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.  :)