July 31

I ate a little later than planned yesterday, but still had a good day. I was well below my calorie limit. I did a midweek scale check this morning since five weeks from today is the next interim goal. I'm pretty much right on target. That's not going to allow for much room for cheat days unless I build them in with a couple of really good days. Steady and consistent seems to be the best plan and five weeks isn't too long to do that since I'm not that restrictive to begin with.

My current BMI is 31.2 (30 is considered obese). My September 5th goal of 220 pounds will put my BMI at 29.8 and I'll move from being obese to overweight.

I haven't been feeling the exercise/activity thing lately. Maybe I just need to start by doing something. My friend Ben says that movement is motivation (or something like that). Basically, just get started. I guess it's a kind of exercise inertia that keeps you going from there. He's done an Ironman, so I guess he might know something about exercise inertia.

Time to move.

Be well,

John

July 30

Diet was on target.

Not a lot of activity.

I'm still working on some morning stretching. I need to see a chiropractor. I think my hips are out of alignment and it's been causing muscle spasms in my low back for a couple of weeks now. That's been a big part of the lower activity level.

I should probably just put the anti-gravity table together and take care of it myself. Maybe this weekend.

Going with a later and longer fast today with a shorter eating period. That will make for a pretty low calorie day.

Be well,

John

July 29

A good day.

I kept under the calorie limit and managed a little activity -- morning stretching, afternoon walk, 7500 steps.

Still can't get into a routine.

The struggle is real.

My regular breakfast (fruit additions vary)

Be well,

John

July 28

I started back on track with a meatless Monday and kept my calorie count on target for the day. One of the features of the app is that as you close the day's log, it gives you - ''If everyday were like today in 5 weeks you would weigh ..."

Yesterday it gave me 221.5. That would give me just 4 days to lose the 1.5 pounds to meet my next interim goal. I am definitely going to have to get active.

Yesterday was not an active day. 

Today needs to be.

Be well,

John

July 27

So it's been a couple of weeks.

I haven't been keeping up with my daily food log and I haven't been very active. Although, not logging food, I've still been aware of what and how much I'm eating.

Today's weigh-in was 232, so I'm still on target for 220 by Sept 5; I'm just not going to be able to give myself as much slack as I have over the past couple of weeks. 2 pounds per week is doable, but I'll be back to daily accountability to keep myself on target.

Be well,

John

July 13

It's been a few days. For the past couple of days I've been dealing with muscle spasms in my lower back. It appears that I'll get to deal with that again today. I'm typing this while standing up since standing up or lying down are the only comfortable positions I can find. 

Enough about that. Nobody wants to hear of someone else's discomfort. We all have our own life situations to deal with.

This morning's weigh-in ended up being the same as last week. I don't see that as a big deal. I did have a couple of not so disciplined diet days and have been relatively inactive. This week will be better.

I thought I'd share my morning muesli mix. 

5 cups of rolled oats

1 bag of mixed raw nuts

1 bag of dried mixed berries

8 tbsp chia seeds

If you are an Aldi shopper, you'll recognize the brands as Aldi brands.

A half cup of this is 199 calories with 29.2g of carbs, 7g of fat, and 5.5g of protein.

I typically eat it cold with milk and usually add some fresh fruit. I have used Greek yogurt instead of milk, and have added hot water for a hot cereal breakfast.

This was yesterday's bowl with strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

Be well,

John

July 9

This morning's midweek scale check looked good. I managed a little light exercise this morning and a short walk.

I'll end the day at around 7000 steps.

I am well below the daily calorie goal so I had a small bowl of black cherry frozen yogurt.

John

July 8

Late plans to meet friends for lunch changed my morning work plans, so I didn't get much activity in today. I did spend a little time with a couple of exercises on the weight machine and walked the property perimeter. I'll end the day with around 4,000 steps.

I ate a large lunch, including appetizers -- pretty much my daily allotment. I have enough calories left for a light meal or decent snack. If I'm going to keep my eating to within eight hours (a typical IF day) I'll need to do that soon.

Back to yard work tomorrow and maybe a midweek morning weight check.

Be well,

John

July 7

I decided I'm going to post at the end of the day rather than in the morning. I like that my daily diary post is on the same day that I'm posting about, plus I think it will work better for my mornings.

I got my activity in early today with a little yard work. It was nice to get it in before it got very hot. It was humid enough without the higher temps. I'll end the day with around 5000 steps, but I'm okay with that today.

It may be the same tomorrow. Right now I am more concerned with activity over exercise, so that works. Besides, I have plenty of work on 5 acres of property to keep me active for many days!

Diet-wise I'll finish around 100 calories below my daily target. I had to watch the volume as I included some high fat, high calorie foods. (The unhealthy guy part of the blog title is a real thing.)

Be well, 

John

July 6; simple steps for the undisciplined

Monday morning weigh-in is 234 pounds. That's minus 24 pounds in the ten weeks since 4/22. 

I'm no dietitian and I'm obviously not a health expert. I had ice cream (twice) yesterday and regularly eat crap that no healthnut would touch. I am in terrible shape, have no regular exercise plan, and can't even force myself to walk daily most of the time.

So how does an undisciplined, unhealthy guy lose 24 pounds in ten weeks?

*I eat less. I pretty much eat what I want, but I eat less of it.

*I track my calories and know how many calories I need to stay below to lose two pounds per week. Although I don't restrict fats or carbs, I know when I'm consuming them and have a pretty good idea of how they'll make me feel. I also pay attention to when I'm eating.

*I utilize intermittent fasting (fast 16/eat 8) three or four days per week.

*And although it is irregular, I do try to manage some physical activity on most days.

That's pretty much it.

I understand how you might need some time to get your head into the idea of weight loss or fitness. I'm that way too. While your working on that, try doing just one thing to position yourself for success. Download a calorie counting app or a step tracking app. I use My Fitness Pal. There are many available. You won't even have to use it ... today. Just get familiar with it.

Simple steps for the undisciplined.

Be well,

John

July 5

Last week was a really poor week as far as activity goes. Fortunately, I pretty much kept to my regular diet, even though I was much less disciplined about keeping my daily log. In keeping with my belief of "Eat for weight management. Exercise for good health," a scale check this morning showed me on track for a steady weekly loss.

Hopefully, the coming week will show an improvement on the daily activity.

It's the first full week of the 2nd half of 2020. Let's make it full of good, healthy choices.

Be well,

John

July 4

I've been lazy about logging food this week. I need to get back to being more disciplined about that.

Low activity yesterday. Too hot and humid.

And mostly too lazy.

I'm going to be more focused on diet this weekend. 

Be well, 

John

July 3

I see that I missed posting yesterday. I had a good day Wednesday, not so great on Thursday.

Thursday I pretty much took the day off. I don't have any plans for the holiday weekend so I should be okay as far as the diet goes. 

A midweek weight check was good yesterday morning, so I'm back on track to make my next interim goal in a couple of months.

Have a grand weekend.

Be well, 

John

July 1

I ended June with a good day -- moderate activity, good diet.

I had just over 6000 steps, and moved a little rock to start filling a small water runoff gully in the field.

Diet-wise I was again below target.

For those that struggle with weight and dieting, I want you to know that I get that. I am not a well disciplined "dieter." I really need to get my head into dieting. What has helped me is a change in perspective.

We all have a diet. Your diet is simply what you eat and drink.

I am not on a diet. I am just purposefully managing my diet. Although I use a food log that includes calories, you can find a number of other ways to manage your diet.

I don't have anything that is forbidden. I'm not a low carb guy, but am aware of sugars, added sugars, and the effects that sugar has on the way I feel. I've done the keto thing in the past and lost a lot of weight, but it's not a sustainable way of eating for me. I would do better as a vegan or vegetarian than I would on a lifetime keto plan -- but I'm not doing that either.

By keeping a log, I am aware of what I'm consuming.

By paying attention to how I feel, I am more aware of the effects that different foods and drinks have on my body and can make future choices based on that information.

I know what intermittent fasting feels like.

I know what long term fasting feels like. (I've done 3,5, and 7 day fasts)

I know what overeating feels like.

What works for me, may not work for you, but if you're looking for a place to start it might help.

Feel free to comment or share what works for you. I'm no dietitian. I just know what works for me.

Read. Do a little research. Experiment with different methods. And use some common sense.

Be well,

John