Weeks 4 and 5

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.  ~Plato

Weekly Goals

1500 Calories

33-50 g Fat

150 min. Moderate Exercise

Good news everyone! I've dropped 10lbs. since 1/24 and am back under 200lbs. again! However, this is a weight I usually hit every year. I'm now at what I like to refer to as my "Summer Weight." As in, by mid-summer, I usually weigh this much.  Given that it's the end of February, I am far ahead of my yearly schedule. The key to my success so far has been how close I have monitored my food intake. I eat in a much more regulated (portioned) manner.  If I eat a piece of cake and ice cream (like I did this week), then that caloric intake needs to be accounted for. One thing I didn't anticipate is how much it would prevent me from ordering take out food. It's easier to show self-control when there isn't a mountain of readily accessible food in front of you.  As a result, I do more meal planning to prevent the urge to take the easy road and order take-out for dinner.

This is Ugli Fruit. It's a grapefruit, tangerine, orange hybrid. It's also delicious.

I still see this program as behavioral modification and not as a diet.  For instance, I eat a lot more fruits and vegetables. I haven't done the math, but I may actually be getting the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Another thing I've started to do is to look for turkey cutlets in the store as a way to change up the meal from tofu and chicken without the alternative being red meat.  Giant Eagle now carries Natures Basket turkey cutlets and I was thrilled to see this. I was nudged towards organic food and I've come to prefer it when possible so I was glad to see this as an option. 

I'm already halfway to the program's goal of a 10% body weight reduction (190lbs.).  At the tail end of summer, I tend to hit this so my goal is to get my weight into the 180s.  However, getting there isn't the tricky part.  The tricky part is staying there. I was 179lbs. in 2005, but I inched my way back up (thanks to red solo cups of beer and pastas).  

One last thing.... my dog got a haircut this weekend. Usually, he goes from a fluff ball to a lean gentle giant. I switched him to a much better diet due to food alergies. Combine that with not enough long walks and he's really started to pack on the pounds.  Because my exercise goal will eventually be 300 minutes/week, I'll be doing a LOT more dog walking. I intend to slim down the pup while I'm working on me. I have an alternate goal for pup #2. I intend to refine some of her on-leash manners.

These goals won't be easy to meet, but any goal worth setting should always a challenge.

Weigh-in Weight: 199lbs.