10/19/2022 - Day 10 - 278lbs

I'm Jim. I'm about 60 years old, and 5' 10" in height. I peaked out at 293 pounds a couple weeks ago and decided to start taking some steps to regain my health.

I didn't set out to create a blog to document this.  This is why I'm on day 10 and creating my first post. But I thought it might help to create a record, and also establish a way for me to be accountable to myself for my progress. If history serves to illustrate the future, I will probably write here for around three days and then stop.  We'll see how that goes.

For some background, I used to be very healthy. I didn't, "work out," per se, but I did stay pretty active. I used to enjoy running. I used to play racquetball on and off. I used to ride my bike pretty regularly. My weight tended to vacillate  between 180 and 190lbs.  And then, one day, for no single reason, it all just stopped.  I could point fingers at any number of possible reasons as contributing factors in abandoning my activities. But, no matter how I try to look at it, it all boils down to the same answer: I stopped prioritizing me time and started adopting unhealthy habits. I don't want to dwell on that too much since that will drag me into negativity I'd like to avoid here.

The purpose of this journal is to document the steps I have and will take to begin living healthy again.  The steps that may work for me could help others, maybe not. Everyone is different and, as anyone who struggles with weight knows, there's no one approach that works for everyone.

So, I'm on day 10 and I'm down 15lbs. Most would see that as an accomplishment already and would applaud that success.  Again, as anyone who has struggled with weight knows, quick loss can easily translate back to quick gains.  Here are some things I've done that I think are contributing to my current success.  It doesn't mean that staying this course, or ONLY staying this course will be sufficient. I am sure I will need to continue to make changes. But here is what I've been doing so far:

• Caffeine

I have a long-term love affair with coffee.  I've been drinking it regularly for well over 40 years. But, I have mostly taken myself off caffeine.  People may swear by caffeine as an appetite suppressant. Other people may feel it gives them the jolt of energy they need to wake up and get through the day.  I have an untested hypothesis: Caffeine artificially stimulates the body's metabolism resulting in premature hunger.  I don't know if it's true or not, but I am finding that I am less hungry.

• Alcohol

I rarely went through an evening without a drink or two.  It, "helped me sleep." But I also think it contributed to restlessness at night and waking up too early.  I have cut nearly all consumption of alcohol. There were actually two nights in the past ten days where I had some beverages, but I limited them.  Alcohol is an empty calorie. Not only does it not provide any nutritional value, it's absolutely packed with useless calories.  And, I have another untested hypothesis: Consumption of alcohol inhibits the body's ability to feel full. There have been many occasions over the years where after returning home from an evening out I suddenly felt hungry at a time I would otherwise not. It tended to be a pretty consistent phenomenon.  

• Artificial Sweeteners

I have cut all artificial sweeteners. A comedian once said that diet soda must make you fat because only fat people drink diet soda.  I don't know if this is true, but I have another untested hypothesis: Artificial sweeteners fool your body to expect calories and thus stimulate hunger.  Again - untested. 

• Planning my Food Day

I know that at my age, weight, and height, that it would be considered normal for me to consume X number of calories in a day. For my work day, I plan reasonable breakfasts, lunches, and two snacks to carry me through. Then I prepare a reasonable dinner for the evening. I have cut fried foods, I have cut nearly all processed sugar. I rely on what I consider to be healthy sources of protein, fruits, veggies, and some limited breads and pastas.  I try to avoid calorie dense foods like cheese, butter, etc. as they tend to offer little nutritional value, are generally not very filling, but take a big bite out of my calorie budget.

I don't expect that these changes made so far will carry me back down to the weight of my younger self. I expect, as anyone who has taken a ride on the weight rollercoaster knows, that I will plateau at some point, and will then need to make additional changes.  These will become the subjects of later posts. 

For the next few days, I will begin planning out how to get myself moving again. We can discuss this tomorrow.