August 28

This morning's scale read at 252, that's minus 10 pounds for the month with four days to go. Two more pounds would be nice, (and is doable) but I'm not going to stress over it. If I pay close attention to what I'm eating for the rest of the month, I should be okay.
Yesterday was a good day--for both diet and activity. I just need to do that for the next four days. Then I'll worry about September goals.

I've been more careful about sweets. I've been sticking to a frozen mixed berry smoothie as a go-to substitute for ice cream. I can add protein for a meal substitute or not for an evening snack. Sometimes I splurge and add a little chocolate syrup. I had a deep fried pork tenderloin sandwich this past week. High on fat calories, but oh so good! All-in-all, I'm just trying to maintain some sort of balance without making healthier eating an unenjoyable (and unsustainable) chore.

I'll be back on Sept 1, with the month end/beginning weigh-in and new monthly goals.

Be well,
John

August 24

So, I didn't lose any weight last week even though I had lost a pound or so at my midweek weight check. The weekend road can do that. I'll have to be more diligent this week if I'm going to end August where I started July.
I need to work in something simple in the way of exercise for September. We'll continue with the daily walks, but I need to add something else. Gotta get rid of this gut and get to feeling better physically. I don't feel bad, but I don't feel good, either.

I plan to make today a mini-fast day, maybe a late fresh fruit and protein shake and one meal this afternoon or evening. I need to end the month well.

John

August 22

I was away from home this weekend so I missed my Sunday morning weigh-in. I am home now and debating about whether or not I should weigh-in tomorrow morning (Monday). It wasn't a particularly good weekend as far as healthy eating and activity go. It wasn't too bad, but I did over indulge a bit.

sigh
I guess it's all a part of the overall life. I'll probably do it. I might not report it here if it turns out to be too bad.

It is supposed to be a HOT week here -- 96f, 97f, 97f (35.5c, 36.1c) for Monday-Wednesday!
I may have to put off the yard work and figure out some other activity for the week. Heat indices at 105 and 106 degrees! That's some crazy heat for SWMO. It may be enough just to water the plants for the next few days. I may not even be out here on the deck after my morning coffee. 

We will see.

Stay cool,
John 

August 15; Progress...well, sort of.

After two weeks of waking up as heavy as I've ever been, I've managed to drop another 4 pounds. As much as I'd like to celebrate this morning's 254 lb. (115.2 kg) weigh-in, I need to remember that it is still 4 lbs. more than I was just seven weeks ago. The last thing I want to do is to get comfortable being the fat guy I was comfortable being in the past.
My initial hope was to end August where I started July, losing the 12 lbs. I gained in that terrible month! I should be able to do that and a bit more. September will begin the real work of reformation.

Yesterday was another active day, but no morning walk. I moved over 500 bricks--loading them onto a trailer, transporting them home, then unloading and stacking them for a future yard project. It wasn't a lot of work and it wasn't strenuous; more time consuming than anything--just activity.

There will be no morning walk today, either. It's Sunday and we'll be getting ready for church. I'll be digging in the yard later in the day. I've got a few more plants to place. If you've ever tried to dig in SWMO during August yo know it's like trying to dig in concrete. I used a heavy steel breaker bar and a posthole digger the other day and it took more than an hour to dig holes for just four plants.

Day by day.
Looking for a healthier me.

John

August 14

It's been a good week. Activity level is good. We walked every morning except one and I've been getting a little yardwork done in spite of the heat. I've managed 10,000 steps everyday except the day we skipped the walk. This morning we're skipping the walk again, but will be doing some other physical work in its place.
Still no regular exercise plan other than the short (2 miles) morning walk.

Diet has been good and I expect that tomorrow's weekly weigh-in will show a slight improvement. I'll be pleased with -2 lbs. but have to admit that I'm hoping for more.

Something that I haven't really mentioned in the past--sleep--is something that also impacts good health and weight loss. I have been sleeping well and get at least 6 hours or more every night. Many nights I get a bonus cycle and have a 7.5 hour night.

Be well, 
John

August 10

Yesterday was a good day -- good diet day, and good activity day.
Chris has decided that we need to begin each day with a two-mile (3.2km) walk. We also had a shorter walk at the end of the day. In addition to my walking steps, I was busy working in the yard and racked up over 13,000 steps (6+ miles) for the day.

Overall calorie intake was down, but I did supplement my protein intake with a frozen peach and protein smoothie in the evening.

I'm hoping to keep the momentum of a good first week and build on it. The daily walk is a good addition to my routine. (We were out again early this morning.) It isn't a lot, but it is something.
It's hot today and I may skip the yardwork since we have midday dentist appointments. Tomorrow will also be hot, but I'll be able to start earlier.

Be well, 
John

August 8: One week, -4 lbs.

Two things need to be said here.
1. Some days we weigh heavy and some days we weigh light.
2. Losing weight in the beginning is usually easier than later in the process.

It could be that last Sunday was a heavy day. You have to know that when I looked at the new record high weight, I stepped off the scale, checked to make sure it zeroed out correctly, and tried it again,...and again. The weight on that day was legit.

I didn't make any wholesale changes this week. Mostly I just cut out some garbage and ate less. I was fairly active a couple of days, but nothing out of the ordinary. I have been trying to be more aware of staying properly hydrated. 

Going from my new high of 262 pounds to my old high of 258 in a week seems a little unusual, but I'm going to take it! I certainly do not expect to lose 4 pounds per week while doing what I'm doing, but as the weight drops and I feel more healthy, I'm sure that I'll be more likely to take on more activity.

John

August 5

I had a good diet day yesterday. My over indulgence was having a second beer while barbequing some drumsticks for dinner. Still no exercise, but a good day none the less.

My new treat is taking frozen fruit (so far it's been strawberries or peaches), adding some milk, and mixing it in our Vita-Mix. It makes a shake or something like soft serve ice cream depending on how thick I make it. I've been using fruit we bought locally and froze ourselves, but will be fine buying frozen mixed berries or other frozen fruit. It makes for a nice, no added sugar treat that I don't feel bad about indulging in. Sometimes I add a couple of scoops of protein powder to use it as a meal substitute. 

I still haven't been logging foods or counting calories. I'm putting that off in hopes that I can find a diet lifestyle that I can sustain without having to keep logging everything. I may do it if I'm not seeing results in a few weeks.

John

August 4

Yesterday wasn't a bad day. I need to work on moving my large meal to earlier in the day. I'd feel better about the large calorie meal at breakfast or lunch and going lighter at dinner. There is something to the old adage, "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper."
Today's breakfast is a three egg omelet with cheddar cheese and salsa. It's a pretty poor kingdom!

I decided to use the push mower on the yard part of the lawn. It was 6 miles of walking. I'm glad it was a relatively cool day. There is still plenty of yardwork to do to keep me active, but still no exercise plan.

John

August 2

As in most self-destructive behaviors, admitting you have a problem with poor diet is the first step to correcting it. Although I do include my share of junk foods, my main issue is with overeating. I'm not talking about stuffing myself on a daily basis, just eating more than I need to eat. Over time, I've stored up enough calories to feed a small family for a week!

I had a serving of potatoes yesterday, and a serving (27 pieces) of Cheez-it crackers. Other carbs were primarily from fresh fruits and vegetables. The Cheez-its were the only processed food.
Along with watching the how much part of what I'm eating, I'm really going to watch the processed foods. If it comes in a box or bag, chances are I'm going to pass. I know there will be exceptions to that, but it's a guide that I'll be using frequently.

This morning's breakfast will be a cup of frozen peaches, a cup of milk, and two scoops of whey protein powder blended into a nice protein shake. I'll add some cinnamon and maybe some chia seeds. Yeah, I know--the protein is processed, but it's an exception I'm willing to make. I don't know what the rest of the day holds. I'll play it as it comes along.

Over the past decades, I've done this often enough to know how my body reacts to eating or not eating certain foods. The real key for me is to overcome the pleasure of eating good tasting foods and just eating what I need to function well. It's the old--eat to live, not live to eat--battle. And it's a daily struggle--for sure!

I haven't figured out the exercise part yet. For today it will be more about activity rather than exercise. I'll get that part figured out. For now, I'm going to start with the diet.

John

August 1, 2021: Ugh!

Ugh!
This morning I stepped on the scale and was at the heaviest I have ever been.
Yes, I have regained the 60 pounds (27.2 kg) that I lost several years ago and added a few pounds to boot!

262
Sacrebleu! That's a big ass ol' boy!
I've get to get this figured out in my head so that I can work a plan to get healthy. Fortunately, I don't have any underlying health issues. I'm just fat.
And lazy.
Ugh!

Here we go again...

John