As a father of a 12-year old girl who loves participating in sports, I’ve found it difficult to keep up when we play a recreational sport together. I see a lot of myself in her when I was that age. Competitive, stubborn, and not a care in the world as far as eating habits go. Unfortunately for me, as I got older I never tapered those eating habits. What did decrease was how active I was in doing physical activities.

I still enjoy doing things like playing basketball and running around playing tag. However, I failed to realize that my metabolism just wouldn’t be the same as I got older. Before I knew it, i'm my late thirties, working a sedentary job and barely getting any exercise. I found myself getting exhausted when doing these activities with my daughter. It takes a lot of energy to give the same level of effort that she does when interacting with her in this manner.

It’s a little embarrassing to be honest. But mostly, it’s just leaves me with a sad feeling. I want to be the father that can run around with his child. I want to be able to teach moves and techniques to my daughter that I learned at her age. I can’t do that If I can’t properly show her. So I decided to do something about it. I needed to get in shape and lose weight.

My first goal was to change my eating habits. That’s easier said than done. I’ve been a fast food junkie most of my life. Even though, after consuming these meals, I either felt bloated or tired in general. A complete diet change was needed.

Switching from Junk Food to Paleo

I did a lot of research on which diets would allow me to lose weight and keep my sanity. My findings on the paleo diet (called the caveman diet) would help to reduce cravings. I can enjoy the things I love like steak and chicken, I’d just have to eliminate things like french fries and soda. It seems like a fair trade.

I was fortunate enough not to have undertake this diet on my own. My fiancée also desired to lose weight. Together we started our paleo diet as a new years resolution. The internet provided us with great resources for recipes such as Paleo Running Momma. Although, not only do you have to fight off the cravings, but the prep work involved with his diet can be a challenge in itself.

We quickly learned how to create meals that we can store in the refrigerator and freezer that can be used later during the week. Of course, there still is a lot of cooking involved. However, having ingredients and certain items ready to go drastically reduced the time needed in the kitchen during our meals. This makes it that much easier to stay focused and not break from the diet.

I do owe a lot of credit to my fiancée for her organizational skills while going on this diet. She created a meal planner spreadsheet that breaks down everything from breakfast and snacks to dessert and dinner. I believe it has been instrumental in keeping us both on this diet.

We noticed an immediate drop in our weight after the first month. However, with our wedding date later this year, we really wanted to accelerate the weight loss process. That’s when I decided that we should be spending 20 minutes each work day doing kettlebell exercises.

Burning Calories Quickly with Kettlebell Workouts

So why use kettlebells instead of traditional exercise equipment? I came across this guide which really put things into perspective. Since we both are strapped for time, we wanted an exercise routine that allowed us to burn the most calories in a short amount of time. Compared to other workouts, we found that doing kettlebell exercises would allow us to do just that.

20 minutes may seem like a short period. When you break down over the course of a day, it really is. However, when you’re actually performing these exercises it can seem much longer. They are challenging for sure, but not so much that I feel completely useless afterwards. To the contrary, I feel invigorated and refreshed.

There might be several days in a row where the needle doesn’t move on the scale. This is where having a partner and getting that emotional support is so important. If one of us is feeling depressed about not dropping weight for a period, the other offers words of encouragement. We may go through some rough spots, but the overall progress has been great.

The Results Thus Far

It’s been about 5 months since we started dieting. I believe around 4 months since starting kettlebells and 3 months since switching to the 5-day 20-minute workout routine. Personally, I’ve dropped around 60 pounds. I’d call that a success. I still have another 50 pounds to reach my goal, but I believe it is doable before the wedding.

My fiancee has had similar results. I couldn’t be more proud. We do allow ourselves a cheat day or two every month. This helps to fight temptation. It makes date night and going out to eat that much more special too.

Now, I feel like I can run around with my daughter without instantly getting winded. I still have a ways to go. I don’t expect to be running marathons when I reach my goal, but having that father-daughter bond through sports is something I’m looking forward to very much. I encourage anyone who has similar concerns to give the paleo diet and kettlebell exercising a shot. I find myself not only feeling better physically, but also have a better attitude and clearer mind in general.