Loss
Reshaping Project, 2020
How I Lost 57 Pounds In 5 Months
12/14: 198 I’m going to stop documenting my weight loss journey, and this will be my final post here. Over the past four weeks, my weight has stabilized, and while I could probably keep doing this and eeking out the odd pound here and there, it’s better for me to accept that this is about as far as I’m going to go for the foreseeable future, and celebrate and embrace what I was able to do over the past 5 months. So to summarize, here’s what happened:
I lost 57 pounds
I lost 6 inches off my waist
I built better, healthier habits around snacking, portion control, and quality of food intake
I got 76% to goal
I am sleeping better
My digestion is exponentially better
I am now lighter than I was 20 years ago
I can now wear clothes I want to wear
I have a much healthier relationship with ‘bad’ food, and enjoy in moderation
I have stopped drinking alcohol
My journey contributed to a better sense of overall confidence and self-esteem
I have developed a strong interest in applied positive psychology
Overall I’m very proud of my journey, especially around the weekly accountability of checking in with myself here and holding myself to defined quantitative results, just like any good product manager should be doing. In terms of before and afters, there’s a few photos on this page below, but there’s no better illustration of what happened than looking at my belt from June against my belt from December:
I had my first doctors’ appointment this week since starting the journey, and they couldn’t have been more pleased with what has happened. They barely recognized me, which is a huge win, and something I had set myself as a goal right from the first post here. The journey ahead is about vigilance, moderation, and ensuring that the positive habits I’ve built remain in place. But this journey has given me the confidence to know that in the unlikely event that should I ever have to do this again, I know I can do it.
I hope my journey is helpful for others, and if I can ever help out with advice, motivation or just to share stories of what happened to me here, please do get in touch.
Keep. Going.
12/7: 198 (18 Pounds to Goal) My waist continues to shrink, now my 32” waist jeans are starting to feel baggy. No change overall this week, but I definitely feel as if I continue to change shape, and clothes are fitting better than ever at the moment. As I type this, I’m wearing a shirt that I couldn’t even do up a year ago, and I’m down yet another hole (with only one more to go) on a belt I couldn’t do up when I bought it 4 months ago. Still continuing to spend a lot of time with the positive psychology content ahead of starting at UPenn in January, but I haven’t been that physically active this week, which is probably accounting for the overall slow in weight loss anyway. I’m definitely eating well, and small, but especially now that the cold weather has started, there’s been a lot of movie and video game binging, which I should probably moderate - it’s so much fun though!
11/30: 198 (18 Pounds to Goal) Another uneventful week, but down another two pounds, and consistently sub-200 on the scales every day, which feels like wonderful progress. I’ve been easing up a bit on some of the restrictions lately, but still exercising a whole bunch of portion control. Thanksgiving was an easy day, with just turkey and green salad, none of the usual carbo-load from previous years, and no candy / dessert at all. My new 32” jeans are broken in nicely and easily fit this week, and my new herringbone suit looks amazing on me! It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to get into clothes like that these days.
Trying to eat a bit more salmon and avocado per the doctor’s instructions around my liver, but that hasn’t been an easy thing to naturally build habit around. Added wasa crackers to the lunches though, which allows me to at least have something for this, even if they are multigrain and there’s a bit of guilt there. At least it’s not ‘bread’ though, which I’m still off. Have been enjoying some popcorn with a lot of the evening movies this week, which I split with Mary and Emma, and have white cheddar seasoning on - feels like a much better ‘snack’ instead of the chips, m&ms and ice cream these used to be. Got a bit more sleep this week too, really by just going to bed earlier more than anything, and I definitely have been feeling the wellness benefits from that, especially in the mornings, which also include a ‘regular’ coffee, but I’ve never a problem getting up in the morning.
I think my first course at UPenn in January is going to be Positive Psychology, which feels closely aligned with the journey I’ve been on for the past 18 months, and during 2020 in particular, so I’m very much looking forward to that. I feel like I have a lot of personal experiences by what’s advocated by Dr. Seligman and those who champion positive psychology, but I’m keen to understand what it’s actually doing at the neuroscience and chemical level too. Still probably not ‘moving’ as much as I should, but trying to at least build some of it into the working day where I can, even if it’s doing laps of my office while on a call.
11/23: 200 (20 Pounds to Goal) No loss this week, but a noticeable week of material changes in appearance. A new pair of 32” skinny fit jeans easily fits, which means I’ve lost 6” off my waist as part of the journey, and I’m easily able to get into smaller and smaller clothes. A belt I was unable to even get on a few months ago is now down to the 3rd hole. A bunch of noticeable changes in the shape of my face these days too:
Overall I’ve been thinking a lot about the sustainability of the changes I’ve been making, and completed Yale University’s ‘Psychology of Wellness’ course this week, which validated and confirmed a lot of the things I’d been doing on my own. Dinners are smaller and healthier, snacking has been minimized, and I’ve actively set up a strong set of societal and situational changes to support everything along the way. A lot of the work really feels habituated now, and the results are pretty clear. The main thing is to no longer see the work as a project, but to see it more as ‘how I am’, which feels like a good place to be. I’d still like to lose a bit more between now and the end of the year, but when I look at the photo above and contrast it with the ones from March, I’m in a very different, better place. One thing I really want to do this week is get a better level of nightly sleep - I’ve been burning this a bit recently and I want to change that.
On the clothes front, I ordered a new herringbone suit this week - something I’ve always wanted to wear, so I’m really looking forward to that arriving in a few weeks. My skinny jeans and massive boots combo looks great so far too - welcome back to my Elastica look from the nineties!
11/18: Mid-week update: The 32” skinny jeans fit!
11/16: 200 (20 Pounds to Goal) I made it! It feels great to have reached the 200 pound milestone, down over 50 pounds from where I originally started in late June. 3 pounds down, but definitely one of those ‘still changing shape’ weeks. Clothes continue to feel looser, and I’d ordered a pair of skinny fit 34” jeans this week, but when they arrived they were far too loose, so I’ve a pair of 32”s on the way, which feels even better - my goal waist size. T-shirts feel looser, and one of the great things about this journey is the opportunity to wear what I want to wear. It’s now so much fun to shop for clothes, and I don’t have to worry about fit and what they’re going to look like any more - I know I’ll be able to wear them, so in many ways the weight loss has allowed me to be more ‘me’.
A fairly uneventful week on the food front - very good run of portion-controlled dinners, and I’ve stopped drinking the fruit smoothies for breakfast - I just have a coffee nowadays, and have even started to drink regular coffee again, which I feel somewhat of a benefit from with that extra little pep in the morning (plus I just prefer the taste). Snacks are still nuts and the occasional small bowl of popcorn if we’re watching a movie, but I’ve also been grilling up some Beyond burgers, which has been a nice change of pace. They taste just as good as the real thing, and I wonder if a final transition to vegetarianism is in my future - I more or less eat vegetarian at home anyway because of Mary, but I do enjoy sushi and the infrequent burger. I definitely understand how vegetarianism has been a big part of getting my weight under control though, so something to think about there.
A few folks have asked me if I ‘feel’ better. Physically I feel exactly the same. I feel the same amount of energy (I’ve always been a pretty proactive person, and I’ve no problem at all getting up in the mornings) that I’ve always had, and my previous weight never precluded me from doing anything. The main thing that ‘feels’ different is my self-perception and sense of self-care. Looking in the mirror feels way better, and the frequent compliments are a bonus on top of that. So it’s more a sense of self-confidence - something I’d always felt good about, but feel has been supercharged along this journey. Alongside all of this I’ve recently been taking some online courses about the psychology of happiness, and the art and science of relationships and wellbeing. They’ve been very helpful co-pilot experiences in keeping me learning, helping me stay grounded, and ultimately focusing on what’s most meaningful to me.
I’m still thinking a lot about the long-term sustainability of ensuring that the weight doesn’t come back, and a lot of it has to do with the unknown of what happens when we go back to the office. This won’t happen for at least another 6-8 months, but that was the initial slippery slope on my last journey. I arrived at The New York Times at the lightest I’d been in a very long time - around 170 pounds, and left 4 years later having gained about 60 pounds - most of it from stress, poor lifestyle (commute, snacking, late nights etc.) and a ton of disproportionate focus on career over wellness. While my life is in a radically healthier place these days, this kind of thing is on my mind as a learning I must not repeat. No more Kit-Kats, a portion controlled lunch (or better still, bring those raw nuts with you), and easing up on the celebration cakes, cookies and in-meeting hospitality. Oh, and lots and lots of water of course - something I still need to get better at even at home. I also need to get past the guilt of the cheat meal - I felt pretty bad after the last one. Physically I felt greasy and unhealthy, and perhaps I indulge in ‘better’ cheat meals instead of the junk food crap I usually crave - maybe a good steak, Indian meal or Thai curry instead of the Dominos pizza, Burger King choices I’ve made so far.
In other news, I continue to need to do bloodwork for some investigate things my doctor is asking me to do around the health of my liver, and this week I’ve got an ultrasound appointment to see what’s up. I suspect it’s nothing, but it’s on my mind as something to resolve. I can’t wait until I have my follow-up appointment with her later this month and show her the weight loss journey - she’ll see a really big difference since we last spoke in May.
Anyway, I’m typing this while wearing an ‘athletic fit’ Mayfield Browns t-shirt, which easily fits and looks great. Medium t-shirts also fit now. This week I need to keep going on the portion-controlled dinners, moderate the delivery orders, and keep active. Thanksgiving’s coming up, but will be a much scaled-back affair this year, so that feels good in not going too crazy with everything - it certainly won’t need to be a ‘cheat day’.
Keep. Going.
11/9: 203 (23 Pounds to Goal) A cheat meal week, which left me bloated and feeling greasy for most of this week after ordering Dominos pizza. Even though it was a flatbread, and a small portion, it tasted delicious in the moment, but I felt like I paid for it for days afterwards, and just felt really sick. Also ate a bit too much chocolate throughout the week - something I came to the realization for on Saturday when I just threw it all out of the house so that temptation was no longer there. I’m hopeful for a better week this week, as I’m so close to that magic 200 pound mark, I can’t mess it all up now.
But while I’m flattening out on the weight loss curve, I still very much feel as if I’m changing shape - I tried on an old denim jacket (the one in those original ‘before’ photos from March), and it’s so roomy - probably too big at this point. And my 34” jeans are definitely getting a lot looser than they used to be, I don’t think I’m that far off being able to order a pair of 32” pants, which was one of my original targets, and would mean I’ve lost a full 6” off my waistline. Saw someone I’d not seen since lockdown began this week, and the first thing she said was “wow, you look amazing, you’ve really lost a lot of weight, right?”, which always validates everything I’ve been doing. I just have this sense that the journey isn’t over and I’m taking a victory lap too early. Yes, loosing 50 pounds is an achievement, but it’s still not what I originally set out to do, so that’s the point at which this becomes a win for me, and I need to push harder on that for these last 20 pounds.
So this week, no chocolate, better / smaller portion control on the dinners, and only raw nuts for lunch (I’ve been having the odd salad here and there recently, which I’m sure is fine but doesn’t feel fine vs. a regime I know to work). I feel good that there’s enough habit in there at the moment to stop the snacking, but just consciously removing that temptation is something I need to be a bit more aware of.
Keep. Going.
11/2: 203 (23 Pounds to Goal) Down another 3 pounds, and we’re almost there. It’s been an active couple of days as I’ve worked on renovating and painting some parts of our basement, which has involved a lot of lifting and manual stuff. I’m realizing that’s just as effective in the weight loss journey as any form of exercise, and the mandate here has to be just be more active. Very often I’ll sit and read a book, watch a movie, or otherwise do things in the evening where I’m just not moving. The more I’m just active, even if it’s just puttering around the house, the more successful all of this is going to be, but overall it feels really great to almost be at the 200 pound milestone.
As part of my project to clear out the basement, I also found a ton of old t shirts, all of which fit but haven’t been worn in years. I’m going to enjoy wearing them all again! I also chose to throw out all of my ‘larger’ clothes, as I’ve decided to never let that happen again. Parting with them was very cathartic.
My thoughts are more and more turning to prevention and deterrent as I near my goal, and I need to put some measures in place to stop the weight gain getting out of control again. A lot of it was to do with my unhealthy relationship to work. When I joined The New York Times I was about 180 pounds, but when I left four years later I was almost 230. Just lots of late nights, poor diet and snacking throughout the day, and a grueling commuter schedule with very little nutrition around it. This got even worse when I started to work from home in my next job, where there was a lot of snacking throughout the day, and just a very, very poor relationship to work and its resulting stressful lifestyle.
While my current role at CNBC has calmed all of this down, that doesn’t mean I don’t need to be vigilant about what’s going on, and frequently check in with myself to make sure all is stable and not moving in the wrong direction. I’m not exactly sure what all of this is going to look like, especially after we return to the office on a more regular basis, but it’s on my mind as something I absolutely need to do. Perhaps it’s at least taking my lunch of a small bowl of raw nuts to work with me every day, and refraining from the KitKats.
10/26: 206 (26 Pounds to Goal) Another fantastically uneventful week. One thing I did a bit too much of was eat delivery salads, so I’m going to try and curb that a bit more this week - bought a whole bunch of zucchini noodles to use for dinner, and I’m well stocked up on fruit and raw nuts, so looking forward to a more balanced, ‘I know this works’ kind of week. Just really trying to get below 200, as that’ll seem like a really big milestone. I’m only 6 pounds away!
The walking hasn’t really stuck with me (plus it’s been raining most of this week), but I’m trying to fit in what I can. I’m finding that I really am losing weight without it, so am just trying to focus on the diet this week in particular. Overall portion control has been good, and I’ve been enjoying some decaf coffees in the evenings which has been nice. My 34” skinny jeans are also starting to feel loose already, and the belt that I couldn’t even put on a few weeks ago is now on its third loophole, which feels amazing. If I can get to 32” by the end of the year that’d be a massive goal. As I write this, I’m wearing a medium t-shirt from 2004 - all my old clothes are starting to fit again, and the more recent clothes are really hanging off me and super loose. Started to share out the 50 pounds story, and got lots of encouragement, which has felt amazing.
Still thinking about that Dominos delivery for next Tuesday.
10/19: 206 (26 Pounds to Goal) An amazingly normal, uneventful week. Down another 2 pounds, but I also found out via a medical record that I actually clocked in at 263 pounds earlier this year, so the weight loss is actually more (I’m not retroactively updating those charts though!). Got a fresh haircut and took this picture of myself. The only other piece of progress was that I’d bought a new white belt a few weeks ago, which ended up being way too small - but now it fits!
Lunches are getting a bit more varied these days, I often have a small salad instead of my usual small bowl of raw nuts, and I’ll have the remainder of the salad for dinner, which is more than enough and I’m often full afterwards. I’ve curbed a bit of the nut snacking I had been doing, but augmenting it with raisins has been good, but I think I’m eating a few too many of those. I think stopping taking the Apple Cider Vinegar is helping get the weight loss moving again, after it plateaued around the 210 mark a few weeks ago.
Planning on Dominoes for another cheat meal on November 3rd. Election night seems like a solid choice to potentially stress eat. I’m also now including pounds to goal as we get closer each week!
10/12: 208: Down another 2 pounds, and now only 3 pounds away from having lost 50 pounds total. Walked about 7 miles (I was mainly studying in the evenings and there’s a family of bears in our neighborhood at the moment), but keeping comfortable with the evening portion control, and definitely reduced the nut snack intake this week, which I think helped budge some of the numbers in the right direction. Also added some cleanse powders to my morning smoothies, but have stopped taking the Apple Cider Vinegar as I don’t think it was actually doing anything.
Tried on a bunch of pre-self-isolation work clothes (shirts, ties, jackets etc.) and they are loose. A jacket I couldn’t button up before is now easily buttoned, and there’s a lot of noticeable space around my collars. In particular when I see photos of myself now, my legs are significantly thinner than they used to be - I’m not just down 4” off my waist, but with the ability to get into skinny jeans, I look much thinner overall. I’m still not nearly there with my stomach, but it’s pretty much everything else that’s looking much better these days. The BMI numbers continue to decline, and a new thing is that with the reduced weight, I’m getting colder than I used to, so am embracing the season’s cardigan choices at the moment (I have 1 cardigan).
March 2020 / October 2020
10/5: 210 A fairly quiet week with neither gain nor loss, where it rained most evenings and unfortunately I wasn’t able to really go for any material walks. Outside of work, I’ve been studying most of this week, which has taken up several of the evenings, and this was also my birthday week, which allowed me to have a couple of cheat meals, which was fun! (I opted for Dominos and Chinese food this time around).
The main achievement of the week is a pair of 34” skinny fit Levi 510s arriving… and me comfortably fitting into them! That feels really good to be 4” down in the waist, and I’m also fitting into old t-shirts that in previous pictures look very tight on me. So perhaps I’m having one of those ‘not losing weight but still changing shape’ weeks here. Equipped with a great Rachel Maddow audiobook on the Russian oil industry, I’m resolved to do a lot more walking this week.
9/28: 210 Walked about 19 miles this week as I started to build in some exercise into my evening routine, which has been a bit tough to get used to, but I’m slowly getting there. Audiobooks are helping, but the continued humidity has made it uncomfortable on a couple of the nights - I much prefer to walk when it’s colder, but I’ll keep going here. 210 was about the same weight as what I was when I originally lived in Manhattan 15 years ago, and when I see photos of myself from that time that’s definitely headed in the right direction.
Portion control is going fine, especially in the evenings, and even when we order delivery, I’ll either split the food in half (I usually get a salad of some kind), or just order something super small. Boca burgers, kale burgers and lightly boiled zucchini noodles have been the main staple though, combined with fruit smoothies and raw nuts during the day. My energy levels have been just fine, but I do get waves of craving and I’m looking forward to giving myself a full cheat day for my birthday next weekend. 45 pounds down and 30 to goal feels like at least I can reward myself with a couple of indulgent meals, especially if I’m walking a lot more now too. Kind of crazy to think I’ve not had a piece of chocolate in almost 3 months now. Seeing those charts continue to head down and to the right is very motiving!
Keep. Going.
9/21: 214 Only down 2 pounds this week, but progress is progress! I’m especially excited about passing the ‘no longer obese’ BMI milestone, and I’m officially down more than 40 pounds now, which feels fantastic. I’m seeing a lot of noticeable changes around my neck and jawline, and my pants continue to feel loose and comfortable on the last hole of my belt. Seems weird to think that I was on the maximum hole on my belt only 2.5 months ago. Many of my clothes are now hanging off me.
I’m going to try and build in some exercise / walking into my routine this week in an effort to charge up some of the loss momentum, as I feel as if I’m reaching the end of the road with being able to lose weight on diet alone. I will most likely start with evening walks of a few laps of the neighborhood, and go from there, but I’ll need to download some audio books to keep me company and add some incentive to the whole thing, which will be helpful.
The diet of nuts, smoothies and a very small, portion-controlled dinner is now very much routine, so I’ll add walking to the mix this week and we’ll go from there. Let’s see what happens!
Keep. Going.
9.20.2020 / 1:30:51 / 5.07 Miles / 10408 Steps / 626 KCal
9/14: 216 Down another 3 pounds this week, and things continue to head in the right direction. I’m definitely seeing a lot of changes in terms of my 36” pants starting to feel looser, and I’m more than comfortably on the last hole of my belt now. I don’t think it’ll be long before I can transition again to a 34” waist, which is very much an endgame goal here. Dinners have been small, although I’ve had a couple of takeout salads this week, which is a bit of a deviation and not something I feel great about. At 30.1 BMI I’m almost at the ‘no longer obese’ milestone, and should hit that next week if things keep headed in the right direction.
I’m not convinced the Apple Cider Vinegar is doing much, but I’m not really sure how to even tell.
Keep. Going.
What passes as a cheat meal at the moment (Asian salmon salad with no dressing)
9/7: 219 No change this week, but that’s on top of 2 cheat meals, so not too bad I guess. I’m really getting into the whole ‘2 small kale burgers’ thing for dinner, and lunch continues to be half a smoothie and a small bowl of raw nuts. I think at some point the weight loss is going to naturally start to bottom out, but I’m hopeful we’re not there just yet. My mid-week weight was 217, so as it organically goes up and down, I think we should continue to see loss for a few weeks yet. I just need to be a bit more mindful of nut snacking, which has crept up a bit this week too, and I suspect the flat gain might be attributable to that. Still very comfortable with the whole ‘no bread / sugar / dairy’ thing, but am just mindful that I shouldn’t replace those craving with nuts.
Also need to remind myself that only 2 months ago I was over 250.
8/31: 219 Officially in the two-teens! I’ve cut out all grains, especially at dinner, so no ramen, pasta or noodles in combination with the veggie burgers and salmon I’ve been eating in portion-controlled sizes. Dinner is just a veggie burger and a small portion of cooked salmon, with some soy sauce or hoisin on it for taste. Combined with the apple cider vinegar I’ve been taking in the middle of the day, we’re continuing to make progress, and I’m down over 35 pounds since starting my journey just under 2 months ago.
I feel fine, none of the ‘I have a ton more energy’ stuff you hear from other weight loss journeys, but it does feel good to be able to get into t-shirts from 2002 and have them not feel tight. Even my 36” skinny jeans are starting to feel a bit roomy, and I’m more than comfortably on the last hole of my belt. This week I get to have a cheat meal, and I’ve been craving McDonalds, so we’re probably going with a Big Mac tomorrow. Still no sugar, wheat, fried or carbonated across the board, and I’m able to easily roll with those choices at family gatherings and parties really well (just water and if they have it, salad or grilled chicken). Either way, it also feels good that folks are starting to notice that I’m looking a bit more trim, and when I look back at the photos of myself from earlier this year, there’s certainly a marked difference.
I’m hopeful that next week I’ll pass the first big milestone on the analytics side - no longer being ‘obese’ on the BMI scale. I’m also getting concerned that I’m probably due a week with no weight loss at all, which I’ve not had so far. But overall I’m about half way, and the progress feels good.
Keep. Going.
8/29: 221.5 Mid-week update.
Emma weighed herself today. She’s 68 pounds. So far I’ve lost half an Emma!
8/24: 223.5 This wasn’t an easy week, and I really feel as if I earned that 3 pound loss this time. I’ve added Apple Cider Vinegar supplements to my diet in the mornings, but there’s been a lot of cravings, especially around early evenings. While I’ve been able to roll with them, that strong sense of wanting a ‘proper meal’ has been very real this week. That said, my weight loss is starting to become visible to others, especially those who haven’t seen me in person for a few months, which feels fantastic - it feels better than the cravings! I’ve officially passed the ‘lost 30 pounds’ marker here too.
I’m now comfortably on the last hole on my belt - something that was unthinkable earlier this year, and my 36” skinny fit Levis are just fine. I’ve also broken out a few older t-shirts, which fit again! Hurrah! This week I’m going to try and eliminate grains / wheat from my diet, especially around dinner times where I usually augment a veggie burger or cooked salmon with ramen or pasta. I’m just going to do the protein this week and see how that goes. Otherwise the morning smoothies and the lunchtime raw cashews, pecans and almonds appear to be working out great. When I look at the photos from earlier this year, I think there’s a clear difference, especially around my neck. It’d be amazing to try and break the 220 barrier next week.
Also, my hair got LONG.
8/17: 226.5 Down another 3 pounds this week, off a week of vacation where I ate a lot more than I usually would, but combined with being a lot more active than I usually am too. I feel like I’m starting to see visual changes around my neck, and I’m thrilled to now be able to fit into a pair of skinny fit 36” waist Levi 510s! I’m also another notch down on my belt, with just one more to go! That seems a long way from a couple of months ago where I was struggling to do the belt up at all, so I know there’s a lot happening with a shrinking belly.
Also still managing to comfortably navigate parties - drank water all night at a recent gathering, and only had a couple of small pieces of chicken and a bit of salad - no burgers / hot dogs, no beer, and definitely no dessert. It kind of stinks that I can ‘enjoy’ those with everyone else, but as Kate Moss said “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”, and these Monday morning weight check-ins are a real motivation at the moment. This week I’m going to try adding some Apple Cider Vinegar capsules to the diet to see if that helps, but overall things still very much feel on course. That BMI counter is getting close to the obese market too - hopeful I can pass that in the next couple of weeks too.
8/10: 229.5 I’m in the 220s! Only just, but it’s another 3 pounds down this week and it’s starting to become a pattern of loss. If I continue to lose 3 pounds a week, I’ll comfortably hit my goal by the end of the year, which is starting to feel very real. The immediate goal is to hit that ‘no longer obese' milestone on the BMI scale, as that feels like a big one (even if the celebration is ‘you’re still overweight, dude’) . We’re on vacation down the shore this week, but I’ve brought all my ‘fruit and nuts’ supplies, as well as the blender, so it shouldn’t be too much of a deviation from what I’ve been doing. If anything it’ll be more salads as we’re not really going out to restaurants here like we usually do. I’ll stay away from the pizza, ice cream and steaks though, and by now I’m not overly concerned about the temptation there. I’m hopeful for more walks and exercise than I usually get sitting in front of a computer all day.
Seeing the progress since the end of June is great to see, especially when I know that 25 pounds is the equivalent of losing the same weight as 3 gallons of milk, or almost 2 bowling balls. Holy crap! I’m not sure if I’m seeing visible results elsewhere than my belly, but I saw a semi-recent photo of myself and thought ‘wow, my face was much bigger then’, so I think I’m losing it off my neck in particular. Either way, the momentum continues, and my mantra remains the same. Keep. Going.
8/3: 232.5 Down another 3 pounds on a fairly uneventful week. Decided to celebrate doing all of this for a month with a cheat meal (Burger King), but it really wasn’t worth it - I wish I’d picked something better, but that was what I wanted in the moment. Definitely need a better choice next time though.
No problems avoiding the food at another weekend party, and the rhythm of food throughout the day, including avoiding the evening snacks / desserts feels very manageable so far. I’m hopeful to hit the 220s next week. We’ve a shore vacation coming up next week, so I’m be making sure we take the blender and a bunch of fruit / nuts, but I suspect I’ll be getting a lot more exercise than I’ve normally been getting, which should be a positive thing.
7/27: 235.5 Down 3 pounds again this week, which continues to feel good, and I very much have settled into a solid rhythm around what I’m eating each day, and comfortably able to stay away from the temptations of sugar, chips, carbs and anything else I’m trying to avoid (I navigated 2 family barbecues either by eating ahead of time, or eating minimally while I was there). Also swam on a couple of days, which I think helped. I’m down another notch on my belt, and I tried on some of my work clothes that I’d usually wear prior to self-isolation. They are getting loose! I’ve also noticed that t-shirts out of the dryer especially, aren’t nearly as tight as they used to be, so while it’s only 3 pounds this week, I feel that I’m definitely changing shape and losing it all in the right places - especially with belly fat.
I’m still not doing any real exercise, which I’m pretty confident would probably accelerate a lot of this stuff, and my job keeps me fairly sedentary during the day, but if it ends up that I hit a wall with the weekly loss, I’m keeping that as an option to start walking as a way to get over that kind of obstacle. Not yet though, as what’s happening right now is working.
I’m not really seeing any material changes in my face / neck, but as I approach the end of the first month, being down almost 20 pounds feels like I’m doing something right. Also closing in on that border between obese and overweight feels like a solid milestone to try and hit over the next few weeks, and it’ll really feel meaningful if I’m able to get into the 220s next month.
Keep. Going.
07/20: 238.5 Lots of momentum this week, down 5.5 pounds, and a lot of the things I’ve been doing recently are starting to feel like habit and are becoming much easier to do. Had a fair amount of exercise (at least more than normal) over the weekend with a bunch of swimming, and stayed away from all the snacks on offer, which felt really good. Just had a small piece of grilled chicken and some salad, and didn’t have any of the cookies, chips or soda - even stayed away from the pasta salad.
I’m doing well on the portion control, and my diet of fruit / vegetable smoothies and small bowls of mixed nuts (mainly raw cashews, pecans and almonds this week) has been going well. I’ve not eaten any of my ‘don’t eat this’ food since I began, and now I’m down almost 20 pounds as a result. An odd by-product of the process is I’m starting to work on other aspects of my appearance - we tried face peels this week, and I’m also trying out Korean face masks for the first time, which is a lot of fun. Also going to try some teeth whitening if I can too.
The main thought I have around all of this is just keep going. My jeans are starting to feel looser, my shirts are definitely loosening, and my sense is that while the weight is coming off, I’m also changing shape too. I’ve not noticed any material change around my neck, but I think my belly fat is shrinking. I also feel a bit sharper and brighter, especially in the mornings. I’m pairing the smoothies and facial work each day with a reinvigorated love of seventies Russian and German movies, so that’s been great to get back into and enjoy.
Keep. Going.
07/13: 244 Continuing to lose weight each week, down 3.5 pounds over last week, which feels great. I’m not seeing / feeling any visual changes, but I went down a hole on my belt, which feels amazing. My skin is starting to feel fresher / brighter and a little tighter too. I’ve kept to my diet of a fruit smoothie in the morning, followed by a lunch of the remaining half of the smoothie, and a very small bowl of nuts - initially I was mixing raw almonds and cashews, but now I’m replacing that with Brazil nuts, walnuts, and other raw things. It’s significantly less portion than I’d be used to at lunchtime (usually it’s a big sandwich with chips etc.), but I’m easily full and can comfortably last until dinner time, which I’m trying to get to be around 6pm (certainly no later than 7pm).
Still no bread, sugar, soda, fried food, alcohol and minimal dairy, and I’ve no problem with any of that at the moment. I feel the occasional urge for a chip or two, but it soon passes. I’m also thinking that once a month I allow myself to have a cheat meal. Dinners have consisted of portion controlled small bowls of tortellini salad from the local deli, or baked kale over a small batch of ramen. I’m getting easily full at the moment, without any material loss in energy, so momentum feels good.
I had results back from some bloodwork earlier in the week, and have been advised to replace the Vitamin C tablets I take each morning, with Flaxseed Oil, so there’s a small adjustment there - those Flax pills are enormous! Outside of that, things feel like they’re going in the right direction, and I’m hopeful to be able to get sub-240 over the next couple of weeks. I did a powder cleanse one day last week, which involved drinking a ton of liquid, but I think I’m going to try that again on a calmer work day, as I ended up spending a lot of time in the bathroom. Must remember to be drinking a lot more water throughout the way though, even in addition to the smoothies - I’m not doing that as much as I’d like to be.
07/06: 247.5 It feels great to be down 7.5 pounds in the first week, but what feels better is the feeling of being able to more comfortably settle into better food choices. The temptation’s definitely still there, and July 4th weekend was a challenge at times, but an unexpected benefit of eating better has been better portion control. In addition to eating better (I successfully stayed away from bread, candy and to a large extent, dairy), I’m also eating less, which feels good. After about the third day I started to also have a ton more energy - I’m waking up earlier and brighter, and I’m slowly starting to feel a bit mentally sharper too. I spent most of the long holiday weekend redecorating Mary’s office, which made for a fair amount of physical activity, and meant I wasn’t just sat in front of the computer all day, which was helpful.
This week I’m going to try a 3 day cleanse, which isn’t as aggressive as not eating anything at all, but will help continue to flush some stuff out. I’m naturally settling into a better rhythm with starting the day with smoothies, although I have to get better at ordering the right amount of fruit and vegetables, as we ran out after about day 5. Even when we ‘ordered delivery’ I’m getting a salad and exercising portion control - last night Mary had pizza, Emma had chicken fingers, and I had a great house salad with gorgonzola, walnuts, grilled chicken and light raspberry vinagrette - after it I was stuffed. I’m trying to eat better in the evenings too - no food after 7pm if I can avoid it.
So, the journey feels good so far. No visible signs yet of course, but I’m feeling the benefits in terms of energy, and it’s good to see some of those numbers already starting to come down.
06/29: 255 I’m starting my weight loss journey today. I don’t feel particularly out of shape, or have a lack of energy, I sleep really well and I don’t feel limited by anything, but I’m not comfortable with what I look like. Some of the clothes I love have started to feel tight recently, and I’m just not getting enough exercise during the self-isolation. I’d love to go from a 38 waist to a 34.
So… I’m going to work on this as a creative project over the next few months and see if I can make some progress. I’ve set my target at 180 pounds, that’s 75 pounds under where I am today - that’s a weight I had about 6 years ago, and when I look at photos from that time, I want to look like that again. I’m hopeful to reach the target by the end of the year, but to use the stay-at-home time opportunity to spend more time working on me. My hope is that by working on it as a ‘project’ and using my website to visualize it all, I’ll be more able to keep on top of it and make it a success. I plan to check in and document where I am every Monday morning.
I’m going to primarily work on diet, starting today. Last week I really enjoyed a great salad from Freshii, and realized that every time we’ve been ordering in, it’s been an insane amount of food, and usually an insane amount of calories. That goes for grocery deliveries too - not enough fresh fruit and vegetables for sure. So starting today, the following are gone:
Chips (this is going to be the most challenging)
Soda / Milkshakes
Pizza
French Fries
Candy
Bread (flexible / where possible)
And in are:
Vegetable Smoothies
Salads
Cleansing drinks
Lemon in water (and a lot more water during the day)
I’m going to start with a new set of grocery deliveries, which we should get tomorrow. That’ll allow me to start making better choices in the mornings and for lunch. And we’ll go from there.
