Hi all, here’s the latest update to let you know how I’m getting on with my own goal. If you’ve read my guide you will know that I only weigh myself (and take other measurements etc) every 4 weeks and I will be using these posts to share my progress, successes and failures so that you can see how my tactics are working for me.
My goal
I set myself the goal to lose 70lb in a year, this year 2013. This is a completely sensible, realistic and achievable target, but would still be a challenge. You can read all about my goal and the reasons for it in the first update post ‘24 weeks in’.
Mini-goals
In order to achieve my 70lb goal I set myself a 4-weekly weight target from start to finish, this was essentially my breakdown of goals by month to keep me focused.
In order to stay on course I set myself a daily set of goals, which were:
- 30 minutes of exercise per day
- No unhealthy snacks and no takeaways/eating out
- Drink 2 litres of water per day
My progress
Yesterday (11/08/2013) marked the end of 32 weeks and here are the results:
- Weight loss in the last 4 week period of 2lb.
- No noticeable change in chest size.
- Another small reduction in waist and hips of about 0.5in.
- Weight now 239lb down from 279lb, so a total loss of 40lb (-14.3%)
- Fat content now 30.0% down from 38.0%, so approx. 34lb weight loss is fat loss (-21.1%)
- BMI now 30.7 down from 35.8 (-14.2%)
- Approximately 7 inches off waist/belly in total
- Approximately 4 inches off chest
- Approximately 3 inches off hips
- Continued to make fitness improvements, e.g. running pace, lifting weights etc
I am aiming for between 4 and 5lb loss per 4 week period between now and the end of the year, so I am still a little off plan… but still feeling great; healthier, stronger and making fitness improvements in all areas.
My target plan had me at 230lb right now, so I am 9lb off plan. Again I do need to improve in some areas to get me back on track to hit this, my first goal, by the end of this year.
In terms of my daily goals in the last 4 weeks:
- Exercise – achieved 26 out of 28 days, 93%
- Food – achieved 22 out of 28 days, 79%
- Water – achieved 27 out of 28 days, 96%
Exercise wise I’m doing at least an hour a day if you include walking – typically 60 minutes a day walking plus 30-60 minutes most days alternating weights, running and cardio drills. July saw me clock up 80 miles walking, 20 miles running, 9 weight sessions and about the same amount of cardio drill sessions. I’ve just bought a push-bike so my aim for August is to add 50 miles of cycling to that list.
With regards to food, at 22/28 it’s better than last month but I feel the quality of food is slipping. I might not be having ‘take-out’ so much but feel I’m snacking too much on so-called healthy options such as ‘breakfast biscuits’ as a late evening snack. It might not seem much but that extra 150 calories a day is easily over a pound of weight in 4 weeks. So, my extra goal for this next period then is to cut down on these evening snacks.
I didn’t introduce a juiced fruit/veg meal into my diet as I suggested last time – mainly because we were focused on my girlfriend’s challenge but it’s still something I want to try soon.
Overall a positive result. 40lbs down now and really starting to notice the difference – finally starting to fit into decent clothes and feeling comfortable in them!
Again, this has all been achieved with minimal calorie counting, it’s been about keeping it simple, setting simple goals and being accountable to myself every day to do more and eat well; i.e. make better choices.
If you have any recent updates or stories to share please leave a comment below.
Photos: Kevan Davis