September 25th

So with less than a week left in the month of September I am basically where I was at the end of the first week. I guess it's a good thing I had a good first week!
I guess I need a more focused plan for October, and perhaps more reasonable goals. I'll take a few days to figure out what the October plan will be and post it by the weeks end.

John 

September 18

Oops!
I missed a weekly update. Maybe because I didn't have anything to really report and made little progress from the last update. With a dozen days remaining in the month I still have 8 pounds to lose to make it to 240 by the end of the month.
My week kind of sucked diet-wise and it showed. 

My overall activity was okay, but I have yet to establish any kind of exercise routine. 
The step tracker app on my phone is set with a daily goal of 7000 steps. I managed to average over that for the week, but actually only hit it on three days. The majority of my activity comes in the way of yard work and gardening. There is as much to do in the fall as there is in the spring when it comes to garden maintenance. Plus I'm building a new flowerbed along the front of the yard -- 96' by 4'. It's good work and I feel good about it, but I really should get around to the regular exercise thing.

I am hoping for a much better week on the diet side. It is my main focal point for now.

John

September 8

Well, it is one week into the September goal of losing weight and I am on track to reach my goal of weighing 240 pounds by the end of the month. In fact, I'm a little ahead of schedule. That's actually good because I tend to stall from time to time along the way. I was 250 at this morning's weigh in, so -8 pounds for the week. 
To be fair, the 258 from September 1st was probably a heavy day -- we all have them. I hadn't weighed in a little while, but was surprised that it was that high. Of course, even heavy days are usually only a pound or so off, so it's still a good week.

The area that I am not doing well in is getting regular exercise.
I have been pretty active, but I really do need to get in the habit of some regular exercise. Time certainly isn't the problem -- I have plenty of that. I just need to do it.

It's week two. Looking for 245 by the 15th.
Maybe I'll do better on the exercise thing.
Oh! And my bp is down a few points, too. I need that to stay of the meds.

John 

September 1

So the morning weigh-in was a little higher than I was expecting. It shouldn't have surprised me since I haven't been doing anything for the past two months since we got home from Mexico.
268
Damn

I'm going to modify my -20 pounds to reaching 240 (-18). 

After my morning quiet time, I'll walk to the Dollar General for a couple things that we need for dinner tonight. The DG is just less than 1.5 miles, so I'll get my walk in while it's still cool.

Here goes!

John

August 31

Well it is the final day of August and I see that I haven't written here since the first.
Tomorrow I will weigh-in, but I am not expecting much difference--maybe I've gained a couple of pounds. I don't really know.
I know that I haven't been exercising regularly nor paying close attention to my diet. 

That's about to change.
The oldest of my brothers (and the most health conscience) has enlisted us (the rest of the siblings) into his Set health/fitness goals for September and keep each other accountable program. Now I have to come up with some goals.

The biggie will be to lose 20 pounds in September. It's doable.
The rest of the goals will be what gets me there.
I'll go back to intermittent fasting, which is basically a fancy name for skipping breakfast and doing away with late night snacks. I won't count calories, but I will pay attention to the sweets like ice cream and chocolate and try to minimize the amount I consume. I'll also be limiting the beer I drink. Experience has taught me that beer drinking (even a pint per day) and weight loss don't work well together.

Exercise is something I need to figure out.
In general, I'm going to say 30 minutes at least 4 days per week.
It will probably include:
--some dumbbell exercises
--some body weight stuff like free squats and push-ups
--some daily stretching or yoga
--some weight machine work like lat pull-downs and rowing. (I'd like to be able to eventually do a fricken pull-up!)
and in addition to the 30 minutes of exercise --some daily walking.
I also have the exercise bands and ball that I just received from the Core Essentials Physical Therapy & Wellness drawing. 
I still need to make this part more specific.

Since I already have stuff planned for today, my September 1st 30 minute exercise might be to clean the basement room where the weight machine, dumbbells, aerobic fit rider, and stationary cycle are located. It will take way longer than 30 minutes.
There is also a Total Gym (the Chuck Norris machine) in the garage that Chris picked up from a friend last winter. It basically went from being unused in their neighbors garage to being unused in ours.

So...
Weigh-in day tomorrow
and get the basement ready for exercise.  

That's the plan.

John

August 1

I think it's pretty obvious that weight management and good health weren't taking up a great deal of thought in July since my last post was July 3rd!
I meant to weigh in the first thing this morning but didn't. When I checked my weight on Sunday (two days ago) it was just above the 250 mark, so basically no change in two months. I guess that's not entirely bad news, but it also isn't moving me forward in weight loss. I need for August to be a better month.

The hot weather has curbed my activity quite a bit. That can't be an excuse for weight management since I am that person that always says -- diet to control weight, exercise for better health.
My FB memories show that five years ago I was starting P90X with my daughter inlaw. I'm not going to be doing that this year, but I probably do need to begin some type of regular exercise. I'm starting a 40 day morning devotion/meditation time. It would be good to find a morning exercise or daily exercise time, as well.

And I really am going to have to watch the food intake. It's back to paying attention time!
Minus four pounds per week will put me at 235 by the end of the month. That's a very doable goal.

John

July 3

I'm calling it progress -- even though it really isn't.
I have made it back home at pretty much the same weight as when I left -- 248 lbs this morning.
I'm pretty sure that I ate and drank more when the kids were with us PV than when we were on our own since I lost a couple of pounds in the first week (they were in Hawaii), gained more than 5 pounds when they were home, and then lost most of what I had gained in the final week+ while they were in Europe and Africa.
I'm not blaming anyone for my poor eating/drinking habits; just an observation.

Now it's back to my normal life and getting back to my normal habits, or maybe I should say my new normal habits. The biggest loss from living in Puerto Vallarta for the month is going to be not walking as much. Sure, I could walk for exercise (and hopefully will), but there walking was simply transportation -- how you got from one place to another. The grocery store was around the block, most restaurants or breweries were only three or four blocks, the beach was a few blocks, even the homemade ice cream vendor was less than a half mile! 

I guess I could use the push mower on my whole lot rather than just the yard portion. That would be a few hours of walking every day and plenty of purposeful exercise!
No thanks!
I'm actually thinking of using the rider to do the yard today.

In any case, I'm back home and back to being focused on diet first, exercise second, and better health overall. I'm shooting for 230 by August 1st.

Time to get moving!

John

June 26

It's been eight weeks since my May 1st, heaviest weight ever weigh-in of 270 pounds.
Through the first six weeks I managed to lose a bit over 20 pounds, Week seven I added back four pounds, and I've spent the last week getting back down to 250 and will take that as a win. Hopefully I can remain neutral or maybe lose a couple of pounds this last week in Mexico and make it home at a lower weight than when I left. 

In the many years of losing and gaining weight I have learned that it is more difficult to lose weight when beer is a regular part of your diet. In the entire month of May I think I had two beers. In June, I think I've had at least two beers on most days. I think anytime a large amount of calories comes from drinking rather than eating, weight loss is going to be more difficult.

Not being at home has been good in that there are no easily available snacks at any time of day or night. I really have been eating better and exercising a little every day. I've reached my daily step goal every day but one since being here. The one missed day was intentional as I was giving an irritated tendon a day of rest. Getting steps in is easy when walking is the main mode of transportation. Walking at home has to be more purposeful and is more like exercise than going out to eat dinner or to pick up a few things at a neighborhood grocery store.
Keeping up daily activity shouldn't be difficult. There is always plenty to do around the property. 

For this week--
I'm going to cut back on the liquid calories and try to drop five pounds by next Monday. It will only be minus five pounds for the entire month, but considering that I've kind of been on vacation -- I'll take it.

John

June 12

It's been six weeks since that 270 pound (122.5 kg) weigh-in at home -- my heaviest ever.
Although I don't have the same analog, spring scale from home, the kids have a digital scale and it shows me at 248.8 pounds (113 kg) as of this morning. That's minus 21 pounds (9.5 kg) for the six weeks. 
Yay me!

I am hopeful that I will continue to lose some weight while away from home. It does help that I don't have easy access to snacking without having to go out and buy something. It doesn't help that I am eating out more often. At least Mexican dinner portions are not as huge as the typical restaurant portions in the US.

I've been getting my daily steps in (6 of the past 7 days) and exercising (a little) daily by the pool. I'll be losing pool access for the next week or so since we'll be moving to a nearby AirBnb. I don't see that as too big of a deal. I'm still an -- eat for weight management, exercise for good health -- kind of believer. 

On to week 7!

John

June 5

It's been five weeks since beginning this latest round of I can't keep living life as a fat old guy.
I don't have a scale to check my weight this morning (and won't have for the next four weeks), but I was at 252 pounds before leaving yesterday. That's -18 pounds for the first five weeks.

I'll be going the next four weeks sans scale, but hope to keep to a good diet and stay active enough to continue the weight loss. 
Activity might be a bit of a problem this week as the travel day seemed to really take a toll on my Achilles tendon issue. I iced it well last night, but will be taking it easy for the next few days in hopes of some recovery. I am pretty sure that the problem is coming from some heel spurs that cause inflammation when I walk too much or even sit in a way that aggravates the tendon.

I'll take a short walk to the store to pick up a few things for the week and maybe spend most of the day reading by the pool. I might grab a cigar while I'm out and enjoy that while reading. Mostly, today will be like any other day in the life of retired John -- sit outside, relax, enjoy, be thankful.

John

May 29

255
That's minus 15 pounds since the beginning of the month. I'm going to do some serious fasting and controlled eating over the coming 6 days. I'd really like to be at 250 pounds by the time I leave for Mexico  next Sunday. I might have to skip those sweet cherries in the new cherry limeade with tequila summer drink this week. 

Snacking has been a bit of an issue this past week. I like nuts or jerky and they are good low carb snacks, but not necessarily low calorie snacks -- especially the nuts, too many fat calories. I'll need to be more careful about that or just skip snacking entirely.

In addition to dropping some weight, my blood pressure is starting to come down a little, as well. I have an annual physical coming up the first week of July and I need it to be lower than the high side of borderline like it's been. So far I've managed to make it without any daily meds and I'd really like to keep it that way. I'm fairly healthy for a fat guy!

Heading into week 5 with hope and determination...

John

May 22

Today is a good day!
I feel like I'm back on track.
After a really good start to the month, I somehow got off track for a few days and lost some ground. This week has been another consistently good diet week and I am back to losing weight and feeling good.

This  morning's scale check was at 258. That's minus 12 pounds for the first three weeks of May. If I can keep this up for the next two weeks, I'll be at minus 20 pounds by the time I head for Mexico in June. I realize that 250 isn't beachbody ready for me, but I am back on the right track and feeling good about it.

John

May 15

Well, F#*k!
A slight course reversal after a couple of indulgent, and sedentary days.
Back to it this week. Still -5 pounds for the month. Losing 20 for the month just got tougher.

John

May 8

One week later and -6 lbs.

I didn't keep up with the daily walks. A recovering Achilles tendon is holding me back. I may have to try some time on the stationary bike or actual bicycle instead.
I did limit myself to two beers.
And I did pass on the ice cream for dessert.
I was much more intentional about my diet.

I'm going to need to do the same this week.
Yard activity is helping. I'll get plenty of steps in today while using a push mower on about an acre of lawn, adding about 200 lbs of soil to some flower beds, and other general yard work. 
Yeah, that tendon will be screaming by days end.
Ice and elevation will be my relief.

I don't know if 250 is an unreasonable goal by June 1. It's another 14 pounds in 24 days and a total of 20 pounds in a month. It's definitely doable. Reasonable is really dependent on my own state of mind. There were two days this past week that I ate more than a dieting person would normally eat (but still less than a normal day for me). Overall, I'm okay with that. I don't know how that plays out in the losing weight by June plan.

On to week two!

John

May 5

I didn't share my May 1st post on any of my social media platforms. Not sure if I'll be sharing this either.
I haven't kept up with the daily exercise, but have made my daily step goal 3 of the 4 days. Day 2 was an overnight volunteer night so I spent most of the day sleeping.

Diet wise I have been really low carbing it. I've also been doing well at reducing my intake without the calorie counting. A midweek scale check did show me down from the 1st, but either day could be one of those heavy or light days. I'm just going to work at keeping it consistently on a downward trend.
I do want to keep an eye on the electrolytes and hydration as cramping sometimes is an issue when I start restricting food intake. 
I had a small piece of cake at a birthday celebration, but no other sweets, and I've had a little bit of alcohol, but no beer. 
What I'm doing is pretty maintainable as a way of life, I just need to make it my lifestyle instead of a weightloss thing.

John

May 1 -- and I'm fat.

Damn
May 1st and I'm fat.
That's it. 
I'm pretty healthy for a fat guy - no diabetes, no bp meds, no anxiety or depression meds. I've got some seasonal allergies, a little arthritis, and I'm terribly out of shape, but other than that I am doing okay. 
But damn, I'm fat. 

If you know me, you know that I've lost lots of weight before. It's not like I don't know how to do it and to do it well. I just haven't done it lately. 

I need a mental reset as much as a change in diet and activity habits. It's just under 5 weeks until I'm headed for the beach. While that isn't enough time to get beachbody ready, it is enough time to make a good start at getting a good start at it.

This week --
Walk every day
No ice cream
No more than two beers for the week

That's my week 1 plan.
Simple enough.

I'm sure that I'll do more than that, but I need a base to keep me thinking about eating better and exercising a little bit. 
Here I go!

John

March 1

Hmmm...
Apparently if you don't really do anything to promote weight loss, you don't lose any weight!
Yeah, at least I haven't put any back on. I'm still at the same 260.

It was a decent day outside, so I decided to walk to the nearest store for a few things today. The Dollar General is just under 1.5 miles away. I added enough on the return trip to make it 3.14 miles. Maybe I should have celebrated with some pie (pi, see what I did there?).
With the walk and some additional errands and activity I managed to top 10,000 steps for the day.
It's only one day, but it's a start in the right direction.

John

February 16

I missed yesterday's weekly weigh-in. This morning I checked in at the same 260 as last week. That's not too surprising since I really didn't do much to promote weight loss.

Yesterday I took advantage of the nice day to get out and walk a couple of miles. It's pretty windy, wet, and cold today so I'll need to figure out something else if I'm going to make exercise a regular thing. I did download a step counter app onto my phone since I broke the watchband on my smartwatch and haven't been wearing it for a week or so. I always get plenty of steps when I work at the shelter, but I think that falls under activity rather than exercise. Still...activity is a good thing.

I think I'll step it up this week (pun intended) and see if I can't make up for the zero of last week.
Here we go ... again!

John

February 8th

One week into February and still on track at 260 pounds; that's -2 pounds for the first week and -8 for the year. I did a little exercise early in the week, but still need to work on making it a habit. I'm still pretty comfortable being comfortable and need to work on getting uncomfortable. Winter is a difficult time since I am more likely to get exercise by activity, like the spring/summer working in the yard, than by something like running, walking, working out, etc., etc.

It's cold and raining in the Ozarks today, so maybe I'll make my way downstairs to the stationary cycle or treadmill today - maybe not.
In thinking back to my original 60+ pound loss several years ago, I lost the first 20 pounds pretty much by diet alone and didn't start exercising until my weight was down enough to be mobile without as much discomfort or threat of injury. I'm not saying that I'll do that again. It's just something I'm remembering.

I really do need the exercise for the health part and I don't need to wait when there are so many options like yoga, tai chi, or simply walking. I'm trying to change my perspective from a weightloss journey to a good health journey - healthy foods, healthy activities.

It's February, week 2.
Here we go!

John

February 1st

So I begin February at 262 - a whole 6 pounds lighter than I began January.  I did hit 260 a few days ago. Maybe it was a light day, or maybe today is a heavy day. Sometimes it's like that.
I can't really be too disappointed in the small weightloss because I didn't really do anything other than be aware of my need to drop some weight and have some good intentions to do so. For February I need to be more purposeful. 
Just a couple of years ago I would dress for the cold weather and walk in the winter. These days I'm just not feeling it. I need to make good use of the stationary cycle, treadmill, and other equipment that we have in the basement to get some activity during these colder months. 

I'm still an advocate of "eat to control weight and exercise for better health" or "you can't out exercise a poor diet," so a little more food control is also on the platter (so to speak). That philosophy actually works out better for me and losing weight since I'm to the point that controlling diet is easier than getting into a regular fitness routine. Don't get me wrong - I'm still in need of the exercise for the fitness part. I'm just saying that's the more difficult part for me.

28 days
-2 pounds per week
254 by March

Here we go!

John

Mid January

I guess I should report that my Jan 16 weigh-in (I missed on the 15th) was the same as the prior week.
I kind of sucked at the activity part. Food-wise wasn't too bad and I managed not to gain any weight back. Unfortunately, maintaining the status quo at this point isn't a good thing. 
I am shooting for below 260 by Feb 1. That is a pretty reasonable and attainable goal - 4 more pounds in two weeks, minus 8 total for the month.

John

F is for f#@k (and for fat)

Yeah it has been a while since I've focused on the whole Healthy Living thing and I've been stuck in the unhealthy guy part. I started the year at 28 pounds more than I began 2022 and at my highest weight (you can read fattest) ever.

Damn! It is time to get serious about bringing it down before it causes some real problems. 
So this past week --

     I started by purposely waiting to begin consuming calories each day (modified intermittent fasting)
     I started by cutting back on the snacking.
     I started being a little more active.
     I started drinking more water.

I am starting slowly because I'm not new to this game and I know myself. Starting slowly and building is way better than going at it hard and quitting. I also know that it is easier to lose weight at the beginning and it doesn't take much effort to encourage me to do more. 
Having said that (and realizing that my Jan 1 weight may have been a heavy day), I am down 4 pounds at my Jan 8 weigh-in. 

Realist that I am, I expect to do a little more this week and probably lose a little less.
I am trying to avoid calorie counting and strictly monitoring food intake, but I am also aware of how effective that is for me and keeping it as an option.

John