I am 38 years old. I'm 6'3" and grew up an athlete. In my 20s I gained a bunch of weight and lost it all and got down to about 225 from 315. I had two kids and got lazy during covid. I am currently at 330 and want to get back down.
I know that a caloric deficit is my answer and I'm going to start counting calories every day. My problem is that I can't motivate myself to exercise in a routine. I play ice hockey on Fridays, and I want to work out 3 or so other times a week. I have a membership to LifeTime fitness for free through work, but it's 30 minutes away. I have a Peloton that I really love riding and doing HIIT. I also have dumbbells, a bench, and resistance bands for strength.
I try to wake up at 5:30 to work out. I tell myself that I'm too tired and go back to bed and that I'll work out in the evening. The evening comes and I want to hang out with my kids and then when they go to bed I want to be with my wife. So, I tell myself I'll workout in the morning. I'm full of excuses.
I know what you are going to say. You just have to do it and it if you want it so bad, you'll find a way. I've been telling myself this same thing for 6 years. I'm 4 weeks into sobriety and thought this would all fall into place, but it's not. It's too cold and snowy here to walk in the evenings.
Do you have any books that will help me figure this out? Advice?
I had a path similar to yours. I was in the army and 6 foot 185 lb. After I got out i gained about 100 lbs and couldn't motivate myself to lose it. Now I'm back to 200 or so but I don't really track it since i care more about how I feel than how I look.
My secret was: don't "workout". Find a sport that you can do that is fun for you. Preferably one that is a full body workout. For me it was downhill mountain biking. It's fun and you don't notice the calories burned. If you get a fat tire bike you can even bike in snow or sand. Basically you need to trick your mind into getting those dopamine hits until your body associates exercise with feel good chemicals.
I might pick up another night playing hockey. The hardest thing is the kids though. I hate leaving my wife alone with them. It doesn't seem fair. I know how hard it is with a 3 year old.
Find something you can do with the kid. You can put the kid in a bike trailer and both enjoy trails. in 1-2 years when the kid is ready for a bike you can get one of those trail a bike things and the kid can ride with you.
I would suggest also learning something you can do alone so that you don't have to rely on other people. That's one of the great things about biking. I can go by myself and just practice my regular jumping a bit or go with a group of us and practice new jumps.
The key is to find something that will get you addicted. So maybe in addition to ice hockey go check out the roller rinks and do some laps on your off days?