Nutrition

I have continued to shoot myself in the foot through the holidays.  I made a small dent with 75 Hard.  I dropped from 193.3# on 1/1/2022 to 187.2 on 1/30/2022 before adding it all back on.

I am striving for consistency and sustainability.  While that is being achieved, I will settle for small wins.  I need to get used to feeling hungry.  I need to get used to making good choices 100% of the time.

I was at 193.7# on 3/29/2022.  A week later, I am at 189.8#.  With a modest four pounds, my joints feel better and I am having fewer stomach issues in the morning.  I believe some of my stomach issues is tied to processed sugars and just plain eating too much and eating too late at night.

An evening walk could help with digestion as well.

It is not unreasonable for me to be at 180# by Memorial Day.

Day 6 - No refined sugar snacks

While this may sound like a very specific diet manipulation, it is not entered into lightly.  I have been watching a lot of body building videos and seeing these mass monsters prepare for competition by getting completely shredded has been very inspiring.

These guys are going from 5000+ calories per day to under 2000 calories per day and dropping 10-15% of their body weight during the course of a prep.  While some of it may be gear, they are still putting in the work.

For comparison, I would ideally go from a 2500 calorie diet to at 1000 calorie diet and drop roughly 30# to go from 195# to 165# and even then it is unlikely that I would have visible abs, much less have chest and glute striations visible.

That being said, I am tired of my own bullshit and want a healthier metabolic profile with minimal belly fat.

As the saying goes, 99% is a bitch and 100% is a breeze.  100% means no exceptions for birthday cakes, dessert at Thanksgiving, Christmas cookies.

I did this last year and was able to go from 195# down to 180#.  I have the same goal today, but past 185# I will have to start weighing and measuring my food.  I should probably get in that habit now.

It should be easy as I have a fairly repetitive diet from breakfast and lunch and some variety for dinner.

Day 1 was Sunday 9/26/2021

Day 7 was Sunday 10/3/2021

Nutrition

I have been struggling with my weight for the past year.  From June 2020 to September 2020, I was able to drop 17# through eating cleaner, no sugar and no snacking between meals.  This amounted to about 1 pound per week and seemed healthy and sustainable.  My A1C dropped from 6.1% to 5.9%.

Around mid October 2021, I started to fall off the wagon and found my weight climbing back up to 185# by Thanksgiving.  I crossed 190# in January 2021.  Gaining about three quarters of a pound per week.

Since then it has been a roller coaster of crossing 195#, panicking and approaching 190#.  This is not sustainable or healthy.

The expression is 99% is a bitch and 100% is a breeze.  My undoing felt like the following:

• I am at a healthy weight now, a Snickers bite sounds good
• Lots of good treats for dessert, I will have a bite
• I can't believe, I am past 190#, I will have to start exercising more when the weather warms up
• It is just a brownie bite
• I will start tomorrow fresh

These are common excuses and certainly a mental sticking point.  The fact of the matter then and now is that I cannot exercise my way thin.  It is OK to be hungry.  I am still learning how to have a healthy relationship with food.  Hurdles aside, I do not need sugar to be happy.  When I avoid sugar, my gut health is improved, I am less bloated, I feel fresh and energetic.  When my weight is lower, I can perform pull-ups, hand stand push-ups and other body weight exercises successfully.  I can run faster.  When my metabolic profile is improved, I am more likely to live healthier longer.

I need to approach a healthy relationship with food one day at a time.  I can be more useful to my fellows if I have a higher strength to weight ratio.  I can bring happiness to my family if they are not worried about my health and wellbeing.

I can wake up everyday and have a plan for my meals.  A breakfast of under 500 calories, a sandwich and piece of fruit for lunch, a dinner of vegetables and meats.  If I am hungry before dinner, I need to have a salad.  If I am hungry after dinner, that is OK and I can have a larger breakfast.