Fit Over 50 Grandpa

Check out this 55 Year old Fit Grandpa

JAW DROPPING RESULTS- I am so excited to share with you all The Transformation of Rick Sims. Many of you may know his Amazing Wife Vickie Sims as she is a Hitch Fit SuperStar Transformation who lost 50lbs at the age of 60!! Soon after Vickie had Transformed it was Rick’s turn. Over a 6 month period of time Rick Dropped Nearly 70 lbs at the age of 55.  Talk About Being a Fit Grandpa.. Wow!! Another very amazing thing is his Dr took him off all his Diabetes Meds!!! So very proud of this guy!! He will inspire the world with his story.

Ricks Results

Age 55

Weight Day 1- 265  —Final Weight- 196

Stomach Day 1- 47-48″— Final Inches- 35 3/4

I had been heavy since the 4th grade, mostly due to my love of peanut butter & jelly sammiches. Then, at the young age of 12, I discovered pizza. Game, set, match.

My parents always described me as “husky”- I’m barrel chested like my dad, but inherited my height from my mom….she was about 5’2”. So, when I graduated from high school, I was weighing about 210 lbs at 5’9”.

RICK TELLS HIS STORY

In 1978, I enlisted in the Marine Corps right out of high school. This was the beginning of my fitness roller coaster. Part of the reason I joined the Marines was that they had the toughest boot camp of all the services. I wanted to prove to everyone, as well as myself, that I could do it. And I did it. I lost 25 lbs and 6” off my waistline in 12 weeks. However, part of that weight reappeared over time, because I hadn’t learned how to eat properly. I never thought of food as fuel; I ate what I wanted when I wanted.

My enlistment was up in May of 1982. I then started my career as a corrections officer. My first job was at a maximum security state prison. Observing some of these inmates, who had nothing to do all day except lift weights, got me interested in weight lifting. I also knew that I needed to bulk up so that I could handle the physical demands of working in corrections, so I joined a Nautilus gym (which was the all the rage in the early 80’s). Within 8 months, I was lifting the stack on most of the machines. The gym manager said my best option was to start lifting free weights. I started working out 3x a week at a co-worker’s home gym, which was in his garage. This garage gym was a bare knuckles kind of workout. Nothing fancy, most of the equipment was home made. But I learned the basic fundamentals- heavy weight, fewer reps to bulk up, light weight, more reps for definition. I was still not looking at food as fuel, so even though my workouts were on point, my diet was not. That, along with the constant breaking down of the homemade equipment, was the main reason for my loss of focus and why after 6 months my workouts had gotten stagnant. I expressed my frustration to one of my Sergeants at work. He introduced me to some powerlifters he knew, and I started training with them. I was getting strong with this new powerlifting routine, and I liked it.

In 1985, I relocated to southern Louisiana. The gym I joined was perfect- 3 blocks from home, and it was owned & operated by Paul Cormier, a former Mr. Louisiana. He helped me refine my workouts and showed me a few new routines. Even though I was training 6 days per week, I still did not have a clue as to how important nutrition was in being strong and healthy. My body weight was heavy at 225.

In 1989, I moved to Kansas City for my new job at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth. I was delighted to learn they had a fitness center for employees, accessible 24/7. I started working out with some of my co-workers, usually about 5 am before work. My workout goal back then was to get bigger and stronger. I peaked strength-wise in 1994, at the age of 34. I benched 325 for 3 or 4 reps, my deadlift was 475. This might sound great, but my overall fitness was poor. I did very little cardio, I was all about size & strength- and eating what I wanted when I wanted.

My workouts changed in 2003, about the time I turned 43. It took longer to recover from those heavy workouts, so I focused on simply maintaining my size & strength. As time wore on, I focused on everything except my workouts, and I spent less and less time in the gym, which resulted in quite of bit of weight gain and loss of muscle.

In 2004, the fitness roller coaster started up again. My wife Vickie and I started buying equipment for our house, with the intention of working out at home. We figured it would be easier and less expensive than joining a gym. Unfortunately, the equipment became a clothes hanger and dust collector. Just like my earlier workouts, my home workouts became very sporadic- almost non-existent. I was back to making excuses for not working out. As time went on, I even stopped making excuses, and just didn’t work out. I was still eating what I wanted, when I wanted. There were quite a few times that my dinner would be a medium pizza. I would also pound down a pint of ice cream several times a week. By this time my doctor had put me on pre-diabetic meds, cholesterol meds and blood pressure meds. I just figured this was my predestined path, and it continued for 10 years.

Weight Loss Grandpa

In 2013, Vickie discovered HitchFit, and dove in head first. She started eating clean and working out 4-5 days per week. I would spot her during her workouts, and I started doing some light weight training, but I was still not eating right. Her transformation was amazing. As I was acting as her spotter, the old weight lifting fire started to burn again. But, there was a new problem. My right shoulder was bothering me. I had very little range of motion, and almost no strength. An MRI revealed I needed rotator cuff surgery, which I had in April of 2015. After an 8 week recovery period, I was ready to get active again. I had gained even more weight during that 8 week period and I was feeling very….blah. Vickie suggested I do the same program she did- “Lose Weight, Feel Great” from HitchFit. I was a little unsure at first, but she helped me with my food plan and altered her training schedule to coincide with mine, and became the best drill instructor I ever had.

When I began my transformation on July 6, 2015, my weight was 265, my waist was 40-42”. My first milestone came in September. I had lost nearly 40 lbs, so my doctor took me off my diabetes medication and cut my cholesterol medication in half. This was a huge motivation, and I hit my workouts harder and harder. I’m now weighing 196, down 69 lbs, and I feel great!

Lose Fat Grandpa

My goal going forward is to maintain my weight at or below 200. Although I started out thinking of this as a “diet”, I soon discovered that was not the case. This was a life transformation. My clean eating plan is now a way of life, whether I’m on the go or at home. My strength training and cardio have become a day to day norm for me. My fitness roller coaster days are over!

The main thing I have learned is that no matter how hard you strength train, if you don’t throw in some cardio, and if you don’t have your nutrition on point, then you will never succeed in becoming the best version of yourself. It takes a combination of all three to succeed at losing weight and keeping it off.

My message for anyone wanting to change their life is this- if I can do this, anybody can. I still have an occasional cheat meal, maybe even a cheat day (within limitations), but never a cheat week. Micah & Diana are always in your corner and are available to help when needed. And I could not have done this without the inspiration and support from my wife Vickie. Her transformation was so inspiring; she is mentally and physically healthier than she has ever been and she is more gorgeous now than ever- although I have always thought that from day 1, and doggone it, I want to look that good in a blue bikini!

Fit Grandma and Fit Grandpa Dropped 120 lbs Total!!!

Click Picture to See Vickie’s Amazing Transformation

Program Choice: Weight Loss Plus