I’ve Been Fighting My Body for Years. Here’s What Finally Made a Difference.

Fasting, Salt, Sleep, and Some Sanity

I didn’t jump into hardcore fasting or any kind of extreme routine. I just started easing into time-restricted eating—first 10 hours, then 8. And what really surprised me? I didn’t feel weak or dizzy like I feared I would.

But here’s the thing: once I started taking sodium seriously, everything got easier. That brain fog and mid-morning energy dip that I thought was “hunger” turned out to be low salt. Once I started replenishing that—especially after rides or rowing sessions—things changed.

(If you’ve read my earlier post, you know this realization eventually led me to create BS+T.)

Salt helped me recover better. Fasting felt more natural. My workouts became more consistent. And that led to better days overall.

Then there’s sleep—something I used to treat like an afterthought. Now, I guard it. Because once sleep goes off-track, so does everything else: cravings, mood, recovery, even motivation to move.

Fasting, salt, and sleep. And a bit of sanity—the willingness to not go all-or-nothing. That’s what started to give me momentum.

I Stopped Relying on Motivation

One thing that stuck with me from Atomic Habits is that motivation is unreliable. It comes and goes. What matters more is having systems that make the right choice the easy one.

So I stopped chasing motivation and started building small routines that worked even on bad days. A short row was better than nothing. A salty drink post-ride kept me from reaching for junk. Having my gear ready made it more likely I’d go out for a ride, even if I didn’t feel like it.

And slowly, these small habits began to stack up.

From Willpower to Understanding

Books like The Obesity Code and Peter Attia’s deep dives helped me understand that weight isn’t just about “eating less.” It’s about hormones, metabolism, and your body trying to defend its baseline.

I stopped blaming myself for every fluctuation and started looking at how things like insulin, stress, and meal timing were affecting me. And instead of just pushing harder, I tried to work with my body, not against it.

Environment Over Discipline

Here’s another gem from Atomic Habits: your environment shapes your choices more than you think.

If I kept junk food around, I’d eat it. If I had clean hydration ready, I’d drink that instead. If my rowing machine was set up and staring at me, I’d use it. I wasn’t lazy—I just needed fewer steps between me and the good habits.

Stacking Small Wins

Once hydration got sorted, my workouts improved. When workouts felt better, sleep got better. And better sleep meant fewer cravings and better decisions.

These things weren’t isolated—they were all connected. I stopped looking for one fix and started stacking small wins.

Where I Am Now

I’m still working on my weight. I still mess up. But I know what works for me now: hydration, movement, decent sleep, some structure around food—and not beating myself up when things go sideways.

I’m not trying to be perfect anymore. I’m just trying to be consistent. That’s what Atomic Habits helped me see clearly: every small action is a vote for the kind of person you want to become.

Still In Progress

This isn’t advice. It’s just my path. If you’re dealing with similar struggles, maybe some of this lands with you.

No big breakthroughs. No magic formulas. Just small course corrections, done often enough to matter.

Let me get this out of the way first: this isn’t a transformation story. I don’t have a six-pack. I’m not about to show you before-and-after photos. I’m 58 years old, slightly obese, and I’ve been locked in a long, messy tug-of-war with food, weight, and energy for as long as I can remember.

Some days I feel like I’m winning. Other days, not so much.

But over the years, a few things have finally started to click. A lot of it came from people like Peter Attia, books like The Obesity Code, and more recently, Atomic Habits—which reminded me that I don’t need perfect days. I just need small wins that stick.

The Constant Fight

Weight gain, in my case, is sneaky. It creeps in slowly over months. And then, once I notice, the effort to lose it is massive. I’ve tried everything—cutting calories, exercising more, being “good” all week and then undoing it in one meal. It always felt like I was swimming against the current.

Sometimes, even when I was being strict and disciplined, nothing would move. And that’s when the frustration would set in. “How much more can I push before something gives?”