Third time's a charm - Day 1³

OK I'm finally back.  It's been a rough few months as far as my weight is concerned.  My weight was slowly creeping up after I got sick there, then with the quarantine and everything, I have just been gaining super fast the last month or two.  One day I'll post my full weight chart to document it.  I have been weighing pretty much every day.

So today I begin again.  It has been quite a journey, and I firmly believe that you can only fail if you quit trying, so here's to trying again.  :)  Then again, as Yoda said, "Do or do not, there is no try." So here's to my doing it!

So I've not only gained my weight back, I've gotten just a tiny bit heavier then when I started the first time.  I'm sitting at 305 today, almost unbelievable to me that I've broken 300 again.  I thought I'd never be back here, but no sense dwelling on that.  I'm sure I'll tell more of that story as we go along.



My goal is more long term this time.  I was successful in the 50lbs 90days challenge, and I think I didn't have a clear enough path beyond that.  Like I said multiple times, my "why's" started to go away as the pounds came off, and I sort of lost my motivation and got comfortable.

So I have new, sustaining why's, along with all the ones I had before that have come back.  So most of my clothes do not fit again.  I've been working from home for a few months, so that has not been a strong motivator, but now I need to go back to the office, and I only have like 2 or 3 shirts that fit, and one or two pairs of pants.  Not good.  Also, my back is hurting more all the time and I get winded just going up the stairs in my house.  So those are the main reasons I started to lose weight in the first place, along with the fear of diabetes that I mentioned early on.

I have been thinking about some longer-term "why's", and the biggest one for me is living long enough to see my kids grow up and have grandkids.  I know my life will be shortened if I do not take control soon.  There are also a few things that I want to do that I can't do at this weight, life-long dreams and goals that I've barely been willing to admit because I know I can't do them if I don't lose weight, and I'm not getting any younger.  Probably the biggest one is that I want to get a pilot's license and be able to fly around the country.  Right now there is no way I'd pass a pilot physical.

So with some longer term why's, I've developed a longer term strategy that will see me all the way to my goal weight of 180lbs.  That is still overweight for my height, but I really have no way of knowing how I'll feel at that weight until I get there.  Once I'm there I may have a desire to get down to 160, which would be normal, or I may be comfortable with 180.  I do want to lift pretty heavy when I get down there, so that may mean I can be a little heavier and still be lean.

So here's the goal, basically broken down into five steps over the next year:

1. Lose 20 pounds in the first 30 days -> 285 *** I'll get back a good amount of self esteem here
2. Lost 50 pounds in the next 90 days -> 235 *** I know I'll be feeling great at this weight
3. Lose 40 pounds in the next 90 days -> 195 *** YAY WONDERLAND!
4. Lose 15 pounds in the next 90 days -> 180 *** GOOOOOOALLLLLLL
5. Maintain 180 for at least three months  ***  This is how long it takes for the body to adjust its set point



So there you have it.  I am excited to start this journey.  I know I can do it!!  My strategy will again be primarily intermittent fasting.  I may have to do some longer-ish fasts to make my first goal especially.  Last time I did a 7-day fast to make my first goal, and I know I can do that if needed.

I am going to be logging what I eat every day here, and also on Myfitnesspal most likely.  Today I had some chili and rice, corn bread, and a couple of Snickerdoodle cookies that my daughter made.  And of course apple cider vinegar for digestion.

You can see complete meal on MFP, but it was about 700 Calories.  I at right about 5pm, and I just had the one meal, so eating before or afterwards.  As Joe (omad.info) would say "Eat and be done with it!"  Here is the meal:

 

I feel really great tonight.  It always amazes me when I do fast how good I feel, even the first day.  I know days 3-4 are the hardest, so here's to breaking through the barrier!