Ed McKechnie had a choice to make.
“When I went to the doctor in December 2014, he said I needed to lose weight,” McKechnie recalled. “A year later, I went back, and he said I’d gained a pound.”
“He told me: ‘There’s two things you should know. There are few old fat people, and there are fewer old fat people who have high blood pressure — they don’t make it past middle age’.”
That was the wake-up call McKechnie needed. He imagined not being around to see his boys, Austin and Jaxon, both in middle school, play baseball and go to college and start their own families.
“It really reached me in an eye-opening way,” he said.
McKechnie set a course for losing 50 pounds. His strategies were common sense: Eating better, exercising every day, and identifying the things that caused him the most stress.
Today, 18 months later, he has lost the 50 pounds and then some. His blood pressure is much lower. And he feels like a new person.
“I sleep better, I can toss the ball around to my boys and not be out of breath, my pants fit better,” he said. “And it’s not as painful to be in a hurry through an airport.”
“Was it easy? No. But it was simple.”
The hard parts:
Finding time. McKechnie, who serves as Watco’s executive vice president and chief global strategist, is on the road and in the air a lot. He also has two sons involved in many sports. His priorities were good ones — he just wasn’t including himself in the mix.
Traveling. Whether traveling to games or for work, he was still acting like he was 17. “I didn’t stick to portion control or content control and when you’re 53, you need to,” he said. He still enjoys ordering a big breakfast at a local diner once a month with the boys — a game day tradition — but he limits himself to that one splurge.
His solutions:
Portion control. “You can still eat mac and cheese — just eat less of it and not as often,” he said.
Healthy alternatives. “I eliminated eating fried and fatty foods at fast food joints and started choosing lighter options like salads, Subway sandwiches — every place now has healthy alternatives,” he said.
Drink lots of water. “When you’re starving, drink the largest cup full you can find,” said McKechnie, who now drinks 2 percent of the soda he used to consume.
Work out. “Find someone who can help you learn how, a place you like, a thing you like to do, and stick with it,” he said. For him, that was joining a gym with a comfortable, inviting atmosphere and equipment that could be programmed to his unique needs. “There are 100 ways to exercise,” he said. “Figure out what’s right for you — lifting, walking, jogging, whatever.”
“I also began walking whenever I could — and not just after work,” McKechnie said. “If I am on a phone call, I’ll get up and walk and talk. In an airport, waiting on a flight, I’ll walk around. At a game, I’ll walk.”
He got a Fitbit and began wearing it every day, targeting a goal of 10,500 steps.
“I feel like a new guy,” he said.
Editor’s note: Watco is seeking Team members who have inspiring wellness stories to share. Interested? Email tvanbecelaere@watcocompanies.com
Photo credit: Pinamonti Wellness
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