The main goal is weight loss.
Obvious, I know. I started out at 285.5. My ultimate goal is to be at 215. When, not if, I get there I'll re-evaluate. I haven't been at that weight for a long time. But, it's been the goal weight I've had every single time I board the "get healthy wagon", so I'm gonna get there this time dammit. I don't really have a date in mind for when I want to hit this goal. I don't have a wedding or a vacation or any big event that is prompting this life change. So, I'm going to do some math to figure out my goal date.
285.5
- 215.0
70.5
I have a total of 70.5 pounds that I want to lose. Most sites/docs/articles that I've seen state that it's ideal to lose 1-2 pounds per week.
(CDC - https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/index.html) A pound of fat is roughly 3,500 calories. So I'll have to eat/work off/have a deficit of around 7,000 calories a week to lose 2 pounds. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/calories/art-20048065
I'm going to be optimistic and say that I can lose 2 pounds per week on average, meaning it will take me 35 weeks to accomplish my ultimate goal. I started this journey on October 5th, 2017, 35 weeks later would put me at May 28th-ish, 2018. I'm going to round up and make my goal date June 1st, 2018.
Now, most experts would say that there needs to be short term goals sprinkled in there somewhere, milestones to make sure you keep on track. It's a lot easier to focus on smaller goals that can be obtained quicker. It keeps you focused and gives you little 'wins' so you don't get overwhelmed trying to reach that overall huge goal. I'm setting my first milestone at 20 pounds lost by December 1st. That's just over 8 weeks into it, so that would work out to being a little over the ideal 2 pounds per week lost, but I think it's doable. I'll set another small milestone at that point.
Summary
Starting Weight: 285.5
Goal Weight: 215
Goal Weight Loss: 70.5
Goal Date: June 1st, 2018
1st Milestone: 265.5 - 20 pounds lost by December 1st, 2017
*Achieved on Dec 8th, 2017*
2nd Milestone: 250.5 - 15 pounds lost by February 1st, 2018
*Achieved on Feb 9th, 2018*
3rd Milestone: 240.5 - 10 additional pounds lost by April 1st, 2018
A side goal is to be healthier overall.
Losing a lot of weight will by default make me more healthy. Along with losing weight my goal is to eat cleaner and be more active.
The first step in my mind is to drink more water and limit my pop intake to one 20oz a week. This is going to be a process, but I know I can do it. I've gone without for months at a time, it's just a matter of weening myself down and then replacing the pop habit with a water habit. It's doable, and I've already made large strides here. I've mentioned before that I would drink something like a 2 liter a day. I'd buy a big gulp at work and drink that in the morning. Most days I'd then buy a 20oz in the afternoon at work. When I'd get home I'd pour a glass of pop and would have at least another glass or two before the day was over. I'm currently averaging a 20oz a day. I bought a bunch of 20oz six packs on sale a while back. I'd like to be done with pop when they are gone. I have several left. I'll continue to try and have 1 a day for the several next days until they are gone. I'll allow myself to have one a week, but I'm hoping it will be unappealing at that point. In years past when I've quit soda it's lost it's appeal pretty quick, tasting overly syrupy and too sweet.
I also want to concentrate on eating much larger portions of veggies. I've started on this as well. It's one of the keys to weight loss. This one will be harder to measure. I just need to keep it as a conscious effort. It starts with me buying more veggies at the store and making them available. I'm trying to plan my meals and make sure there is a vegetable at each meal. I'll try to find a way to fit them into lunch as well.
The next goal is being more active. I'd like to get to the point where I'm doing some sort of physical activity a minimum of 20 mins per day on average. I'm not sure where to start with this. I've got a few options that I like.
- The 10K-15K steps a day challenge:
- The 100 Pushups a day challenge:
- The couch to 5k challenge:
Whatever I end up doing I'm sure it will be some sort of mix and match and will morph over time. It'll start out light and less frequent and hopefully evolve into a more complex routine.
So, there are my goals. These will change, maybe even weekly, but this is where I'm at right now. I'm not a dietitian, a physical trainer, or any sort of expert so I have a lot to learn, I'm sure. The whole thing is a journey to a better life and I've got to start somewhere.
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