A New Start

So, almost two years from when I first started my weight loss, I start again.  Today being day one.  However, there are a few changes to my program.  First off.  My ultimate goal was to get down to about 222 pounds or more accurately 215 pounds which would be one third less of me from when I started.  Before I go into my ‘new’ program, here is how I did before.

 

I started well for the first three or so months.  I did alright during the Christmas season, but I am sure I ate more than I should have, and though I did really good about not cheating, I think I may have had some Christmas candy that grandma sent.  I shouldn’t have, but I did.  But I still lost pounds through the month of December, 5, if I remember correctly.  I was doing alright going forward.  My cardio got to the point where I was running six to seven miles a day.  A normal day would have been five, but I often did more.  At which point some friends got wind and invited me to run on the ragnar relay team.  I wasn’t sure, but due to my goals, I figured it would help me go the right direction.  So I signed up.  However, I think that came to the detriment of my weight loss plan, as silly as it sounds.  I stopped focusing on my diet and cardio plan and started focusing on trying to prep myself for this run.  I would run more than I probably should have and started to not worry about my diet.  It went to show that you really need to stay focused, because even though I was doing excersize, I didn’t focus on the weight loss.  Well, suffice it to say that although I have continued on and off to excersize, my diet has taken a hit as I went back to eating the sweets and fat that I tried to get rid of. 

 

So now I start again, before the candy season starts.  Because I love candy.  Not just a little bit, but sometimes I just don’t know when to stop.  So, I just need to cut it out completely, which is probably better for me than having just a little any way.

 

Well, here are my rules.

Cardio 6 days a week.  1 hour a day.  It can be split into 2 or three different times if I have to.

Calories burned do not matter in that time.  However, I should be focusing on increasing my output as my body makes its improvements.

Lift Weights at least 4 days a week.  This will be structured with different muscles on different days.  Legs are included in this (because sometimes I don’t want to because I feel weakened before cardio).

Diet – eat small(er) portions.  Don’t have seconds.  No cookies or sweets for desert except on Saturday or Sunday, but only for desert and not as a snack.

Have healthy snacks throughout the day.  Apples, bananas, grapes, peaches, fruit, vegetables and maybe sometimes some lowfat crackers.  The key is to eat on these things rather than other high calorie items.  But, even with these, I need to be careful not to eat too much.

Eat regular.  Meaning, I am not (at this point) looking to eat fish or to weigh my chicken or the like.  The key is to make this a way of life and not something that is a short term fix for a long term problem.  If I have to weigh my food, I will not end up doing it forever.  Because I know I wouldn’t.  I am not going to set myself up to fail.

Write down how I did each day.  I don’t need to write everything I eat, because those are the details that make me lose.  I need to see the big picture.  Think about what I eat and add it up throughout the day.  However, write about it each day.  Even if it’s a quick note.  This keeps me at least thinking about it.

Get excited as I see the weight being lost.  Celebrate (but not with food)!

Weigh myself once a month.

Starting weight – 285 pounds (which means I have lost 37 pounds from the original start date, which is so much better than maintaining or gaining weight.

Goal – 245 pound by April 3, 2010.  40 pounds over six months (185 days)  (about .22 pounds per day or about 760 more calories expended each day than taken in).

If I make this goal, I will then be just over 20 pounds to take off from there.  At which point I will put into place the plan to lose those final pounds.

 

Please help me to reach this.  The more people reminding me the better.

 

Nathan