Year 60; week 21

Week 21 comes to an end but I still don't have a scale to weigh myself.
I have managed to walk at least three miles every day this past week and get my 10,000 steps.

We are doing well on the healthier eating. It helps when your partner is keeping it real and holding you accountable.

On to week 22

John

Week 21

Okay
So it looks like Thursday will be the end of week 21.
I walked 4 miles today with a light (very light) jog for the 3rd half-mile and again for the 7th. Left knee is a little sore tonight so probably just walking tomorrow.

We are getting used to the apartment and sleeping better. The trail is a nice amenity. I might consider getting my bicycle from storage, but not sure about that. For now it's just walking and trying to eat better. I need to get our scale so I can track weight loss.

John

Year 60; week ???

Yeah, it's been awhile.
I'm nearly half way through year 60 and no closer to reaching that -60 by sixty goal than the last time I wrote. I don't actually know that for sure since our scale was packed up more than a month ago.
On the plus side we are in temporary housing along a walking trail and I've been taking advantage of the trail and the need to get out of the small apartment by walking every day. I've even added a little light (very light) running a couple of times.

I do need to get a scale to check the weight loss progress at some point before we move into our house in four months, but for now I'm happy with moving and feeling better.

John

Year 60; week 9

Damn!
No progress on the weight loss.
I have been walking. I said I'd walk 5 days per week. I figure Sunday will always be a day off because the mornings are pretty full. Last week I took Friday as my second day. This week I took Tuesday because I was feeling an occasional twinge of pain in my left knee. I'm not sure what was causing it (other than the fat guy putting too much stress on it!) but I figured the day off to be a good thing.
The walking pace is coming back, but I'm just going to work on the distance and not worry about the time for the next week or so.

I have not been faithfully tracking food intake and probably need to. I've thought about a mini-fast or something to jump start the weight loss, but I'm not sure that's the route I want to go. I'm really more interested in a maintainable way of life. I'm not sure if not-eating-so-much-food is something that's maintainable after a lifetime of overindulgence, but that's what I'm faced with.

With two months of the year in the books, I'm now at needing to lose 6 pounds/month. Still easily attainable, but it's time to get serious.

John
Note: I realized that this is actually year 60; week 9, and so I went back and changed the title of the previous posts.

Year 60, Week 8

Ugh!
I know it's my first weigh-in in a few weeks. It's not good.
258
That means I'm nearly back to where I started. The -60 by 60 goal is still intact and I think I've finally got my head into it, so I should be seeing some positive results in the coming weeks. I'm back to walking and working on adding a little running to my walks. I'm also trying to get back in the habit of logging foods.

Yesterday was day 3 of walking. I thought I was going to give myself an easy day since I had just finished mowing the lawn and already had a good share of my steps in for the day. Instead, I felt pretty good and added a little bit of light running into the walk.
To be fair, by light running I mean really light running. My light run now isn't much faster than my brisk walk of 5 years ago. In any case, I was down to 53 minutes at the 3 mile mark.

Today will be an easy day. I'll get my distance in, but not worry about the time. Tomorrow will be a day off since I've got a few things scheduled in the morning. It is supposed to rain on and off all day today. I walked about a quarter mile in the rain yesterday. I don't think it will be a problem.

Other than just being too damn fat, I don't feel bad. I've never had a problem with cholesterol, high blood pressure, or other typical overweight maladies. I definitely feel the extra weight in my knees and ankles, and I'm either going to have to lose the weight or start buying fat clothes for the winter months.

I'm looking forward to a better update for Week 9.

Be well,
John

Keeping it real

So I've missed a couple of weeks with updates and it's not quite to Thursday for a week 8 update, but here is where I am.

I've been doing a pretty crappy job of working towards the -60 by 60 goal. I have been eating a little better but still tend to overindulge in sweets. I haven't done anything in the way of regular exercise.

Being around some of the healthy people in my family this past weekend has inspired me (and shamed me) into doing better.
This morning I took my first long walk in quite some time. I walked 3.1 miles (5K) in 56 minutes, 46 seconds. I was at 55:06 at the 3 mile mark. I'm going to use this as my baseline and set a couple of goals. The first is 3 miles in 45 minutes. Realistically, that means I'm going to have to start mixing in some running with the walking. Then I'll increase the running part until I'm at 3 miles in 30 minutes.

I know I should put a time frame for each step, but I really have no idea how well I'll respond to the activity. Past experience tells me to go slowly or risk some knee/ankle pain. My plan to start is 5 days/week and just look at getting a little better each time out. I should be able to reach the first goal by September without trouble. I should have a better idea of timelines for the rest of it by then.

John <><

Year 60; week 5

No weight loss.
Lazy week.
Diet wasn't too bad, but also wasn't great. Mostly need to scale back on portion rather than change foods.
Still need to find the exercise groove.

Year 60, week 4

I missed a week. I guess 4th of July and a not so great week were probably contributing factors, but I need to keep up just for the personal accountability.

So the week four weigh-in is 254.
That's -6 pounds since June 13th and -11 from June 1st.
It's not a great deal but it is on pace for the -60 by 60 goal.

I haven't really been doing anything in the way of exercise. I've been busy and active with packing and pitching as we are trying to sell our home. The big weight loss (5 yrs ago) I didn't really start regular exercise until I had lost 15-20 pounds. I don't plan on waiting this time. I just haven't got started yet.

On the diet front it's been more healthy foods and smaller portions. I haven't been restrictive of anything and still manage a milkshake or ice cream treat a few times per week. I am more mindful of what I'm eating (and when) and need to get back to logging foods and macros.

I may be moving slowly, but at least I'm moving in the right direction, I took me five years to gain this weight back. Giving myself a year to lose it seems reasonable.
(at least that's what I keep telling myself)

John

Year 60, week 2

So the end to week two comes around and the scale says I dropped another pound. That makes -3 of 60 -- a little off pace but still moving in the right direction.

I know it's not much and I haven't done much in the way of exercise, although I've had some pretty active days. I've also not been real strict on diet. I am eating more healthy foods (for the most part) and keeping to moderate portions (again, for the most part). We have discovered the orange cream shakes at a nearby Arby's and that has been an occasional indulgence. As one might expect, I am a little more conscientious on the few days before weigh-in day!

It's a new week -- Week 3!
I'm looking for -2 (minimum) to give me -5 for a three week total.
Should be the proverbial piece of cake!

John

Year 60, Week 1

So it's actually 1 week and a day since I let this slip my mind yesterday.
I did weigh in at 258 this morning. That's -2 for the week and keeps me on pace to reach -60 by 60.
Diet has been decent with a few indulgences. I've made a few healthy dinners -- a meatless Monday portabella mushroom sandwich, a shrimp, potato, corn, asparagus dish, an easy chicken salad.

Exercise hasn't been very regular -- a couple of walks and a little stretching and light calisthenics.
I need to do better.

Overall, I'm not disappointed.
Week 2 is underway.

Be well,
John

Sixty by 60: the journey begins

A couple of weeks ago, I reported on my other blog about how I have managed to regain all of my lost weight (and then some), and on how I am going to recommit (again!) to get it off.

Tomorrow I turn 59.
The simple goal is to lose 60 pounds before I turn 60 one year from now.
Because I would like to be at 200 pounds (or less), and because I began the month of June at 265 pounds, I needed to get started and lose 5 pounds before my birthday tomorrow.

This morning's weigh in read 260, so I'm all set and off to a good start. I don't plan on sharing this daily on my Facebook page, but will probably share it on Twitter. I'm not sure what or how often I'll post just yet. It may just be weekly weigh ins.

Be well,
John

Jan 10, day 41

Bad report day.
No exercise, but I did buy a new pair of walking shoes.
Diet wise I did okay so pretty much a neutral day -- no real gains, no real losses.

John

Jan 9, day 40

Pretty normal day.
I did only walk 3 miles, so I won't make my 12,019 steps today.
Food wise -- I ate well, but will probably be close on calories.
Not stressing over a medium/decent sort of day.

John

Jan 8, day 39

Today was the first day that I've come pretty close to my calorie target. Most days I come in well under. Today it was pretty close -- but still under.

I made my step goal and walked 4+ miles at a pretty brisk pace.
Just so you don't get the idea that I'm becoming a real fitness nut, I generally smoke a decent cigar while I'm walking.

My diet was good. I still need to work on more protein, but I'm pretty satisfied.

John

Jan 7, day 38

So my January 7 report comes on the morning of Jan 8.
I waited on purpose so that I could record my morning weight at 1 week into the new year. Maybe that wasn't the best idea since I gave myself a day off yesterday -- I didn't walk. I didn't make my step goal. I didn't track my calories. I ate some sweets. But it's okay. I deserved the day off.

248

I'm good with that.
The scale is moving again and I'm feeling better. The daily walk is getting back to being a habit that I feel good about. I need some new walking shoes. I think those are coming this week.
I haven't added any additional exercises yet, nor have I made it a point to get started earlier in the day.
No worries, though. It's working for me. Tracking calories and proteins/carbs/fats is a big step in moving towards being healthier and eating better.
Chris is on board for the healthier eating part. That's a big help.

So I'm minus 10 lbs in 38 days. Nothing earth shattering, but moving in the right direction.

Be well,
John

Jan 6, Day 37

Good day.
Hour or so of yard work, 3 mile walk, 12,019+ steps.
Good diet day -- fish tacos for lunch with a quinoa salad, left over tacos for dinner.
Had a few handfuls of nuts for snacks, and since I was doing well on calories I had a couple of chocolate macarons that were sent by a friend.

John

Jan 5, Day 36

249!
That's a good number!
-9 pounds in 36 days that included the holidays. I'll take it!

Today was a light exercise day with a shorter walk. I did some yardwork and will be doing more tomorrow. I just managed to get my steps in.

It was also a pretty light eating day so I came in well under my calorie allotment. It's not a bad thing, but I need to keep my protein intake up higher than it's been the past few days.

All in all, I'm pleased so far.

Be well,
John

Jan 4; day 35

Today was another decent day.

A 4 mile walk, 12,019+ steps, and below my daily calorie count.
Tomorrow morning is my weekly weigh-in. The last two days have been at or below 250 pounds, so expect the weigh-in to be around the 250 mark. This past week has been good.

John

Jan 3; day 34

End of day.
My calorie counter shows that I still have a couple hundred calories I can consume. I'm glad for the cushion today because eating out can be a lot of guessing. I think I am fairly realistic when estimating, but having the spare calories in the bank is nice.

I manged 4+ miles today on the walk and just topped my 12,019 step goal.
So far there's been no additional exercise.
I'll get to it.
Eventually.
Maybe.

Right now I'm just happy to be getting back to walking every day. I know it's not really much in the way of fitness, but it's better than parking my butt on the couch and I'll take it!

John

Jan 2

I'm not sure how the end of day posts are going to work. I didn't think about posting yesterday's results until after I was in bed. This morning (Jan 3) I'm posting under the title of Jan 2, since it's really yesterday's post.

It was another good day.
4 mile walk and under my total calories for the day.
Supper was a little heavy and high in fat, but I had the calories to spare so no real harm done.

I'm still not getting to the early morning exercise. It's a good thing I have the day to find the time for it later. I've been getting into a bad habit of staying up past midnight. I still get my sleep in, I just feel like I'm wasting daylight. I imagine that will change back to a more normal cycle when Chris goes back to work.

For the morning of Jan 3 (Day 34), the scale put me at -8 lbs. It's starting to move again!
And today's another day towards better health.

Be well,
John

January 1, 2019

sigh

My first of the year weigh-in was a little disappointing -- not surprising, just disappointing.
254. That means a net loss of just four pounds for December. The good news is the holidays are over and I'm off to a new month, with new goals.

For Day 1 of 2019, I'll make my goal of 12,019 steps. My phone app shows me 15 steps short right now, but I'll make that and more just going upstairs in a bit. Most of them came during my four mile walk. That's all the exercise I managed today, since it was a sleep in kind of morning.

Diet was good.
It was day 2 of logging food and calories and I came in well under for the day. My proportions were a little off from my goals. I'll probably go back to using a daily protein supplement to boost my protein when necessary.

It was a good day.
It was a good start.

John