Weight Loss Competition: End of Week One

Today marks the end of the first week of the weight loss competition where I work. There is not going to be an official marker or anything today, but I am pleased with the little bit of progress I have made this week.

In my first article of this series, "Weight Loss Competition: Day One", I stated that a lack of exercise and an overabundance of ice cream has been the prime culprit of my downfall. I am pleased to say I have had zero ice cream this week, and made time for exercise six days this week.

Seven days without ice cream may seem like not a big deal for normal, healthy people. At 340 pounds, I think I have established that I am not a normal, healthy person. I also managed to cut out soda, for the most part. On two separate days I drank a 20 ounce Diet Dr. Pepper. That is a considerable change to the days when I would drink at least 45 to 60 ounces of regular soda.

My wife and I have been working to eliminate much of the red meat we have been eating. Like half-hearted vegetarians we the majority of the week eating fruits, vegetables, vegetarian pizza and such. One day has been set aside as meat day.

Overall, I have been eating smaller meals and drinking a ton of water. Adding it up, I have drunk at least eight gallons of water this week. A little bit of Crystal Light mixed in here and there. I have noticed an immediate improvement in my skin, and despite eating less I still feel full.

Another amazing change is the increase in activity. At work I have avoided the elevator, taking the stairs up all four floors. Four floors do not seem like much, however I am still struggling once I pass the third floor. My heart rate raises immediately, I lose my breath and my knees ache. It gets a little easier each time, but I am certainly not ready to bound up the stairs like a gazelle.

On work days, I take at least one break, or at lunch, to get outside and walk around the three large buildings that surround our courtyard. It's not much, maybe a quarter of a mile, but it does get me out of the office for a few minutes and off my chair.

In the evenings I have been walking, sometimes adding in a little jogging and jump roping, at least a mile and a half to two miles. I am okay to walk, but adding the jogging or jump roping just wipes me out quick. My muscles are sore, but I generally feel much better.

The first week has felt like a great start to the competition and more importantly a good start to long-term health improvement. I haven't felt starved or overwhelmed. Those are the two problems that have plagued any diets I have tried.

My initial weight a week ago and official starting weight for the competition was 340 pounds. As of this morning, my bathroom scale showed 330.5 pounds. I don't consider that to be a testament to how hard I have worked this week, but a testament to how horribly I was eating before.