The March 30th Weigh In

When I began this journey one month ago I created a set of fitness goals for myself. The first of which was to weigh in at 262 lbs by my sons second birthday, which was yesterday.  At the time that goal was set I weighed 278 lbs, which meant a weight loss of 16 lbs in approximately 4 weeks to avoid failure.

In those four weeks I made a number of changes to my life style and eating habits, some more obvious than others.  These changes include:

1. No more soft drinks (diet included).  Unsweet tea, water, milk, and coffee only... with the occasional beer on cheat day.
2. No fast food.  Nothing from a drive through and very rarely anything fried.
3. Small meals every three hours.  If I had to go much more than that I started getting pretty hangry (anger induced by hunger).  I spend most of my Sunday mornings cooking several meals to last all week.
4. Lots more fruit and veggies.  Salads, celery, kale, carrots, green beans, oranges, apples etc...
5. No sweets.  Nope, none except for cheat days.
6. Biweekly cheat days.  I actually prefer this plan to weekly cheat days.
7. Hitting the gym.  Five days a week whenever possible.  I am up to 3 miles in about 35 minutes on the elliptical.
8. No food after 8 pm.  With the exception of a piece of beef jerky on occasion.
9. Portion Control. No more kiddie pool sized plates at dinner time.
10. Less red meat.  I still eat it, but most of my protein comes from chicken and turkey.
11. Wake up early.  My alarm is set for 7:30 every morning.  Maybe not early to you, but its WAY earlier than I used to wake up.

Despite all the changes I was still somewhat terrified to step on the scale.  I'm not one to lie about things like this, so the thought of having to write a blog post about my failure was quite unappealing.  Ignoring my nerves I woke up on Saturday, put on my glasses, walked straight to the scale, and what did I see...?

261.4!

Success!  I am down approximately 17 lbs in just one month.  The bad part?  I'm still fat as hell.  The good parts?  Well, there are quite a few.

1. I have a sense of accomplishment.  17 lbs in four weeks is no small task
2. More energy.  With the exception of the occasional low calorie slow down, I have found myself more energetic and active.
3. Old clothes fit!  I have already come across three shirts that previously did not fit, two of which still had tags on them, that now fit quite well.  I am proud to start wearing them.
4. Making progress in the gym.  I have come a long way in a month.  I went from walking/jogging 1/2 mile in 15 minutes to jogging/ running three miles in 35 minutes.
5. I am saving money.  Massive amounts of junk food get expensive.  That is an expense I no longer have to worry about.

So now I move on to the next goal, which is to weigh 250 lbs by Kentucky Derby Day (Saturday May 4th). This particular goal will require a weight loss of 11 lbs in approximately five weeks.  It may also present a new set of challenges including the first (dreaded) weight loss plateau.

I'm not sure how I will tackle these challenges, or how well I will overcome them, but I do know that I am determined to do so. So with that thought in my mind and approximately 2 dozen Reese's eggs in my digestive system from this weekends cheat day, I will head back to the gym tomorrow with a smile on my face.

Look out 250 lbs, here I come!