For 6'4" at 210 you're doing good work. Keep in mind that the goal isn't always "lighter" - I have to remind myself this. Muscle weighs more than fat so if you did a 1:1 swap of fat for muscle you'd weigh more. But I think you already totally understand this because of everything you already wrote.
My history was like this. I spent most of my youth being pretty bookish and a cyclist. When it came to sports I did track and field type things, so I was lean. But, I was lazy-minded and did not push myself.
Between 9th grade and 10th grade I put on about 40 pounds of muscle by allowing myself to be bullied around and encouraged through joining the wrestling team and actually kinda applying myself. But, the lazy mind still existed.
Throughout my 20s and 30s I went through many waves of disconnected, self-abuse and self-harm, then long periods of moderate focused self-care. I kept myself reasonably thin but wasn't doing much for my health, and my habits were detrimental overall. And, I had many severe injuries and head injuries from various accidents - which I wasn't taking care of.
When I hit rock-bottom at 35 I went deep into spiritual growth, focusing on my conscious contact with God, and became very aggressive in my fitness. I got into boxing and was riding my bike a lot, and lifting a lot. I got very fit, the best shape of my life so far. I was on fire. Then, another major physical accident and head injury once more.
Being in that fit shape and a strong spiritual condition I think helped me to recover from that accident. If I had been in a negative mindset or flabby health, that might have been a final dropping-off point of no return. But instead I took it VERY seriously and within a year I was in better shape than I had been before it happened. Then - Covid lockdowns, 10-15 hours a week in the gym watching Rocky movies, and I became a lean ripped beast.
Now that was half a decade ago, and since then I've had four years of brutally wearing myself out and fatiguing myself, gaining a lot of excess weight and losing muscle. This was due to buying and establishing a homestead and building up my business to new heights, and starting my family. Now in the last month I have a barn gym with my equipment set back up, floor space for stretching and workouts, and I'm fasting like crazy. I've dropped about 20lbs in the last six weeks and am starting to build my exercise tolerance back up quickly.
I want to be 46 with my six-pack back, and lean muscle. I like that lower abdomen "V" shape above my groin from a lean stomach. I don't want to get too jacked, just maintain a high level of fitness and health without slacking on a routine. I want to fast regularly.
I know this was about your routine and don't want to make the thread about what I'm doing, but I wanted to express that I understand the ups-and-downs of different stages of life. For me, starting to get really serious in my mid-30s after a lifetime of half-assed but present focus led to a not-great outcome. I want to teach my kids basic physical maintenance and the value of keeping it up all the time.
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My primary goal is this: I want to be slim, muscular, and sexy in my 60s and 70s, and beyond. My grandfather drank modestly but was a hard laborer and farmer. He built up his muscles for decades. When he got to be old, he got lazy and fat. His back started to hurt, he started to drink, he generally declined. He did manage to marry a woman in her 70s when he was mid-80s, and continued to work for other people into his very late 80s, so it wasn't all bad. His mind was strong until it wasn't anymore. He died at 95 if I remember correctly. He was a little mean.
His brother - I just talked to him yesterday - is 97. His wife of 77 years is the same age. Now, he lived life differently. They had God in their home, and he was a schoolteacher. He coached and refereed soccer at the high school level well beyond retirement. I think he stopped being a soccer referee in his mid-80s. He won an award from his state for his longevity in refereeing. He is lean, fit, and springy at 97. Sometimes he takes a cane, but not always. He's funny, light-hearted, and charming.
The difference between them is great. I'd rather be like my uncle than my grandfather. I want the longevity and I have a lot of self-harm from my past to make up for.
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Bartato, you are describing an intense desire to be desirable to women. This is spot-on, for sure. I think it takes more time and effort as we age, but women are generally interested in older men - especially high-value men with confidence and strong inner qualities.
I think that being in good shape helps us to gain an extra 60 seconds of first impression with a new woman. I don't think fitness alone is enough to maintain her interest for long in the initial stages of getting to know her.
My own fitness, sobriety, health, and mindset I do FOR ME, and for God. My wife gets the benefits of me being a more whole man, and it will help attract another woman, but I am not doing it for them. Fitness is our own reward and obligation. We literally owe it to ourselves to be the best man we can be. Women will find that attractive.
We live in a culture with huge percentages of men letting themselves go. And many men who do take care of their bodies do not take care of their minds or spirits. Most women are attracted to the top five percent of the same men, and who can blame them? But we can easily put ourselves into that category if we aren't already there.
Like you said, liver and heart issues, diabetic issues, general health issues - these are going to be my primary focuses. I want to be able to still run fast 30 years from now. I want to live to 110 or greater, and I don't mind not living a "normal" life with a dead-end career to live that way. I want to have three or more wives and to have them for 70 years from now, and be able to see dozens of grandkids. I want to change my shitty family tree and create a lasting family legacy. I don't think I can do that by focusing only on income and the workaday week.
Also, theoretically I could make up for all my wasted years in my teens, 20s, and early 30s by investing financially at a younger man's rate now. If I focus on taking care of myself and living longer and simpler then the slow pace of compound interest can make up for my lost years if I just live longer and don't get hit by a bus.
You talked about eating less but I want to suggest to you that you look into fasting as a regular way of life. I think after 40 men need regular fasting. 36 hours once a week at a minimum, 72 hours as able. 100+ several times per year as the schedule allows. Fasting promotes insane healing properties. It turns your body into a healing temple. I suggest watching some Dr. Josh Axe.
