Deadlifts & More Powerful Ways to Change Your Body

Deadlifts are a powerful prescription to change your body.  Are you spending time in the gym and not seeing much of a change in your body?  Even after years of working out on weight machines or doing curls?  Do you lay awake at night frustrated that you are still overweight and worried about your health?  Because you don’t know how to lose weight and get fit?

The deadlift is medicine that helps you lose weight, gain muscle, improve your health and fitness and achieve dramatic body transformation.

Are you over 50 and trying to get back into shape or an athlete that wants to gain muscle and dominate in your chosen sport?

Deadlifts can change your body.

You want more confidence?

Are you trying to get over a break up?

Are doctors, friends or family suggesting you take medications or antidepressants to treat depression or ADD?

Before you even think about that, you must first give the deadlift prescription a chance.

The deadlift will come to your rescue.

If you change your body, you can change your life.

And there is no simpler exercise than the barbell deadlift to change your body.

How do I know?

By the age of 55, I was obese, with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and on the cusp of type 2 diabetes.

I was struggling to survive divorce and depression.

After plenty of weight loss plans I was fatter than ever.

Going to the gym often and using the treadmill and weight lifting machines did not change my body.

My life was a complete mess.

 

Enter The Deadlift

One evening I was in a New York City deli, where I spent much of my time with my former ‘friends’, Ben & Jerry.

Also known as vanilla heath bar crunch.

I was obese, could not see my feet looking down, and had trouble walking up hills.

But, I still wanted ice cream and a blueberry muffin.

I knew I needed to change my life, but I did not know how.

That night, on June 21, 2012, I decided that I was going to really focus on real foods like vegetables.

And cut out the processed foods.

The next morning, I asked the chef in the deli to change the menu.

Instead of the usual bagel, egg and cheese, with a slice of tomato and onion,  plus orange juice, I requested something different.

I asked for a whole egg, 3 egg whites, to hold the bagel and cheese, and add all the vegetables he had, plus avocado, hummus, olives and capers.

He threw spinach, tomato, pepper, onion, garlic, mushrooms on the grill with the eggs.

The chef asked “what am I going to call this mess?”

I said I will call it Hashi Mashi, my first real meal based on as many vegetables as I could think of.

After people laughed at the word Hashi Mashi, I started this blog to journal about my weight loss journey.

Within a few months I was down 30 pounds.

I read many times that the deadlift is the king of all exercises, but I was terrified because I thought deadlifts would kill my back.

I had already pulled my back once closing my door and could barely move for weeks.

Finally, I decided to go to the free weight area and try the deadlift.

What Happened a Year of Adding the Deadlift?

Six months after eating real food meals and adding the deadlift, squats, and push ups, I was 75 pounds lighter.

After another seven months, I lost another 25 pounds, to where I am today at 170 pounds, six years later.

My body was changing and so was my life.

All I did was cut out processed food, focus on vegetables, and do the barbell deadlift as my main strength training exercise.

As well as walking/elliptical, push ups and squats here and there.

Suddenly, Hashi Mashi was no longer a joke.

I discovered that vegetables like asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, okra, potato, pepper, spinach, mushrooms, onion, watercress, zucchini, etc, were all great ways to have a satisfying meal.

And leave you feeling good physically and mentally.

Vegetables are not just window dressing for steak, burgers, chicken or fish.  You can actually have a meal with mostly vegetables and leave the table satisfied.

Focusing on vegetables, raw and cooked, helped me get fitter than I ever thought possible after the age of 50.

People in my neighborhood began to call me ‘Hashi Mashi’ which led to a mention in the NY Times as a weight loss blogger.

Because of my weight loss, body transformation and creation of the most famous breakfast item on the Tudor City Cafe Menu ( at least I think so ).

How to Rebuild Your Health and Fitness Over 50

I saw my cholesterol drop over a 100 points, blood pressure normalize and prediabetes A1C levels fall as well.  Most importantly, I became more hopeful and optimistic about the future. This was the first time I realized that changing my body had changed my life.

I did not realize how changing the quality of food would change my body, and how changing my body would improve my mood, and life.

When I experienced the power of real food first hand to transform your body and mind, I felt compelled to spread the word to anyone else suffering with similar problems.

Let’s get started.

Why Is It So Hard To Lose Weight After 50?

https://hashimashi.com/lose-20-pounds-in-3-months/

The Foundation of Real Food

Just Eat Real Food – The Secret Sauce for Weight Loss

Eat Real Food and Conquer Your Own Mount Kilimanjaro

https://hashimashi.com/real-food-daily/

The Best Diet to Lose Weight Fast – Secrets You Already Know

Recommended Reading:

Ultra-Processed Food Horror Show

Sugar is a Drug and Making Us Really Sick

 

Fitness for Beginners

https://hashimashi.com/lose-20-pounds-in-3-months/

Strength Training for Weight Loss

Benefits of Deadlifting after 50

How Deadlifts Change Your Body in 27 Powerful Ways

26 Remarkable Benefits of Deadlifts to Unleash Your Fitness

 

Body Transformation is Not Only About Weight Loss

Body transformation is also about building muscle, gaining strength, improving your cardio fitness and flexibility. You will discover additional benefits of transforming your body from a blubber jello blob to a lean and strong machine.

Other possible benefits besides weight loss include:

• Lowering your high cholesterol without statins
• Normalizing your high blood pressure without medications
• Preventing type 2 diabetes and avoiding use of metformin medications
• Stop or reduce usage of antidepressants
• Easier breathing when going up hills or just plain old walking
• Fitting in your favorite suit, jeans or dress is now possible
• You will feel a million times better
• Not to mention how much better you will look to yourself, family and friends
• You will become more active
• Vacations will be more enjoyable, including going to the beach
• You will get leaner and stronger
• Your family and friends will feel more secure and happy seeing the healthy version of you
• Earn more money

You can even earn more money. Studies say that thinner people make more money. There is a financial price to obesity.

Various studies have shown that overweight people are seen as less conscientious, less agreeable, less emotionally stable, less productive, lazy, lacking in self-discipline, and even dishonest, sloppy, ugly, socially unattractive, and sexually unskilled; the list goes on and on.  The stereotypes run so deep that even obese people hold these same discriminatory beliefs about other obese people. Therefore, it may come as no surprise that research has provided strong evidence that obese people are paid less than their slimmer counterparts.¹⁾https://www.forbes.com/sites/freekvermeulen/2011/03/22/the-price-of-obesity-how-your-salary-depends-on-your-weight/#75430b4f3d9a

Can You Transform Your Body?

Yes, if you get out of the way and stop eating too much processed food, and you start moving.  I know now from experience, that when obese people lose weight, their cholesterol can lower without statins, they might not have to take metformin for type 2 diabetes, they might stop antidepressants, high blood pressure medication, and they can lessen suicidal ideation, like magic. How great is that?

I found out that even at the age of 55, our body is a magical machine, and will respond and transform, if we got out of the way. If you stop force feeding your body processed food and focus on as much real food as possible, your body will transform, like magic, abra kedabra. Start with plant foods, simple yet powerful vegetables, and you will be amazed at how fast your body will change.

In 2015, I went back to school to become a New York State Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and Certified Personal Trainer in 2017, so I could share my nutrition and training guides to help you get fit, no matter what your age.

Do you think it is possible to transform your body?  Remember when you were in shape back in the day?  How far back do you have to go, high school, college, before the long commutes and work days in the office?  Are you over 50 and think that body transformation is a pipe dream?  You are in the right place if you want to get back into shape, but are not sure where to start.

You might say:  “How about if I am weighing in at 275 pounds or above?  There is no way I can lose 100 pounds!  It’s too late, let me just enjoy my reese’s peanut butter cups.”  Do you think that you can actually eat your way to better health?  Did you ever consider weight lifting to fight obesity?

If you are overweight and thinking of weight loss surgery, have you considered other options?  I know people who have gone the weight loss surgery route.  It was not pretty.  One person nearly lost her life in surgery.  And after the surgery, she can barely eat portions of real food that satisfy her.  She is still a similar weight and shape as before the surgery.  Another man has not only not lost weight, but now, he is facing diabetes on top of a shortened stomach.

What if you have the blues, or even clinical depression, has your doctor prescribed anti-depressants?  Would you believe that deadlifts can be as or more effective as Prozac?  What is the price for mind and body fitness?  Some people might be helped by antidepressants, but at what cost?  Antidepressants can have serious side effects, even up to suicidal ideation.  Clearly, neither surgery nor medications are worth it if you have other options.  And yes, there are other options to transform your mind and body fitness for the better.

Unique Issues for Men and Women over 50

Rebuilding your health and fitness over 50 is not as simple as getting fit when you were younger, in your 20s, 30s and 40s.

There are new concerns and fears.  Chronic health issues like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, prostate health, and kidney health.  Not to mention diabetes, depression, heart health and aching joints.  Men and women over 50 are not just thinking about losing weight.

We are also thinking about how to stay healthy and functional.  We want to be able to spend time with our families, friends and grandkids.  Having a resource to just help you lose weight is not enough.  You need to get fit and stronger, and lower your cardiovascular risk factors.  We face different health and fitness challenges than our younger peers.

Get up off the couch, stop being best friends with Ben & Jerry and Uncle Amos.  Get motivated to give yourself the best options to live a healthier more functional life.  It is time for you to invest in your own health.  Save yourself from a host of chronic illnesses that are related to obesity.  Be around longer for yourself, your family and friends, and for those you love who are afraid to tell you to your face that you are out of control.

And be thankful if your wife or kids or friends are making comments, they want you to be around for them.  Even if you are over the age of 40, 50, or even 60, you can change your habits and get leaner than you ever dreamed possible.

Cardiovascular Risk Factor

If you are over the age of 45 for a man or 55 for a woman, you already have an automatic risk factor for heart disease.  Oreo’s, Ben & Jerry’s, pretzels and potato chips cannot be worth your heart or your health.  Are they?  Obesity is correlated with many chronic illnesses.

Obesity is associated with significantly increased risk of more than 20 chronic diseases and health conditions that cause devastating consequences and increased mortality. Beyond the significant personal toll, obesity and related health complications are driving up health care costs and threatening employers’ bottom lines. ²⁾http://stopobesityalliance.org/wp-content/themes/stopobesityalliance/pdfs/Fast%20Facts%20Chronic%20Disease%201-2012.pdf})

You can learn to lose weight.  We have been brought up with some counterproductive habits.  Otherwise, 75 percent of the adult population of the United States would not be overweight or obese.  New habits, meal planning and training will change your body faster than you ever thought possible.   Let’s do a simple calculation to see if you are in the overweight or obese category.

Maybe you do not need a weight loss transformation.  But, my guess is, based on the current statistics, there is a 75 percent chance that you do.  Or you know someone that you care about who does.  In fact, there is a 36 percent chance that you are obese and do not even know it.  You can see from the statistics below, almost 3 in 4 adults are considered to be overweight or obese.

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in America

The data presented in this publication are from two surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

Adults Age 20 and Older

• More than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese.
• More than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese.
• More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity.
• Almost 3 in 4 men (74 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese.
• The prevalence of obesity is similar for both men and women (about 36 percent).
• About 8 percent of women are considered to have extreme obesity.

Estimated Percentage by BMI

■ Normal weight or underweight is a body mass index under 24.9 (BMI under 24.9)
■ Overweight is a BMI of 25 to 29.9
■ Obesity is considered a BMI of 30+
■ Extreme obesity is a BMI of 40+

According to studies, 31.2 percent of adults had BMIs under 24.9 and so were considered normal weight or underweight. Another 33.1 percent had BMIs from 25 to 29.9, and so they were considered overweight.  The group with BMIs of 30 or higher—people considered to have obesity—amounted to 35.7 percent.  Those considered to have extreme obesity, with BMIs of 40 or higher, amounted to 6.3 percent.³⁾Source: NHANES, 2009–2010

According to research, 74 percent of men had overweight or obesity; 64 percent of women had overweight or obesity.  Equal percentages (36) of men and women had obesity.  Among men, 4 percent had extreme obesity; the percentage among women for extreme obesity was double that of men, at 8 percent.((https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/Pages/overweight-obesity-statistics.aspx

What is Your Body Mass Index?

So first thing first, let’s figure out if you are underweight, at a healthy weight, overweight, obese or extremely obese, courtesy of https://bmicalculator.mes.fm/bmi-chart.

■ Normal weight or underweight (BMI over 18.5 and under 24.9)
■ Overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9)
■ Obesity (BMI of 30+)
■ Extreme obesity (BMI of 40+)

Again, you can easily calculate your BMI here and remember to write down your result.

If your body mass index is over 25, then you have some work to do.

If over 30, then you better get started immediately.

Truth is, that in both cases, start now, so you can prevent problems in the future.

Overweight and obesity are clear risk factors for many chronic illnesses.

As a former overweight and obese man, I know the frustration of losing weight.

I can relate to the sense of hopelessness, especially when you are over 50.

The good news is that you can reboot your fitness and get fitter than you dreamed possible.

No matter what your age, so, do not give up, it is never too late.

Fitness Over 50 Plan

Is there an effective plan for you to skyrocket your fitness over 50?

What are the best and most effective tools, training and resources & tools to reboot your fitness?

If you are asking yourself that question, then you are in the right place.

You have stumbled upon a site where you do not have to go to

meetings and weigh yourself on a scale with an audience.

Who has time for that?

You do not have to count points or calories.

And you can be confident that one day in the near future, The Fit

Apprentice will transform you from a fat b—– to one handsome

b——.

Seriously, your wife, girlfriend or significant other will be very

grateful you are taking care of yourself.

What happened over the course of ten months on the Hashi Mashi™ Reboot, was nothing less than a complete

transformation.

I was as shocked as my neighbors, friends and family.

That same neighbor of mine, who started the ball rolling, saw me after the winter hibernation.

He was startled and said “You went from one fat b—– to a much better looking one, I don’t even recognize your face!”

As a result of my experience losing 100 pounds, reducing cholesterol, high blood pressure and my a1c level risk for type 2 diabetes, I decided to become a fitness professional to help others.

I am now an Integrative Nutrition™ Health Coach and AAPT™ Certified Personal Trainer.

The best and most effective tools for losing weight, getting more fit and even lifting your mood, I share with you.

You know that your plan is working when even your appearance changes significantly.

You can discover what you really look like once you get rid of your excess fat.

Are you Willing to Change?

How long have you been struggling with weight loss?

Have you had enough?

Are you ready to use tried and true tools of the fitness trade, so you can escape from wearing extra large pants and shirts the rest of your life?

Do you think that you deserve to have better health and fitness?

You know that losing weight and getting fit cannot be rocket science, but it sure seems like it.

You are sick and tired of wearing baggy sweaters and your pregnant like stomach distended over your too tight belt and pants.

Are you ready to reboot your fitness?

If you are open to trying a new approach, then you can achieve a spectacular body transformation.

Faster than you ever thought possible.

You see, your body is always working for you.

You just need the right recipe and tools to help your body heal yourself.

If you fuel your body with the right nutrients and move your body as it needs to, then you will finally discover the real you.

A much fitter and healthier version of yourself.

Introducing Hashi Mashi’s Guide to Rebuild Your Health and Fitness

Even if you are over 50.

Fitness over 50 is not impossible.

When I was 55, I could not do one pushup, let alone jump rope.

Today I did 40 pushups straight and did 800 rope jumps at the age of 61.

 

Lose Weight, Get Fit Fast, Get Leaner and Stronger One Day at a Time.

One day at a time is an essential idea.

You did not put on your weight overnight.

This has been a gradual process over many years.

So, you need to give your body time to adjust to the new training to get fit.

Do not expect to lose 30 pounds in a week.

Not even 15 pounds.

At most, if you lose 2 pounds a week, that is about the max.

But this is not just about weight loss.

This is about your health and fitness.

You want to get health and fitness, not just mere weight loss.

The first principle is to take this road one day at a time.

Give yourself a goal of perhaps a half pound to one pound a week.

Yes, that slow!

Because, if you truly lose one pound of fat a week while training and building muscle, you will experience a body transformation.

I am the last of the last to have any type of body transformation, but I did!

So can you.

You just need to follow the science of getting fit.

The Science of Getting Fit

Three real food meals daily and a snack.

Three strength workouts of deadlifts, squats, pushups and walking a week.

Do not worry if you are not yet up to deadlifts, squats or pushups.

At least you can started walking.

You have to be willing to walk at least 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week to recondition your body for activity.

The foundation of the nutrition plan is to eat.

You are not going to transform the way you look and feel by starving yourself.

Eat your way to better health.

Eat to lose weight and reboot your fitness.

When you think of going on a diet, you might be thinking more of what you cannot eat.

However, focusing on the food that you can and should eat is what will lead to amazing results in a relatively short amount of time.

That is called crowding out the less nutritious food by focusing on the best.

Change the way that you are eating now.

If you are currently overweight or obese, the food you eat is most likely processed and the times that you eat are most likely any time of the day or all day, but especially late in the evening.

Bagel and muffin with orange juice in the morning.

No vegetables there.

An energy bar in the mid morning.

No vegetables of fruits there.

Pizza or pasta for lunch.

Some tomato sauce, but still not many vegetables or fruits there.

A smoothie pick you up or a snickers bar for mid afternoon snack.

Uh oh, no veggies there either.

Mashed potatoes or french fries and chicken for dinner with green beans.

Ah, finally, a vegetable.

Potato chips while watching Monday Night Football.

Diet Coke while watching the news.

Ben & Jerry’s vanilla heath bar crunch while watching Jimmy Kimmel or Fallon.

You see the point.

What You Can Eat

If you think about the majority of food that you eat every day, you will see alot more processed food than real food.

Real food means water.

Vegetables, raw or cooked.

Fruits.

Legumes, soaked overnight and cooked.

Whole intact grains like oats, rice, quinoa and kasha.

Tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Healthy fats like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts, olive oil, coconut oil.

Quality animal and/or vegetarian proteins.

When You Can Eat

You can eat three real meals and a snack each day.

That is how simple the nutrition plan is.

Three times a day, eat a nourishing meal made up out of real food, the less processed the better.

Your days of eating all day all the time are over if you want to regain your health.

Have a meal in the morning and one more 3 or 4 hours later and dinner another four or five hours later with a snack in between.

At every meal, you want to make sure that you have vegetables and/or fruits, carb, protein and fat.

A sample breakfast can be:

A classic ‘Hashi Mashi’ breakfast – vegetable egg omelette made in olive oil with hummus, avocado and olives on the side.

A vegetable egg omelette with kasha, quinoa or rice on the side.

Oatmeal with fruit, walnuts and a plain greek yogurt on the side.

Or, as I do most days now, a cup of cooked oatmeal with a tbsp of almond/peanut butter, and some fruits.

Lunch can be:

Whole grain tortilla wrap with alot of vegetables, turkey and avocado.

Tuna sandwich.

Vegan protein smoothie.

Peanut butter sandwich with fresh strawberries or raspberries or grapes.

Dinner can be:

Rice, tofu and sautéed spinach and mushroom.

Kasha, chick peas and chicken.

Potatoes, vegetables and salmon.

Many servings of vegetables

One serving of a good quality carb

One serving of a good quality fat

One serving of a good quality protein

When you start to eat 3 meals a day only and see the results, you will slap yourself for not having done this decades ago.

You will sleep better, you will have more energy, you will be able to focus on the rest of your life outside of food, your food will be supporting you instead of harming you.

Real food is your friend and muscle is your friend.

Finish eating your dinner three or four hours before going to sleep.

Your days of endless noshing and snacking are over if you want to get control of your weight.

Your weight is the easiest risk factor to control for your health.

Losing weight is not about looking better, it is about your life.

Serious Overweight and Obesity-Related Health Problems in Adults

• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Stroke
• Type 2 Diabetes
• High Cholesterol

The truth is that The Hashi Mashi™ Reboot will work for any man of any age and for women as well.

However, men over 50 are more likely to have given up on ever getting into shape or back into shape.

Men over 50 are facing additional issues that are even more pressing than weight loss and looking good as mentioned above.

They are facing annual physicals where their doctor might inform them that they are near diabetic or are experiencing angina.

They are prone to hypertension, kidney stones and prostate concerns.

Men over 50 are facing serious health concerns like heart disease, diabetes and mental stress which goes far beyond just looking good in a suit.

Obesity is one of the primary risk factors of heart disease as well as diabetes.

Like many men out there, I struggled with being overweight but did not like to talk about it.

Over the years, I accepted the idea that my waist size would probably continue to match my age.

By age 55, I had a 50 inch waist, but because I am relatively tall, I still did not consider myself too obese.

But I was, with a BMI way over 30 and the scale hovering at 275 pounds.

By age 56, a year later, I had a 32 inch waist and was a total of 100 pounds lighter.

Even more than the weight, were the other numbers.

Cholesterol went down from over 280 to 160, without statins.

My doctor was pressing me for years to use statins, fortunately our bodies can work the same magic, if we let them.

My a1c finally went down to normal levels.

And my high blood pressure also came down to normal.

4 years later in 2017, and my weight is 170 and body fat percentage better than in 2013.

I am currently at 17% body fat, 120/80 blood pressure and 159 cholesterol.

This is why I believe that the Hashi Mashi™ Reboot is an effective plan for men of any age to lose weight and get fit, especially men over 50.

You might just be overweight and/or struggling with boosting your mood.

In either case, better nutrition and exercise is going to help you win the battle.

I continue to learn and will always share the best and most effective training, tools & resources to reboot mind and body fitness, especially for men over 50.

Please leave me your comments/feedback and let me know what additional information can be helpful to you.

You can reach me here to join my mission to end overweight and obesity.

My goal is to help others crush obesity and get fit, even if you are over 50. It can be done!

If you have a story of how you rebooted your fitness over 50 or other suggestions/comments, please share, thank you.

After making a few tweaks to my diet and adding deadlifts, I lost over 75 pounds in 6 months, and

Miraculously, my body responded and I lost close to a hundred pounds in under a year, getting leaner and stronger than I thought possible.

I also found that this same plan helped manage some of the worst symptoms of depression, without antidepressants.  I have struggled with dysthymia and clinical depression all my life and the side effects of antidepressants only made things worse.

At the age of 60, I returned to school to become an American Academy of Personal Training-Certified Personal Trainer(AAPT-CPT), and a Certified Institute of Integrative Nutrition-Integrative Nutrition Health Coach(IIN-INHC).

Now, I hope you can benefit from my experience.

Resources And Tools

For resources and tools to ignite your health and fitness, lose weight without counting calories, get leaner and stronger, help depression without antidepressants, please click here.

Connect And Take Action

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