One Pound a Day?

I am finally back to my weight loss blog. Since last April 1, 2015 I have lost over 100 pounds. I have kept most off and have yet to reach my goal of 175 pounds.
I am hoping this log will serve to help me stay on track and maybe inspire some others about how to lose a very large amount of weight in a short time after years of being fat. April 1, 2015 I was at 315 pounds, this is my baseline weight I measure my success from. I was more than that a few times as my old leather belt can serve and a witness. The notches clearly show that I was at a size 46 waist. So I have lost more than the amount I was at my maximum but that is neither here nor there now. The main thing is to focus on the process and goal. Many are other people have had success with this process and you can too. [DISCCLAIMER: BEAR IN MIND, I AM ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT AN OTHERWISE HEALTHY PERSON. SEE YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER BEFORE DOING ANY SUCH DRASTIC CHANGE. I am not a medical expert nor have any experience to convey other than my own personal experience.]

This is day zero of my new plan for losing a “pound a day” and you can too. The method is pretty much what I have been using and used in the past. It is imperative that I stress that this has worked already for me and many others but your health issues may vary. If you happen to know of the taller portion of the magic and comedy duo, Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette, you know already the path I used to reach the first portion of my weight loss. Basically put, 1000 calories a day, vegan diet, no added sugar or salt and exercise. (for me) Do not worry, the exercise is really easy, mostly walking or normal activities you already do. For me mine is mostly yard work and tread mill. I am also doing the Pokemon GO game which I am using to help me walk more to reach the next levels. It is really a good thing to use to get you off your butt and move. Of course and variation you want to add is fine. The purpose is to make a real life change that will make you more fit and healthy.

Over the next few weeks I will go over methods and techniques I used to help me achieve weight loss success. These include what to eat, how to eat, and how to cook, and how to burn calories. (simple, move more) I also realize that my method is rather drastic to some people and they cannot deal with such a drastic change. I will discuss some options for that as well. If you are more of a person that eats out for their meals I will also discuss some options for that too. You can still go out to eat and stay in the guidelines. But be prepared to tell the server what you want and prepared to have it returned if they fall. (For some reason, they seem to think adding something “extra” is nice.) I am sure nothing I will write is new to any of you nor should it be. I would suggest a good scale and a food tracking app to help you as well. The one I use is called “My Plate” and is a free download. (Of course, they always ask you to “Go Gold” but the main functions are good for what you need to reach your weight loss goals.

Let’s deal with some terms first, most people like me, are at an unhealthy weight. I call that “fat,” “obese” or “morbidly obese.” It is better to accept these terms and understand them. It isn’t not an insult it is just how it is. For definitions there are websites to show what your body mass index (BMI) and basal metabolic rate is. Both are important to know what you’re doing and what you do daily to help reach your goals. There is not checking or system or anything but you to meet these goals. It is possible and it is maintainable. As we get older, we all have a slowdown of our metabolism and must adapt our diets to deal with the changes. When I was in high school I could eat 13 Hardee’s hamburgers for lunch and still be thin. By the time I was in my late 20s it was a struggle to keep the weight off. I am sure many of you can relate.

Bear in mind this will work for both men and women. Also, there is no need to take any “supplements” to aid in weight loss. As I said, unless you are otherwise healthy, this method will always work.

Some more basics, a pound of fat is 3500 calories. Simply put if you burn this much you lose this much. Simple as that. It is physics not magic. If you are 100 or more pounds overweight it is very easy to lose this by simple changes in your diet. Last year when I was at 315 pounds, my BMR was 2583. When I simply applied the diet level to my BMR I was guaranteed to lose a pound every two days if I simply stayed in bed and did my diet. So you can see that any additional movement will drastically help in all ways to aid in reaching this goal. Remember, the trick to weight loss is this, Eat less, move more.

Colder Than Hell.

Weather from Hell.

Yes that's right. Today was colder than Hell, Norway in St. Louis. According to Meteorologisk Institutt of Norway it is -3ºC which converts to 26.6ºF. That is a balmy 16.6ºF warmer than our 10ºF this morning. So you can say with full confidence that it is colder then Hell Today without any fear of strange looks from anyone.

Not many on the trail, but footprints show their evidence.

I did walk the entire path Today but I put on some additional layers before I began. I had on four layers on my torso and four layers on my legs as well and two pair of socks. This is good because it was the coldest day so far to walk. This combine with the snow on Grant's Trail made for a challenging walk. But even with these factors, I was warm after about a mile of walking. After I got off Grant's Trail there were some snow flurries. So the last half mile I had a few flakes blowing in my face.

It is quite good to have this day over with. I would be interested to find out what the forecast is for the next few weeks. I sure wouldn't want to see the temperature drop much more. But the price you pay for warmer weather is storms. So there is that trade off. I am certainly not thrilled about walking in the rain; or any sort of precipitation.

Blowing snow covers covers tracks on Grant's Trail.

Today saw an increase of people. I was quite surprised by this. The trail has been used as is evidenced by the footprints on the trail. I guess some people are keeping to the diet and fitness goals despite the weather. There was a total of five people Today.

I was reading yesterday about the benefits of walking verses jogging. The bottom line seems to be that if you are going the same distance that there is no real benefit to weight loss. Of course there are some factors that can change that such as if you are going up and down hills and if you are wearing ankle weights and things of that sort but the main thing is to have a plan that you can do safely and stick to it.

While getting muscle tone and even bigger muscles sounds like a great plan. In my current state I need to focus on my heart and lung health first and getting the weight down. For that the plan is diet and exercise. But even more important and the most difficult is consistency. The best plan in the world is useless if you do not apply it in a consistent plan. Granted my plan is a bit more then what it typical but I have a lot of fat to lose and it isn't going to go away by wishing it away. Though I wish it would.

My blood pressure has been moving slowly down over the past two weeks which is my main goal.

Getting the blood pressure down helps reduce risk of stoke, heart disease, type II diabetes and other health concerns. Losing the weight just makes me look better. But I can't have one without the other.

According to stltoday.com the forecast for the next few days should be getting warmer. Today could be the coldest day for about a week. January 20 and 21 look to be very cold. But with that being more than a week out that can easily change. But for most of the next week it looks to be in the lower 30º for the highs. I can live with that.

With that in mind I wish everyone the best of luck on their goals and keep on trudging on.

Thomas