(The captain of a ship … or … the guy in charge of a crew of cowboys!)
Howdy! I’m Les Lyons, creator and owner of The Outfit and of course … The Trail Boss.
Allow me to provide a somewhat detailed snapshot of the "old me" and the "new me" to see if anything resonates with you. For those who instinctively jump to the end of the book to discover its conclusion before committing to read it in its entirety, let me offer you a preview of the ending in the next 2 bullets:
At age 70, just a couple of months before my 71st birthday, I was seriously out of shape; my diet sucked, my exercise (none) sucked; my mental health was only adequate (surviving, not thriving), and my spiritual health was woefully inadequate. The wheels were coming off, and my doctors just said, “It’s old age … get used to it.” Or words to that effect!
I got mad – at myself – and decided to take charge of ME and fix me. In 14 months I TOTALLY turned my life around in all 3 areas and transformed myself into a 72-year-old healthy male full of vitality, mentally sharper, with his spiritual life in order. I got off a lot of my meds, and virtually all of my aches and pains and weight and inches were GONE; I was in better shape than when I was 40!
My “Before and After” pages & pics will give you details and comparisons.
OK. That’s the Cliffs Notes sneak preview. NOW let me share the details, how I did it, and how YOU can as well!
Wow. At age 30 I considered myself in great shape … and even 10 years later at age 40, I thought of myself as pretty much “invincible.” I was in the pinnacle of my career both in the corporate world and in the military. I had a great job at Xerox Corporation, I was an officer in the United States Army (Airborne Infantry – Queen of Battle!), I was a Boy Scout Leader (Scoutmaster) a Police Reserve Officer and had other irons in the fire.
I was in very good to excellent physical shape (Army training & Army PT Tests every year!) with only a single physical ailment … more of an annoyance than anything. I had extremely dry, itchy skin – so much so that I would sometimes scratch my legs until they literally started to bleed. I never wore shorts – too embarrassing. My mother told me “It’s hereditary … it runs in our family.” And I believed her … after all, she was my MOM, and she wouldn’t lie to me!
Time passed and I hit 50. I retired as an Army LTC (Lieutenant Colonel) in January, 2002; I had left Xerox in 1997 to pursue bigger and better jobs, more responsibility, and higher pay (a.k.a. “Climbing the Corporate Ladder”). I was always on the go … on an airplane, grabbing fast food from a burger joint and eating in the car as I drove (of course I always got the fries and a shake), along with heavy dinners and drinks with prospects and clients where everyone usually ate and drank too much. I went to church on Sundays when I could (or when I felt like it), but I was what you would call a “pew potato” … I just went, sat in a pew, and listened for an hour or so, and then went on about my life for another week until time to “plug in” and recharge again.
If you would have told me in my 30s or even my 40s that I would start having physical issues in my 50s, I would have doubted you. And if you told me I’d really start seeing big problems in my 60s, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. And if you had told me by the time I was 70, I would have arthritis and lower spinal stenosis, and would be looking at canes, I would have told you that you were crazy. I look back now and part of me can’t believe how much “breakdown” I had moving from my 50s to my 70s. Nor how ignorant I was about me!
Fast forward to around age 60. I was retired from the military, so I hadn’t kept up my physical training (PT) discipline. I was still eating crappy (that’s a technical term meaning really bad!), and I was hopping from one to another of all the latest fad diet trends (not in order) … Suzanne Sommers’ Eat Great, Lose Weight, the Atkins Diet, the Mediterranean Diet, Whole 30, Body For Life, South Beach Diet, Low Fat Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet (yuk), Cleanses, Juice Diet, DASH Diet, Gluten-Free Diet, and others I’m sure I tried and have forgotten. I’m proud to say I never went pure vegan! Beef – it’s what’s for dinner! (Loved that Sam Elliot commercial!)
No matter what I did, I ended up being on the yo-yo diet … I would lose weight and then not only gain it back, I would add a few more pounds! I went from a 34-waist pant in my 30s, to a 36, and then “graduated” to a size 38 by the time I was in my 60s. And I developed a gut (“Dunlap Disease”), and even started getting “man-boobs!” I look back at photos and it's obvious I was trying to suck in my gut for the pics, and just as obvious I wasn’t doing a very good job of it! My weight would fluctuate from 226 down to 212, and my BMI fluctuated from 30 to 28, and my body fat % fluctuated from 31 to 29.
And then I hit 70. The wheels came off as they say, and I was forced to come out of denial.
I suffered a TIA (mini-stroke) at age 65 (on my daughter’s 33rd birthday, coincidentally) in 2016
I was on blood pressure medication (2 types!)
I was identified as pre-diabetic and told to “diet and exercise” or “medications were in my future”
I had high cholesterol and was put on Lipitor (a Statin drug – NOT a good thing)
I still had the dry, itchy skin
My testosterone was low
I had arthritis in both knees and struggled up and down steps without holding onto a railing
I started having severe lower back issues (identified through XRays and MRIs as Lower Lumbar Spinal Stenosis … Airborne Paratrooper days) with severe pains shooting down my legs and into my toes
Oh yes … I had “blossomed” to 239 lbs. and graduated to a size 40 pant! I had full love handles, a full tire around my middle, I got out of breath when going up stairs, I couldn’t run more than 30 steps, my man-boobs were flourishing
My Body Fat peaked at just over 32%
My mental state was “only OK;” I was in “Survive” mode, and definitely not in “Thrive” mode
I had stopped going to church several years back … long story, but totally my fault
Note: The following are my words and are not recommended “self-talk”: I TOLD MYSELF I WAS OBESE!
(I actually called myself a fat slob in my self-talk)
This “cold water” in my face came as a shock to me. My doctors (several) said things like, “oh, this just comes with old age … you need to get used to it … try to do some exercise and stretching … eat the Standard American Diet” (SAD – and yes … it is sad!) … “we can give you some prescriptions and some pain killers that you can take as needed which will help with the pain” … etc. etc. etc.
BUT NO ONE SAID: “DO THIS AND FIX YOURSELF!” I asked how long I’d be on some of these drugs and they said (in their own words) … forever. NOT what I wanted to hear. But the pharmaceutical industry LOVES that! “For the rest of your life” means: a continuous, annual supply of revenue – a revenue stream that lasts until the patient dies.
I set aside some quiet time and thought about my situation; I prayed a lot about it, and finally “threw the BS Flag” on myself. If you are unfamiliar with that term, ask any guy who watches football. The B stands for Bull … and you can figure out the S … (cow dung is a polite term for it). The “flag on the field” ruling was that I was not doing what I was required to do to successfully play in – and excel in – the game of life; and I finally decided I was unwilling to continue like that.
I decided to rely on the outstanding training I received during my 28 years in the Army and treat this as a formal military exercise. I was the Commander, leading a Unit consisting of 1 person – me. This exercise is known as preparation of an Operations Order (OPORD). It conveys information for a military plan and consists of 5 paragraphs … only the first 3 were relevant to the Objective: Take Back My Life.
The 1st paragraph of the OPORD is the Situation. Before you can take military action such as assaulting an enemy position, you must understand the situation. Before I could “assault the position,” I needed to define the situation in some detail. NOTE: Clarity is essential. Be sure to include enemy and friendly forces; for civilians this is what is working against you (enemy forces) and what is working for you (friendly forces).
I wrote down (actually, typed on my computer screen) my current situation: all my ailments, blood pressure, BMI, waist size, how I felt, etc. All kinds of stats. I listed everything I could think of that was wrong with me – past and present (some are mentioned above). I then listed factors contributing to the situation: eating habits, exercise habits, stretching habits (none!), Yoga (none … Yoga is for sissy boys!), mental habits (good here – I had been doing a lot of mind game exercises for a long time), and spiritual habits (sad to say, few of these). (Spirit, Mind, Body) I found myself woefully lacking and inadequate in all 3 areas. But at least I had accurately stated the Situation.
The 2nd paragraph of the OPORD is the Mission. The mission statement includes all mission-essential tasks and a purpose (identify Who, What, When, Where & Why). My Mission: Spirit, Mind & Body; begin an exercise program; begin a stretching program; get more sleep; start yoga (I always thought I was too “manly” to do yoga … boy – was I stupid!); get my relationship with God right (which included some attitude changes), prayer, Bible reading on a regular basis, finding a good Bible church, and regularly associate with other followers of Jesus – not just on Sundays.
My ultimate mission objective: do everything necessary to support & allow my body to repair itself and for me to “fix” my mind and spirit, (get all three “cylinders” of my engine repaired), and happily live to the age of 110: doing so with a healthy body, a sharp mind, and a spirit totally aligned with the Godhead (Father, Son & Holy Spirit).
Since then I’ve decided that 110 is a great goal; and I’ve now set a “stretch goal” to healthily live to 140. After giving this a lot of thoughtful consideration and prayer, I had to acknowledge that I’d lived my first 70 years pretty selfishly; I intend to live the next 70 years “loving the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and mind”; and equally important: “loving my neighbor as myself.” (paraphrased from the Bible in Matthew, Chapter 22).
This means I need to demonstrate unconditional love: graciousness and generosity with no strings attached. This also means that if I am to love my neighbor unconditionally and generously, I will need to love myself that way too! I’ve certainly not done enough of any of that in my first 70 years.
By the way … I did not consider this my Impossible Mission Challenge as the movies state (“Your mission, should you choose to accept it”). I didn’t have a choice of accepting this mission – this was almost literally a “do or die” mission … albeit a slow, painful death sometime in the future that would come over a long, slow, painful, drug-laden period, probably ending in a home with other broken folks like me. No thanks. This mission I WILL accept & WILL accomplish. (in Spirit, Mind, and Body)
The 3rd paragraph of the OPORD is Execution; this is the “meat” and action part of the order. Start with the “Commander’s Intent” – this is what the Commander (ME) wants to do in the execution phase of the plan (the order). How do I want to implement this part? Can I do it all myself? Who do I need help from? What measurable results will demonstrate the outcomes I am expecting, and show that I’ve accomplished my mission?
I knew I needed to find a personal Yoga instructor (male or female) that was 50+ (to understand my aches, pains, and stiffness), and experienced. I also needed a strength coach to help me on my physical journey back to a healthy body; I wanted a male who was 40+ (again, to understand older bodies) and highly trained (a Master Trainer) so he could show me exactly how to exercise specific muscles and muscle groups, and then kick my butt to get it done each week. I also needed help with my new way of eating (NOT a “diet!”), and I needed to find a Bible church that was a good fit. Remember, this is where the rubber meets the road as they say, so you have to really get into detail in the execution phase! This is the most critical part in terms of detailed planning, execution, and coordination with the other events in your life you have to juggle.
For myself, I defined my Commander’s Intent as this:
Change my eating habits to move from a high-carb low-fat diet to a very low carb, and ultimately, Carnivore diet in 6 months or less
Find an “eating/food community” that supports the proper way of eating, so I’d have reinforcements!
Go to church weekly; tithe weekly; read the entire Bible in 6 months or less; pray daily
Join a gym, hire a strength / accountability coach, and work out at gym a minimum of once/week
Find a Yoga instructor and have a weekly private lesson with him/her
Lose a minimum of 50 lbs. in 12 months
Decrease my Body Fat % from 30+% to below 20% in 12 months
Get off my Lipitor (Statin drug) for Cholesterol within 4 months
Get my blood pressure medication reduced by 50% within 12 months, & completely off in 24 months
There are others, but you get the idea …
Important Point: Goals must be measurable and set in time and written down. “Lose a bunch of weight” is a wish and not a goal because there is no “how much” and “by when.”
RESULT: Mission Success – at least for Phase I. Future Phases are coming, and I anticipate even better results. After this section I’ve posted details on the before and after so you can read – and see – the differences.
I did it, and so can you. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that you can’t … not your doctor or a loved one (or even the inner you!). Will you get the results that you established as your goals? Who knows? Will you end up better than you are now? Absolutely! You really have zero downside and lots of upside in this life-or-death game of healthy longevity. The only thing standing in your way is you … your thoughts, your self-talk, your actions and your follow-through … after both successes and setbacks.