Keep on keepin' on...

Persistence is key to achieving success, and I'm starting to see some solid results. I've almost finished my second week of the C25K program and am hopeful that the weather will allow me to get all the way through by the end of November. Super cool! I'm managing to get close to 10,000 steps most days. Today I took advantage of being at work 30 minutes early by getting in a 25-minute walk before my shift started and another 15 during my morning break. I don't want to overdo anything, but at the same time I wouldn't mind my full hour-long, 4-mile trek around my neighborhood. Tonight, though, with an appointment for me and a class for my wife, I will be content with even doing a few laps around my backyard.

I'm also down to 227.8 pounds, and my pants are getting quite loose at the waist. Not enough to fall off, but enough that I have to cinch my belt pretty good to keep my shirt appropriately tucked in. Another 10 pounds and I might have to seriously consider some new pants. Nothing too crazy, I don't really feel like replacing my wardrobe multiple times if I can at all help it. I've also noticed that my neck has slimmed down, which I expected as that's where my weight loss has been most visible during the early stages of the process when I've done this before.

This week I added dumbbells to my morning routine and so far that's going well, too. The soreness is real, and it'll probably take another week or two to get over that. I might need to tweak the order in which I work the major muscle groups, too. Still a lot of experimentation going on.

My wife took pictures of me last week, I haven't even looked at them yet. I'll probably have her take new ones in 2-3 weeks and then maybe I'll put up a comparison post.

I'm enjoying how much better I feel overall so far and I have real hopes about making some lasting changes in my life. I hope you can find your inspiration and do the same!

Progress update

Hey all, thought I would share a bit of an update.

So I started with Noom on 9/23/2020. I shared a bit how it works, looking at the mindset behind how/why/when a person eats. And, of course, there's the calorie counting and exercise tracking. In terms of actual weight loss, the app asks for a daily weigh-in, and with 9 weigh-ins recorded, I have not yet had an upward spike, which is pretty cool. I started at 238.8 on 9/23 and this morning clocked in at 229.6, which is a lost of 9.2 pounds in 9 days. It's interesting that despite the reduced calories and increased exercise, I have not really felt abnormally hungry, just what I would consider a healthy "Hey, lunch is in 15 minutes" little rumble; I'm not sitting here 2 hours before my next meal in agony over not having something to eat.

I was inspired by Jonathan Pritchett, cohost of the Trinity Radio podcast (Trinity Radio in iTunes, or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzBRc0afgrS-PCrm6nka1_A) and contributor to the new Theology Geek Fitness YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3He2-tSeKpL0xv1CCduC2g). He lost 60 pounds in 6 months in 2019 and was highly regimented in his exercise and nutrition routines. While I have not gone as extreme as he did (he was consuming 1500 calories/day but also spending what I figure was an hour at the gym for weights five days/week and walking 6-8 miles seven days/week), I can see that a no-nonsense, don't-have-to-think-about-it approach to meals in particular is something that should work well for me. Except for dinners, which my wife usually makes, I have more or less eaten the same thing at the same time every day since Thursday, 9/24. And right now my body is loving it.

Today marks the end of a seven-day stretch at work for me (I rotate weekends, working about one a month; when I work a weekend, I get the Thursday before and the Friday after off), so with a three-day weekend ahead of me that will hopefully include time for some reflection on how I will proceed, I am planning to treat myself a little bit. Not crazy, but I'm looking forward to a buffalo wing substitute recipe I found: take a bunch of cauliflower florets, shake them up with some buffalo sauce, and bake at 400 degrees for 38 minutes. I should also have time to do a bit more grocery shopping. I've been having a banana at my morning break (about 10 AM) and an apple at my afternoon break (about 2:30 PM), and I'm thinking to switch one of those to some baby carrots and hummus on occasion. Again, simple changes.

I believe I am prepared for the eventual stalling out that is inevitable, although we will see when it hits. And there will be times when calorie counting will not be possible or my counts will exceed my daily allowance. I'm not super concerned about that as long as it doesn't become a habit, nor do I have plans to punish myself the following day. It's nice to have a feeling of freedom. Tuesday night I was at a class at my church, and the refreshments during the break included Papa John's pizza. I had enough calories in the bank to cover two pieces, but I only felt like I wanted one, so that's all I had, and I ate it without feeling guilty. While I enjoyed going through the Whole 30 several times in the past (heck, my family still eats several of those meals on a regular basis), the feeling of missing out is real and can be a serious struggle, even if you only follow such a strict protocol for 30 days (and I was initially considering doing it from now until the end of the year).

For my exercising, I have so far only been walking and using the C25K running app. My plan is to do C25K M/W/F until it's too cold to do it outside (I won't do it on the treadmill again after my back flare-up in 2014), and walk for an hour, either outdoors or on the treadmill, Th/Sat/Sun, with Tuesday being a cardio rest day since Tuesday afternoons and evenings are totally filled for the next several weeks. I am going to add my dumbbell exercises M-F mornings before I go to work starting 10/5, which will mean exercising some new self-discipline (in bed, lights off, phone off, no later than 10 PM, ideally by 9:30, and waking by 4:30 AM).

I'm still in what Noom calls the Honeymoon Phase of this journey, yet it is very exciting. I think this is the first time I've looked at weight loss and overall health with a fully positive attitude.