2010 Weight Loss Review; New Years Resolution Recap

After proposing my usual New Year's resolution to lose weight, I was once again outmatched by the first few months of 2010. I started the year at a little under 200 pounds, but had a tough few months ahead of me. January started off with regular trips to the Bradley University gym, but ended with an overwhelming amount of classwork, a full 15 credit hours of school, 30 hours a week at work, and a lot of fast food with no time to prepare healthy food, or so I thought. At 6'0 and 217 pounds on May 1st, the BMI calculator placed me at a score of 29.4 and on the brink of being classified as obese. It was time to renew my resolution to lose weight and start eating healthier.

New Year's Resolution Goal (Renewed on May 1st): Lose 37 Pounds

My goal was a steep one, to go from 217 pounds back down to 180 pounds, a weight I have not seen in many years. Although I have a bigger build and body type, 180 pounds is still at the top of what is considered normal weight for my height.

I started by cutting down my daily caloric intake to under 1600 calories. Using an online calorie counter, it was suggested that for 'extreme fat loss', calories be limited to 1763. The 'extreme fat loss' is considered as two pounds per week. This started with giving up alcohol and sugary drinks, and included soups and fresh vegetables and fruits. Eating out was practically out of the question other than the occasional sandwich. Calories of almost all restaurant items can be found online if you would like to count calories on a regular basis.

Focusing on cardio over weight lifting, trips to the gym went from zero a week to 4-5. I started by running at least a mile every trip to the gym on the track. After the mile I would work on ab exercises and upper body through light free weights and some cross training on machines. After that, if I still had energy left, I used the elliptical machines for a half an hour or more and tracked my calorie loss. I would usually burn off around 350 calories in a 30 minute session. At least half of the workouts contained no weight lifting, and only running and the elliptical or a bike machine workout. My main focus was simply forcing myself to go to the gym, regardless of energy level.

Results

After the first two weeks I saw a 7 pound loss and hit a wall at 210 pounds. Once I hit a wall along the way I often reduced calories further or mixed up my exercise routine. I also made sure to have one day of additional calories (2100+) each week. On December 5th, 2010 my weight is currently 188 pounds, just 8 pounds short of my almost unsafe weight loss goal. It was not easy, but much easier than I had thought. I have had many cheat days and several beers since the diet has started, and I have not returned to the fast food or high fat eating I had made myself accustomed to.

2011 Resolution

I think it is finally time to make it down to my ideal weight of 175 pounds. It will take a lot of dedication and hard work to get down any further, but it has taken a lot of work to already get this far. I will be giving up all energy drinks and soda to help get me over this next stretch. Good luck to all.