Can some dickweeds stop saying "just the finishing touch" every time they see a guy who is smaller than he used to be.
This comment would only be relevant if they still trained and ate the same way. Anyone of us who competed and then moved on in life knows that only one in a hundred of us does that, the rest slow down and other priorities take over.
Being really big should be a stage in life and at some point you need to back off a bit.
I agree. Some of us take longer to realize this than others. I've fought an internal battle with this for years. I'd decide lean out when I would take steps to lose weight and hopefully regain what my natural bodyweight would be. At some point, often about where I am now at 185 lbs. where I'd check myself out in the mirror and freak out, seeing myself as the skinny kid I once was and so desperately wanted to change, which is why I started working out in the first place. So, I would start lifting in earnest and eating more to regain the size I'd just lost. It was a unhealthy cycle in which I seemed hopelessly caught.
As I said, at the bottom of the cycle, I've usually gotten down to what I currently weigh. Right now, I am happy with how I feel and look at 185 lbs. I don't care that I don't look like a bodybuilder. Hopefully, I just look like a old guy who is reasonably fit. I feel great. I suspect my cholesterol has gone down some. I bought new clothes that aren't swimming on me and for once, gave away the old clothes. Along with this new way of thinking, I have no plans to workout as intensely as I have in the past. I'll still hit the gym on a regular basis, but I am now going to concentrate on just being fit and not building muscle. If I can retain most of what I've gained in muscle over the last 50 years, I'll be doing great and I will be happy with myself.