Four weeks ago I looked at myself in the mirror and said “Dude, you’re getting fat. Time to get focused.”
Over the last 18 months or so I’ve been eating mindlessly. Inhaling foods as if I were 36 years of age. You remember the time when you could eat this or that without a care in the world and you’d still look like a string bean no matter what?
I also let my yoga membership lapse. It’s been a few months since I’ve been to the studios at Dharma Yoga Syracuse, practicing down dogs, cobras, and sun salutations.
Now if you were to look at me on April 19th and I told you this 6’5″ frame was carrying 272 pounds you wouldn’t believe it. You’d be like Rod Stewart saying, Steve ♫ You wear it well. ♪♫
In fact, a couple of weeks ago while mall walking (yes I admit I’m a walker) I met a friend and told him my weight and he was astonished. “No way!” he replied.
I tell my clients”What gets measured gets done.” So, I decided to eat my own dog food, take my own advice, and get focused on shedding some pounds.
I quickly began to create a plan. Not sure why, but my best plans are usually done super fast.
The first thing I did was trek over to Walmart and purchase a Health O Meter scale. My first. That’s right, up until a few weeks ago I’ve never owned a scale. A first time for everything.
They say you’re not suppose to weigh yourself every day. Guess what? After I roll out of bed and waddle to the kitchen to make morning coffee, I step on the scale and anxiously await the number to appear. Why? The digits tell me how I did the day before. What gets measured gets done.
What else? Oh yeah. I’m plugging everything I’m putting down my pie hole into CalorieCount. It’s a great program to track everything you’re eating, providing information like calories. protein, sugar, carbs, sodium, potassium, etc. What gets measured gets done.
I eliminated yummy foods like submarine sandwiches, pizza (for the most part. I’m human after all!,) processed foods, and one of my favorites, chocolate candy. What gets measured gets done.
I’ve also stepped up my weekly exercise routine with a combo of TRX, walking (hopefully get back to running when I’m a little lighter,) pushups, and dumbbell curls. What gets measured gets done.
In one month I’ve lost 12 pounds. Over the past few days I’m stuck at the 260 pound / 118 kilo mark. Who knows where I go from here. Will I bloat back to the 270 neighborhood or continue my slow descent into 250 territory?
I really don’t know. The one thing I do know is I have control over my actions. I have a choice.
I choose to continue to chart my numbers into CalorieCount, exercise, and weigh myself every day.
It’s a process.
What choices are you making? What are you measuring? What’s getting and/or not getting done?
Try eating my dog food.
Photo by Natasia Causse.
Good job Steve! 12 pounds in a month is a lot.
Does your scale measure fat mass, too? I’m also on the track to loose some weight but I want to lose fat and not muscle.
I’m 5’5″ and today I was on 141 pound mark but with too much fat: 23.4%. My goal is to reach below 20% fat mass.
Heh Luis!
Unfortunately my scale doesn’t measure fat mass. After reading your post, I’m now considering purchasing a new scale.
Last year I visited a nutritionist and I believe my body fat was about 30%.
Luis, you are a lean mean fighting machine! 🙂
Good to hear from you my friend. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Steve, it’s always a pleasure to read your posts.
My scale is similar to this one: Omron HBF-510W Full Body Composition Monitor with Scale (search it on Amazon.com). For an extra $6 you can get the HBF-514C. It has 2 more fitness indicators: Skeletal muscle % and Body age.
Thanks so much! I’ll do a little research and purchase one.
What? No 30 day challenge 😉
Karin, this can’t be done in 30 days! 🙂
Congratulations Steve! I’ve traveled the road you are on…a couple times actually. Also being fairly tall, (6’4″) it was fairly easy for me to “hide” my weight. I knew it was there, I felt it there…and eventually the pain of staying the same outweighed (pun intended) the pain of doing the things I needed to do to change.
Right now I’m making choices and engaging in learning and activities that are getting me closer to my vocational goals and dreams. Like taking control of my health, its all about being intentional, disciplined and making even the little decisions with the end goal in mind. Thanks for sharing!
Hola Mike!
I like what you said. Especially the part about being intentional and making small decisions with the endgame in mind.
Thanks for stopping by!