round riding, right out of the box.  Just twist the shifter grip to the perfect resistance to go over hills or along stretched out bike path with the Enviolo CVT shifter.  Never stain your pants or fix an ailing rusty chain as the Gates Carbon Drive belt eliminates those worries.  Start and stop with confidence using the Tektro Hydraulic disc brakes.  Plus, the internal cable routing helps keeps a clean and refined look.

If your ride takes you into the night, front and rear dynamo powered lights will illuminate your ride without the need for batteries or recharging.  The 360-degree reflective logos and tire beading will increase visibility for urban riders or anyone out on a dark road.  Puncture resistant WTB tires with a reflective sidewall help keep you safe, comfortable and seen at night.

Other bicycles with similar features and components sell for above $1600. Priority’s customer-direct model enables this all-weather, all day-and-night commuter for a fraction of the price.

Priority Bikes For The Whole Family!

Not only does Priority Bicycles offer great options for the adults, their Priority START lineup has just what the kids need too!  So during this time of school closures, make sure the kids are geared up so they can head outside and get their gym class completed each day.  Check out their:

• Start 16
• Start 20
• Start 24

As a company led by parents, Priority Bicycles is proud to launch its new Pedal Together Giveback Program to support school funding, parent teacher organizations, and qualifying school community groups. Priority is extending a 5% discount to parents purchasing new kid’s bike models and donating an additional 10% of qualifying sales to participating local school organizations.

Connect With Priority Bicycles

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