Change in weight (8/4/20 – 8/10/20):  +0.4 LBS

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Picture every health guru who makes way too much money on instagram, facebook, or their blog. Think of their fancy instagram post working out on the beach. What do they all say? To work on your weight loss journey you need to get good sleep, consume a lot of water, and eat healthy. The good thing is the doctors also say that those steps are key. Now if just say this to all of you, I can get paid like all of them, right? (minus the beach workout pics… I’m just not feelin’ it)

Anyway, this week I did not succeed at those. I did not do well on sleep, I definitely did not drink enough water, and my diet was not horrible, but could have improved. It was tough. At night I could not turn my brain off and that caused me to stay up way to late every night early on in the week. Then, my poor daughter hasn’t been feeling great so that meant that not much sleep happened over the weekend. Despite this obnoxious heat, I’m not drinking enough water and I lacked the level of veggies I know I should consume.

I gained 0.4 pounds in the past week. I could be pissed about the weight. I am not. I am slightly pissed about not meeting expectations I have set for myself. BUT! Here is the thing. Did I properly account for and control life events and day to day variables when setting my expectations? No, I didn’t. Here is the true success of this low and slow health journey. I say it all the time. I trust the process. The process will deliver. And it is a win and a victory that I know exactly why I weighed in the way I did. I know why I feel the way I do. This attention to me is such a victory because my whole life was spent guessing and assuming the universe just hated me and my body.

After recognizing the victory, I still want to note that I know I can do better. I understand why the week ended up the way it did. I worked out a lot, but I was tired. Staying up late makes me more prone to snacking or having a drink. Being tired makes me more likely to not go the extra step to make the healthy meal when something is easier.

I follow the instagram of a guy named Cody Taggart and he summed it up so perfectly when he said you can set goals for behavior or set goals for outcome. His point is that you can control you behavior goals but you can do very little to control your outcome goals. I may never look like Daniel Craig in a suit… as much as it pains me to say this (I think its the jaw line, more than anything), but I can control my behaviors to get to a place where I feel like Ben looks baller in a suit.

There is victory in knowing your behaviors and there is future victory in knowing what behaviors to change. As my goal is not a number on a scale (outcome), but an overall care for my body and mind (behavior), I can have many little and big victories as this is a process, not a destination.

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Some quick reflection for the week. Early on I felt real good about some bike rides and a run. I did a 30 minute Tabata ride with Robin Arzon that left me shaking. It was absurdly effective and I was damn proud about finishing it strong.

We had a fair amount of pasta early in the week. I am not afraid of pasta, but I did not make enough veggies to go with it and one night I may have consumed a touch too much garlic bread. So there is that. The big day of overindulgence was Saturday. I was helping my brother-in-law replace some siding on his house, which was an all day project. I did not drink enough water and there were cookies and doughnuts. I don’t know how many I ate throughout the day and there were some beers and whiskey as well (once the work was done, of course). So I had a day. I will work to have fewer of those days and keep better track of my cookie consumption. 🙂

Leave a like or a comment. Have you tunnel visioned on a goal? Are you taking the time to give your effort the respect it deserves through the process?

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How did I do on last weeks action plan?:

1. 5 Cardio workouts. 1 45 min ride, 1 HIIT Ride, 1 Low Impact ride, 1 run. Attained
2. 2 Strength Sessions (Tues/Sat) Partially attained
3. Plan out my meals, stick to them, and portion snacks. Partially Attained.
4. 2 additional outdoor activities. This can include walks with my daughter, disc golfing, skiing, etc. Attained
5. 3 dedicated stretch sessions. 2 10-min lower body and 1 10 min full body (Mon/Wed/Fri). Not Attained
6. 20-30 minute midday walk on work days. Attained
7. Track every bite. Not Attained
8. Drink 10 glasses of water per day. Not Attained
9. Find some quiet time to calm my thoughts and mind. 2 5-10 minute sessions. Attained

Action Plan

1. 5 Cardio workouts. 1 45 min ride, 1 HIIT Ride, 1 Low Impact ride, 1 misc ride, 1 run.
2. 2 Strength Sessions (Tues/Sat)
3. Plan out my meals, stick to them, and portion snacks
4. 2 additional outdoor activities. This can include walks with my daughter, disc golfing, skiing, etc
5. 3 dedicated stretch sessions. 2 10-min lower body and 1 10 min full body (Mon/Wed/Fri)
6. 20-30 minute midday walk on work days
7. Track every bite
8. Drink 10 glasses of water per day
9. Find some quiet time to calm my thoughts and mind. 2 5-10 minute sessions

Please stay tuned for more updates. If you have been enjoying this, please become an email follower or a wordpress follower. Having this public audience has been a positive motivation for me to continue working towards my goals and so I really am thankful for all of you!

Date	Change in Weight
12/1*	–
12/2*	-5.4 lbs
12/9	-5.4 lbs
12/16	-3.4 lbs
12/23	+2.8 lbs
12/29	-1.2 lbs
1/6	-1.4 lbs
1/13	-1.6 lbs
1/20	-1.4 lbs
1/27	+0.4 lbs
2/3	-1.2 lbs
2/10	-4.6 lbs
2/17	+0.4 lbs
2/24	-1.6 lbs
3/2	-3.2 lbs
3/9	+1.8 lbs
3/16	-3.2 lbs
3/23	-0.6 lbs
3/30	+0.4 lbs
4/6	-1.6 lbs
4/13	+0.8 lbs
4/20	-1.8 lbs
4/27	0 lbs
5/4	+2.4 lbs
5/11	-5.2 lbs
5/18	0 lbs
5/25	-1.0 lbs
6/1	-1.2 lbs
6/8	-0.4 lbs
6/15	-0.8 lbs
6/22	+0.8 lbs
6/29	-1.4 lbs
7/6	-2.4 lbs
7/13	+2.4 lbs
7/20	-1.6 lbs
7/27	-0.4 lbs
8/3	-1.2 lbs
8/10	+0.4 lbs

* I first weighed myself on a Sunday night and began the regular weigh-ins the following morning

-Ben