Ok, that's it. I've had it.
After a two-week Thanksgiving binge and new lows in self-esteem and personal body image, I've decided to really make a change for the better. Enough of this nonsense of weighing too much. This month, I'm vowing to lose 5-10 lbs and head into 2012 with a full head of steam to get back to my playing weight of around 180. I'm putting it in writing here so I can fully commit--you all can and should hold me accountable. This is going to happen. I'm sick of being pudgy and doughy, god dammit!
For a bit of background, I hit a low on Memorial Day, when I stepped onto a scale in a New York hotel and read 203. Talk about a wake-up call. At my leanest and fittest back in Seattle, I was at about 175, easily repping my own weight on the bench, and capable of running 2.5 miles in 20 minutes after a 45-minute lifting session. Even though I enjoyed the occasional pizza or all-night drink-fest with the boys, there was always a focus on fitness--arena soccer once a week, lifting regularly, running stairs behind the house in Seattle, 10-15 minutes of abs every night before bed. Because of my good habits then, I always prided myself on not being one of those guys whose weight fluctuates a lot. And then, something changed--location, priorities, lifestyle, something. And the love handles came screaming back and never left.
Over the last 6 months, I've tried to maintain my activity levels while watching a bit more what I eat--much less pizza, much less Thai food, but still, admittedly, snacking late at night, likely eating too much fat/carbs, continuing to eat out a lot, not hydrating enough, and definitely not hitting the weights as much as I like. While I've reined in some bad habits over the last 6 months and have lost 12 lbs to show for it, I know I can do better. It's high time to get serious.
Thus, I'm embarking on The Assault on the Handles, Part II, a.k.a, The Assault. Those who knew me in 2007 will remember The Assault Part I, which saw me go from 195 to 170 and ended with my getting engaged to TheFiancee, now known as TheWife. As you can see, The Assault only produces positive results. While I'm not looking to get re-engaged on this Assault, the intent is to feel better about my body, my fitness and my health, something that hasn't happened in a while.
The Assault began in earnest this Monday, December 5th, when I figured that over 4 weeks, losing 5-10 lbs is a reasonable and healthy goal. My thinking is this--run calorie deficits like mad, all month long, but run sustainable calorie deficits. None of this everyday starving myself and exercising for two hours and being miserable throughout nonsense. The goal is not to have a six-pack; rather, it is to foster habits that can continue for years to come. Gradual and permanent moderation in the diet, exercise that I find fun and refreshing and thus don't mind doing--that's the idea, because then it is repeatable. 28 days of running 500-1,000 calorie deficits means 14,000-28,000 extra calories burned this month. That is just shy of 5-10 lbs--a solid poopie on January 2 will get me over the hump, I'd imagine. Given that the weekends are generally spent out of town, or having guests visit, my plan is to run strong deficits on the weekdays, giving myself a bit of leeway on the weekends if I can't work out. But still, watching what I eat on the weekends. Eating out at restaurants is The Assault's kryptonite, so this is when I have to be vigilant and cautious. For a little more math, according to basal metabolic rate calculators, a 29-year old, 6-foot tall male weighing 190 should burn through about 1,990 calories a day just by existing. If I can restrict calories and exercise to a point where my net (calories consumed minus basal metabolic rate minus calories burned in exercise) is around -500 to -1,000 a day, I should be in business. One day at a time.
So here's how we're doing. Started Monday with an 80-minute squash session, keeping my calories to around 1,220 (!) for the day (1,220 consumed minus 1,990 basal minus 700 for squash equals -1,470). Tuesday, I took the day to recover (squash does a number on the legs), ate about 1,830 calories and by my calculation, walked roughly 1.5 to 2 miles at Costco, the mall, and the VA hospital, where I took TheWife her dinner; also did some push-ups and crunches before bed (1,830 consumed minus 1,990 basal minus 180 for walking and pushups/abs equals -340). Today, Wednesday, did a 90-minute squash session, while consuming 2,100 calories (2,100 consumed minus 1,990 basal minus 800 for squash equals -690). So, the first three days of The Assault have seen me run a deficit of about 2,500 cumulative calories, just more than 800 per day, and just shy of a pound. The plan tomorrow--gym for chest, triceps, and shoulders plus a 10-minute run; load up on protein, keep the fat and calories low-ish, and finish the night off with abs before bed; let's aim for another 1,000 deficit. As of this morning, I weighed in at 190.6 lbs. 10 lbs to go. I'll let you know what each day brings.
The plan, going forward: 2-3 lifting sessions per week and 2-3 cardio sessions per week, consisting of squash or running. 1-2 days of rest, keeping the calories low, around 1,200-1,500. And the quality of food will be totally different. Out with pizza, cashews, chips and dip, tacos, what have you. In with "masala corn," a simple dish of whole corn kernels sauteed with lemon juice, chili powder, and salt; in with fat-free yogurt and the old standby green bean curry, again a simple saute of green beans with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, chili powder, and salt; in with turkey burgers, which heat up on the stove quickly and are 200 calories, 35g protein, 6g fat, and very filling; in with homemade turkey sandwiches and baby carrots or baked Lays for lunch; in with Indian-style sauteed Brussels sprouts, which is just like the green bean curry; in with the old standby chop salad with romaine, green and red bell peppers, cucumber, broccoli, garbanzo beans, fajita chicken, light cheese, tabasco, and light ranch; in with tomato soup and toast. All foods that I find quite delicious, and that don't make me destroy the toilet at night.
So here we are. The Assault is in full swing. Stay tuned.
