Ask HN: If you could spend $100k to get healthy and fit, how would you do it?
* Lose 30 pounds * Eat a strict carnivore / keto diet for a year * Get stronger * Be more flexible
I know what you’re thinking: It doesn’t cost much to eat healthy, go for walks, buy some running shoes. But these things never last for me.
I’m 47. Overweight (240lb), and I suffer from chronic digestive issues and inflammation. I’ve tried on and off for years everything under the sun but I just can’t stick with it. I run out of will power.
I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars to figure out what’s going on with my body and this is what I know:
- I need to eat strictly carnivore (or Keto Low FODMap) - I need to lose weight. - I want to get strong. - I need to stretch.
Whenever I try and do these things myself it works for a few weeks, and then I go back to old habits. I’m done trying the same thing over and over, and then failing. Instead of a stupid cyber truck I want to buy good health.
If you were me, and you could spend 50k to get healthy. How would you overcome these will power issues?
Looking for creative ideas please. I don’t want to die early, and don’t want the diabetes….etc. that’s coming down the pipeline if I continue this way.
I know you can't buy discipline. But can I kick start it somehow? How would you do it?
I've read all the books, tried all the apps, need something that's a higher level of intervention.
Side note: There might be a startup here. How many millionaires out there are happy to spend 100k for a high-touch, guaranteed upgrade to their health and well being?
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How much longer do you actually need to work, or work full-time, for your values of 'need'?
Would $100K effectively 'buy' you more time off so you can spend more time on yourself without feeling like you need to always try to carve time out of your day for yourself?
I mention this because I tried my whole life to maintain a healthy weight, and was never super-successful until I retired. Then it's like a switch flipped, and taking care of myself became my job, and I enjoyed doing it. Now it's almost kind of spooky how long I've stably maintained the lowest weight I've been as an adult.
In my case, I think that direct effects of stress on cortisol levels, along with the placating psychological effects of overeating and eating unhealthy foods on my stress levels, made it harder for me to achieve my goals while I was working.
(Doesn't work so well if you have dependants of course)
Take a friend or hire a trainer for support.
The first week or so will be hell, it gets better - you'll enjoy it by the end.
Plan for the weather, Tasmania in the summer (christmas time in the southern hemisphere), the walking tracks in the winter (no snow, it's the Australian mainland).
Many parts of the world have hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty, long walks with packs and a commitment to finish are more immersive than intending to go to a gym. If there are track forums it might suit you to walk with a group.
Have them help you with your diet and your workouts.
Separately, find someone to work out with regularly. Join a class you like (e.g., boxing, yoga) that you like and keep going--be a part of a community so you'll want to go more.
Good luck!
I'm in excellent physical shape with visible abs. While I do have some genetic advantage in general it's as simple as walk a lot & go to the gym once( you read that right) a week.
That's all it takes. Just start walking. Doesn't matter the shoes, doesn't matter where.
You need a vision, a goal. A long term one. Ironman is perfect for that.
You practice 3 sports - and they are complimentary - you're unlikely to get injured.
It's achievable - yeah, I know that right now at 240lbs it probably doesn't seem like that, but the beauty is that anybody can do it. And once you register, you will have a strong incentive to prepare.
It will completely transform your self-esteem and the relation with your body and food.
PS. It doesn't cost 100k, but it's still expensive - registration, bike, maybe a coach - you're looking at 5-10k probably.
I think it's doable in a 12-24 months time frame - so next year he can do it.
If I was him, I would register for a half one for the end of this year / beginning of the next, and a full one for late 2025.
Personally I get the pursuit of a goal - I am training for some ultra bike events - but the fixation on that goal didn't emerge out of nowhere, and nobody could have talked me into it before I was already doing 100 mile days.
definitely disagree with "unlikely to get injured" -- i know a lot of people 40+ who get things like jacked up knees from running, tennis elbow, etc. biking and swimming are better choices for an older person but even doing those regularly aren't a magic bullet without serious changes to diet and overall lifestyle.
I got fit through diet and exercise, and in the past that’s what I would have recommended. But now it’s 2024 and now there is are working diet miracle drugs. It’s expensive, but within your price range.
Easy to ditch a book or an app, not that easy to give up, futss around, etc when you deal face to face with a human being trying to keep you accountable.
Do Wendler 5/3/1 4 days/week. Run couch to 5K 2 days per week.
Cook all your food. Eat 2500-2700 kcal per day. Eat whatever you want Sunday afternoon. Yes, this means food prep the night before and carry your food to work.
Weigh yourself every morning.
2 years. I went from 233 lbs to a jacked 183 lbs with abs. I was a C*O and had a small child and I was single.
Doesn’t cost $100K. If you need to spend $100K, hire a trainer to meet you every day at the gym (who agrees with this or any protocol). Buy food prepped food from any of a number of options.
* There are a lot of Wendler intro articles around. But his main book is a good buy — it’s affordable, funny, and written as a complete intro. You don’t need any of his other books.
You might need some form help but there are a million videos online about squat and deadlift and bench press form. Of course, if you want the Bible on those you can also purchase Starting Strength. There’s an 80 page chapter on just the form for squatting. If that doesn’t sound like a fun and energizing read, Wendler may not the right path. Learning good form for at least the three major lifts (and overhead press) kept me very invested. I enjoyed getting a bit obsessed with it. I love deadlifting especially.
* I’ve been using this site for programming for over a decade: https://blackironbeast.com/5/3/1/calculator
* The 5/3/1 refers to the goal of the last working set for each of the main lifts, each week. Wendler is a 3 week micro-progression, with a reload week, and then it repeats. The calculator is the best way to start. It makes it mindless and every rep and set is included in the output.
* The Wendler website isn’t the best place for programming, only because it’s all in the book or in that website link. I never liked using spreadsheets for this.
* Also also, if you think this is interesting and want to buy the book but it won’t arrive for a few days.. or you want a starter option before jumping into Wendler, the StrongLifts 5x5 app was basically conceived as a starter version of Wendler, to help get you accustomed to some of these patterns. The author says it’s good through intermediate level progress, but I think that’s underselling it.
But I’d recommend going to black iron beast, putting some nice low numbers for the Real Rep Maxes, switching the program to “Triumvirate (smart man’s program)” and then printing out weeks 1-4. After you do that, increase the rep maxes by 5-10 lbs (upper body versus lower body; Wendler covers this in the book) and repeat.
What I found helpful about this is: it’s programmatic, it follows a set pattern, and you don’t have to think about what to do in the gym. You can go by the program for many months, or even a year, before trying to alter or enhance it (don’t.. for a long time). You just do it and adjust if you can’t. The lack of uncertainty worked wonders for me.
Happy to answer any follow up questions.
As a teacher, I make far less than 100k a year (far less!), but my health hack is that I bike to work every day, so at the very least, I get 5+ miles of exercise. I have the luxury of having bought a house just over 2.5 miles from campus, but it's part of the lifestyle I chose years ago.
I remember feeling great everyday.
Now my commute is 20 feet. I miss having an office.
Consider what would actually make you do something, then pay that person to do it.
This is really powerful. I think most people are going to want to pair going to the gym with it (hedonic treadmill and all that), but the ease of control over when you want to eat/food noise is actually extremely impressive.
Next, finding ways to boost the body's natural production of GLP1.
I think your approach to “buying” health is all backwards but you can work with experienced professionals to help achieve your goal.
Best of luck cheers
Not a money or technology problem, likely a social one
1. Go to a running store and do a group 5k 2x a week; develop friendships; eventually move to the 10k level
2. Join a sports ball league (tennis?) for 2 nights a week
3. Workout to get better at the above
Bathroom breaks, walking around to stretch, doing a load of laundry will easily get you 4k to 6k steps. 10k ends up being a very low goal once you make any attempt.
Mind: 1. Do a 10-day Vipassana[1] to jump into meditation (this could take some time as they usually have a wait list). My belief is everything starts with the mind. This will help establish a foundational meditation practice (which in time will become your ultimate weapon against stress). Not to say one can ever be stress-free, but more along the lines that you will have tools to deal with it in a healthy manner. 2. See a therapist so that you can talk to someone about the struggles you have (using BetterHelp you could start this today). I don't think anyone is immune from stress. Stressors (like work, relationships, money, kids etc) can (for some people) show up as weight on the body as a defense mechanism. Talking to someone regularly may help with this.
Body: 1. Hire a sport nutrition person to come up with meals that work for you that take any food allergies into account. Sounds like you already found something that works for you. 2. Do blood work regularly (every 3 months) to track various health markers. 2. Hire someone to cook the meals from the nutritionist 3. Hire a personal trainer that can help keep you getting to the gym. The personal trainer can help come up with a program that will help you achieve your goals.
Consistency is more important that how much weight you can lift or how far you can walk.
[1] https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index
Given your budget you can hire a trainer for every session. A good trainer won't just tell you what to do but will also help track that you're doing it. It's only a partial solution, but it's a start.
I'd also suggest tracking more bio metrics so you get a sense of progress before you see it in the mirror, which can take a while.
Some related reading from a few years ago -- A millionaire seeing how far they can get by throwing money at the problem: https://medium.com/hackernoon/im-32-and-spent-200k-on-biohac...
good line. may steal that.