Last Tuesday, I think that ended.

Steven linked me to an article plugging a book by a guy named Tim Ferriss called The 4-Hour Body. I read the article and was intrigued by the claims. There’s essentially not much more than adjusting your diet, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I started that evening.

The gist is that you eat 3 or 4 times a day, but you eat only protein, legumes, and vegetables. Something from each category, as much as you feel like eating. The point is there’s absolutely no starving yourself. This is not a low-calorie diet, it’s simply a change in the types of food I’m eating. For example, this morning I scrambled two eggs with a bunch of peppers, onions, and some pinto beans. Essentially I have stopped eating white carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, etc.) and started eating legumes (lentils, beans) and piling on the veggies. This is rigidly adhered to for six days; on the seventh (Saturdays) I eat the way I used to.

I found that it was very easy to eat this restricted diet without feeling that I was depriving myself. The legumes and protein keep you feeling satisfied. I even successfully – for literally the first time in my life – was able to say no to donuts TWICE last week. I don’t even crave the sweets we have in our area at work, and I think it’s because I don’t eat sugar anymore (except on Saturdays). I can’t even explain to you how revolutionary that is to me. That has literally never happened before in my life. Sweets have *always* been a challenge to me. Now they’re just only sometimes slightly annoying.

You may be waiting for the results. Remember, the *only* thing I have changed this week was the type of food I ate. I didn’t even exercise this week (I should, I just didn’t). I was astounded when I weighed myself this morning. Last Tuesday morning I weighed 309.8 pounds.

This morning I weighed 303.8. It blows my mind that I lost six pounds this week only by changing the type of food I ate. I don’t understand it, but I accept it.

I don’t want to make this post any longer, so I’ll do a part two later on. There are a few more things I want to tell you about, but it’ll be at least as long as this post.

I’ll end by posting my numbers. In addition to weight, I’ll be taking measurements of my arms, legs, waist, and hips. I’m going to try to consistently update them. I know I’ve said that in the past and haven’t been consistent, but I’ve also never been as gung ho about fat loss as this. I’m definitely amped enough to go another week.

December 21, 2010
Total inches: 199.7
Weight: 303.8

-j

More great posts:

• Battle One, Battle Won
• A Tip
• We made it to the next round
• It’s Wednesday Again
• I missed it yesterday

Last night I prayed, “Lord, I should run tomorrow. Please wake me up and make me do it.” When my alarm went off at 6:30, I snoozed it once and then turned it off. Finally at 6:45 or so I got out of bed and continued farting around (not literally). But finally at 7 I was outside pounding the pavement. I began listening to a message by NT Wright on Wisdom, and I felt compelled to raise my hands to God and praise Him for the morning and the exercise and my life. It was nice. I did just over 2 miles today.

Finally, I was 301 this morning. No more fooling around! For a while anyway…

-j

More great posts:

• First Signs Of Progress
• Battle One, Battle Won
• “Starting” Weight
• Did I Finally Find It?
• It’s Wednesday Again

Today Olivia West was born. I can’t remember what her middle name is, so I’m saying it’s Newton. Just under 7lbs. And now I need a nap!

-j

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• Did I Finally Find It?

I could spend some time making excuses for myself, but I’ve adopted the idea that excuses are dumb and don’t fix anything. When something’s important, you figure out how to get it done. You only make excuses for things that you know you should have done, could have done, but for whatever reason didn’t. I used to call them “reasons”, but even they functioned as excuses.

I didn’t post last week because I was irritated with my weight gain for the week. My excuse would be that I had been traveling a lot, but we all know that if I really wanted to do things right, traveling wouldn’t have stopped my good habits. Last Wednesday I was 309.

Now, that frustrated me because apart from the trip to Yankee Stadium (also known as “The Greatest Road Trip of My Life”) I thought I had been doing well. As far as I could recall, I had eaten normally and the only difference was the trip food, including Stadium food, and a lack of exercise. So I gain 5 pounds in a week? I didn’t get it. But that’s how my life usually goes. I guess the positive part about making this all public is at least you all get to see what kind of a struggle it is for some people to lose weight. My brothers-in-law could do exactly what I did and not see a change in their weight at all. But when you look at the difference between us, they’re both way more active on a daily basis than I am.

So in retrospect, a lack of exercise is probably more detrimental to me than I realize. But on top of that, I still have a too-strong connection to food. I decided to start following the plan of the Bible study I’ve been doing, and today’s half-portion day has been killing me. After lunch I actually felt angry because I couldn’t eat more. Withdrawal, you are a terrible beast.

This morning my weight was down to 307. So basically since the first time I posted my weight, maybe five weeks ago, I haven’t moved an inch. Oh, I’ve had a lot of movement, down and up and down, but I’m still where I started a month ago. Maybe one of these weeks I’ll figure out why I can’t stick to things for long enough to make a difference!

Welcome to my life.

-j

ps> I don’t want to sound like I’m whining. I’m really not. I don’t feel all emo about this situation, but I said I would be honest, and that’s what I’m trying to do. For whatever reason, this is the particular struggle that Satan is using to get me down right now. It’s been others before, and it’ll be others later.

More great posts:

• Wednesday Progress Report
• Did I Finally Find It?
• We made it to the next round
• I missed it yesterday
• Half Marathon Update

My weight this morning was 304.4. Next week it will be 302 something (I don’t think I can get lower than that in a week).

I’ve been really tired since my FL trip and haven’t found the drive I’d had before to get outside in the morning. I still wake up at 6:30, but I’m really groggy until after 7 and by then I have no time to go out. I probably just need to walk around outside while I’m groggy until I get the blood pumping (which might actually be why I’m groggy when I think about it…I need to break the cycle).

-j

More great posts:

• Did I Finally Find It?
• We made it to the next round
• It’s Wednesday Again
• Wednesday Progress Report
• Half Marathon Update

Not too much difference: 1.4 lbs. But it’s 1.4 less, so that’s what I like to see! Within a week or two I want to be under 300.

Glory to God.

-j

More great posts:

• It’s Wednesday Again
• Did I Finally Find It?
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A friend told me he already signed up for the Suntrust Richmond Half Marathon in November and that entry fees were already increasing. I went to go see and sign up. The fee is now $65. There’s one thing that’s keeping me from signing up – there’s a time limit to the race. The training team isn’t even for you if you can’t *already* mostly run a 5K. Dang…

The price increase is June 30. I’ll give it until then. I think that’s enough time to get my run on enough to be used to mostly running a 5K. The training team starts in August, so if I’m almost there by late June, I’ll be even more almost there by August. The *other* only problem is the training team fee is about $135. Yeah, you get good instruction, motivation, and a “technical singlet”, but that’s hefty.

We shall see. I want to run it. It’s a worthy goal, and if I can actually complete 13.1 miles, maybe I could even one day do 26.2….

“You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”.

-j

More great posts:

• Did I Finally Find It?
• We made it to the next round
• It’s Wednesday Again
• I missed it yesterday
• Wednesday Progress Report

From last week, that’s a weight loss of 2.6 lbs. The crazy part is that I was still at 307.4 on Sunday morning. In trying to figure out what made the difference, I can only place my finger on one thing: prayer.

Thankfully most of the people who read my blog are Christians and understand that. In the event that there is someone who doesn’t, maybe they’ll call this a “post-hoc fallacy“. Not to anger you, but that seems like a really nice way to explain away faith. The problem is for those of us that believe in the power of prayer, you can’t convince us that after trying everything else with no results that prayer did not cause the results. Could I have done it without prayer? Maybe. But I’ve tried before and failed every time.

I won’t rehash my last post, but you can consider this one an extension of it. Glory to God, all this week I’ve been able to:

• maintain a reverent prayer posture and attitude
• get up early and exercise (even if I complain about it at first)
• be unnaturally diligent in healthy, responsible eating habits
• continue doing a Bible study on disciplined eating (and actually benefiting from it) that I’d prefer stopping

Three days might not seem like much, but trust me it feels like a lot. Especially because I’m finally denying my habitual, emotional, “normal” cravings and replacing them with more healthy and even spiritual practices that will change my life. The only thing that causes me consternation is that my stomach feels empty almost all the time, and I don’t like how that feels, so if this is the lifestyle change I want, will I feel this all the time? My suspicion is that no, once my stomach shrinks to an appropriate size and my body gets used to only getting the food it needs and not everything it thinks it wants, it will slow its roll and be happy with what I give it.

Thanks for your prayers. Don’t stop now! Within two weeks I hope to be below 300 again.

-j

More great posts:

• We made it to the next round
• Battle One, Battle Won
• “Starting” Weight
• Did I Finally Find It?
• It’s Wednesday Again

victory

A new coworker started today, and as is our tradition we went out to lunch with her. I love going to Mexican places, but at the same time I dread it. I love it because, well, it’s delicious Mexican food. I dread it because it’s dripping with fat. From the moment those chips come out to the moment that last bit of cheese-covered, guacamole-sour cream-beefy burrito slides down. Not today, my friends. Not today.

I woke up this morning just after 6 without trying. I debated waiting until my alarm went off, but I figured it was pointless. I was going to use the time wisely. Today was day-in-a-row number two for the morning jog. Two miles and 30 minutes later, I was getting ready for work feeling mighty fine. I packed two apples, two oranges, and a package of snow peas for the day. One apple was ravaged on the way to work where I also ate a package of oatmeal for breakfast. At 11 I had a 4oz container of cottage cheese so that I wouldn’t be hungry at lunch. I was feeling abnormally well (see my tweet to the right). I determined that today’s lunch would be different. A taco salad without the shell (I debated getting a fajita and not eating the tortillas), cheese and sour cream on the side.

At lunch I portioned out what I think was pretty close to a serving of chips and knocked back a bit of salsa. As soon as my salad arrived (they had forgotten the cheese and sour cream, but I’m better for it), I dumped out the insides and discarded the shell. It was really hard not to eat it, as well as the amazing cheese dip they brought out for the group, but I didn’t. Here’s why:

You might have read about the Bible study I’m doing about overeating. Combined with the Bible class on Sunday, yesterday’s study gave me what I think is the key I’ve been looking for: keeping my eyes on Christ. When Peter walked on the water and took his eyes of Jesus, he started to drown. When the Israelites were being bitten by snakes, they had to look at the bronze one and they would be healed. Jesus has already paid for my sin of gluttony, and beyond that He offers me a way out of it. I just need to fix my eyes upon Him.

The Bible class reminded me how good intentions aren’t enough. Uzzah died because he was trying to save the Ark of the Covenant. What he failed to do was give God the reverence He demanded. My prayer life does not give God that reverence. I usually pray however I am, and while I’m certain God hears my prayers, I’m missing out on something because I’m not being as reverent as I should. Last night I got on my knees and prayed for today. I prayed for the desire to run when I got up, and I prayed that God would show me what to eat, when, and how much. I confessed that I absolutely can’t do this on my own – I’ve tried many times – and how I trust Him to show me the way.

When I woke up today, that’s exactly what He did. This uneaten shell, the first of its kind, is the proof. Selah.

-j

More great posts:

• “Starting” Weight
• Did I Finally Find It?
• We made it to the next round
• First Signs Of Progress
• A Tip

This has been a public service announcement. I now return you to your regularly scheduled internet, already in progress.

-j

More great posts:

• Did I Finally Find It?
• Battle One, Battle Won
• We made it to the next round
• It’s Wednesday Again
• I missed it yesterday