I don’t own a walking pad. I’ve walked on my friend’s three times, about 20 minutes each, at a standing desk. I loved that I could walk and work at the same time. But I lost 50 lbs mostly by walking and watching my portions, so I know what walking can and can’t do for…
I don’t have a gym membership. While I was losing 50 lbs, my strength training was 20 minutes in my bedroom with a 40 lb adjustable dumbbell set, about every other day, while my kids wound down watching TV before bed. Here’s the exact routine I used, how to do each move, and how to…
The first week I counted calories was eye-opening. I tracked everything I ate and drank from day one, and I found out I was eating way more than I thought: about 2,000 calories a day more. Most of it came from drinks (soda, juice and milk) and snacks I would just grab and not count….
When I started losing weight, I thought I had a pretty good idea of how much I was eating. Then I started putting my food on a scale. Rice and cheese were the big surprises. I was eating more calories than I thought, for sure. Quick answer (updated October 2026): The best food scale for…
With four kids in sports and school events, my family eats out two or three times a week. That didn’t change when I decided to lose weight, and it didn’t stop me from going from 265 to 215 pounds in 6 months. What changed was what I ordered. So this isn’t a list of “healthy”…
Are protein bars good for weight loss? I think they can be, and I eat one almost every day. Usually it’s my snack after lunch, and it’s one of the easiest ways I’ve found to get more protein in without cooking anything. As a dad of 4 who works 2 jobs, easy matters. But I…
Before I lost 50 lbs, I drank at least 2 or 3 Dr Peppers a day. It was my favorite drink. So when I finally decided to get serious about my weight, cutting regular soda was the very first change I made. That one swap turned out to be a catalyst for everything else. A…
I wore an Apple Watch the whole time I lost 50 lbs. Back then it was an old Series 3. After I hit my goal, I got a Series 8 as a Christmas present, and I’ve worn it every day for about two years. As a busy dad of four working two jobs, it has…
I keep a small bag of resistance bands at school and use them on my conference period for about 10 to 15 minutes. As a busy dad of four working two jobs, that’s some of the easiest strength training I get all week. They take a few seconds to set up, they don’t stress me…
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my affiliate disclosure. Confession time: the adjustable weighted vest I use on my walks came from Temu. I also own a fixed-weight ZELUS vest from Amazon, which is way more comfortable, but…
