I notices I was short of breath HAVING A NORMAL CONVERSATION. WTF? I know I had put on a few pounds, but no biggie. I still did yoga more or less regularly, nothing to worry about, right?
I stepped on the scale when I got home from work that day and cringed. 272 lbs. Two-Hundred-Seventy-Two!!! The absolute most I had ever weighed by 10 pounds. All in my abdomen, a heart attack in the making. Right then and there, I made a commitment to myself that it would be healthy living from here forward.
Some perspective: I'm 6'-4" and large framed, so 272 lbs does not make me grotesquely obese. However, let's just say when I look straight down, my feet were nowhere to be seen. A little research suggested an optimal weight for a middle aged man my size would be around 215 lbs. So that immediately became the goal. That's means I needed to lose 57 lbs, or 21% of my current body weight. In order to do this at a healthy rate of 3 lbs per week, I figured between 4 and 5 months would be the right time frame.
OK, self, you know how much and how long, but how? Anyone who has struggled at all with weight even a little bit knows that what you eat alone is not enough. Sure, reduce calories and you'll lose some weight in the short term. However, in order to permanently lose unwanted lbs, a combination of a clean nutrition plan, an allowance for cheating occasionally and a disciplined exercise regimen are required.
Before I describe the "How" I came up with, here are my results after 8 weeks down:
| Week | Date | Projected | Actual | Projected Loss |
Actual Loss |
| 3/25/2012 | 272 | 272 | |||
| 1 | 4/1/2012 | 269 | 266 | -3 | -6 |
| 2 | 4/8/2012 | 266 | 260 | -3 | -6 |
| 3 | 4/15/2012 | 263 | 255 | -3 | -5 |
| 4 | 4/22/2012 | 260 | 250 | -3 | -5 |
| 5 | 4/29/2012 | 257 | 248 | -3 | -2 |
| 6 | 5/6/2012 | 254 | 245 | -3 | -3 |
| 7 | 5/13/2012 | 251 | 242 | -3 | -3 |
| 8 | 5/20/2012 | 248 | 240 | -3 | -2 |
| 9 | 5/27/2012 | 245 | |||
| 10 | 6/3/2012 | 242 | |||
| 11 | 6/10/2012 | 239 | |||
| 12 | 6/17/2012 | 236 | |||
| 13 | 6/24/2012 | 233 | |||
| 14 | 7/1/2012 | 230 | |||
| 15 | 7/8/2012 | 227 | |||
| 16 | 7/15/2012 | 224 | |||
| 17 | 7/22/2012 | 221 | |||
| 18 | 7/29/2012 | 218 | |||
| 19 | 8/5/2012 | 215 | |||
| Totals | -57 | -24 | -32 | ||
| Remaining | 33 | 25 | |||
Not too shabby. More than 1/2 way home. Now, for how I have achieved these results:
Nutrition Plan:
Consistency is key here. Any plan to lose weight effectively requires consistently applied discipline.
Breakfast (every day)
1.5 C plain greek yogurt
1 C frozen unsweetened blueberries (heat in MW for 40 sec)
1C sliced strawberries
1 sliced banana
1.75 oz box raisins
1 tblsp ground flaxseed
1 tblsp whey protein powder
Snacks (every day)
3 large apples (I prefer Gala)
Lunch ( every other day)
2 C steamed frozen green beans, broccoli or brussels sprouts
1 C lowfat cottage cheese
Dinner (Sun - Fri)
Same as lunch , but add 8 oz grilled boneless chicken breast diced up
Water - 64 - 128 oz daily
I allow one day (Saturdays) that is technically a cheat day when I can have anything I want. I have found that I'm not cheating much. The progress has been great, and I find my cravings for food that is not beneficial disappearing.
I also drink 2 - 3 oz pickle juice every day. The best electrolyte restorer you can get.
Excercise Regimen
1. For the first 4 weeks, I followed Beach Body's "Chalene Extreme"
2. Starting week 5, I began a modified round of P90X (no pull-ups, so substituting ab moves for pull-up exercises)
That's it, the last 8 weeks compressed into the Cliff's Notes digest. I feel better than I have in years, a lot of pants I couldn't fit into for a long time now fit. 25 more to go. I'll now post an entry each week to update my progress.
