My short term plan....

On my last post about Robie Creek, Leslie left a comment that I should read Jill Knapp's story of weight loss and finding happiness.  I did and there are lost of great ideas and posts on her website  Get Up and Get Moving! Check it out.

That said, I have been in a cycle lately where I don't eat like I should because I have been falling for the, "I exercise a lot so I can eat whatever I want" myth.  I don't have much to lose but I would like to clear this mental hurdle and get back on track. This week I have made a plan.  My motto on this blog since day one has been to set a a goal, tell everyone who will listen, and stick to your plan....so here it goes.

1. Goal - Lose 5 pounds in 10 days
2. Tell everyone - √
3. Stick to your plan - so far so good.

Today is day 3 of the eat right plan.  Nothing too fancy, just employ all the techniques that I used to lose my weight originally. By:

• Not snacking between meals or after dinner.  If I do, make it easy low calorie stuff. Carrots, peas, a slice of turkey or ham.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.  It helps the body function more efficiently and can help settle hunger.
• Time my workouts and meals properly so that I am not needlessly taking in too many calories.  I exercise in the early morning and have been having breakfast lately at 4:30 am.  Guess what, I'm dying hungry long before lunch.  So this week I have gone back to what worked in the beginning.  Get up normally and have something small (cup of coffee and a few pretzels for example). Go workout, then have breakfast after the workout which doubles as a recovery meal.  This keeps me feeling full longer.
• I have reduced the size of my lunch meal and have a yogurt for a mid morning and mid afternoon snack.  This keeps my appetite on an even keel.  Before losing weight I skipped breakfast, ate terribly at lunch (if I ate at all) and then wanted to eat everything on the table for dinner.  Which is what I normally did and the reason I got to be 318 pounds.
• Go for an evening walk.  This was key in the beginning for me and my wife.  First, it is an extra calorie burn.  We weren't pushing it but we did get the blood moving.  Second, this strategy also helps to support the first point of not snacking after dinner because we would be out of the house.  If the walk left me feeling hungry I would settle it with some quick veggies or a slice of turkey.

I didn't normally track my weigh-ins day to day.  Just once a week, to allow for normal fluctuations.  For this little experiment I'll track each day just for fun (first thing in the morning) and update this post.

At the beginning of day 3, I was down 3 pounds.
...day 4 down 4 pounds....

Update (with official numbers relative to day 1)
Day 1 - 0
Day 2 - (4.2)
Day 3 - (5.4)
Day 4 - (6.2)
Day 5 - (7.6)
Day 6 - (4.0)
Day 7 - (4.4)
Day 8 - (5.2)
Day 9 - (7.8)
Day 10 -

Day 6 was the day after Robie Creek Half Marathon and I fueled and ate for the race. I took me two days for my body to level out and get back on track....