Jumbo Rider’s BodyBlog

You are told that losing 2-3 pounds a week is good and steady progress.  It is said that it is the best type of weight loss for permanent weight reduction.  Well, that is what I have had for the past 3 weeks.

Three weeks down and I have excised 7 pounds from my body.  That is 7 pounds of fat that will NEVER be on my body again.  But I want more.  When you watch Biggest Loser and see some of the other people’s success in the Fat Loss forum you find that you can lose more than 2-3 pounds per week.

Now, I am not looking for 20 pounds lost in a week, but 5-10 pounds sure would be nice.

On another subject…  I am so very tired and weak.  It is more than the reduction in calories.  There is something going on in my system that I can’t quite figure out.  Maybe it is the start of a cold, but it feels like it is more than that too.  If the feeling doesn’t go away in a few weeks I will check in with the doc.

Having had talk with gbone74 after seeing his success has made me look a little closer at the calories that I am consuming.  I have had slow and steady success by simply eating every three hours without carbs, other than vegetables.  But I would like to lose more than 2 pounds a week, and at 373 pounds that should be attainable.

Gbone74 is not watching the types of foods he is eating, but only eats 1800 calories a day.  My plan is to watch what I eat and eat on average 1800 calories a day.  Why on average?  Days that I cardio but don’t lift will be at 1800.  Days that I lift will be at 2200, and days that I do nothing will be at 1400 calories a day.

The change in my diet was not that drastic.  I eat less meat and have cut way down on the nuts that I eat.  Other than that it is simply a measuring exercise.

Speaking of exercise, I am currently walking 30 minutes everyday on the treadmill at 2.6 mph.  That is weak, but it taxes me at the fittness level I am at today.  My goal is to work up to 1 hour 5 days a week at 3.5 - 4.0 mph while adding incline.  That is a month or so in my future.

I plan on lifting 3 days a week using my powerlifting bands and bodyweight exercises.

So, I will give this a try for my 12 weeks and see how it turns out.  If I don’t lose much faster I will go back to eating the way I did prior to the calorie counting change.  If I do lose much faster then I know that I am doing the right thing.

If I average 2 pounds lost per week over the 52 weeks I will be down 104 pounds this time next year.  Following my 4 13 week block plan I should be down 26 pounds at the end of each block.Being extremely fat I am faced with two wants; to be at my end weight quickly, to be at my end weight now.  These wants are not realistic.   It will take time to get to where I want to be.  It will take 2 year or more when all things are considered and that is just too long for my head and heart to deal with at this time.

So I will forget about my final goal and look to the end of my 13 week block.  I will place all of my focus on losing just 26 pounds.  That is a number I can deal with without freaking out.

There are 52 weeks in a year of which I have just completed one week of eating clean.  I am breaking the 52 weeks down into 4 thirteen week chunks.  This is just me thinking out loud here.

So I am in my first 13 week chunk.  My plan for these 13 weeks is to eat clean 90% or better of the time.  This means that if I eat every 3 hours, or 5 -6 meals a day, that I can blow 3- 4 meals a week.  Now let me explain what I mean about blow.  This does not mean that i can pig out.  A missed meal is a blown meal.  A meal without veggies is a blown meal.  A meal with carbs - other than veggies/fruit - without first working out is a blown meal.  Eating fruit at more than a 3:1 ratio of veggies:fruit is a blown meal.  Finally, eating carbs other than veggies/fruit or brown rice is a blown meal.    At no time am I allowing bread, pasta, or sweets into my diet for the 52 weeks.

My exercise goals are for the first 13 weeks are simple.   I will walk 30-1hr 6 days a week, increasing speed and incline as I am able.  I will work my mobility exercises and strength band exercises 3 days a week.

My health will be, is my top priority over these next 52 weeks.  Family, work, and recreation all takes a back seat to my 52 week plan.  In the end the energy I gain from being healthy and slimmed down will more than make up for time that I miss in these 52 weeks.

At the end of 52 weeks I will take stock and adjust my goals.  I will probably hire a trainer again at that time.

What a difference 6 days can make.  The first 3 days were a bit tough, but today I am moving in full stride.  My mood is much better and slowly my energy is returning.  How much weight have I lost?  Don’t know, don’t care.  At least I don’t care at this stage of the game.

Today I am just enjoying eating clean and working out.  Enjoying the journey for the journey’s sake.  Tomorrow will take care of itself.  So many folks on this board have already lost more than I need to lose, or at least 100 + pounds.  It took them time, but the journey is always the same, even when they take different paths.  Eat clean and be happy…the rest will come.

If you are having a hard time getting started just put your head down and do it.  Three days straight is what it took me.  How long will it take you?  Hell, water even tastes good.

I took many of your comments to heart and find that forcing a positive attitude is working for me.  It took me a long time but I am again free of diet soda and eating clean.  There will be no looking at the scale or even hard in the mirror for a few months.  It is good enough for now to realize that I am just doing the right thing by eating right and working out.  The weight will come off….again…and a greater amount.  If I jump on scales or look critically in the mirror every 5 minutes I will just get frustrated and depressed.  I, again, am looking only at positives now.  Those positives are eating right and working out.