I am now on my second day in ND and I feel rested. I am not sleep deprived and my body is not sore.
On Monday night, I logged a solid 9 1/2 hours of sleep and even though Wednesday morning was getaway day (meaning that I got up at 3:30), I got to sleep early enough and slept soundly, so as to wake up at that ungodly hour with little feeling of grogginess. I stayed up until 10:45 last night and this morning again, I felt refreshed.
I did not work out on Tuesday night, that is kind of a non-starter. When I am leaving the next morning, I need to be home with my family and my family needs me to be home. I have figured out, though, that there is an early morning cardio/strength class on Tuesdays at my gym. Next week, I will incorporate that.
Through nine days of the First Resolution month, I have six workouts in. I also weighed in at 212.5 on the heavy scale this morning, meaning that I'm down about 2.5 pounds, which is ahead of schedule. I plan to workout the next four nights, which will get me to the halfway point on exercise before the halfway point of the month. I like this program of creating monthly goals and I hope you are doing it, too. I have already thought about what next month's goals are going to be. They are going to be (a) slightly more ambitious and (b) tailored to my best opportunities for improvement. Pick the low hanging fruit first!
Hardly a day goes by without someone approaching me about my weight and asking how I did it. Yesterday, a couple of longtime friends that I hadn't seen yet in 2013 talked to me and one of the guys really wants to lose some weight and was pinging me on the diet, the exercise, etc. It is my wish that more and more people will join me, both here and in the world around me. If you are on the fence or kind of but not really thinking you want to do something, remember, February 15 will be the start of a new Resolution month. There's no reason not to start today, of course, but I plan to have a Resolution Day, a Recommitment Day if you will, on the 15th of every month. Start with a modest goal. If it doesn't work, start with the same goal on the next 15th. I am not some freakish athlete, performing tasks that you can only dream about. I'm just a guy who could no longer tolerate being fat and out of shape, so I did something about it. If you are getting going, remember, it is an ongoing journey. I remember how good I felt about myself when we went on our family vacation. I was extremely happy about my progress and how well the whole thing was going. I weighed over 270 pounds then! And I was happy about how it was going! It is a journey.
I have a fairly busy day today, and I had planned earlier in the week to make it a rest day. Then I worked out yesterday, loved it, and decided I'd squeeze something in today. Then I woke up this morning, extremely sore and tired, and realized that I really did need the rest. I'm at 6 of 9 days too, but I'll be down to 6 of 10 after today - off pace. I'll definitely have to pick it up a little, but I need the rest, so I'm going to listen to my body today.
I know it's a bit tired to complain of the weather, but we got lake effect snow going on all day, so my to-and-from the gym will be something.
Looks like I had little to whine about. The snow quit before I went to the gym and never picked back up.
Boss - rather than me go back and find it, could you share your diet plan again? The exercise I don't have a problem with, the healthy diet (and the time to prepare it) is what kills me.
I'm a huge fan of Good Eats, so this diet is one I've been considering. Thoughts or comparisons to yours?
lots of wisdom in that link, Corn.
My two cents, not that you asked:
1. I have mixed feelings about Michael Pollan, but some things he gets unambiguously right. "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
2. Portion control. Use smaller plates. This has amazing psychological effects.
3. No seconds. Or at least none on anything other than veggies.
4. Healthy living is a lifestyle, not a prison sentence.
Thanks for your two cents, they're
alwayswelcome. 😉 To be clear, I'm not very familiar with Mr. Pollan (though I sincerely appreciate many concepts associated with "locavorism"*) - I was pointing to Alton Brown's "Live and Let Diet".*wonder if this word offends Zack? It is a bit unwieldy.
Yea, I knew the link was about Alton Brown. I was on a tangent. Sorry for not being more clear about that.
No apology needed, my wife does it all the time. I'm talking about something and her mind has already processed through a dozen other things. The response I get makes no sense to me but perfect sense to her. I've even had her backtrack through her thoughts and narrate how she got to the response from where I had been.
also,
5. Chew your food. Food is meant to be savored; meals should be as un-hurried and sociable as possible. That takes the focus away from mere consumption and puts it back on people, where it belongs. But the side benefit is that eating more slowly fills you up on less. Your stomach needs time to tell your brain that you are full.
I feel like "mostly plants" is a pipe dream for most people, especially those who want to lose weight. I know that if I ever tried a diet like that I would get a few days in and fail miserably. I think portion control is a much better strategy. If you're aware of the nutrition of what you're eating and plan your meals accordingly you can still eat what you want.
Along with portion control, for me, was not looking too far ahead. For example, I don't tell myself I'll never have dessert again. I just tell myself I'm not going to have it with this meal. If I choose to have dessert with my next meal, I will, but just a small portion rather than a big one. I knew that cutting out on sweets entirely was something I'd never be able to stick to, but having one sometimes, and just having a small one when I do, is something I can handle. And, once in a great while, I'll let myself splurge on a big portion, but I make sure it's only in a great while.
"mostly plants" really isn't that hard. Limit your animal protein to ~3-4 oz. Have a big serving of something green. Have a slice or two of whole wheat bread. Have a piece of fruit. Badda bing. Badda boom.
I pretty much eat 4 oz. of meat a day. This is doable. Vegetables, fruit, bread, nuts, dairy. Also, mustard (pretty much calorie free), black pepper (the King of Spices), hot sauce.
everything tastes better with hot sauce.
Mustard is one of my secret weapons too. Oops, now it's not a secret.
There you go.
Thank you...thanks everyone for your responses. I kept reading these Fitness posts, thinking that eventually I'd start working out and eating better. I've known since I left the service that I could use more exercise and that I'd gotten above my ideal weight (not "fat" to the point of really being concerned about my health, but creeping upwards). However, not really taking that first step towards healthy eating (and exercise and overall routine) even with all the support and opportunity to do so just seems silly.
I'm onboard.
We will be the healthiest and fittest citizens in no time.