Welcome to Week 11 of me publicly broadcasting my goal of getting down to 195 pounds every Friday until that goal is accomplished.
History Of How I Got Here
June 2010
- End of massive weight loss transformation.
- Lost around 80 pounds of fat in two years
- Got weight down to 184 pounds
September 2010 – December 2014
- Yearly fitness goals to lift weights for maintenance and strength.
- 95% of workouts are based on lifting weights
- Comfortable with maintaining a healthy weight around 205-210 pounds based on home/work lifestyle
January 2015
- Wanted to lose as much fat as possible before pursuing a massive muscle building program
- Created a year long goal to lose at least 15 pounds of fat by end of the year
- If I suffered no muscle loss, 195 pounds would equate to 15 pounds of fat loss.
January – November 2015
- Weight bounced between 199 – 215 pounds
November 20, 2015
- Decided to document my journey online for extra motivation to meet goal before end of the year
- Hardest time of the year for me to lose weight is during the holidays, so I challenged myself to get to 195 pounds during the season.
- Countdown Week 1 (click here)
- Countdown Week 2 (click here)
December 2015
- Countdown Week 3 (click here)
- Countdown Week 4 (click here)
- Countdown Week 5 (click here)
- Countdown Week 6 (click here)
January 2016
- Countdown Week 7 (click here)
- Did not achieve 195 pounds during the holiday season
- Decided to continue to pursue and document 195 goal until accomplished
- Countdown Week 8 (click here)
- Countdown Week 9 (click here)
- Countdown Week 10 (click here)
**SPECIAL NOTE**:
Truth be told, Michael doesn’t care how much he weighs. The real stat that matters to him is his waist. That’s the measurement that tells the real story about his fat loss. One of Michael’s other goals for 2015 was to have a consistent 34.5” or smaller waist size. Since waist measurements aren’t as sexy as weight loss, he decided to focus on the scale for these countdown weeks, while looking at the waist as a secondary measurement.
WEEK 11: January 22– 28 2016
January 22nd Stats
Scale Weight: 206.4 pounds
Waist: 34.7 inches
Week 11 Main Goals
- Drop scale weight from 206.4 to 205 pounds
- Get waist under 34.6 inches
- Stay 80% compliant with my eating
- That means that out of ten meals of the week, eight of them had to follow my healthy eating plan.
Observations & Challenges
Distracted
I didn’t have a great week. I live in Virginia. Like most of the East Coast, my area got hit by the Jonas Snow Blizzard. It was very unreal! Luckily, we did not suffer any utility damage. We just suffered from the inability to go out due to the roads being covered with ice and snow.
Eating
The best way to explain this week is that I let my seasonal eating take over. I had a stronger desire to eat sweets more than I had a desire to get towards my goal. I felt more like a bear hibernating in the winter. I just wanted to get some extra warmth as I lay inside my cave aka home.
Workout
Due to the blizzard, I did not make it to the gym on my normal days. That was to be expected. Normally I would be energized to do some exercises in my home. Given how bad my eating was, I normally don’t attempt to exercise to make up for crappy eating. That’s what happened during this week.
This best exercise during the week was me shoveling the snow. Great exercise that sapped my energy.
Mentality
Once the blizzard reared it’s ugly head to my neck of the woods, I had no desire to be perfect. There was something about being cold that took control over my emotions. I was just in a very bad place for this week. I’ll admit it!
Like most folks, I can suffer from the “All or Nothing” mentality. I have the knowledge to stop having that mentality but it’s very easy for it to creep its ugly head back into my life. That’s why a book like Release The Beast: Conquer Mental, Physical & Diet Challenges To Unleash The Champion Inside! is a life changer.
When I was down in the dumps, the tasks I had completely in Release The Beast broke me out of my slump. There’s something very powerful about the chapter dealing with the past. When I read what I wrote down, it made me want to break out of my funk instantly.
I acknowledge that this was a bad week and that my effort was not great. That’s okay! I’ve seen what I’ve done in the past and I know who I want to be in the future. All I have to do is be realistic and take each day at a time!
Food Journal
Here are my embarrassing but truthful food stats for the week:
End of Week 11: January 29th, 2016
- Scale Weight: 211.6 lbs
- Waist: 35.4 inches
- 40% Compliant
- 9 out of 22 meals I ate during the week were compliant with my eating plan
No big surprises here. I was emotionally in a bizarre place this past week. Not sure if it was cabin fever, but I just didn’t feel like my normal self.
I reviewed my progress from January 2015, and it’s amazing how at this time a year ago I magically lost 17 pounds in 21 days. It was so simple because I made it so.
I’m going to make sure that I keep that simplicity up for these next weeks. There come’s times in my life where things just click. Winter time has always been difficult time for me to personally lose significant weight. But I think that it’s more mental than physical.
My mentality will have to be stronger than my gym ethic for me to get down to 195 pounds during these cold months. With Release The Beast by my side, I’m ready!
No if, ands or buts…..it’s time to get down to 195 pounds!
Upcoming Week 11 goals:
- Drop scale weight from 211.6 to 210 pounds.
- Waist under 35.3 inches
- Eat about 1926 calories a day
- Ideally that breaks down to:
- 193 grams Protein
- 193 grams Carbohydrates
- 43 grams Fat
- Ideally that breaks down to:
Emotional eating and the snow blizzard kicked my butt in Week 11. What’s in store for Week 12? Will Michael get up of the canvas? Is Michael going to let another social event lead him down another binge spree? Why is losing weight during cold months so hard for Mike?
Stay locked here to find out!
