Introduction: A 50-something husband and father aiming to add years to his life

GLPFrodo

GLPFrodo

Explorer
Joined
Jun 26, 2026
Messages
26
Reaction score
15
Location
Boise
Hey everyone,

I'm a dad in my 50s, and I've come here to pick up knowledge from all of you. My GLP path began on 6/8, when I decided I needed to steer my own life again. Statins, NSAIDs, sleep aids, heartburn aids — I'd been taking those for years, and none of it did anything real to make me healthier. Then last year I landed in the ER with a bout of pancreatitus, and after $8k in costs, I understood something had to give.

My wife — I call her my "dirty hippie" — has spent a long time pushing me about my bad habits. Over the past year I've tapered off almost all of it, and this month I'm taking none of what I listed above, with NSAIDS being the final one to stop. We've eaten low-carb for the last 6-8 months, and my glucose levels have moved in a good direction, yet my weight keeps climbing.

So I signed up at a gym and began reading up on GLPs... and then began reading up with GLPs. Not long ago I spoke with a family member whose husband of 43 years died of brain cancer 3 years after he retired. What she told me broke my heart: Don't wait, you never know when its your time, so have fun and do what you want now.

Getting my life back isn't enough for me — I want longevity. I want to live so that my family never has to take care of me. THAT is why Im here.
 
Hi, and welcome … you've landed in the right spot.

Carbs are a real pain. Cut them out and the scale drops quickly because the body burns through stored carbs, glycogen.

Glycogen carries roughly 2-3 grams of water for every gram of carbs .. so much of it is basically water weight.
 
ChAsEr435 said:

Hi, and welcome … you've landed in the right spot.

Carbs are a real pain. Cut them out and the scale drops quickly because the body burns through stored carbs, glycogen.

Glycogen carries roughly 2-3 grams of water for every gram of carbs .. so much of it is basically water weight.
Click to expand...
Appreciate it. The coming 12 months are something Im eager for. Altogether I need to drop 50lbs, yet at the same time I also have to put on muscle. Cant Wait!
 
GLPFrodo said:

ChAsEr435 said:

Hi, and welcome … you've landed in the right spot.

Carbs are a real pain. Cut them out and the scale drops quickly because the body burns through stored carbs, glycogen.

Glycogen carries roughly 2-3 grams of water for every gram of carbs .. so much of it is basically water weight.
Click to expand...
Appreciate it. The coming 12 months are something Im eager for. Altogether I need to drop 50lbs, yet at the same time I also have to put on muscle. Cant Wait!
Click to expand...
I was only 5 pounds away from my goal weight, and then I hit a plateau that dragged on forever — incredibly frustrating. I had set out to hit my goal weight in under a year, so I threw everything at trying to get past that stall. It turned into a total nightmare because I was down to the final week or two of my 365-day count.

The final thing I attempted was carbs. I aligned my carb intake with my protein intake. I was consuming close to 200g of protein daily, and I raised my carbs to roughly that amount or more. That ended the stall, and I made my goal weight with 5 days left on my 365-day goal weight.
 
ChAsEr435 said:

GLPFrodo said:

ChAsEr435 said:

Hi, and welcome … you've landed in the right spot.

Carbs are a real pain. Cut them out and the scale drops quickly because the body burns through stored carbs, glycogen.

Glycogen carries roughly 2-3 grams of water for every gram of carbs .. so much of it is basically water weight.
Click to expand...
Appreciate it. The coming 12 months are something Im eager for. Altogether I need to drop 50lbs, yet at the same time I also have to put on muscle. Cant Wait!
Click to expand...
I was only 5 pounds away from my goal weight, and then I hit a plateau that dragged on forever — incredibly frustrating. I had set out to hit my goal weight in under a year, so I threw everything at trying to get past that stall. It turned into a total nightmare because I was down to the final week or two of my 365-day count.

The final thing I attempted was carbs. I aligned my carb intake with my protein intake. I was consuming close to 200g of protein daily, and I raised my carbs to roughly that amount or more. That ended the stall, and I made my goal weight with 5 days left on my 365-day goal weight.
Click to expand...
Wait, seriously? I've been doing keto and low carb for a while now, and I assumed that would be beneficial. I've also come across things online suggesting carbs might help, and some even claim they're necessary for the body to function properly while on reta. Wow, you really pushed it right to the edge. LOL Great job!
 
GLPFrodo said:


REALLY? Ive been keto/low carb for a bit and figured it would help. Ive also seen some info online about carbs helping, or even some saying it was needed for, the body to properly do its thing on reta. Wow, you really brought it to the wire. LOL Nice work!

Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Honestly, it was awful. I'd already tried every approach out there, and back then I was in a severe calorie deficit, which I now think was simply more than my body could cope with. My system was fighting to retain anything it could. On top of that, I was shedding a lot of muscle. Once I finally gave my body the fuel it was asking for, the muscle loss stopped and I hit my target weight. These days I'm running the same playbook, except now I'm in a bulking phase, and it's working really well — in just 3 weeks I've put on 8 pounds of muscle. Carbs matter
 
Appreciate the details. One factor behind my decision to switch things up, and to go with Reta, was the support it provides for my insulin resistance. I'm attempting to get ahead of that T2D, though I'll give it a shot. Solid gains. While I'm dropping the fat, I'm doing everything I can to build.
 
That closing line of yours really hit home for me — [[Q1]] The phrasing you chose struck a chord, and it's giving me both inspiration and an extra push.

Happy to be walking this road alongside you and the rest of the folks in here!
 
Sounds like a solid approach — I'm in the same age bracket at 50.

At my peak I weighed 315 pounds, standing 6'2, with body fat measured at 38%

Visceral fat sat at 32%

I kept my daily intake tightly between 1200-1400 calories, and made sure protein was near 200g each day.

Over the course of 360 days, I shed 115 pounds.

It can be done — stay consistent and the pounds come off, best of luck to you. Happy to field anything you'd like to ask.
 
ChAsEr435 said:

Sounds like a solid approach — I'm in the same age bracket at 50.

At my peak I weighed 315 pounds, standing 6'2, with body fat measured at 38%

Visceral fat sat at 32%

I kept my daily intake tightly between 1200-1400 calories, and made sure protein was near 200g each day.

Over the course of 360 days, I shed 115 pounds.

It can be done — stay consistent and the pounds come off, best of luck to you. Happy to field anything you'd like to ask.
Click to expand...
eager to pick things up. If your goal is genuine self-protection, this entire area is overwhelming and intricate. For a beginner, it's extremely intricate... still, I'm definitely eager for what's ahead.
 
tubby-scone said:

That closing line of yours really hit home for me — [[Q1]] The phrasing you chose struck a chord, and it's giving me both inspiration and an extra push.

Happy to be walking this road alongside you and the rest of the folks in here!
Click to expand...
I came across a video that framed "Health" and longevity in those terms—like a policy so my wife won't end up having to wipe my butt. 😂 That got me thinking: "I've got to shape up so she isn't trapped by the bad calls I've made."

Glad you're here as well. Time to kick some ass!
 
Back
Top