Wellness Wednesday: Week 0

There is a lot of talk lately about body acceptance and body shaming and honoring your body and shredding your body. A lot of this talk is directed at women and this post in no ways meant to demean that struggle. Women have an up hill battle when it comes to loving who they are because of the ideals we have on them.

I have a hard time wanting to eat after I read a GQ. I also have the same issues when I read Queerty and when I watch a superhero movie.

People reading this are going to say, "But Patrick you've lost like 30 pounds since last year. You should be so proud" which isn't helpful. I am proud. I spent probably $600 over the past year on clothes that fit so I better be proud. I have muscles now and my abdominal wall could probably withstand a sucker punch. My calves legs have almost no fat on them.

When I look in the mirror, I want to see my body as a badge of honor. I want it to reflect the same hard work that I put into my job. The same dedication I put into the projects I do. I don't see that yet. I see a person that looks a lot different then where I was 14 months ago. I haven't gone quite as far as I wanted to yet. When I set out on this journey, I wanted to weigh 175 pounds which was what I read that Bob Harper weighed on Wikipedia. I said to myself "I could be Bob" and I aimed for that goal and when I didn't get anywhere close I was bummed. I felt like a failure so early this year I decided to settle on another goal I had set for myself as a check point and have yet to reach: to be within the healthy BMI range for someone my height.

BMI naysayers please refrain. This isn't about you and your goals. This is about my goal. The BMI has meaning to me and I don't care about the science behind it. If I lose the ten pounds to be under my BMI, I am going to be no less healthy. I will be a little more confident and a little more proud because I will have gotten all the way to my goal.

My BMI should be between 136 and 184 to be considered in the "healthy" range. Before you leave a comment, I know I am healthy. I can withstand 90 minutes of intense cardio and strength training at high level and feel great the next day. This isn't about being healthy. This is about being where I want to be.

I leave for San Diego for my big Summer vacation in late August quite possibly on August 28th. Over the next 12 weeks, I will post an update every week talking about my progress towards this goal. This is week zero where I set the baseline. Here are the things I know I need to do to get where I want to be:

1. Jazzercise 5 times a week: This worked last Summer and is the reason I haven't put really any weight back on.
2. Walk to or from work a total of 6 times a week especially on the days that I don't go to the gym: This is tough but I need to do it to also save money on bus passes. The plan is to walk to work on Tuesdays and Thursday, to and from on Wednesdays and to and from on Fridays.
3. Do something physical on Sundays: I don't go to the gym on Sundays because the schedule sucks and a lot of the time I am running errands. This Summer, Sundays are for swimming in the river or hiking in the forest or working in a garden.
4. Walk the dog for 20 minutes twice a day. I did this last Summer and it also really helped. Additionally, it is nice to spend sometime walking with Jake.
5. Make more and better playlists for when I am walking. This is crucial for me actually do this.
6. Wear my Up band and exceed 20,000 steps at least 5 days a week. On the two days I don't Jazz, I need to exceed 15,000.
7. Count calories. It is tedious and I hate it but it works for my body. Nothing else works or is as manageable. I need to eat about 2000 on days I don't work out and 2300 on days I do work out.
8. Beverages should be limited to water, sparkling water, coffee with half and half once a day, and an occasional diet soda or Crystal light. I need to drink 128 ounces to feel really hydrated and good. Did I mention I hate water?
9. Burn dessert: I haven't tried this yet but I read about it. On days that I want a sweet treat, I need to first go burn it by doing something additional to the above. Common suggestions were walking steps (1 minute is ten calories) or jumping jacks (1 jack for each calorie)

 I need accountability and encouragement as I get a little closer to my goal each day. This isn't going to be easy but it also won't be that hard once I get in a rhythm. The reward is checking something off my 29 before 29 and looking rocking in Vegas this Summer.

Week 0: June 4
Week 1: June 11
Week 2: June 18
Week 3: June 25
Week 4: July 2
Week 5: July 9
Week 6: July 16
Week 7: July 23
Week 8: July 30
Week 9: August 6
Week 10: August 13
Week 11: August 20
Week 12: August 27