Last week, I created an elaborate new plan to "fix" different parts of my life. I wrote about 20-25 pages of plans and goals and tracking and milestones and tasks. I felt excited! I had a clear and elaborate plan to execute. The next day, my task list had 16 items. I did 8 of them by mid-afternoon and just felt drained. Exhausted. "I have to do another day of this? Week? Year?" I responded by binging again that evening.
That was the last straw. More after the jump.
So I'm going back to basics. I had a simple plan with very limited check-ins last year that bore fruit from late July through November. Took out my journal with those goals and plans, and I'm resetting on them.
My guiding principle - both for fitness and other areas of my life I want to improve: "Make changes as small as possible, as unintrusive as I can get away with."
How does that impact my fitness goals?
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Food: Set a starting calorie limit per day, as high a cap as I think will net me 1-2 lbs lost per week. Every two weeks, re-evaluate. Did that limit, if I adhered to it, net me a 2-4 pound loss? If so, stick with it. If it netted me more lost weight, increase the limit. If it netted me too little lost weight, decrease the cap.
To start with: 2,500 calories per day, 5 days per week. 2,800 calories per day one day, and 3,000 calories per day another day.
Exercise: I want to fence again. I fenced for many years, from middle school through early adulthood. The goal of exercise is to start building towards that - again, as unintrusively as I can manage.
To start with: walk 25-30 minutes per day, 3 days per week. Do two sets of push-ups and planking every third day. After two months, re-evaluate how I feel. If it feels like I'm progressing at a good clip, maybe stay steady. If I find myself champing at the bit, increase it a LITTLE bit. If it feels like I'm continually procrastinating and pushing off any elements, decrease.
Incremental changes executed consistently.
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Starting weight: 248.4 lbs
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Diet
- 16 oz. hot chocolate with skim milk, no whipped cream. (270 cal)
- Chipotle burrito bowl with white rice, half steak/half chicken, cheese, vegetables, tomato salsa, guacamole. (930 cal)
- Bottled vanilla frappuccino. (200 cal)
- Cake slice. (250 cal)
- Fritos. (550 cal)
- Country fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn. (570 cal)
Stayed within 2,800 today. Aiming for 2,500 tomorrow.
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Exercise
Two sets of push-ups (7, 10) and planking (20 seconds, 22 seconds).
