A Fresh Start

My first post of 2016 should be about new beginnings, goal setting and motivation.
Sure. Okay. Whatever. It is the trend of the industry. Losing weight and getting exercise are the top resolutions and so the industries that exploit them hit it hard for the first few weeks of the year.

I have no financial stake in anybody else's health and don't stand to make any money off of anyone, so I'll stick with telling you what works for me and where I am heading in health and fitness for 2016.

A few years ago (when I turned 53), I set a goal to lose 54 pounds by my 54th birthday. I was as heavy as I had ever been and felt that slow and steady (the way I put the weight on) was the best way to lose it. A little over a pound per week seemed like a very doable goal. I achieved that goal (exceeded it, actually), maintained the weight loss for a short time but have slowly (again) started to put the weight back on (about a third of what I originally lost).

I'm going back to what I did to lose the weight in the first place.

Back then I managed to drop the weight by living the philosophy that you eat for weight management and exercise for good health. I was so badly out of shape that the only exercise I could do was to walk, so I started walking.

I cut out most processed foods and kept track of my intake. I started drinking more water and paying attention to carbs, fats and proteins -- what I was eating as well as when I was eating.

For January, I am going to continue to walk. I generally walk about 3 miles (about 5K for my non-US friends) per day. My brother set a January goal of running 100 miles. Since a little simple math says that 3 mi/day = 93 mi for the month, I figured I can manage the extra miles to make my walking goal 100 miles for January. I'm also doing some weight lifting (dumbbells and machine) and bodyweight exercises but need to work out a better routine.

I only managed to drop a couple of pounds in December but I am okay with that given the high volume of holiday treats (egg nog is a weakness, for sure!). I expect the weight loss to increase in the coming weeks.

We (Chris and I) have decided to try to eat at home more often. We will see how that goes. I'm going to use some leftover ham, add some cheese, potatoes, broccoli and eggs to make a quiche for tonight's meal. I'll let you know if it turns out okay.

We've been eating our evening meal earlier on most nights. Sometimes Chris is forced to work late and we don't eat until around 7:30 or so.

I'm going to go back to using more protein smoothies in my daily diet. These allow me the protein and nutrients that I am looking for in a more concentrated form and I can better judge my calorie intake. Fortunately, produce is readily available in the winter throughout the US. It can be a little higher cost, but it is still available.

An interesting thing that often I see as a marketing push to get a diet started is some type of detoxifying cleanse. Personally, I think that drinking plenty of water and clean eating is really the only thing your body needs to cleanse itself -- so, here we go!

Bring on January.
Bring on 2016 ...

One day
One week
One month at a time!

Be well!
John <><