Whoa, We're Halfway There....

This morning I weighed 232.8, which means that I have lost 12.8 pounds for the year.

It also means that I am officially halfway to my first goal of the year, which is to lose 25.6 pounds before April 9th.  (That would put me at 220 pounds.)  It took me 44 days to do so and it gives me another 55 more to lose the other 12.8 pounds.

I can totally do this!

Day 24

I don't know if anyone is out there reading this, but I figure I would give an update.

Beginning Weight (1/1/17) = 245.6 lbs
Current Weight (1/24/17) = 234.4 lbs
Total Weight Lost = 11.2 lbs
Average Daily Loss = 0.51 lbs
Average Weekly Loss = 3.56 lbs

That puts me 14.4 pounds away from my first goal of getting down to 220 by June 18.  Barring any unforeseen health issues, that shouldn't be a problem.

After that, I plan to lose another 20 to get me down to 200.  That should take me until about November, if I do a healthy one pound a week weight loss.

It's Been One Week...

On January 1, I weighed 245.6.  Yesterday I weighed 238.6.  A total of seven pounds in one week.

Not a bad way to start the new year.

I realize that not every week will be this dramatic of weight loss, but it sure does help me to stay motivated.

The first goal is to lose 20 pounds.  That will put me at the lowest weight I have been in nearly 20 years.  From there, the goal is to lose another 25 pounds, which will put me at 200.  After that, another 20, which will mean that I have lost 100 pounds lost since I started this journey.

I can totally do this.

Here We Go Again

Loyal fans and newfound followers

Wassup y'all? Hello how are you doin' out there?

"Here We Go Again" (1988): Recorded by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.  Album: He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper.  Jive/RCA Records   

It seems like every January, I - and the rest of the world - get excited about losing weight and getting healthy.  Unfortunately, that desire usually dies out sometime in February.  (For proof of this, look at my 2016 posts.)

This year, though, I have something to work for.  Not that I didn't before, but I have been evaluating the things that made me lose weight in the past and it pretty much came down to two things:

1. Goal
2. Willpower

About five years ago, I was turning 40.  About six months before that blessed day, I was pushing 300 pounds (280) and I was tired of feeling like crap.  I decided that I was going to lose 40 pounds for my 40th birthday.  It was not easy.  There were a lot of early morning workouts and a lot of counted calories, but by the time I turned 40, I was down 40 pounds.  (As well as a smaller size of clothes.)

I kept going after reaching the goal, getting down to 226.  Then, for reasons I still can't explain, my willpower disappeared.  I couldn't get up when that alarm went off in the 4:00 hour.  I couldn't say "no" to the foods I had been able to do so for six months.  Fortunately, the weight kind of stayed off.  I would gain a pound or two, but I wasn't worried because I knew I could lose the weight again, if needed.

A couple of years passed by and my weight slowly worked itself back up to 240 pounds.  It hovered there for about a year or two.  I wasn't happy about it, but at least it wasn't going up.

This past year, my weight has gone up to 245.  That was the final straw!  My pants were getting too tight and there was no way I was going to buy bigger clothes again.

This year, I celebrate my 45th birthday.  I have made the decision that I am going to lose 45 pounds! I  figure that I could lose at least that amount if I lose only a pound a week.  (Technically, I should lose 52 pounds.)

That's it!  That is my goal.

So far, on this 5th day of January, I am already down 5 pounds.  Now it's about having the willpower to continue.

I have tried to make this one as easy as possible.  No fancy diets.  No crazy workouts.  No giving up certain foods entirely.

Here is what I do:

• I log EVERYTHING I eat - I use My Fitness Pal, but there are many places to do this.
• I drink a lot of water - I try to drink 8 ounces each hour from 5 am-5 pm.  
• I walk 10,000+ steps a day on my FitBit - Mostly walking to the bathroom and back.  😉
• I also exercise 30-60 minutes a day - The workout minutes depend on the day &/or exercise.
• I try to get more sleep - I have lived off of 4-5 hours of sleep for years, so I am shooting for 6.
• I give myself a 24-hour "Cheat Day" - Knowing that I can have anything I want on this day, it helps me give up some things during the week.

Once I reach this goal - which will put me at about 200 pounds - I will decide how much more weight I could and should lose.  (To be honest, I haven't been at or under 200 pounds in nearly 20 years, so I don't remember how that looks on me.)

I know that I can do this!  I have done it before.

Motivation

I think it's fair that a lot of people go into weight loss with one of two things on their mind: 1) to look better or 2) to feel better  And neither of those are bad motivators, but it probably needs to be something a little more.  I mean, let's face it.  How long will "I want a beach body" get you to work out?  Sure, it might be motivation on January 1-13, but after a couple of weeks of walking in snow, you realize that you have PLENTY of time before summer to get moving.  Why start now?

I have thought a lot about this lately.  What truly motivates me?  Well, besides wanting to be able to walk up a flight of stairs without sucking wind.  (And when I say "flight of stairs", I mean the three stairs that lead from my garage to my house.)   Obviously, my family is a big motivator.  I would love to be there as my children get baptized, graduate from high school, go on missions, graduate from college, get married.  Heck, I wouldn't mind seeing a grandchild or ten.  I would love to celebrate my 30th, 40th and 50th anniversaries with my wife.   Yet, even with that motivation, it sometimes can't compete with my desire to wolf down a burger and fries and then not work out for a couple of weeks.

So far this year, I have worked out nearly every day except Sunday.  (I did take a day off when my knee was hurting.  I didn't want to push it.)  And to be honest, this current motivation comes from a little competition with my co-workers.  And it has worked.  In that time I have lost about 14 pounds and I have really paid attention to what I've been eating.  (Plus, my arms are getting huge.)  But what is going to happen at the end of March when this is done?  I hope that I can continue on now that I have good habits down.

The point is, you need to find your motivation and use that to get yourself out of bed in the morning.  And hey, if that's getting your body ready for summer beach time, then so be it.  Just don't give up in September when the summer ends.

Back In The Saddle Again

It has been just over two years since I last posted here.

A lot has happened in that time frame: I graduated from college (Finally!); After 20 years in radio, I started a new career as an elementary school teacher; I lost my mom to a stroke; I started working part-time at a fitness center; I've lost 7.2 pounds.

You read that right. Not 72 pounds, but 7.2 pounds.  I will say, though, that I did get down to 222.2 pounds, which was 19.2 pounds less than the last time you read something here.  (Of course, that was before a summer vacation of sitting at home and snacking all day.)

But I digress.

The point is, I am back.  Since the beginning of the 2016, I have lost about 6 pounds.  And now, for the next three months, my fellow teachers and I are engaged in a little competition.  I intend to put my all into it.  Not for the cash prizes that are guaranteed to the winners.  (Although that is an added bonus.)  I just want to feel better.  I just want to breathe easier.  I just want to walk without so much pain.

And yes, I just want to look better.

So with my FitBit on my wrist and a workout program that seems to be working thus far, I am ready to do this.

I turn 44 in a few weeks and I want to be healthier now than I have ever been.

Let's do this!

First Official Weigh-In for 2014

I am one of those people that weigh myself daily.

Yes, I know that weight can fluctuate dramatically from one day to another, but I feel like it helps keeps me on track when I weigh myself every day.

I mean, think about it.   If you had to see the dentist every week, would you not floss a lot more than you currently do?

I know for me, my main flossing happens in the weeks leading up to my dentist appointment.  Sure, I will floss now and again before that, but there's something about being able to say to my dentist, "I have flossed every day...since last week" when I see him.  (Of course, I tend to leave off the "since last week".)

The same goes for my weight.  Even though I am not solely focused on weight this year, it is a good reminder of keeping healthy.  And when I weigh myself and have dropped a pound, it makes it a whole lot easier to say "no" to the office donut box that day.

Anyway, even though I weigh myself daily, I only count one day and that is Wednesday, which is today.

So my beginning weight last Wednesday, January 1 was 243.

This morning: 241.4.

Like I said, I'm not fixated on my weight loss this year, but it does show that I am going in the right direction.