Lets try this again. I've never been able to keep this up consistantly, but I'm hoping this time is different (feels different, but only on day 2, and I think it always feels that way to start).

Starting weight: 253.5 (scale said 251.5 two days ago, so this might drop significantly the first week).
Goal weight: 190 by June 6, 2009. Thats 2lbs a week on average. Losing 1% a week will get me down past that mark. Its just a goal, plateaus or whatever will hinder it, but I like a tight goal. If I get within 15lbs-20lbs of it I'll be more than happy.

How I'm doing this:
Counting calories. Simple. Easy. Effective. Lost a bunch of weight doing this alone (gained most back, but I was lifting during the gain so I look a lot thinner than when I weighed less before) and running at the gym inconsistantly, so I think I've got that part down.

Cardio - Running. I want to run a marathon by 2011. A full one. A nice goal to have I think. Maybe try for the next Philly marathon in 2010. I recently walked 13 miles in under 4 hours, so I could in theory do a half-marathon tomorrow. Starting with a c25k program then once i complete that I'm gonna set varying mile/day goals, no idea what that will be not even thinking on it till I get to week 8 of my c25k then I'll work it out.

Strength training: I haven't lifted in over a month. Its gonna suck but I'm just going to go back to the program I was doing. If I go a few weeks and can't gain Ill switch it up, this is also something I've got down so I'm not too worried. waiting till next week to start this up cause I need to get over my running sores before I'll do squats. Its going to make running so difficult for a week and I want to be fully into running before or I'll give up on it. Hate running, I like lifting.

Thats it. I plan to post in this occasionally for my own records. Only cause it'll give me something to do when work is slow. Also, I've always red you should keep a journal of progress cause it helps motivation, i usually flake out on them within a week though. I track my calories and work-outs on apps on my phone, but Ill give this one more shot.

Its been about a week now. I've lost a total of 5lbs so far. For a bit I was feeling more energetic but it seems to have gone.

I've been slacking on the running. I need to like set up an alarm far away from bed so I have to get up to turn it off, cause I've just been going back to sleep. I might try to go in the morning, I just feel more comfortable at night (its dark out and less people).

Time is flying by now. This friday will be my second official weigh-in (doing it on the 6th of every month since I started on the 6th of october.)

I should be dead on my anticipated goal of 243.5. I haven't been consistantly exercising. I haven't gone to the gym once and only ran once or twice a week.

I need someone to come kick my butt into getting up every morning. I need to hit the gym. BLEH. My goal this week is to get the gym and just run consistantly. I'd be happier doing that than reaching my weight-loss goal for the month (1 or even 2 lbs isn't going to discourage me).

Hey Jeff,
We all go through some rough times but i guess at the end of the day we just have to man up and do it. I am the process of getting back that groove i had. One day at a time.

Good luck you can do this!!!

Matt

Hey man, glad you're working at hopping back on the wagon.

And I echo Matt.

Once you know what needs to be done... all that's left is conjuring up the willpower to do so. Simply saying I need to do this obviously isn't enough in your case. You're choosing sleep over exercise.

Are you going to bed early enough?

If so, maybe you should move your training to a different time slot.

Do your goals emotionally excite you? If not, you need to tweak your goals. If there's no emotional intensity attached to or backing your goals, there's not going to be much incentive to get off your butt consistently.

I am excited for my goals, but Im kinda fed up with myself. On friday it will be one month since I started. I haven't been to the gym once, and it was like 2 weeks before I started that I was there last. Thats 6 weeks. Ive lost 10lbs (just hit 243.5 tonight, thats my first months goal), but I know I've lost some muscle since I haven't lifted anything heavier than the food entering my mouth.

I'd be ok with missing cardio once or twice a week, but missing strength training is going to make any results I get not look as good. I'll be close to the lowerst I've been in 8 or so years in another month, but I looked better at 260 than I did when I was this weight last because I had far less muscle mass. The 6 months of consistant training got me looking better than I had in years, even though I was heavier. I had more people ask if I had lost weight when I gained weight since I just carried it better with the more muscle.

So as soon I get home I'm going to the gym. My goal for the first month really was to just stick to my diet, which I've done, so my goal for the second month is to hit the gym consistantly. I should also get my cardio consistant, but I'll make my focus the gym. Its more important to me.

I don't feel as good as I thought I would at this point if I hit my goal. I know its because I haven't gone to the gym once (and the last time was 2 weeks before I started so its been 6 weeks) and losing muscle is something I very much wanted to minimize. So, the only solution is to go and stop putting it off. If Im tired in the morning, as I know I will be, the warm-up on the treadmill will wake me up.

They might excite you the same way dreaming of becoming a millionaire excite others. But just b/c they'd love to be a millionaire, that doesn't entice them to become one more often than not.

Put differently, it sounds like your goals aren't intimate enough for you personally. And without a doubt, they don't stimulate you enough to take action, obviously.

You either do it or you don't.

If you don't, you have to be honest with yourself and ask, "Why am I not doing it?"

Good call... glad to hear this.

Yea, I dunno. When I go to the gym I enjoy it. Time flys by. Its so much easier to just get into bed though if I haven't been going. So, now Im going again I won't want to lose momentum.

Im gonna be pretty sore this weekend, and into next week probably. oh well, its what you get.

Weighed in at 240 today. Which is 3.5lbs less than yesterday. Haha. I was kinda expecting to drop a good amount this weekend. My weights been steadily dropping, then it wont for a few days and maybe go up,then it drops dramatically. I had a stomach bug I just got over, so I don't know if it had to do with that.

Its nice though.

So total first month loss is at 13.5 lbs. 3.5 over my goal. I'm happy.

My roommate has been cooking vegan food for a few weeks now, and has turned me. This is my trial of it this week. If it works I think I'll keep it up. I have my own reasons. I have no problems using animals as a source of food, but the conditions and other factors have made me think its something I can at least try. It won't hurt me. Its just tough since i'm not a good cook, so she's slowly showing me recipes that contain complete proteins so I do it right.

Also, it forces me to stop eating so much processed food (store bought vegan meals are so expensive).

My weight jumped down to 238 over the weekend (back up to 240.5 today). I'm going to be solidly in the 230s by the end of this week. So happy. Might possibly break into the 220s by the end of the month, but will probably come just shy of it.

Hey Jeff!

How are you doing with your goals?