December 14, 2013

Almost 3 years ago, I had lost 95 pounds, and felt good about my weight for the first time in probably 15 years.  Today, I've gained almost half of it back, and decided that I must start getting back into shape today.  My friend Mike suggested that we have a friendly bet (terms yet agreed upon) to see if we can reach our goals by May 31st, and to document it on this blog as sort of a way to keep us accountable and motivated.

I plan to make entries every Saturday or Sunday detailing my workout routine and food consumption for the week, along with a weekly photo of my fat gut.

My starting weight is 218.7 pounds.  My goal weight I'm setting for May 31st is 180 pounds.  Not counting the remaining days in December, that means I will need to lose 7.74 lbs/month...so, almost 2 lbs/week.  I think this is a reasonable goal.  It's very attainable but not too easy either.  I also plan on putting on some muscle mass too, which means I will need to lose even more weight to make up for that.

I'm used to, and enjoy, running in order to lose weight, but this isn't the best time of year to do that due to the weather.  Therefore, I plan on using my home gym 5 to 6 days a week, and the stationary bikes and treadmills at work, along with eating a healthier diet.

I also plan on including 1 cheat day each week, so I don't go insane or want to quit.  I want to use the cheat day to give myself a break from working out if my schedule doesn't allow for it, or to go out to eat or drink for a special occasion...not to be a total pig on those days, and set myself back a whole week.  Looking ahead, this might have a slow start considering I have a Christmas party next week, a trip to Las Vegas the week after that, then New Years Eve, and then going to get a free dinner at the Union Woodshop in January.  After all that gluttony is out of the way, I plan on taking this hardcore, and look forward to the weather clearing up so I can start running outside again.