Welcome to Week 19 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
2010 – Early 2015
- Used weight training to lose 80 pounds of fat and maintained a healthy weight around 205-210 pounds based on home/work lifestyle.
- 2015 goal to lose 15 pounds of fat which that would equate to about 195 pounds (if no muscle loss)
- Challenged myself to get to 195 during 2015 Holiday Seasons (hardest time for me to lose weight)
November – December 2015
- Countdown Week 1 (click here)
- Countdown Week 2 (click here)
- Countdown Week 3 (click here)
- Countdown Week 4 (click here)
- Countdown Week 5 (click here)
- Countdown Week 6 (click here)
January 2016 – March 2016
- Countdown Week 7 (click here)
- Countdown Week 8 (click here)
- Countdown Week 9 (click here)
- Countdown Week 10 (click here)
- Countdown Week 11 (click here)
- Countdown Week 12 (click here)
- Countdown Week 13 (click here)
- Countdown Week 14 (click here)
- Countdown Week 15 (click here)
- Countdown Week 16 (click here)
- Countdown Week 17 (click here)
- Countdown Week 18 (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 health/fat loss. One of Michael’s other goals 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 (but way more accurate) measurement.
WEEK 19: March 18 – March 24 2016
March 18th Stats
Scale Weight: 205.0 pounds
Waist: 34.3 inches
Week 19 Main Goals
- Drop scale weight from 205. to 204.8 pounds.
- Keep waist from going over 34.6 inches
- Increase daily activity (ie: neighborhood walks, spring cleaning, etc.)
- Eat about 1776 calories a day
- For my fat loss/muscle maintenance goals that ideally breaks down to:
- 195 grams Protein
- 160 grams Carbohydrates
- 39 grams Fat
- For my fat loss/muscle maintenance goals that ideally breaks down to:
Observations & Challenges
Workout
This was the third and final week of me performing Vince Gironda’s 8×8 routine. I am soooo glad that it’s over after today! This is one of the simplest and efficient workouts on paper. You only spend 20-25 mins at the gym so it’s excellent for those with time constraints.
BUT DON’T LET IT FOOL YOU!! You better be ready to work your butt off because your muscles will be screaming at you! My entire body is aching from exhaustion. I did not do a single “normal” leg exercise yet my legs are extremely defined right now! Vince Gironda was a genius when he came up with his simple workout routines.
Now that the 8×8 workout is over I will be doing a deload week for my Week 20 workout plan. A deload week is a week where you let your body recuperate by performing exercises at a reduced weight/pace. You’re giving your body a rest but not completely sitting on your behind all day.
Socializing & Cheating
Social Gathering # 1
This week I had two planned social outings. Unlike last week, these were going to happen on two separate days. The first was a dinner banquet for an award ceremony on Saturday.
Thankfully, the event had a good diverse selection of healthy food that I was able to almost not call this a cheat meal. The only part of the meal that would be considered “cheating” was the chocolate mousse cake I had. Right after my first two bites I realized that my taste buds had changed. The cake tasted too sweet.
For my dinner that night, I decided to get some more sweet & salty goodies. I settled for the same two coconut crème pies that I had for Valentines Day (see What Cheating On Valentine’s Day Taught Me), pizza bites, and some potato chips. I hadn’t had pizza bites since I was in elementary school and was curious to how they taste. A couple bites in, I wasn’t impressed. They definitely weren’t as good as my childhood taste buds remembered.
The potato chips were an interesting choice because they are a known red trigger food for myself. These particular chips were Cheddar & Sour Cream. As soon as the first handful went in my mouth, I instantly knew why I put these on my trigger food list.
Within the hour I had polished off the entire bag. At one point I told myself I was done, but just couldn’t let the rest of those chips in that bag know they had won! They had to be mine on that night!
I’m joking but it’s that’s the type of thinking that lets me know I can’t control myself around certain foods. That is why potato chips are on my red trigger food list.
After polishing off the chips, I ate the coconut crème pies. Just like the chocolate mousse cake, they were too sweet. It’s amazing because about a month ago I didn’t think so.
I’m proud to say that I am in “The Zone”. Some call it Da Grind. Others may call it “in control”. Whatever you call it, it’s just the point where you’ve been constantly eating healthy for such a long time that the foods you shouldn’t be eating just do not appeal to you. That seems to be my case with store bought baked goods.
Social Gathering # 2
During my second planned social gathering of the week, I went out with some friends for a long overdue gathering. Due to my “two cheat meals in one” day, I wasn’t sure if I was going to cheat or not for this gathering. I originally was going to be strict since my friends know I watch what I eat.
Once I got to the restaurant, I decided to let my guard down and just enjoyed myself. I didn’t gorge myself. I just made sure I stayed in control. I even ordered an apple pecan pie.
When I got home, I got a strong desire for some more sweets. I knew I had some microwavable sweet kettle popcorn in the pantry. My mind became obsessed with thoughts of eating that popcorn.
As I thought about it, the voice of wisdom whispered in my ear….
”Michael, remember what you told yourself last week what you would do!”
So with that thought, I pulled out my iPhone and looked at my Release The Beast advantage card. I instantly remembered why I didn’t need the popcorn. This simple stupid jester put me right back on track.
Note: If you’re wondering: What’s an advantage card? What’s a trigger food list? What the heck is this guy talking about? You need to check out Release The Beast: Conquer Mental, Physical & Diet Challenges To Unleash The Champion Inside!
Food Journal
Here are my painfully honest food stats for the week:
End of Week 19 Stats: March 25th, 2016
- Scale Weight: 204.2 lbs (0.8 lbs loss from previous week)
- Waist: 34.3 inches (0 inches lost from previous week)
- 86% Compliant
- 18 out of 21 meals I ate during the week were compliant with my eating plan
I’m pleased with this week’s results. I mentioned last week that a great fat loss program for someone who’s already in shape would have you average .25-1 pounds of fat loss a week. That’s what I was able to do this past week.
Upcoming Week 20 goals:
- Drop scale weight from 204.2 to 204 pounds
- Keep waist from going over 34.6 inches
- Increase daily activity (ie: neighborhood walks, spring cleaning, etc.)
- Take a Deload Week and recuperate from the past 19 weeks of constant weight lifting
- Eat about 1776 calories a day
- For my fat loss/muscle maintenance goals that ideally breaks down to:
- 195 grams Protein
- 160 grams Carbohydrates
- 39 grams Fat
- For my fat loss/muscle maintenance goals that ideally breaks down to:
19 Weeks Down……9 Pounds (of Fat?) to Go……Waist goal achieved and now must be maintained!
Easter Weekend is here and our hero has his heart set on devouring a big chocolate bunny! How will it taste? Will Mike finish the whole bunny? Will the bunny find a way to escape from Mike’s evil clutches?
Tune in next Friday for Week 20’s Results! Happy Easter!
