I've been at about 200 lbs or so for several years now, with the weight seemingly creeping ever-upwards, year after year. At 38 years old, I finally got tired of having a dadbod. No one who lifts five days a week and spends hours outside performing physical labor should have a spare tire, right? So I decided to get jacked by cutting out junk carbs, processed sugars, and alcohol. Many of us get into the habit of having some sugary snack, like a bowl of cereal after dinner, or maybe a granola bar or two throughout the day. Both of those options aren't considered unhealthy, but they're just extra carbs with little nutritional value. For years, my alcohol consumption has varied between 14 and 6 drinks a week. I've cut it back to about 2 to 3. This single change has made me feel so much better. It's amazing how even a moderate amount of alcohol seems to affect you, and the older you get, the worse it drags you down. As far as junk carbs are concerned, that means no chips or cookies or chocolate chips or soda (diet is fine). Some leniency is recommend--I allowed myself one sugary treat a week, as well as the aforementioned 2 to 3 beers. In four weeks, I've went from around 202-201 lbs to about 191 lbs as of this morning. I still eat plenty, usually three to four meals a day, focused around lean protein, vegetables, fruits, and healthy dairy like yogurt. As for eating out, I do that maybe once a week and try to eat something that doesn't have a lot of carbs.
I didn't try some gimmick like intermittent fasting or an all-meat diet. I simply cut out almost all unhealthy foods. In the evening, if I feel like snacking, I'll eat some grapes or a couple oranges, maybe with a slice of cheese. Replacing sugar cravings with fruit really worked, since fruit has sugar in it, albeit unprocessed and lower-calorie. As for my lifts, they remained pretty stable, despite the weight loss. I'm focused on powerbuilding rather than pure strength right now, but I managed a 295 for 7 beltless high bar squat and a 235 lbs for 7 bench press this week, with reps in reserve.
I think most of us are oblivious to how much garbage we consume on a daily basis. We live in a society where we are bombarded by fast food advertising showing fattening, high calorie food being consumed by young, fit people, which subliminally affects our psyches. I don't think it was that hard to cut all the junk out, but then again, I've never been as addicted to sugar as most people. You don't need some idiot guru telling you how to lose weight with a special diet or one weird trick. Just cut out the junk and be active. It ain't rocket science.
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