March 22- Two months to Key West

May 22nd, My Friend Greg and I leave for my annual trip to Key West. My weigh loss focus has changed some in the last month or so. The numbers on the scale are important for my overall health but my health and the appearance I believe is a better indicator of health. My weight is fluctuating within about 2 pounds everyday. I do not feel that I am losing weight anymore. Since being able to return to a full schedule of lifting I find my focus has shifted to doing that. Lifting and is more important than just getting the numbers on the scale to be smaller. I am reassessing my goals.

Yes I would love to be able to say I have lost 100 pounds (209 would accomplish this), but this 209 goal was designed so I can say that I lost 100 pounds, not for any other purpose.

I still want to lose the weight. But my goals are going to be smaller. so 10 pounds by April 30. Which will put be around 220 or less.

Thanks for the comments.

77 days til Key West!!!

Every year I take a trip to Key West with a small group of friends. There is a core group of three that generally go but this year only two of us are going and I think we are just going to keep it that way this year. The Trip is paid for and Greg and I are both trying to get ready for pool time in Key West. Well I have been working on Key West for about a year and a half now and I am excited about my weight loss but I would like to lose another 20 pounds. My weight has fluctuated this week by about 2 pounds on a daily basis and I have had NO time in the gym in a few days. In Atlanta right now there is a flu like illness that seems to be going around and I had it a few weeks ago. I feel well but I am still congested. I have been disappointed with my gym performance this week. First. I have had little time to hit the gym. Second when I have been to the gym I have been preoccupied with work and third I have little energy when i actually get into the gym.

I am going to make some changes beginning in the morning. GYM comes first. Aerobics come first at the gym and I will do Resistance exercises four days a week. I currently do them 6 days a week. I think this is wearing me down while I have this ongoing chest congestion. I hope to make this adjustment for a few weeks and then resume my previous level of exercise.

I have started reading a new book on weight loss recommended to me by my friend Chris who is following a similar path that I am. He is on the Optifast plan but he is continuing the Liquid phase longer than I did (this is very common). He has also limited his resistance exercise while he is very strong on his cardio work (much more than I).

The Beck Diet Solution (Judith S Beck Ph D.) deals with Cognitive Therapy and Weight Loss and teaches you how to think like a thin person. Expect Mini Book Reports in future weeks.

Tuesday February 26, 2008 85 days to Key West

I weighed myself yesterday and I have started to trim down further. Two weeks ago I had added a few pounds back. Eating got a little out of hand. I went from about 232 to 237 in a few weeks. 5 pounds generally does bother me on my frame but the idea that a trend may be beginning was very unattractive. I tightened up on my maintenance plan. (trying not to call it a diet anymore) And have lost 10 pounds. I weighed in yesterday at 227.4 pounds. I think this is the low end and generally it will take a few days to stabilize. So for the next few days it will generally fluctuate between 227 and 230. I have seen this happen a few times with my weight loss. I will weigh in and that weight will be great but the very next day it has gone up a little. That seems to be what I call body adjustment.

The meal plan I described in my last blog is working well for me. I spent the last week of so in bed because I had major chest congestion and was put on an anti-biotic. I essentially took a week off from the gym but I ate every day based on my net 1500 plan. I ate to 1500 calories.

I am happy with this week even tho I did not spend much time at the gym.

My good friend Greg and I are planing out annual guys trip to Key West. We fly in to key west on the 22nd of May for 5 days of escape. In the past we have eaten too much, drank (way) too much and a lot of bar hopping. I do not think this is going to change much this year. (outside of the eating part) However, for the first time in years I will wear an actual men's bathing suit versus fat boys shorts.

My intermediate goal is to be down to 209 by May 22. I generally do not want to put time frames on my weight loss but I am in this case. Key West last year was a huge awakening for me- or rather the beached whale pictures that came out of that trip were. I lost 20 or 25 pounds by the time I was there but was still huge. This year will be different. 85 days til key west and I plan to lose 20 pounds by then. I look forward to snorkeling this year.

I am also planning to start a new book this week. Its called The Beck Diet Solution. My friend Chris (who joined the same plan I did about 10 weeks after I did suggested it). This book deals with the mental and psychological thought processes of being thin. Expect a book review next week and If I like it I will put a link to the website on my links section.

Happy Valentines Day Phase 2 Complete

Final weigh on today was 230.4.  My total weight loss has been exactly 60 pounds since September 21 2007.  I plan to continue to use Optifast and other meal replacement aids to assist me in my weight maintenance.  There are some days that you just eat to much and you need some support the next few days to keep those pounds off.  The nutricianist in the program believes that products like Slim Fast (I am cheap and use Kroger brand Slim RITE) are not a bad meal replacement.    Now comes the hard part of the plan. Maintain and continue to lose.  I have decided that I want to lose another 20 pounds.  I should not put a time limit on it but I am.  May 22 is my goal date.  That is 12 weeks away.  Or 1.5 pounds per week.  

And I plan to do this with food and exercise.  My plan is to consume a net 1500 calories per day.  

What do I mean by "NET".  Well its pretty simple.  I can consume 2000 calories in a day as long as I then do 500 calories of measurable cardio exercise.  So my goal is to eat 1500 calories daily. But the treadmill can add more calories to the day.  

Follow me on this journey.

Feb 11 Three days left in Phase 2

I have had a great weekend of maintaining and losing weight. I have been at the gym and making great strides. This week I am eating normal food but in a controlled manner. I have been good this weekend and I feel that my weight loss is starting to increase again. I have had three weeks of essentially no net loss and acutally a gain last week. Transition is hard only because you "tempt fate". I have had some good days and others I have just gone over board. Other people in my class have continued to lose weight and have actually lost as much in transition as they did during the first phase.

My workouts have improved. My bench press and leg presses have increased.

Saturday February 9

In the last two days I have tightened up my diet and have made some changes to ensure that I will be able to continue to lose weight. I have decided that I would like to lose another 20 pounds. So my weight loss will have a goal of 215 by March 31st. That is 20 pounds or so in 6 weeks. I am hitting the gym and eating lean and green.

I decided to forgo the treadmill today and hit the park instead. Atlanta weather today was great. I walked the park twice. approx 4 miles.