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.

Day 50

Happy Hump Day, everybody!  Although this particular Hump Day is extra hump-y for me, because it is Day 50: the mid-point of 100 Days to Great.  (If you giggled at the word hump-y, I salute you.)

Mid-points are awesome.  They signal the moment you become closer to the end of a journey than the beginning of it.  That being the case, it's dawning on me that before too long, I will leave the safe confines of this program.  Right now, eating as healthily as I ever have is easy in part because all of my decisions are pre-made for me.  I don't have to think much about what I'm eating (or not eating).

In another 50 days or so, however, the choices will be all mine again.  In a recent post, I mentioned that my current nutritional regimen has grown to feel natural and unforced.  That remains true, and will make transitioning back into the wild a little easier.  With several weeks left to prepare, here are 5 lessons from this program I'll take with me after all is said and done:

1. I don't know if I'll ever eat fast food again.  Between a hectic job and crazy fast schedule between work and school, fast food was creeping into my eating habits and becoming a regular thing.  Now, just thinking about the way my body felt after eating it is enough to dissuade me from wanting to do it again.
2. Eating every few hours has definitely helped regulate my energy throughout the day.  Again, that hectic schedule can be a pain, but I've noticed a serious difference in my energy levels between eating 3 large meals (600-700 calories) at roughly 8AM, 1PM and 6PM compared with eating 3 snacks (250-300 calories) and 3 small meals (400-450 calories) at roughly 7AM, 9:30AM, 12PM, 2:30PM, 5PM and 7:30PM.  I feel much better with the latter.
3. Eating the right snacks also helps me feel more balanced energy throughout the day.  Gone are the days where I run to the vending machine for a bag of peanut M&Ms and convincing myself that's the best option given limited time.
4. Not having a veggie and/or fruit present in virtually all snacks & meals feels weird to me now.  This is the polar opposite of where I was when this started, when having a veggie or fruit felt forced.
5. I miss alcoholic beverages, but in the way I thought I would.  Early on, cravings were definitely dependency-based.  Somewhere along the way, though, the cravings became sensory-based - taste and temperature.  It also became not just about alcoholic beverages, but other caloric beverages like milkshakes.  When this journey ends, all these "caloric beverages" will count one and the same as something to be enjoyed on special occasions, and enjoyed well.  No more cheap stuff.  I'll want good stuff I can savor nice and slowly.

Day 44

Yesterday marked Day 43 and my 6-week weigh-in.  The lesson of this weight-in was that while numbers don't lie, some carry more weight than others.  (Pun intended.)

Consider this: In my first two weeks, I lost 6.2 pounds and 0.8% body fat.  In the last two weeks, I lost 2.2 pounds and 1.3% body fat.  That equates to only 1/3 of the pounds from the first two weeks, but almost 2x as much body fat.  What's going on?  Well, behind the curtain, I actually gained two pounds of lean mass of the last two weeks.

When people think about weight loss, they tend to think about pounds.  As this weigh-in showed, that may not be the best indicator and definitely should not be used as the only measure of success.

Here is how things are shaping up in graph format!  I am now trending almost exactly to the target weight of 190 pounds, and closer to the intended body fat % of 7% (currently forecasted to finish at 11.6%).

Day 34

I am already 1/3 of the way through 100 Days to Great.  To quote Keanu Reeves: "Whoa."

I've had some pretty cool instincts/feelings coming naturally to me lately, all of which seem to indicate that this new world of no booze, virtually zero caloric carbs, and lots of lean protein, fruits and veggies is becoming my "new normal."

• Before: Eating fast food 1-2 days a week.  Now: Fast food just doesn't sound good (even my beloved Taco Bell).
• Before: Eating breakfast 1-2 hours after waking up, no fruits or veggies included.  Now: Eating within an hour of waking, fruits and/or veggies always included.
• Before: Pushing through being hungry because I was busy and didn't have anything on hand, followed by a huge meal.  Now: Eating when I am hungry, even when I'm busy, because I always have good snacks on hand.
• Before: Feeling like my one salad with fried chicken strips was a debit in my nutritional account, and then eating several meals with pre-packaged, pre-processed items and virtually zero fruits or vegatables.  Now: Looking forward to each meal, consisting of nothing pre-packaged, nothing fried, nothing pre-processed, and always some fruits or veggies.

I'm really happy that this no longer feels like a temporary change or chore - it just feels like life.

Day 29

It's Day 29, meaning I had my second check-in/weigh-in for 100 DAYS TO GREAT this morning.  I've shared my anxiety with you... and have good-ish news!

Here's how things are shaping up:

• On the weight front, I've lost another 5 pounds, bringing the cumulative total to 11 pounds over the last 4 weeks.  Of that, roughly 7 have been body fat mass.  The remainder has been mostly water weight.
• On the body fat front, I dropped another 1.5%, bringing the cumulative total to 2.3%.

The good news is that my rate of fat loss improved over the last two weeks, as you can see from the downward kink in the green line above.  The less good news is that I'm on pace to finish the 100 DAYS at roughly 12% body fat - a far cry from the goal of 7%.  However, *if* the recent increase in the rate of fat loss holds, that 12% projection should also improve.  

Either way, there are two parts to this lifestyle equation - diet and exercise.  There is not a whole lot more I can do with diet: I've been sticking to the recommended plan as closely as possible, with virtually no deviation.  That means it's time to increase the exercise.  Right now I work out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  The workouts are pretty power-centric - I break a good sweat, but there is not much cardio.  So first, we will be adding 10-15 minutes of steady state cardio to the end of each workout; and I will also be adding some cardio to my off days.  I'll start by getting in a 45-60 minute cardio workout on 2 of my 4 off days, using the Nike Training Kinect program on Xbox 360.  I've used it several times in the past, and it always works me out hard enough to break a good sweat.

We'll see if that helps me to maintain (or maybe increase!) this new fat loss rate of 1.5% over two weeks.  The next weigh-in is 12/17 - time to re-focus and re-dedicate!

Day 25

Today I am 1/4 of the way through 100 Days to Great.  From day to day, things feel like they are moving slowly; but then a milestone day comes along and reminds me that I've already covered a lot of ground.

First, I hope all of you had a very happy Thanksgiving.  I am really enjoying the long weekend! Today we got our Christmas tree and decorated it.  One of my favorite days of the year.

Second, some thoughts from the last few days.

• With the arrival of the holiday season, I've started getting great reactions about the timing of this 100 Day journey - generally along the lines of, "During the holidays? Ouch."  While I will admit that it is very tough to think about all of the holiday beverages I won't be having this year, I'm also a bit relieved by the timing of this whole thing.  Had I not started when I did, there is a good chance my weight would still be shifting from 222 lbs. to something else - but it probably wouldn't be in a downward direction!  There's something about the holidays - in between the euphoria and the stress - that typically makes me more likely to let things slide.  This time around, I don't have to worry about it.
• I noticed something this morning that's pretty cool.  Before my 100 Days started, I got heartburn close to daily - at least a few times each week.  Since it started though, none.  That is a very nice feeling.

There are three full days before Wednesday morning, when my next official weigh-in comes.  That'll be the morning of Day 29, so nearly 1/3 of the way through the program.  Corresponding weight and body fat numbers would be 211 pounds and about 16% body fat.  I'll update you next after getting the numbers!

Day 21

I'm three weeks into 100 DAYS TO GREAT.  Honestly speaking, this last week felt a lot slower than the first two did.  100 days is starting to feel like PLENTY of time to make a big dent in body fat while seriously improving my nutrition habits.  (Win-win!)

On Day 19, I shared that I've been worried about what I'll see at my next weigh-in on 12/3.  After writing that, I decided to be a more active participant in my own success.  Ryan has provided me with a very detailed nutrition plan of when to eat, and what to eat, very specifically.  With more than a week until the weigh-in remaining, I thought about where I could improve in my habits, and identified two things: 1. Portion sizes and 2. Timing.

After weighing in at the two-week mark, I got a little too carefree.  I thought, "Man, I can eat a lot of these awesome foods in large quantities and still lose weight."  Rather than carefully measuring portion sizes, I'd been eyeballing; or maybe adding little garnishes like some shredded cheese in my eggs.  Wrong-o.  So for the last two nights, I have prepped my entire day's worth of food for the following day, to the letter of the nutrition plan.

Beyond that, it's easy to let that time to eat slip by between work, school, or tasks around the house.  My nutrition plan has me eating 300-400 calories every 3 hours or so.  If I let one of those moments slip, all of a sudden I'm behind and eating twice within really close proximity of one another - essentially having one mega meal.  Why is timing important?  I asked Ryan to find out.  Here's his advice:

"It's primarily about consistency.  When you eat at the same times each day, it's easier for your body and your lifestyle to adjust.  It's like a relationship - dating someone who is bi-polar is really hard to regulate.  It's hard to make decisions."

In this case, eating large meals at different times each day makes me the bi-polar one, and my pancreas the poor sap who's trying to accommodate me.  Ryan continued: "[The nutrition plan] regulates your blood sugar and insulin.  It keeps you from high or low spikes, and provides you with better energy levels."  So that explains why I haven't been having food comas, a.k.a. fomas, lately...

Lastly, when one's metabolism is firing consistently, it will burn more body fat.  So I've got that going for me.  And on that note... it's time to eat.  :)

Day 19

I've got to be honest with you: I'm a bit worried that my next weigh in won't be as successful as my last.  I step on my scale at home to get a directional read on how things are going, and it's not looking like much has changed since last Wednesday.

Faced with the possibility that I'm not doing enough nutritionally, I've taken a little time to self-assess.  I'm doing very well on a few key fronts - no booze, no sweets, and virtually nothing processed (I can't be sure when it comes to restaurant items, but I try to get things that are comprised of real, unprocessed items).  What I really have not done is paid attention to portion sizes.  So, I re-opened my meal plan from Fire Fitness tonight and pre-measured everything I am going to eat tomorrow.  There's an interesting thought: every bite I am going to eat tomorrow has been pre-determined and prepped in advance.  There won't be any choices to make.  I don't think I've ever been able to say that before.

Anyhow, I get the sense that if I want to see meaningful improvements in my next measurement like I did with the last one, I need to focus harder.  I'll be working to prep every night for the following day from here on out.

Day 16

Yesterday Ryan S. from Fire Fitness posted a great article called The Cost of Getting Lean from Precision Nutrition.  The article lays out in very understandable terms what is involved in getting to varying levels of body fat.  The post was well-timed, as I just went through a mental trade-off process of sorts myself.  The two items on the opposite sides of the scale - nutrition and health - had teetered for a long time, but I reached a point where I felt strongly that health should count for more.

The article mentions considering 'how to get the body you really want while living the life you really enjoy.'  Recall that the goal for this 100 Days is to get down to 6-8% body fat.  When all is said and done, however, my goal is not to maintain that because in order to get there I'm giving up some things that I don't want to give up permanently.  Arbitrarily I'd like to maintain a 10-12% level.  The article posted above breaks down what it takes to maintain that level pretty clearly:

1. Planning and attention to diet
• Getting the right things in during most/all meals
• Eating slowly
• Limiting processed carbs & caloric beverages to 1-2 per week
2. 3-4 hard exercise sessions a week and 45-60 minutes of exercise on off days
3. 7-8 hours of sleep per night
4. De-stress daily for 20 minutes

#1 is the biggest area of change for me, and the planning component is huge.  Beyond that, I actually feel like I came into 100 Days in good shape.  If anything else, I could add some cardio for off-days.

The last thing I'll call out from the article is its emphasis on the long-term.  'Even small adjustments can - over time - add up to noticeable improvements.' It seems like we've grown to expect exercise or nutrition regimens to 'fix' us in 30 days or less.  A long-term focus was one of the reasons I chose to do 100 Days.  Also, I'm hoping that by pushing hard for these 100 days, small adjustments that keep me in line with the items above will come more naturally and easily.

Day 15

The first round of numbers are in, and it's a mix of good and bad news.

On the one hand, I've lost 6.2 pounds.  On the other hand, 3.1 of them were fat and 3.1 of them were lean mass.  On a third hand, I believe most of the lean loss was body water (0.9 pounds of intracellular water and 1.6 pounds of extracellular water.)  My body fat percentage decreased 0.8%, from 20.0% to 19.2%.

I like graphs.  So I made one:

As it stands (based on my whopping two data points), I'm forecasted to finish at 179 pounds with 14.4% body fat.  My goal is 190 pounds with 7% body fat.  I'm guessing that with more data points, the separate forecasts for overall weight and PBF will better align with these goals.

All in all, however, numbers don't lie.  I've burned off some fat over the last couple weeks, and will need to stay focused in order to keep it going.

Day 14

Today marks two weeks into 100 Days to Great.

The last couple days have taught me how important it is to take the time to grocery shop, plan, and get myself ready for the day(s) ahead.  For the first 10 days or so of this process, I was more or less winging it because I couldn't get to the grocery store.  After finally getting that shopping trip in on Sunday, yesterday and today have felt so much smoother.  I have a post-it note on my monitor at work with all of the times I'm supposed to have a meal or snack, and when the times come, I've got what I need on hand and ready to go.

I'm craving things here and there (I miss you, Taco Bell), but for the most part I feel determined.  I suspect things are going to get a bit tougher soon, because 100 days is beginning to feel like a looong time.

Tomorrow AM is the first official weigh-in since this whole thing started.  The goal is to be down about 4 pounds of fat at this point.  Wish me luck!

Day 12

Wow - already over 10% of the way there!

The first week or so was a bit of flying by the seat of my (hopefully fitting better and better) pants.  I wasn't even able to get to a grocery store until Day 9.  Today, however, we made a big grocery run and I'll be set for the next several days.

My first official weigh-in isn't until Wednesday, but that hasn't stopped me from stepping on the scale at home just to get a sneak peek.  It's directional, but so far, so good!  I hope the microwave confirms this at Fire Fitness on Wednesday - particularly that the weight loss is fat and not muscle.  I'll make another update then!

Day 6

Wow, already almost one week come and gone.

Since my last post, I've gotten some nutrition counseling from Ryan Stefan at Fire Fitness in the form of a 3-day meal + snack plan that I intend to repeat on an ongoing basis for this 100 Days to Great experience.  I'll stick to the plan as closely as possible while I get my feet underneath me in terms of shopping and meal prep habits.  Once those are steady, I can start to experiment with swapping in and out components and ingredients for the meals.  The biggest difference from my old habits is that everything on the menu is actual food.  Like, from-mother-nature food.  It's amazing and a little disturbing how much of what I'd been eating was not.

In terms of the exercise regimen, not a lot is changing in the short-term.  I'm in three days a week (M, W, F) doing 45-60 minutes of power movement (compound weight lifts, box jumps).  The change comes in the form of a finisher - about 5 minutes of intense interval training either on the stationary bike, treadmill or row machine.  It may only be 5 minutes, but I've been pretty wiped after all three sessions so far.

Overall, feeling pretty solid!

Day 3

Just a short one today.  As expected, today was tougher.  I got through it though!

One interesting moment came during dinner.  It was a big group dinner (20+) and drinks were flowing all around me.  Man oh man, did I want one for myself.  Then, somewhere amid that craving, the polarity of the feeling changed.  All of I sudden I realized I was tapping into a sense of delayed gratification.  Sticking to my goals now will make that next drink all the more gratifying when I finish with these 100 days.  At the moment, I'm thinking it'll be a nice red wine!

Day 2

Ah, the optimism in the early stages of a journey.  If every day felt like today, it'd be smooth sailing.  No cravings, and a great workout.  And yet, I'm sure not every day will feel like today, so I've got to be thankful for the ones that do.

Here's a bit more detail about what I'm after in this quest.

Naturally, I must begin with some numbers. Yesterday morning I clocked in at 222 pounds and 20% body fat.  My body fat has been hanging around 18-20% for several months now.  At some point over the summer (June or July) I remember stepping on the scale and seeing 206 pounds.  Give or take a few pounds of lean mass here and there, that means I've put on somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-12 pounds of fat since the summer and am now at my all-time high.  That 222 pounds consists of 178 pounds of lean mass and 44 pounds of "other" - fat, water, etc.  The goal for February 14th is 7% body fat (for no other reason than settling on the mid-point of a 6-8% target range).  That means losing about 25-30 pounds over the next 100 days, or roughly 2 pounds per week.

If you're curious about how I came up with these numbers, Fire Fitness has this doodad I call the microwave.  It looks like a scale, and you stand on it while also holding onto some handles.  It sends some kind of wave through you and detects water vs. lean vs. fat.  I've gotten measured every other month or so for a few years now, so I know exactly where I've been and where I'm projecting to go.

Now to be transparent, I don't expect to keep to 7% when all is said and done.  I want to reach it, enjoy it for a moment, and then re-introduce some of my favorite items that are off-limits during this time - things like wine, beer, and baked goods.  However, I hope and expect that the degree to which I want to consume these things is reduced compared to where I've been lately; that the term 'moderation' will actually apply to my habits.  I'm trying to create a new "average" for myself - one that skews toward the healthier end.  I feel like a sustained, intense effort like this will do the trick.

The next three days will be a test.  We'll be traveling, and I will want to do things like grab some Starbucks (venti skinny vanilla latte and iced lemon pound cake, to be specific), some Bugles for the plane ride (a personal favorite), and eat what's convenient (which for me tends to mean processed).  I'll probably be tempted at least once to have an adult beverage.  That said, I'll be hanging with people who support and encourage me, which will help.

See you tomorrow!

Day 1

Like all epic journeys, this one begins with Day 1.

For the next 100 days (well, 102 to be exact, but I like 100 Days to Great), I will be challenging myself to accomplish something I've never been able to accomplish before: a six-pack.

Well... yes, there's that; but it's also about sticking to healthy changes for a sustained period of time.  It's about knowing that when all is said and done it will be easier to make healthy choices because by then I'll have separated myself from some bad habits I haven't managed to break yet (like too many of the other six-pack).  I just turned 30, and for one reason or another, that makes me think more often about my own mortality.  I need to take care of myself.  There's a lot more in life that I'm stoked to experience together with my wife, family and friends; and I want to be in tip-top shape so I can experience it all to the fullest.

This isn't going to be easy.  For one, I have a stressful job, and a tasty adult beverage or handful(s) of junk food help me cope with that.  For two, I have a crazy schedule a couple days a week because I run straight from work to school (Mondays and Wednesdays to be specific).  For three, I'm not a huge fan of cooking or doing dishes.  You know what?  There are going to be plenty of opportunities to make excuses - but it's just 100 days.  I can get through 100 days, and can only imagine what my new natural urges and instincts will feel like by the end.

So if you're interested, come with me on this journey of 100 Days to Great.  I'll be documenting it as I go.