Diminishing returns. But not the dreaded "Plateau"

Week 1: 11.5 lbs
Week 2: 4.5 lbs
Week 3: 5.0 lbs
Week 4: 6.0 lbs
Week 5: 3.5 lbs


The gains (losses) are coming a little slower lately. I'm sticking to the plan very well. I think some exercise will help. I've been taking occasional walks. Maybe it's time to run a little or start doing push-ups and sit-ups. I believe the term is "Thermogenesis." Let's heat things up a little!

Big day for my lovely wife

My dear wife has borne witness to my rapid weight loss and she's decided to give it a try herself. She signed up for the Take Shape For Life program and ordered her first month of food. It should be here by the end of the week.

Rather than wait for her order to arrive, she's decided to start tomorrow, 8/27 and just eat some of my food for now. So from time to time, I'll provide updates on her progress in this space also.

Good luck dear! I support you 100%

Did you hear that sound?!

It was the sound of me crossing the 30 pound threshold this morning. Yay! Feeling good today.

Dieting is like cleaning my house

Layers.

Cleaning my house

• First layer - continuously: throwing out clutter such as junk mail, old newspapers, unneeded receipts, empty bags, empty boxes.
• Second layer - every day or two: putting this where they belong including coupons, keys, books, bills, dirty clothes, putting food away, straightening the counter-tops in the kitchen, making the bed, pushing in all the chairs, setting the remotes in the basket, emptying all the trash cans, and so on.
• Third layer - weekly (ha! I wish): wiping down counter-tops, kitchen chairs, appliances, shaking out doormats, sweeping, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms.
• Fourth layer - seasonally: washing the windows, cleaning the baseboards, scouring floors, cleaning various hand-holds (door knobs and surfaces, light switches(!)), hosing down the deck, hosing down the siding, cleaning out closets, the garage...

Of course there's more; it never ends. But you get the idea.

Dieting

• First layer - takes a week: 5 pounds of water weight, the last day or two of fast food or a couple of big meals.
• Second layer - takes a 4-6 weeks (at least on Take Shape for Life, which is a rapid plan): 20 pounds. The fat-face weight. The "all my pants are too tight" weight. The "I've stopped tucking in my shirts" weight. The "some of my old clothes fit again" weight.

I've just completed this layer. My body wants to sit here for a while, but alas there's a lot more weight to go.

• Third layer - takes more months: This is the next 25-40+ pounds. This is weight that's been on there for a while, perhaps a decade or more. Since before my last lifestyle change. For some, it dates back to their youth. Or since they graduated college, or since their kids started school, or since they graduated. For me, this will take me back about 25 years. Since the time I got married. That's when all my current lifestyle's bad habits started layering on - literally - the pounds.

These pounds are stubborn. But so am I.

Digital scales - the only ones they have in hell

Each morning, I step on my digital scale. Then I step off. Then step on, then off. Then I move it to another place on the tile floor of my bathroom. Step on, off, on, off. Let it shut off. Move it again. Step on, step off. By now, I have two to four different readings,

Then I look in the mirror, pinch my cheeks, check my belly profile and decide what weight I'm going to record on my "Success Tracker."

What a pain. Has that ever happened to you? Is there a scale on the market (the popular-priced market) that won't give me this headache?

Eat Every 3 Hours

Eating all day long, sort of. It makes a big difference.

I've lost nearly a pound a day for the last 32 days (28.5lbs lost). That's remarkable. And it hasn't been very difficult - at least once I cleared the 3-4 day hump.

I'll tell you the secret, at least as I see it: They have me eating every 3 hours. So I'm not ever very hungry. Before I started with TSFL, it was not uncommon for me to skip breakfast, have a light lunch then a big 2-hour-long dinner. I thought that skipping meals was reducing my calories and helping me stay, um..., whatever.

Turns out that eating 6 small meals a day is an essential component to my recent success with the Take Shape for Life program.

And it's very "doable."

I guess I can start telling my story now

I've been at it for a month, so I guess it's safe to tell you.

The chart says I'm obese.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) charts I see around the Internet. I would have said "overweight," but since there's a technical definition obesity (BMI > 30), I'll reluctantly go with that label.

Today, I'm less obese than I was, but I still meet the definition. I don't feel obese at the moment. In fact, I'm wearing older, smaller clothes. And I'm tucking-in my shirt.And when I interlace my fingers, my hands don't feel puffy. I guess those measures are part of my personal standard for obesity. But I understand the value of objective measurements, having worked in manufacturing process improvement where measurements are king.

I'm currently losing weight with a program called Take Shape For Life (TSFL). My health coach, David, works for them and is a terrific resource. I heard about TSFL from my physician and he hooked me up with David. I buy the 'food' from a website that has his name in the URL.

In a word: Effective. That's how I'd describe the program. It's been 31 days and I've lost 27.5 lbs.

Results to date:

Date	Weight (lbs.)	BMI*
07/22/2012	236.0	36.1
08/21/2012	208.5	31.9

* BMI calculated by http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bminojs.htm

My target BMI is 163 lbs or 24.9 (that's just inside the healthy weight band). I'd like to be there by November or December.

Wish me luck!