As an act of accountability and hopefully not futility, I have decided to write about my latest foray into losing weight and getting healthier.
Today I stepped on the scale and I saw the highest number in seven years, 251.2. This was not encouraging. Thirteen months ago, I weighed almost 30 pounds less than that, 222.4. This morning, I was laying in bed and feeling overall crummy and decided: today was the day I was going to commit to losing weight. Not on a Monday like I always do, or at the beginning of the month, but today, a Tuesday, and the middle of the month. It’s imperative that I commit. And commit immediately.
A few thoughts on how I will accomplish my goals. First I have to set some goals. First things first, lose 10 pounds as fast as I can (with an overall goal of being under 200 pounds). I believe that I can do this over the next 2 weeks. I know I have a lot of bloat/water weight to lose, and I do think I can lose the first ten pounds quickly if I commit to a few basic tenets:
No alcohol at home. I drink entirely too much as is, and this disrupts my judgment, my sleep, and my metabolism. However, if I can commit to not drinking at home, I know that this will decrease my drinking drastically, and I can still feel normal when out and about with friends.
Two drinks max outside of the home and zero beer. Whether at a friend’s house or at a restaurant, I need to stick to a maximum of two drinks. One drink can be a fancy cocktail, and the other can be a gin and soda type offering. Wine is allowed, but two glass max.
Do not, at any point eat fast food breakfast. My weakness every single day is wanting to go get a fast food biscuit. Whether that is at McDonald’s, Hardees, or Bojangles, I love them so much. However, this starts me off horribly.
Intermittent fast until at least 12:00 pm every weekday. This will keep me from fast food breakfast, and also keep my decision-making for later meals in check. If I absolutely must eat, eat low carb high protein options, ie eggs and chicken sausage.
Lower carb higher protein eating template. I tend to feel the best and least hungry when I eat this way. Also, once I get acclimated, my cravings for bread and carbs vanish. And the weight falls off. I don’t believe this is the only way to lose weight, but I do think it helps me.
Drink more water. I don’t want to commit to some arbitrary 1 oz water for every pound of weight, but I do believe that being hydrated and drinking water is healthy, so I am committing to drinking more and as needed.
Commit to getting 15K steps a day. Walking is a miracle drug for weight loss and physical and mental health.
Commit to a solid sleep schedule where I am in bed for at least 8 hours, but no more than 8.5 hours. I only add the caveat of no more than 8.5 hours because I want to attack the morning.
Attack the morning. Get a minimum one-mile walk in every morning to set me up for a good day.
Lift weights at least 2x a week. I think this is sufficient for at minimum muscle retention, but I believe some gains can be made.
Weigh daily if possible, keep a checklist of the above goals, and check in on this blog as much as I can. This is my accountability journal. This is my outlet to show myself how far I can go. This is my personal diary to share with anyone I feel it can help, or can help me.
That’s it for now. I am here and I am committed. Here’s to losing my first 10 pounds, and the next 41.4 after that.