Fourty weeks! Though I didn’t manage to weigh in every single week for the last forty weeks, I did manage to do so for over 25 of them. I really can not believe that we’ve hit the forty week mark already.
This week was a fairly good diet and exercise week. I wish I had done a little better in the “eating department” since I did have a few onion rings and mozzarella sticks the other night. Hey, when you buy a new deep fryer what else are you supposed to do? But I managed to get to the gym on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (just played some basketball), and last night I played basketball for about four hours. There is no doubt that without exercise I would never have lost any weight over the last forty weeks.
Today I weighed in at 194.1 pounds! That means I lost another 1.8 pounds from last week.
For me this is a huge success. Here’s why. I haven’t had three-consecutive good weigh-ins since September of 2006. That means that I have not lost weight for three weeks in a row in 24 weeks (which was Week Sixteen by the way)! Right after that was when Eliza and I went to Hershey Park (which kept me from losing an ounce) and then shortly thereafter moved into our new apartment. Due to my routine being completely thrown out, and the weather slowly getting colder and colder, over the course of the next 20 weeks I managed to gain back 13.4 pounds. So for me, recording three weeks of consecutive weight loss is a huge triumph and the stopping of a trend that has plagued me for far too long.
The more I examined this the more I came to realize a few things. Perhaps I’m finally “settled” in our new place. I’m comfortable enough to get into, and build, good routines rather than feeling out of place. The other realization would be that in twelve weeks we will be hitting the first anniversary of the diet. An entire year of diet and exercise. I think week forty is the perfect week to jump back on and ride it out to hit that first year mark with some good results. Results that you’d be happy with after having dieted for an entire year. For me, I’d love to hit and maintain 180 for at least an entire month before we hit the one-year mark. That’d be my success story for year one. Technically I should hit that mark in seven weeks, giving me a one week margin for error. Exciting times ahead!
If you are considering going on a diet, I suggest you take a quick look at the last forty weeks that I’ve dieted to see how a diet can go. Overall it seems like most diets are rather rocky and full of peaks and valleys that could easily discourage you (they did me, there is no doubt they will again). But I look back at my first weigh in and realize that I am really happy that for the rest of my life I will more than likely never see it on the scale under my feet again. I may see my weight rise and fall, and obviously it slowly went up for 20 weeks in a row, but I am determined to never let that happen again. Perhaps the next time I peak it will be over a 12 week period, and then the next 6 until eventually I’m able to only fluctuate a few pounds (which every healthy person on the planet does).
But please learn from everyone’s experiences that diets do not happen quickly. They never end! They are not wrapped up in a pill or a surgery (though for those who have had them they face all types of new challenges). Silver-bullet diets are not found on DVDs or on the back-page of a gossip magazine. Celebrities should not be your role models when wanting to lose weight, your peers should be. There is no perfect time to start one, so you might as well start now.
Thanks to everyone that has given me encouragement and has shared their story. I look forward to hitting the one year mark with good results to report.
[tags]diet, the-diet, weigh-in, exercise, food, gym, basketball, eliza devroe, theme parks, hershey park, pennsylvania[/tags]
5 Comments
Good job, man. I’m all for trying to get back into the swing of things. Since the beginning of the year, I’m down about five pounds myself, but it’s difficult. Working 55 hour weeks at work and then putting in another 20 hours a week on my own projects makes it hard, yet I’ve been managing to keep it steady at around 207. Not great, but not terrible.
Lately, I’ve been very dehydrated. I suspected it myself, and the doctor confirmed it for me. I know it’s loaded with sugar, but I’ve been drinking Gatorade (while watching the calories in it), along with water, and I’m making progress in getting myself back to where I should be.
I’ve been eating less– usually just lunch, plus something small for breakfast, like a granola bar, and a small snack in the evening, and not making much progress.
I’ve identified a few things that will help me in the coming weeks:
1. Spring. I’m dying to take a bike ride, even if I will be dodging traffic in New York.
2. Band Madness. Once this launches, I’ll have a lot more time to actually take those bike rides.
3. Staying fully hydrated. I need to actually remember to drink water all day long at work. When you’re dehydrated, you’re body’s not working to its fullest potential.
4. Hard work. Not having time sounds like an excuse, but I’ll have to make the time. Part of that involves leaving the office before 10:30 at night. That’ll be much more possible in a few weeks.
Here goes nothing…
You are so right about the whole magazine diets. Man do those annoy me. The longer you keep to any type of routine the easier it gets (that whole habit thing) just make yourself stick to that routine for a month or longer and it will get to be second nature.
Looking forward to see you succeed in hitting that 180 mark Colin.
Chris: Dude!! You gotta eat!! And drink water but more importantly eat! If you don’t eat your metabolism slows down and your body stores fat.
Instead of eating 3 small meals have 5 or 6 small meals. Have a breakfast bar or something for breakfast, your granola bar mid-morning, a lunch, another granola bar mid-afternoon, supper and an evening snack (another granola bar if you want). Just keep your body fueled so it keeps working.
I’m impressed with your stamina on this diet you’ve gone on. I’m hitting a peak of unfitness right now and I’m already starting my own diet which I can only hope will last 40 months. Well done! You can definetly consider yourself a motivating factor in subliminally convincing me to start my own diet with your 40 weeks of diet posts. Thanks.
Good job, Colin. I am restarting the diet this week. Not sure if I should count it as week 41 or week 1 though since I am back to square one.
Chris: You gotta drink water, and follow Mike’s eating advice. My parents eat 1 meal a day (because they are crazy) and although they will lose weight over time, it is not a healthy way to lose weight. Mike’s diet is by far the “best” way that I’ve seen to lose weight, keep it off, and remain very healthy.
Mike: You too have done a great job.
Zach: Get on the boat.
Troy: Whether you succeed or fail, it is still the same diet. I say count it as week 41 because this diet will never “start over”.
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