Perks and Rec: How I lost 40 lbs

Well, kudos to you for making it into the office today! It takes a lot of grit to be the one person to log in on Wednesday between Christmas and New Year's Eve. You are the only person online, right? So you're probably already doom scrolling through Amazon. Why not turn your doom scroll into something healthy?

For me, 2023 was the year of changing habits. Two years of pandemic eating habits and excuses to be sedentary culminated at the end of 2022 with me 40 pounds heavier than my previous high. I had the realization that I'd crossed the line when I overheard my uncle joking with my dad about the time he'd swelled up to 260 and how unhealthy it was.

"But wait, I'm now 265."

Oh. Crap.

So I hit the year running. I downloaded Noom, I bought a smart scale, I restarted my WHOOP subscription, and I signed up for every fitness event I thought I had a good chance of being ready for. Fast forward to today, and I'm down that treacherous 40. I'm not back to my prime, but I'm healthy again.

It wasn't easy. It took work. It took changing habits like finding time for hours in the gym each week, more 5k runs than I'd like to talk about, emphasizing sleep, recovery, and stretching, and changing my relationship with alcohol.

It was hard, but it was worth it. Today I'm sharing some deals we've found that'll help you on your journey if you want similar results: one app for the psychology of habits (Noom), one for tackling the ever-so-tough nutrition piece (Purple Carrot), and two deals on my new favorite part of my journey: sleep.

You just have to be prepared to put in the work.

— Ben Garves, Rogue Agent

Reviewed, part of the USAT Today Network