Strongman Chronicles

Once at church, a kind lady, who had just met my husband and learned that we were married, turned to me and said, “He’s your husband? You must live a Very Interesting Life.” That pretty much summed it up right then and there, my life with my Strongman. Well, now he’s on a new journey. He’s won the titles he wanted in Strongman – National and World Champion Heavy Weight Division in the over 40 year olds – and now sees no need to keep the extra bulk which served him so well in lifting the heavy weights.

His quest is to lose extra pounds while maintaining his strength and endurance to continue weight training. Why am I chronicling his quest? We need to do this together in order to succeed. My part is to plan the meals and see to it his nutrition will be at his best to accomplish this goal.

What is the plan? He’ll have a series of 30 day goals. The eating plan will consist of a mainly plant-based diet, supplemented with proteins like eggs, canned salmon, and lowfat plain organic yogurt. We’ll focus on raw and cooked vegetables with whole grains, psuedograins, and nuts, with limited gluten and dairy.

The part my husband plays (besides being a happy camper with the food) is to maintain his eating plan without veering when he’s on the road and to add a lot more cardio to his workouts. The challenge is that he’s 49 years old, and realizes that his body will fight him along the way, mentally as well as physically. That’s why he needs the Lord’s help, to feed his spirit with the Word of God and deny his flesh in ways that would defeat his purpose.

Goal for the first 30 days

Consistency – To be consistent with the eating plan and workout schedule is top priority.

How are we going to do this? A food and exercise log will help us track our progress, along with keeping a simple vision, plain and clear.

What about taking a 15-minute spread throughout the day to log what you eat and your exercise? You may not need to lose weight but tracking your food and exercise will give you an accurate assessment of what you’re actually putting in your mouth and how much exercise you’re getting or not getting. Our memory of what we eat is a lot more biased than paper. Let me know how you do…


“The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.”
-Cecil B. De Mille (1955)