“Ugh.”
That is what I feel every morning I wake up and step onto the scale.
I have been failing in my….attempt, to lose weight. I hesitate to use the word “attempt”, because I don’t know if what I have and have not been doing, meets the definition of the word.
I am currently at 337.0 lbs, as of 7:00 AM this morning. 40 years old, and 337.
That is not acceptable, not for the life I am working toward living. At that weight, I won’t be much of a Viking Dad for my son. At that weight, I will be lucky to even BE a Dad, for much longer. I can’t change my age, but I CAN do something about the weight. And I am.
Why now?
I am tired of not feeling full of energy. Too fat to feel comfortable in most settings. Dressing “comfortable”, aka slob style, because nice clothes don’t fit me properly. Pools and beaches being my own personal hell, because I damn sure am not taking my shirt off in public.
Rock bottom for me was January of 2018, when I was at 371. In 2018, I worked hard to make it all the way down to 318. Then I stopped. Got lazy. Got passive. Lost discipline. Made it back up to 337, with each 5 lbs increment being my “will not pass this weight” point.
2019 has been the year of “going to”, so far. I’m GOING TO lose the weight. I’m GOING TO row 1,000 KMs, etc. Still waiting for that time to come, which it never will, unless I make changes.
I am changing the nomenclature to “doing it”, now. I have no choice. I cannot falter. I cannot regress. I can only do it.
This is the end of my old story.
This is the start of my new story.
I am committing to sticking to my goal of caloric deficit, which will come through having a sane diet, and a commitment to exercise.
My current weight each day, multiplied by 10, will be my daily threshold to maintain my current weight, and measure my weight loss goals against. I will aim for 1200 calories below that threshold, factoring in burned calories to the equation.
For example, today my threshold is 3,370 calories. If I go for a ruck and burn 600 calories, that number goes up to 3,970 calories. As long as I hit 1,200 calories below that number, which would be 2,770 calories, I hit my goal. Calories will be tracked via MyFitnessPal, calories burned via apps on my phone (and calculations for exercise where an app doesn’t measure calories burned accurately, like with weight lifting). Here’s the equation, for any math nerds who are interested:
337.0 X 10 = 3,370 calories
600 calories burned by rucking
3,370 + 600 = 3,970 calories
3,970 – 1,200 = 2,770 calories limit for the day
The penalty if I miss my goal, beyond remaining a fat fuck and scoring an ❌ for the day instead of a ✅, is 25 burpees, videoed, and shared for all to see.
I will post each morning, with the results of the previous day’s calorie count. Video will come shortly thereafter, if I need to. But I don’t plan on making many of those burpee videos.
I am allowing myself NO CHEAT DAYS. If I decide to have a cheat meal, I will burn those excess calories off via exercise, or I will do the burpees. Simple as that.
Thanks for those of you who are in this challenge with me, or those who follow along for accountability and/or encouragement. I appreciate you.
Full disclaimer….I don’t know if this is necessarily the BEST way to lose weight and reach my goals…but it is the way I am committed to following, until I realize otherwise. I have done some research on this, but I am NOT a doctor, so don’t take anything I say here as reason to follow. Consult with your physician before starting any exercise or diet plan.
Here I am currently:
