In 1997-8, there was a guy in NYC who was the spitting image of Robert Downey Jr, using that to great effect to fool young women into sleeping with him. Downey was under close supervision as part of his drug sentencing agreements while filming in NYC, but those girls ovbiously didn't get the memo until later and were pissed. They filed police reports, though for what crime committed, I forget. Not sure they ever found the guy.
I've always been tall and decent looking, but was weak, sedentary, and skinny fat. I married a nice girl 26 years ago. At age 39, I decided to start lifting. I got pretty strong, but was now kinda strong fat. A year and a half ago (age 50) I hit 260+ at 6'4", and was about 32% body fat. I got tired of being overweight.
I decided to lose weight. Now I'm down to about 210 pounds, and 18-19% fat. I really want to get down to sub 15% fat, and see my abs for the first time ever. That means another 10 pounds or so.
I lift 3-4 times a week, walk and bike, and maintain a modest calorie deficit, and also try to keep my protein intake high.
I'm probably the leanest and fittest I've ever been. I find men respecting me more, and the women at work and church are way more friendly.
Other than being older, this is the best I've ever looked.
I heard an attractive single younger woman at work recently refer to me as a "silver fox". That felt nice. I do have some gray at the temple, but at my age I'm happy to have hair.
My wife really appreciates the improvements she has seen. ☺️
When I was young and in shape I got a lot of attention from women. Then I gained 15 pounds. It seemed hardly noticeable, yet to women I was suddenly invisible. Small amounts make a big difference.
Advice for young readers who want to stay thin. (Unsolicited, I'm sorry, but on topic.)
The obesity epidemic is still accelerating at absurd rates, and there's mounting evidence that it's largely driven by toxins. You cannot willpower yourself out of toxicity-driven fatness by "eating less." Exercise is awesome for looks and health and you all should lift, but research says it does almost nothing to fight obesity. What you need to do is know about the toxins and start avoiding them now, before it's too late.
The seed oil bros are correct. Research linoleic acid, how it slowly accumulates in your body over years and makes you fat and diabetic. So slowly you don't know it's happening. There is overwhelming evidence from metabolic studies and from farming practice. Do not consume soy oil, corn oil, etc. Your cooking fats should be ghee, butter, beef tallow, or coconut oil. You will probably have to avoid most restaurants--you don't know what oils and other toxins you're getting. Good staples for your fat intake are ruminant animals (beef, lamb), dairy, coconut. Olive oil and avocados in moderation, though even those have more linoleic than I would prefer. Unfortunately, most commercial pigs and chickens are fed linoleic acid and they sequester it in their animal fat, so keep those lean. Repeated deep frying makes omega-6 oils even more toxic; french fries and potato chips are (studies show) the most fattening foods of all. I have heard estimates that Americans now get roughly 20% of their calories from soy oil and roughly 15% from linoleic acid; this is insane.
Take the time to learn about glyphosate, PFASs, and endocrine disruptors such as bisphenols and learn how to minimize your exposure to these things. Treating your drinking water is crucial--ideally reverse osmosis or distilled. If you live in the USA, you probably shouldn't eat any wheat or processed corn, or eat only flour and pasta imported from Europe where glyphosate is prohibited. Fruit and vegetables should be organic. Minimize plastics in your home, especially in cookware, kettles, etc., and and do not wear synthetic clothing. Do not use non-stick cookware ever; stainless steel is good, ceramic with no aluminum core is best but hard to find. Use iron cookware only if you're familiar with your body's iron status; too much iron stored away is highly deleterious, but so is too little.
Other alleged obesogens are high fructose corn syrup, acrylamides (from potato chips), yellow dyes, and red dyes.
Sadly, modern life is an obstacle course of invisible toxins that make you fat, diabetic, and low in libido. Active measures are required before you see it coming.
I switched to organic bread and wheat products. So it's non GMO wheat with no glyphosphate used. There's a brand that also substitutes real butter instead of seed oils. That made all the difference in my gut health, which also means less inflamation).
The ceramic pans with AL cores should be fine because the AL doesn't touch the food. Personally I'm not afraid of aluminum. Our digestive system is very good at filtering. The problem is vaccines, which injects the aluminum directly into the blood stream.
I'm definitely not an expert on aluminum, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But the commonly expressed concern is that acidic foods might take some of the aluminum into your body. Maybe it's not true of anodized aluminum, but I'm doubtful that anyone will ever do the science to make me feel 99% confident about that. So I counsel the precautionary principle with all aluminum cookware, if your means allow.
So I told you guys before — I went on a long fast and dropped from 173 lbs to 117. Losing that much weight rewired how I see people. Now I notice things I never used to — how many “fit” people still look kind of puffy, like their metabolism’s inflamed or their hormones are off.
And honestly, I used to have that same thought some omegas have about women — “What’s the point of getting in shape if I’ll never be an 8 or a 10?” But reading this blog changed that for me. It made me realize the point is to become your best self, whatever your number is. Going from a 4 to a 6, or even just getting obviously healthier, completely changes how people treat you. It’s subtle but huge — more respect, more attention, more flow in social situations.
I used to think my face was fine when I was heavier — maybe even pretty — but I was delusional. I didn’t realize how much fat dulls a face until it was gone. It’s wild how extra weight hides bone structure and flattens expression. It’s like your face is padded with apathy. Losing it brought my features back to life. Fat really does lower facial attractiveness by a lot.
One thing this blog has drilled into me is that mindset creates reality. You have to tell the truth about what you see. Being fat isn’t neutral. It’s slow decay. Seeing that clearly gives you power to change it.
When I graduated high school, I was training to join the military. I had this friend, Adam — good-looking, in shape — but he kept joking about getting fat. Almost like he’d already decided that’s where he was headed.
After graduation we met up once, and he didn’t recognize me at first. Not because I looked that different, but because he’d expected me to be fat too. Instead I was lean, training hard. Then he started asking these weird questions, like, “If I got fat, would you still like me?” It threw me off. I was out there trying to sharpen myself, not soften up.
Four years later, after a deployment to Iraq, I came home and checked into a hotel in my hometown — and there he was, still working there, only now about 300 pounds heavier. His whole energy had collapsed. Eyes dull, head down. We barely said a word. And I realized then: he’d thought himself into that body years before. The mind always leads.
That moment stuck with me. Because after that, I started seeing the same pattern everywhere — people talking themselves into weakness. Weight gain never travels alone; it drags in whining, fatigue, self-pity, emotional chaos. I had another friend who went down that path too. Once he started letting himself go, everything turned sour — his attitude, his posture, his presence. It’s like the spirit folds in on itself when the body gives up.
And honestly, when a man’s body goes soft, everything else about him reads soft too. I can’t help thinking, he’d get winded halfway up a hill, he’s probably broke, and there’s no way he could make me feel anything.
But when a man’s fit and trim, my whole read on him changes. He looks like someone who has his life together — stable, logical, disciplined. Like a guy who can plan things, move through the world, handle himself. It’s not about vanity; it’s about signals. A strong body says order. A weak one says chaos.
That’s why I guard my thoughts so hard now. Because there was a time I’d crave cookies so bad I’d start making excuses — maybe it’s okay to get fat again, maybe I can be happy that way. But then I’d think of Adam. And the truth is, there are no happy fat people. Just people trying not to feel.
I do understand why people resist losing weight, though. When you’re food-addicted, it feels impossible — because it’s not just hunger, it’s dopamine withdrawal. But you can get free. You rebuild from the inside out: gut, body, mind. During my fast I spent hours every single day managing cravings, cooking broth, walking, keeping my head steady. It was a full-time job.
When I first hit 117, I held it for months. Then I reintroduced flour and sugar, and it was like a drug binge — six weeks of chaos, up to 136. My gut was still weak from fasting, and when the lining’s thin, that junk goes straight to the brain. It’s dopamine overload — the same neurochemical spike addicts chase.
I fixed it by rebuilding my gut. Beef tendon blended into broth, soft vegetables, liver once a week — GAPS-style healing food. I learned never to eat flour or sugar on an empty stomach, because that’s when the dopamine hit slams the hardest. Over time my gut healed, cravings calmed down, and food stopped feeling like a drug.
ChatGPT actually helped a ton — tracking hormones, planning meals, organizing my thoughts, breaking the addiction loop. I finally understood that food addiction isn’t really about food. It’s mindset and chemistry. Fix those, and the obsession loses its grip.
Now I’m lifting, eating clean, and leaning out again — slower this time, steadier. But it’s solid. My mind’s right. My discipline’s real. And being lean just feels better in every possible way — clearer thoughts, easier movement, deeper sleep. Even how I walk feels different.
When I was younger, I had an extremely high metabolism and struggled to gain weight. Even at 25 I still had to buy my pants in the boys department because I had a 28" waist, and the Men's only went as low as 29". Once I hit 35 that trend started to reverse. Even though I worked out off and on for those years, by the time I turned 50 I realized how close I was getting to 200 lbs., and knew I needed to do something about that, or risk serious health issues down the road. I have a friend my age who for as long as I've known him was easily 100 lbs overweight, ballooned up to nearly 300 lbs, and now has end stage kidney failure from decades of untreated T2 diabetes. That was not going to be me.
I started intermittent fasting, cutting out sugary drinks and snacks, strength training 3 days a week, and cycling on the days in between. Before too long I was fairly fit, had gone from a flabby 190 to muscled 170, with my goal to hit 165, though I have trouble getting there for some reason. 170 seems to be where my stable weight is for now. But I went down two waist sizes to a 33, and can fit comfortably in a medium tee again.
More importantly, I feel good. I'm 57, and have energy all day, on no medications, and all ladies at my wife's work are jealous of her for still having an athletic and fit husband.
If I can keep my waist measurement less than half my height and my chest 10” more than my waist, I look better, feel better, get positive attention from the wife, and my clothes fit. I’ve got a little soft due to a recent knee surgery, so it’s time to get back at it.
Something that had a profound affect on how I see men was my pregnancy. As you get bigger and things become more difficult (putting on your shoes, bending over, even driving if you dont have good foam in your seats...) I started noticing all the men at work who carry around a gut and comparing ("wow...Kyle has like an 8 month belly going on.") By the end of your pregnancy you are Over It and I could NOT wait to drop the belly and all the stuff that came with it (not sleeping well, back pain, not being able to move...). The fact that most older men ELECT to walk around with a 9-month belly absolutely destroys my respect for them.
Gaze upon the picture of young Jason Patric again gentlemen and weep. No amount of lifting, no amount of fashion sense, nor fancy mode of automotive transportation can lift us to his level, but take solace my dear friends, even he is not perfect. He's under 6' tall.
I'm a living example of this. When I started dieting I was 275. I went down to 185. I walk the dogs 1.5 miles a day, run, bike and lift. When I started lifting, I went up to 200 but my clothes still are loose, or fit correctly. I'm fit and my back is straight. Not bad for a 63 year old geezer.
I'm hardly model material, but far above my cohort around here. No paunch, no stooped shoulders, no unsteady gait.
But I notice a difference when interacting with others. Men tend to nod in my direction more often (the older ones that understand that sort of etiquette). Women smile and say hi.
Mind the diet, lift, and do some sort of aerobic activity. It's really not that hard.
62 years old, not very facially attractive, and not a great conversationalist, but my wife and I are constantly amazed at how I am always "eyed-up" or complimented on how "well put-together" I look. "That suit fits you so perfectly, wow!" (She says it's a real turn-on to see other guys' wives look at me. She says she knows it's not the suit.) I didn't even think about any of this until my 40s. Since then it's been lift-cardio-lift-cardio ... on and on, don't eat crap, and wear clothes that fit. Just seeing all the beer-guts everywhere when we go to parties makes us both shake our heads. It's not that difficult; I'm living proof.
When it comes to working out, don’t listen to anyone who says some things are impossible. Minimize excuses. Just do it. I know injuries happen, be careful, but don’t give up either. Is it harder to build muscle after (insert age here)? Probably. But not impossible.
I’m in my 50s and this summer set a new personal best on the bench.
100%. And there are always methods to work around injury. I have a family member who has a spinal injury, but he still puts in time at the gym, has maintained fitness -- AND the ability to walk without assistive devices much of the time -- by keeping fit and managing his weight. Clean eating, strength training and grit go for a lot.
In 1997-8, there was a guy in NYC who was the spitting image of Robert Downey Jr, using that to great effect to fool young women into sleeping with him. Downey was under close supervision as part of his drug sentencing agreements while filming in NYC, but those girls ovbiously didn't get the memo until later and were pissed. They filed police reports, though for what crime committed, I forget. Not sure they ever found the guy.
Don't google image 'Sandra Bullock's kids' whatever you do.
Patric is also fighting genetics as his grandfather is Jackie Gleason who was always heavy, even if he was light on his feet
There's a picture of Jason Patric on Wikipedia from last year. You can still see the jawline, but it's harder to see. He doesn't look too bad for 59.
Delta experience
I've always been tall and decent looking, but was weak, sedentary, and skinny fat. I married a nice girl 26 years ago. At age 39, I decided to start lifting. I got pretty strong, but was now kinda strong fat. A year and a half ago (age 50) I hit 260+ at 6'4", and was about 32% body fat. I got tired of being overweight.
I decided to lose weight. Now I'm down to about 210 pounds, and 18-19% fat. I really want to get down to sub 15% fat, and see my abs for the first time ever. That means another 10 pounds or so.
I lift 3-4 times a week, walk and bike, and maintain a modest calorie deficit, and also try to keep my protein intake high.
I'm probably the leanest and fittest I've ever been. I find men respecting me more, and the women at work and church are way more friendly.
Other than being older, this is the best I've ever looked.
I heard an attractive single younger woman at work recently refer to me as a "silver fox". That felt nice. I do have some gray at the temple, but at my age I'm happy to have hair.
My wife really appreciates the improvements she has seen. ☺️
When I was young and in shape I got a lot of attention from women. Then I gained 15 pounds. It seemed hardly noticeable, yet to women I was suddenly invisible. Small amounts make a big difference.
Advice for young readers who want to stay thin. (Unsolicited, I'm sorry, but on topic.)
The obesity epidemic is still accelerating at absurd rates, and there's mounting evidence that it's largely driven by toxins. You cannot willpower yourself out of toxicity-driven fatness by "eating less." Exercise is awesome for looks and health and you all should lift, but research says it does almost nothing to fight obesity. What you need to do is know about the toxins and start avoiding them now, before it's too late.
The seed oil bros are correct. Research linoleic acid, how it slowly accumulates in your body over years and makes you fat and diabetic. So slowly you don't know it's happening. There is overwhelming evidence from metabolic studies and from farming practice. Do not consume soy oil, corn oil, etc. Your cooking fats should be ghee, butter, beef tallow, or coconut oil. You will probably have to avoid most restaurants--you don't know what oils and other toxins you're getting. Good staples for your fat intake are ruminant animals (beef, lamb), dairy, coconut. Olive oil and avocados in moderation, though even those have more linoleic than I would prefer. Unfortunately, most commercial pigs and chickens are fed linoleic acid and they sequester it in their animal fat, so keep those lean. Repeated deep frying makes omega-6 oils even more toxic; french fries and potato chips are (studies show) the most fattening foods of all. I have heard estimates that Americans now get roughly 20% of their calories from soy oil and roughly 15% from linoleic acid; this is insane.
Take the time to learn about glyphosate, PFASs, and endocrine disruptors such as bisphenols and learn how to minimize your exposure to these things. Treating your drinking water is crucial--ideally reverse osmosis or distilled. If you live in the USA, you probably shouldn't eat any wheat or processed corn, or eat only flour and pasta imported from Europe where glyphosate is prohibited. Fruit and vegetables should be organic. Minimize plastics in your home, especially in cookware, kettles, etc., and and do not wear synthetic clothing. Do not use non-stick cookware ever; stainless steel is good, ceramic with no aluminum core is best but hard to find. Use iron cookware only if you're familiar with your body's iron status; too much iron stored away is highly deleterious, but so is too little.
Other alleged obesogens are high fructose corn syrup, acrylamides (from potato chips), yellow dyes, and red dyes.
Sadly, modern life is an obstacle course of invisible toxins that make you fat, diabetic, and low in libido. Active measures are required before you see it coming.
I switched to organic bread and wheat products. So it's non GMO wheat with no glyphosphate used. There's a brand that also substitutes real butter instead of seed oils. That made all the difference in my gut health, which also means less inflamation).
The mention of aluminium raised my brow. Would there be something wrong about Hard Anodized Aluminium as well?
The ceramic pans with AL cores should be fine because the AL doesn't touch the food. Personally I'm not afraid of aluminum. Our digestive system is very good at filtering. The problem is vaccines, which injects the aluminum directly into the blood stream.
I'm definitely not an expert on aluminum, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But the commonly expressed concern is that acidic foods might take some of the aluminum into your body. Maybe it's not true of anodized aluminum, but I'm doubtful that anyone will ever do the science to make me feel 99% confident about that. So I counsel the precautionary principle with all aluminum cookware, if your means allow.
I don't know what it might say about the SSH, but I thought the man had died....
So I told you guys before — I went on a long fast and dropped from 173 lbs to 117. Losing that much weight rewired how I see people. Now I notice things I never used to — how many “fit” people still look kind of puffy, like their metabolism’s inflamed or their hormones are off.
And honestly, I used to have that same thought some omegas have about women — “What’s the point of getting in shape if I’ll never be an 8 or a 10?” But reading this blog changed that for me. It made me realize the point is to become your best self, whatever your number is. Going from a 4 to a 6, or even just getting obviously healthier, completely changes how people treat you. It’s subtle but huge — more respect, more attention, more flow in social situations.
I used to think my face was fine when I was heavier — maybe even pretty — but I was delusional. I didn’t realize how much fat dulls a face until it was gone. It’s wild how extra weight hides bone structure and flattens expression. It’s like your face is padded with apathy. Losing it brought my features back to life. Fat really does lower facial attractiveness by a lot.
One thing this blog has drilled into me is that mindset creates reality. You have to tell the truth about what you see. Being fat isn’t neutral. It’s slow decay. Seeing that clearly gives you power to change it.
When I graduated high school, I was training to join the military. I had this friend, Adam — good-looking, in shape — but he kept joking about getting fat. Almost like he’d already decided that’s where he was headed.
After graduation we met up once, and he didn’t recognize me at first. Not because I looked that different, but because he’d expected me to be fat too. Instead I was lean, training hard. Then he started asking these weird questions, like, “If I got fat, would you still like me?” It threw me off. I was out there trying to sharpen myself, not soften up.
Four years later, after a deployment to Iraq, I came home and checked into a hotel in my hometown — and there he was, still working there, only now about 300 pounds heavier. His whole energy had collapsed. Eyes dull, head down. We barely said a word. And I realized then: he’d thought himself into that body years before. The mind always leads.
That moment stuck with me. Because after that, I started seeing the same pattern everywhere — people talking themselves into weakness. Weight gain never travels alone; it drags in whining, fatigue, self-pity, emotional chaos. I had another friend who went down that path too. Once he started letting himself go, everything turned sour — his attitude, his posture, his presence. It’s like the spirit folds in on itself when the body gives up.
And honestly, when a man’s body goes soft, everything else about him reads soft too. I can’t help thinking, he’d get winded halfway up a hill, he’s probably broke, and there’s no way he could make me feel anything.
But when a man’s fit and trim, my whole read on him changes. He looks like someone who has his life together — stable, logical, disciplined. Like a guy who can plan things, move through the world, handle himself. It’s not about vanity; it’s about signals. A strong body says order. A weak one says chaos.
That’s why I guard my thoughts so hard now. Because there was a time I’d crave cookies so bad I’d start making excuses — maybe it’s okay to get fat again, maybe I can be happy that way. But then I’d think of Adam. And the truth is, there are no happy fat people. Just people trying not to feel.
I do understand why people resist losing weight, though. When you’re food-addicted, it feels impossible — because it’s not just hunger, it’s dopamine withdrawal. But you can get free. You rebuild from the inside out: gut, body, mind. During my fast I spent hours every single day managing cravings, cooking broth, walking, keeping my head steady. It was a full-time job.
When I first hit 117, I held it for months. Then I reintroduced flour and sugar, and it was like a drug binge — six weeks of chaos, up to 136. My gut was still weak from fasting, and when the lining’s thin, that junk goes straight to the brain. It’s dopamine overload — the same neurochemical spike addicts chase.
I fixed it by rebuilding my gut. Beef tendon blended into broth, soft vegetables, liver once a week — GAPS-style healing food. I learned never to eat flour or sugar on an empty stomach, because that’s when the dopamine hit slams the hardest. Over time my gut healed, cravings calmed down, and food stopped feeling like a drug.
ChatGPT actually helped a ton — tracking hormones, planning meals, organizing my thoughts, breaking the addiction loop. I finally understood that food addiction isn’t really about food. It’s mindset and chemistry. Fix those, and the obsession loses its grip.
Now I’m lifting, eating clean, and leaning out again — slower this time, steadier. But it’s solid. My mind’s right. My discipline’s real. And being lean just feels better in every possible way — clearer thoughts, easier movement, deeper sleep. Even how I walk feels different.
So guard your thoughts.
When I was younger, I had an extremely high metabolism and struggled to gain weight. Even at 25 I still had to buy my pants in the boys department because I had a 28" waist, and the Men's only went as low as 29". Once I hit 35 that trend started to reverse. Even though I worked out off and on for those years, by the time I turned 50 I realized how close I was getting to 200 lbs., and knew I needed to do something about that, or risk serious health issues down the road. I have a friend my age who for as long as I've known him was easily 100 lbs overweight, ballooned up to nearly 300 lbs, and now has end stage kidney failure from decades of untreated T2 diabetes. That was not going to be me.
I started intermittent fasting, cutting out sugary drinks and snacks, strength training 3 days a week, and cycling on the days in between. Before too long I was fairly fit, had gone from a flabby 190 to muscled 170, with my goal to hit 165, though I have trouble getting there for some reason. 170 seems to be where my stable weight is for now. But I went down two waist sizes to a 33, and can fit comfortably in a medium tee again.
More importantly, I feel good. I'm 57, and have energy all day, on no medications, and all ladies at my wife's work are jealous of her for still having an athletic and fit husband.
My only comment is it looks like an extra 60 or 80 lbs not 20-25.
Muscle loss too. Like no way a guy in the first pic would put in fat and look like that. That's ridiculous.
If I can keep my waist measurement less than half my height and my chest 10” more than my waist, I look better, feel better, get positive attention from the wife, and my clothes fit. I’ve got a little soft due to a recent knee surgery, so it’s time to get back at it.
Something that had a profound affect on how I see men was my pregnancy. As you get bigger and things become more difficult (putting on your shoes, bending over, even driving if you dont have good foam in your seats...) I started noticing all the men at work who carry around a gut and comparing ("wow...Kyle has like an 8 month belly going on.") By the end of your pregnancy you are Over It and I could NOT wait to drop the belly and all the stuff that came with it (not sleeping well, back pain, not being able to move...). The fact that most older men ELECT to walk around with a 9-month belly absolutely destroys my respect for them.
I just remarked on this to my husband the other night! Fat is never going to be acceptable in our household. Except baby chubs.
Gaze upon the picture of young Jason Patric again gentlemen and weep. No amount of lifting, no amount of fashion sense, nor fancy mode of automotive transportation can lift us to his level, but take solace my dear friends, even he is not perfect. He's under 6' tall.
I'm a living example of this. When I started dieting I was 275. I went down to 185. I walk the dogs 1.5 miles a day, run, bike and lift. When I started lifting, I went up to 200 but my clothes still are loose, or fit correctly. I'm fit and my back is straight. Not bad for a 63 year old geezer.
I'm hardly model material, but far above my cohort around here. No paunch, no stooped shoulders, no unsteady gait.
But I notice a difference when interacting with others. Men tend to nod in my direction more often (the older ones that understand that sort of etiquette). Women smile and say hi.
Mind the diet, lift, and do some sort of aerobic activity. It's really not that hard.
62 years old, not very facially attractive, and not a great conversationalist, but my wife and I are constantly amazed at how I am always "eyed-up" or complimented on how "well put-together" I look. "That suit fits you so perfectly, wow!" (She says it's a real turn-on to see other guys' wives look at me. She says she knows it's not the suit.) I didn't even think about any of this until my 40s. Since then it's been lift-cardio-lift-cardio ... on and on, don't eat crap, and wear clothes that fit. Just seeing all the beer-guts everywhere when we go to parties makes us both shake our heads. It's not that difficult; I'm living proof.
When it comes to working out, don’t listen to anyone who says some things are impossible. Minimize excuses. Just do it. I know injuries happen, be careful, but don’t give up either. Is it harder to build muscle after (insert age here)? Probably. But not impossible.
I’m in my 50s and this summer set a new personal best on the bench.
100%. And there are always methods to work around injury. I have a family member who has a spinal injury, but he still puts in time at the gym, has maintained fitness -- AND the ability to walk without assistive devices much of the time -- by keeping fit and managing his weight. Clean eating, strength training and grit go for a lot.
I just saw this. I did a post last year about exercising with a history of back injury although it sounds like your family member's issues are more severe than mine, but perhaps there is a helpful tidbit here... https://eclectichealth.substack.com/p/exercising-with-a-history-of-back