The Quest to Lose 20 lbs.

So I am on a quest.  I am sharing this for several reasons.  One is accountability.  It helps to motivate me if more people know what I am doing.  Second, I like people to understand that I deal just as much as anyone else with my diet, my workouts, my regimen, etc.  I think that is what can make a good trainer - the ability to empathize because you have been there.  Not saying that ultra ripped genetic freaks can't make good trainers - but a little struggle goes a long way in understanding where your friends and clients are coming from.

So my quest is to lose 20 lbs.  Now let me preface this by saying that I am not an advocate of making blanket statements about losing "weight".  Meaning that the scale is not the only measure of progress and body fat/body composition is much more relevant in assessing where you are at.  The fact that muscle is more dense and thus more heavy is a very important factor.  BUT the reality is that I NEED to be at about 200 lbs. Not 220 where I am currently hovering.

I have dealt with my weight's ups and downs for years.  I even was about 250 at one point while teaching and dropped a dramatic 60 lbs to 190 at one point.  I don't believe I handled this quite as appropriately as I could of and as such some of that weight was muscle. (I was doing mucho cardio and eating a hard core "low fat" diet)  I know now that there is a healthy way to do this and it comes in the form of getting the right macro nutrient (protein, carb, fats) percentages down to a science so that I maintain as much muscle as possible while losing purely fat.  NOT EASY

Obviously diet is my big hurdle.  Without getting all numerical/scientific on you - basically I had to find out how many calories I expend daily (both just to live and with exercise factored into the equation) and then determine how much I am actually consuming.  Most of you know I am now on a "meal plan" that helps me keep my calories at a certain number.  Without going into specifics - with the fact that it takes 3500 calories burned to lose 1 lb.  I am on track to lose about 1.5 lbs weekly roughly.  This would be greatly increased (to 2 or 3 lbs. weekly) if I would edit myself more appropriately during the weekends when I am not on the "meal plan" and have to fend for myself.  Of course I am working to make those changes but like many of you have said and I say often "it's hard".  

My point with all this is that when you break down your daily intake/output into numbers (even if they are sometimes rough estimates) it helps open your eyes to what it is that you have to really DO to create the change that you want to see occur.  I know my workouts are on point and I am lucky that I don't have to modify that too much.  I have also been really lucky lately to have a great workout partner (which I highly recommend) to push me in directions that I sometimes resist going - he has a strong running background and I have the weight training background so we compliment each other well.

So just some food for thought.  Thoughtful consideration and analysis of what you eat daily and weekly compared to how much you expend daily and weekly is a great way to assess what you need to do to create that change.  (Consequently the same can be said for those lucky souls who actually want to gain weight)  I am in the process of doing this and it is really helping me gauge each week where I need to "edit" my behavior so I can finally reach my goal.  

MY  GOAL IS TO BE AT 200 lbs. (give or take a pound or to) AND STAY THERE!  If I need to adjust that goal when I get there (maybe go a little lower), so be it.  Doing so is not only healthy for my body but good for my piece of mind.  

Thanks for reading,

Andy