Day 99

The final results are in.  While a bit anti-climactic relative to the numbers from two weeks ago, they are a far cry from the numbers of (almost) 100 days ago.  After taking several weeks to settle in, it looks like 12% body fat is the "steady state" result of this particular set-up of nutrition and exercise habits.  Here's a graph of how things finished:

To put some numbers to it:

• 30.2 pounds lost overall (14% decrease)
• 21.1 pounds of fat lost (47% decrease)
• 7.9 percentage points of body fat lost (40% decrease)

I've been exercising for a long time, and here and there I've felt proud of the level of strength or athleticism I've reached.  I also went a long time with both the knowledge that I was doing things that aren't good for me and the feeling that it either didn't matter or was too difficult to change.  This process helped me break that feeling down by giving me a long enough time for results to show without it being so long that it felt too big or permanent a change.  (Little did I know the full extent to which things that started out as 100 Day habits have become life habits.)  The help I got up front from Ryan & the Fire team on meal planning was critical.  Finding 15 minutes to get in good cardio on off-days also helped.

Now What?

Last night I thought to myself, "Man, now that this is over I can finally..." and something funny happened.  There was nothing I wanted to finish the sentence with immediately.  Yes, I am looking forward to enjoying a nice glass of wine or beer and a sweet treat every now and then - but by and large, I'm excited to keep living the way I have been these last 100 days.

On Friday, I'm meeting with Ryan to learn about getting "picture ready."  My photo shoot is on Feb-28, so while my 100 Days is over I still have a few weeks of prep work to do.  But after 100 Days... it's a piece of cake.

Day 94

It's almost the end of the road for 100 Days to Great.  I've got 5 more days until my next and last weigh-in on Day 99.  That will mark the last official measurement of how a few simple, but high impact, changes can make a huge difference in your weight and health.  Following that measurement, Coach Stefan will be setting me up with a few temporary finishing touches to the nutrition plan, in preparation for a photo shoot on Saturday, Feb. 28th.  Because the last nutrition changes are temporary, I'm treating my Day 99 weigh-in as the true end result of this process.

I've been honest with you through and through, and I'll continue to be so now.  I'm not sure how I feel about the photo shoot yet.  There's some prep activity that's not really my thing - shaving the body hair (which I've got plenty of) and getting a tan.  I take a sort of stubborn pride in my fuzziness.  Had I been an adult in the 80s, I'd have fit right in thanks to folks like Burt Reynolds.  Today, though, the image of attractive masculinity is presented as being hair-free, and fuzzballs like me are made to feel like we should keep it covered or get rid of it.  Shout-out to my wife Molly for always making me feel like the sexiest man alive.

Now, let me establish that the only reason the Fire team recommends folks do the shave + tan thing before a photo shoot is to better highlight the transformation the body has undergone.  Muscle definition stands out with some color, and obviously, when it's not hidden underneath hair.  One of the reasons I've kept working out happily at Fire is that I never feel judged about my appearance or musculature - only encouraged and appreciated when I work hard and stay focused.

So the net of it is... I think I'll do it, and then decide what I want to do with the photos afterward while I'm itchy as hell with my hair growing back.  I might just share them with Molly, or file them away for a day when I need a little motivation to keep treating myself right.

Day 85

This morning I had my second-to-last weigh-in.  To quote Keanu Reeves: "Whoa."  There are only two weeks left in my 100 Days to Great... but I am still learning!  The lesson over these last two weeks has been the power of consistency.

How many people make a special point of brushing and flossing their teeth before leaving for the dentist's office... but not maintaining those habits the rest of the time?  That hail Mary brushing and flossing aren't very effective in changing what happens at the dentist's office.  Nutrition and exercise are the same way.  One good or bad day isn't the end all, be all.  You don't have to be perfect all of the time.  You just have to treat yourself well most of the time.

Here's case in point: About five days ago (on Thursday), I came down with flu-like symptoms. On Friday I had to fly to Pittsburgh by way of Minneapolis - not good for the ailment, or maintaining my eating schedule.  With the time zone difference and adrenaline for the day to come, I slept about 3 hours Friday night - again, no good.  I spent the whole day Saturday on the go in a business case competition - again, not good for those nutrition habits.  And on Sunday I had to fly back to Seattle by way of Atlanta - 10 hours straight of travel. Overall grade: Ouch.

That's five straight days of chaos.  I tried to do some good, making smart choices about portion sizes and what foods I was eating when I could; but no exercise.  I thought for certain that this stretch of days would wreck my progress.  I prepared myself to see that weight and body fat percentage stay flat, if not go up.  And yet... just as brushing one's teeth one time can't override months of not doing so, a few chaotic days could not derail the choices I've made over these last few months.  Here's how things stood this morning:

It turns out I actually lost more body fat in the last two weeks (1.8%) than in any of the prior periods.  I'm now down 27 pounds, 21 of which were fat.

With the end of January upon us, many are looking at that New Year's resolution and thinking about how we've already messed up.  But the last two weeks have shown me that messing up is a part of getting better, and have served as a reminder that it's all about consistency.  Like Russell Wilson explains in his latest piece on the Players Tribune - it's about hitting that mental reset button and re-focusing on the place you want to be at, after failures and successes alike.

Day 76

Only one-quarter remains of 100 Days to Great.  The end is really coming on fast now!  Yesterday's NFC Championship game may not have been the most helpful - there may have been a little bit of stress eating going on.  All good snacks, but perhaps a bit more of them than I should've had.  However, one of the big lessons of this process is balance, so I'll just focus on hitting my good habits hard over the next several days.  This weekend might also be another curveball, as I'm traveling to Pittsburgh for a business school case competition Friday through Sunday.  Travel can make routines hard to maintain, but I'll pack some healthy snacks and workout clothes and try to keep things as normal as possible.

With Day 100 fast approaching, my mind is turning more and more to wondering if and what will change after it.  Soon it'll be time to sit down with Coach Stefan and learn.

This morning's workout was a bittersweet one because it was the last official one under the watchful eye of Coach Rimmer.  Rimmer took over the responsibility of training me and a few other 7 AM guys a few years ago.  In that time, he helped me to get the strongest I've ever been, all the while employing his one-of-a-kind combination of encouragement, tough love and a 12-year-old boy's sense of humor.  Now he's off to pursue great new opportunities, and I wish him the very best.  So I'd like to a moment to say thank you, Coach Rimmer.  There have only been a few individuals I've been glad to call Coach in my life, and you're one of them.

Day 71

Wow, I've hit the 70's along the 100 Days to Great... not too many days left!

Today was a weigh-in day, and an interesting one at that.  The results forced me to have to find positive momentum in new ways, due to nothing more than how some of the numbers work.  Here's how things stand:

On the surface, it looks like some momentum was lost.  During the last three periods, I was down 1.5%, 1.3% and 1.6%.  This last period, I was down 1.0%.  This feels like a drop off.  It's still dropping, but not by as much.

Yet, at the same time my overall weight dropped by 5.1 lbs - suggesting that I lost weight from some place other than fat.  Well, it turns out that is true.  Not shown in the chart above (but measured) is the lbs. of body water I am carrying - which turned out to be down about 2 lbs. from the last measurement.

Long story short - body fat percentage is just that: a percentage.  It's an amount of fat divided by a total amount of weight.  While only changes in fat can affect that fat number, a couple changes (dry lean mass, or muscle; and total body water) can affect your total weight number.  That can make it hard to interpret changes in the rate of fat loss I've been tracking.

So this time around, I've got to focus on something else - the absolute amount of body fat, regardless of what's going on with body water.  And in that department, things are steady.  The previous three periods, I lost 4.1, 3.1, and 4.2 lbs. of fat.  This last period, it was 2.7.

I think the bigger lesson here is that when you're trying to be healthier, there are a lot of different numbers or measures that can be used to track your success - and frankly, none of them is as important as the behaviors that drive them.  Those numbers can move around for different reasons - some of which are a bit out of your control.  But if you stick consistently to the right behaviors, then regardless of little variations, the overall trend will hold true.

Another lesson here is that some weigh days will be more shocking than others, but that I feel proud of them no matter what.  I don't know what the last couple measurements have in store for me, but even if I didn't lose another pound, I can be proud of dropping 17 pounds of fat.  My joints, organs, and quality of life are already saying thank you.

Day 68

It's Day 68.  I am now two-thirds of the way through my 100 Days to Great journey.

It has also been a while since my last post.  Early on, it felt like a lot was changing from one day to the next - which made it easy to hop online and post practically every day.  Things have gotten more smooth and steady the deeper I've gone, and as a result, I've had less to report.

In fact, even though I have 33 days left (including today), I've been feeling more and more like I've already accomplished my goal.  Don't me wrong - I'm still giving these last days my all, and the fat will continue to burn off.  However, my larger goal of resetting my nutritional lifestyle has grown to feel comfortable and normal now.  The beginning of this whole thing back in November feels like a long time ago.

Perhaps you've got a new year's resolution you're working on.  If so, here's a thought that could be relevant or helpful.  It's called a new year's resolution for a reason.  It's probably a big change, and big changes take a long time to be implemented in a lasting way.  For example, I could not have changed my nutritional habits much more than I did - meaning I have been dropping fat as fast as I possibly can without entering into unhealthy habits.  Even still, it took about two full months to lose 10 pounds of fat.  As the calendar rolls into the later days of January, and you are taking stock of progress toward your resolutions, remember that it's a year-long goal and you have a lot of time to keep moving forward.  Celebrate small wins and let them motivate to keep on.

As I begin to catch glimpses of the light at the end of this 100 Day tunnel, I'm growing curious about what (if anything) is "supposed" to change when all is said and done.  I've been on a roughly 2150 calorie/day pace during this period.  In order to maintain a weight level, rather than keep losing, will I need to increase that number?

My next weigh-in day is Wednesday (Day 71), so I'll share some more info then!

Day 57

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!  I hope that the turning of the calendar year finds you inspired and ready to make 2015 a very good year.

Today was a weigh-in day.  Here's how things are shaping up (or should I say down?):

It's interesting how a chicken-and-egg situation can sabotage positive changes from happening.  I've tried to make positive health changes in the past, but seeing some results is what really started to make me feel motivated.  Yet, in order to see those results, I first had to make the change.  To quote Fat Bastard from Austin Powers: "It's a vicious cycle." 

One thing I've enjoyed about this program is that the feedback has come quickly and regularly.  Within two weeks I knew I was doing something right.  As more weeks have come and gone, the numbers have continued to reinforce that.  By now, my own two eyes and positive feedback from friends, family and co-workers also help.  Having these small, incremental wins only motivates me more toward the next one.

Although there's more work to do, I'm shocked at what my old nutritional habits were doing to my body.  I can now see and feel the absence of those habits - and it makes me never want to go back. Back to popping heartburn meds several nights a week.  To feeling lethargic after every meal.  To using any event at any time as a suitable reason for having a drink.  To having a majority of my caloric intake be devoid of the nutrients required to live a (knock on wood) long and healthy life.  At this point, temptation still exists - but my internal reaction to it has become deeply engrained:  Why would I want to do this to myself? 

If you're thinking through New Year's resolutions, I hope you can also hone in on things that will have you feeling empowered and motivated as new weeks roll by.