After struggling with a weight loss plateau for about six weeks, I sat down and decided to do something drastic. For the month of October I avoided weigh-ins and began eating more food. On the surface it seemed like a recipe for disaster but I resolved to trust the process.
When October came to a close, I stepped on the scale expecting the worst. While I didn’t lose any weight, I didn’t gain any either. I was still within the same weight range I had been hovering in for weeks prior to this little experiment.
While I may not have lost any weight, my body did undergo some changes. Muscle definition increased and my clothes fit a little better. Best of all, I went an entire month without the stress of constant weigh-ins and wondering why nothing was happening.
I consider The October Project a success and thought a new month should bring with it a new set of goals.
Weekly Logging Routine
When re-booted my weight loss journey earlier this year I made a point to meticulously log a variety of information. Each week I would step on the scale and record my weight. Next I would get out a flexible tape measure and take a variety of body measurements. Last, I would have my wife take progress photos.
The process was very helpful early on but I began to slack off as time passed. I missed recording measurements one week then progress photos the next. Before long I was trying to play catch-up in the middle of the week and it became a confusing mess.
For the month of November I want to return to that early process. Each Sunday I’ll weigh-in first thing in the morning. From there I’ll take some measurements and cap it all off with some embarrassing progress photos.
Tweaking My Diet
Last month I had a hard time trying to hit 40% Protein, 40% Carbs, and 20% Fat each day. This month I want to simplify the process. I want to consume a minimum of 200 grams of Protein each day. I want to hold Carbs to 150 grams or less. Fat should come in at about 67 grams per day – These numbers are based off of a 2,000 calorie diet.
I’m not overly concerned with hard numbers but I’d really like to see my protein intake increase and remain the higher of the values, consistently throughout the month.
Weekly Challenges
My good friend Jerry Cruz – who I had on Episode 8 of the Slimming Down Dad Podcast, has been participating in a Slim Down Challenge at his local Anytime Fitness. We have been talking about the program at length for the past several weeks and one of the cool aspects is that participants are given weekly challenges.
I want to take a page from Anytime Fitness’s book and start hosting weekly challenges through the month of November. They will all be bodyweight exercises that readers can follow along with at home. The idea is to make the challenges difficult but doable.
For instance, the first Slimming Down Dad Weekly Challenge will be 500 Squats. I will be doing these exercises separate from my usual gym routine in an effort to get into the practice of burning more calories at home.
Tweaking Exercise
During the month of October I had a straightforward exercise regime. Monday was Leg Day, Tuesday was Chest and Biceps, Wednesday was a rest day, Thursday was Cardio-Strength based Personal Training, Friday was Back Day, Saturday was some form of light cardio, and Sunday was a rest day.
I’m going to maintain the same schedule, for the most part, but I’m going to incorporate more cardio. Since my Personal Training Sessions are complete, I’m going to attend a couple of classes at CustomFit Training. My goal is to attend Insanity Live group classes once per week throughout the month (typically a Saturday morning). If all goes well, perhaps I’ll attend a RIPPED class on Thursday nights as well.
Podcast Reboot
Back in June I launched the Slimming Down Dad Podcast. Once per week I sat down in front of my microphone and simply talked about my weight loss journey. I never had an interest in becoming some sort of fitness guru or portraying the role of some sort of professional. My goal was to simply share my story and inspire others along the way.
I had a blast recording the podcast and had some friends come on as guests. Things were going great, right up until life got in the way and I hit a rough patch in my personal life. I thought that I could manage both the podcast and my troubles but I was wrong. The podcast was placed on the back-burner while I dealt with things.
My troubles are behind me now and I’m eager to get back to work on regular production of the podcast. My goal this month is to release one episode per week throughout November then assess the situation. At some point I would love to incorporate a co-host but for now I just want to get back to regular recording.
What Goals have you set for yourself this month?
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