My number one discretionary priority right now is to lose weight. This is partly because it would be good for me to do so and partly because I’m in a weight-loss competition with a three-figure prize for the winner along with a smaller three-figure prize for the runner up.
Right now I’m in the lead with three weigh-ins left to go. I’ve lost just over 10% of my starting weight and am hoping to lose another 5% before the end of the competition. My initial goal when I entered the competition was much more ambitious – more than 20% – but I learned after about four weeks that my aging body with its slowing metabolism can only lose so much in ten weeks.
The first two weeks were great. I lost 18 pounds thanks to a dramatic change in diet and increase in exercise. Since then it’s been tough going with at best small week-to-week weight losses and even one small weight gain. I used to think I could lose weight fairly easily. Now I think I can lose weight fairly easily if I work really hard at it. Hopefully I’ll be able to shock my body into one more round of drastic weight loss before the competition ends.
A couple of factors gave me reason to feel pretty confident going into the weight-loss competition. Most importantly, I have a lanky body type that is well suited for running. Also, I managed a rapid weight loss almost a decade ago after I had ballooned to 290 pounds. A couple of months on a strictly vegetarian salad diet brought me down to about 240 pounds, the same weight I am at today. But, again, that was a decade ago and my body had a higher calorie burn rate back then. Still, so far, so good.
My diet, when I stick to it, consists mainly of salads (no dressing) with plain chicken (no fatty sauces), fruits, vegetables and lots and lots of water. I quit drinking coffee one month before I embarked on this diet and exercise adventure and I don’t know whether that helps or hurts me in my efforts. I avoid all baked goods, soda, chocolate, candy, alcohol, chips and similar tasty but high-calorie food. It’s a lot easier to stay away from the bad food as long as you stay away from it. As soon as you cave once you are far more likely to cave the next time temptation rears its obese head.
Some of my competitors are sticking strictly to dieting, and at least one with very impressive results. That wasn’t a realistic option for me, though, so I combine my dieting with a heavy dose of exercise. My typical work out consists of 60 minutes on a treadmill and 30-60 minutes of weight lifting. The amount of time depends on how much I have at my disposal. If I’m really pressed for time I skip the weight lifting and simply focus on pounding the treadmill. After about six weeks I’m able to do 7-7.5 miles in 60 minutes without too much effort. Frankly, I thought I’d be doing better by now but I was clearly in worse shape than I thought when I started. There are several options for those who don’t like the treadmill: ellipticals, arc trainers, ski machines and what not. Opinions vary and in the past I’ve done quite a bit of elliptical but this time around I am sticking almost exclusively to the treadmill. It just feels more natural to me, I guess. I have a better feeling for how I am doing and progressing.
I have found that it is quite easy to have the weight-lifting shift from a weight-loss exercise to a muscle building exercise. Not that there’s anything problem with adding muscle mass but if the primary goal is to lose weight it is important to make sure the weight lifting is high-tempo and high rep and not slow, meandering and weight maximizing.