Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 287 pounds
Current weight: 288 pounds
Weight lost since last week: -1 pounds
Total weight lost: 17 pounds
I’m sort of in “give a penny/take a penny” mode when it comes to weight right. The truth is, my head hasn’t been in it for various reasons. No excuse for some of the decisions I’ve been making food-wise, but there certainly are reasons (which I can’t go into at the moment).
This week’s challenge:
Getting back on the program, keeping my head in the game, and seeing movement on the scale next week in a positive direction.
Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 288 pounds
Current weight: 287 pounds
Weight lost since last week: 1 pounds
Total weight lost: 18 pounds
Last week was a little better, but not great. Still stuff going on, and will for a while, but that can’t be an excuse to party like it’s 1999.
Lost a pound — first pound in the slow crawl back to my super skinny weight of 285 (yeah, baby).
Last Week’s Successes
Not a weight loss success but a happiness milestone — Dot and I are still riding our bikes. Lots of fun, and highly recommended. But ouch, my poor tires…
Last Week’s Challenge
Would you believe it, but last week I had some donuts at work? Terrible. The donuts, not the screwup. The screwup was bad, and fixable—just can’t do it again. But the donuts were these horrible things a staffing company brought in. Mint donuts? Donuts with bacon and/or weird textures on them? Not a jelly or cream-filled in sight? Ugh. But looking at the skinny 20-somethings who brought them in, I suppose it’s understandable. These people don’t eat donuts. Too skinny, too cool. And only young people think a mint donut makes sense (because breath, right?).
Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 285 pounds
Current weight: 288 pounds
Weight lost since last week: -3 pounds
Total weight lost: 17 pounds
Not a good week at all last week, for reasons having nothing to do with weight (and which I won’t go into). Let’s just say my head wasn’t in the game and eating right wasn’t a concern. That said, I don’t think the increase was solely due to excessive eating — Dot and I did some bike riding. We had a lot of fun, and of course we did it to excess. So I think at least some of the gain has to do with swollen muscles in my back, arms, and my poor legs.
I’m gonna try this week to stay on track, and that’s the best I can do.
Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 286 pounds
Current weight: 285 pounds
Weight lost since last week: 1 pounds
Total weight lost: 20 pounds
Woo hoo, I lost 20 pounds in 11 weeks! (I’ve been told I don’t look 285-300 pounds. I am 6’5″ though, and my belly’s not in the shot).
Woo hoo, I sort of went nuts last week — I had peach cobbler and ice cream! And got away with it!
Book Launch
Woo hoo, I launched a new book last week: Hell’s Children: A Post-apocalyptic Survival Thriller. It’s about a world where all the adults die and only the children are left. Sort of like “Lord Of The Flies” — except grimmer, haha. If you’re curious, you can pick it up for the cheaper-than-coffee price of 99 cents (an early-bird promo price). I promise to use that 99 cents only for Good, and not for Evil. Unless it’s an evil piece of devil’s food cake, then all bets are off.
Energy
This weekend, I did gardening. Ugh. What a pain. I hate gardening. I don’t think I lost a pound because of that, but I mention it because of something awesome: I wasn’t as tired as I usually get. It seems that losing the weight is letting me bound around with more energy, and I don’t have to rest as much. Woo hoo!
Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 287 pounds
Current weight: 286 pounds
Weight lost since last week: 1 pounds
Total weight lost: 19 pounds
I’m very happy about this miserable 1 pound. I was actually up in weight most of last week (yeah, I’m still checking between weigh-ins). I ate well, great food, and only messed up once with a margarita. It’s been several weeks since I’ve screwed up and went full-bore chocolate cake or something. I’m learning that weight fluctuates all the time, and that I need to just kinda/sorta fluctuate DOWNWARD and I’ll be fine.
Surprises
All my clothes are pretty loose now. What a difference 19 pounds makes. Still about 70-80 pounds left to get into freshman college shape, and honestly I’m not sure if I’ll get quite that far. Just because you lose fat, doesn’t mean you lose the fat cells themselves. Also, there will be extra skin. Dot and I are up for skin surgery if it comes to it, but not until we take off the weight, all of it, and keep it off. That said, “all of it” could realistically end up being only 60 more pounds, for me, bringing me to maybe 225. That’s a long road to travel one pound at a time.
Last Week’s Challenges
Same ol’ same ol’ — catering. I didn’t eat any of it, despite everyone feeling the urge to tell me, “There’s cookies out there…” I sort of look forward to it now, because I enjoy going out and taking a picture and feeling like a freak while folks from other teams grab goodies and stare at me. If someone asks what I’m doing, I’ll just say, “Ma’am, that’s classified.”
Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 289 pounds
Current weight: 287 pounds
Weight lost since last week: 2 pounds
Total weight lost: 18 pounds
A great week has passed, with no restaurant desserts, no eating junk at my job, and probably too much exercise on Saturday and Sunday. I had to stain our fence to keep it fancy looking, and that required a lot of squats (to get the lower sections). Every time I squatted to do those lower sections, the blood dropped out of my head and down to my ankles, and I felt like I was gonna faint. Last night, I told my wife I’m going to do 10 squats a day and 10 pushups. Just something to keep myself a tiny bit more in-shape than just sitting around doing nothing all the time. Later on, I’ll add in more exercise if I feel like it (I might). But I really don’t like going to the gym. I’d rather do three sets of squats, pushups, go on walks, whatever than go back there and flagellate myself for 30-60. Again, we’ll see what happens once I start getting more exercise. One thing about me: I obsess a little. A little firmness in my legs and shoulders could chase me back to the gym to get even MORE results.
That was a long block of text, wasn’t it?
My former recruiter, Chad, is sort of a villain (with a heart of gold). He brought the ice cream seen in the picture for the team on Thursday. Someone yelled over my cube, “There’s ice cream up front!” and I tore off to snap a picture. On the way, Chad’s like, “Oh no, he’s gonna take a picture!” (he follows the blog).
Successes last week
Serving sizes. I kept my serving sizes realistic. And except for last night, I never had two helpings at dinner. I ate until I wasn’t hungry and then stopped. Last night, Dot made this ridiculously good pulled pork. It’s the best pulled pork I’ve ever had. Even better than the one she made a few weeks ago (she’s refining the recipe). No sugar, no sugar substitutes, either. You really don’t need them to make top-notch BBQ.
Challenges this week
Can’t think of any. I was telling Dot on Saturday how the temptation to eat junk at work is just about gone. People bring stuff in and I want it. If they bring sandwiches in, I sometimes take the meat out and plop a little mayo on it and eat it (it’s on plan), but that when the cake/cookies/ice cream comes in I don’t really feel temped. The pizza from 2 weeks ago was a real issue—but only because I was forced to be in the room with it for like 3 hours. And I still didn’t eat it.
Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 293 pounds
Current weight: 289 pounds
Weight lost since last week: 4 pounds
Total weight lost: 16 pounds
Yay, the weight loss has started again. As great as that is, last week held another surprise for me: I could fit into some old/new pants previously denied to me. I have several pairs of jeans from the last time I took the low carb plunge. Last time, I lost about 60 pounds, taking me to where I am now. Then I gained about 15-20 pounds and couldn’t wear the clothes I’d purchased. How pathetic. But I did keep most of the weight off (35-40 pounds), which is good.
Last Week’s Successes
I attended a meeting with pizza (my favorite) and didn’t eat any. I did gobble down the salad that was ordered with it. I’m pretty sure that salad (one of two) was supposed to be shared with everyone … as well as the dressing. But whatever, I ate it. You have to understand: I was in pizza prison. And when you’re in pizza prison, you take what you can and sometimes you gotta cut somebody.
Last Week’s Lessons
I think not eating 2x 22 oz. steaks really helped. I kept my meal sizes more sensible, and no, I wasn’t perfect. I had a small piece of pie on Friday (coconut). I had some drinks. I never felt hungry or anything, which is what you’d expect going low carb.
This Week’s Challenge
I’ve always found it very difficult to lose weight following a big loss. I also find it hard to not gain weight. So that’s the challenge: hold my ground, and cut anyone who tries to take my salad.
Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 293 pounds
Current weight: 293 pounds
Weight lost since last week: 0 pounds
Total weight lost: 12 pounds
Well, that was the same. It’s funny, I got to the middle of the last week and—for whatever reason—I’d dipped to 289. I was on top of the world.
This is a very good example of why we should never weigh ourselves before weigh-ins: we might get cocky and decide to have 2x 22 ounce steaks over the next two days, a Chocolate Thunder From Down Under, and alcohol too. And a custard. (But the rest of the week was fine).
What did I learn? That “Low Carb / High Cake / Two Small Drinks” diets don’t work. But I didn’t learn it because I already knew it. I’m convinced the part of my brain that likes cake has been nibbling on my cerebral cortex.
This Week’s Challenge
1) Avoid sugar comas at all cost.
2) Try not to eat anyone accidentally.
3) Don’t weigh myself mid-week.
Ah well, no sense beating myself up about it. I’d probably lose anyway. See you next week, folks.
Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 292 pounds
Current weight: 293 pounds
Weight lost since last week: -1 pounds
Total weight lost: 12 pounds
*Woo hoo, my first plateau!
Funny story about a plateau. Years ago, in college, when I was studying abroad, I visited a beach in Malta. Bisecting the beach was an enormous plateau. It looks tiny in the picture, but I promise you, it was huge—and very high. Like an idiot, I chose to climb it rather than relax and enjoy the water like everyone else. I found a crack that ran all the way to the top and used that to make my ascent.
Now, understand: I had no training whatsoever. Nobody knew I was there, and if I slipped I would have died.
At one point, I reached for my next handhold—and then stopped myself. To this day, I don’t know why I stopped. I climbed an additional foot or so using a different, less convenient handhold, and then looked at what I’d almost grabbed. Nestled there like a bomb was a giant wasps nest boiling with wasps. If I’d continued blissfully climbing, I would have grabbed it, and those wasps would have stung me hundreds of times — with me, dangling precariously way up high on the side of that plateau. My guess is I wouldn’t have been able to control myself and then fallen to my death. Instead of that, my dumb ass skirted around the nest (about two feet from me at the closest) and continued the climb.
So as you can see, plateaus are VERY dangerous. (Hmm, wait, that’s not true in weight loss, but whatever, just go with it). But if you conquer them, the journey will have been worth the struggle. (Okay, not true at all as it pertains to spurious rock climbing without ropes or people who know you’re there, but shush).
Last Week’s Successes:
Didn’t eat any catering at work.
Last Week’s Failures:
Went out with my mom-in-law for her birthday and ate more cake than her. (Pie, actually, but it makes a better story if I say cake. Why do you keep interrupting my stories?!?)
See you next week.
*Ok, fine: it would have been a plateau if I’d maintained my weight, but I gained a pound.
Week 1 weight: 305 pounds
Last week’s weight: 295 pounds
Current weight: 292 pounds
Weight lost since last week: 3 pounds
Total weight lost: 13 pounds
Wow, I lost a lot of weight last week. Eating chicken wings from the wrong place will do that too you. It’ll do it to you the next morning, later again that morning, twice that afternoon, and again that evening. My guess is I really lost about 1-2 pounds of fat, which is still great. But I don’t think I’ll necessarily lose much more (if any) by next week.
Last Week’s Successes
I didn’t eat anything sweet. No pastries, no ice cream or cookies or the donuts my coworker brought in. In fact, I wasn’t even tempted. The last 4 weeks of failure in this regard really put steel in my spine. Way to go, me.
Not sure what this was (because I didn’t have any!)
Last Week’s Failures
I sure had a lot of wine last week. Bourbon, too. Not all at once, more like every day: at restaurants, while writing, while cooking, while watching TV together, while enjoying the nice weather on the deck. I told Dot I was going to hold off for a few months. It’s not really healthy, and will definitely slow down my weight loss.
This Week’s Challenges
I can’t think of anything specific. Last week, we didn’t do any meetup groups. We might this week, I’m not sure. I don’t think “alcohol” will be a challenge. If I can’t go a week or a few months without it, then it’s a different problem, isn’t it? So there you go. My only challenge this week is the omnipresent threat of self-sabotage.
