The Final Fifteen Pounds

I do. I call it Finger Pointer. One day, I’ll come up with something more elegant but for now, Finger Pointer. Mr. F.P. is having a grand old time right now because I’m closing in on a weight goal. My BMI is almost down to 25. My goal is for it to be underneath 25. And this week I’ve been at 25.1 and 25.2.  At 175.something, for my BMI to drop to 25, I need to get down to 174.4.  I’m so close, that I can hear it breathing. I feel like a hunter, stalking a cornered beast. It’s not going down easily, but IT IS GOING DOWN! Now, I don’t know what your weight loss is like, but mine is like this, I get down to a new goal for 2 minutes and pop back up. Weight fluctuates. In fact, yesterday I got down to 175.4. Today it bounced up to 175.8. And even though my “smart” scale says that weight gain is not fat, there is part of me that is not happy. That is my FP friend who will find any reason to be negative. My answer to FP is my IC. Inner coach. There is an important mental difference b...

Obsessed. I feel too obsessed. Too obsessed. I think the word obsessed already implies the word too in it! I am tracking data and I enjoy that part of this process. My smart scale tells my phone how much I weigh and a bunch of other stuff like BMI. I am the lowest weight I've been in my non-teen life right now, 178.5. And that's good. And I'm am grateful.  But I'm not down to my goal yet. In fact, I'm not exactly sure what my goal weight is. I'm not even sure if I need to know what that number is... My BMI is sitting at 25.5 and my smart phone colors that as orange to let me know that this number needs improving. To have what is considered a "normal" BMI should be under 25.  These are just numbers that are somewhat helpful.  But my belly still hangs over my belt. Not like it used to. But there it is. That's the measure I am looking to change. I want a flatish belly. Ish.  I want to look down and visually see my belt buckle. I remember being able to...

I stepped on my bathroom scale today and saw the lowest weight I've seen on a scale since I was a freshman in college.  Because I've lost so much weight, people have been asking me about what I've done. Here's the short answer. In January of this year, I weighed 218 pounds, so at the advice of my doctor (Jeremy Smith), I started intermittent fasting. I had no confidence that I would be able to stick with it. I was so worried that I would be miserable.  I picked a weekend where I knew I could focus on the fasting. I went to work on Friday with an empty stomach and figured I could make it to lunch time. I was right. The last hour was tough. But I knew I would get to eat so I was okay. Plus, I was very busy and that helped a lot. My fast looked like this that weekend. I at lunch at 11:30 or so. I snacked when I felt hungry during the afternoon. I ate dinner between 5 and 6. Monday was a day off for me, so I kept on doing the 17 - 18 hour fast. And I've been doing it ev...

June of 2020 and I'm still losing weight. I'm at 185.6 pounds and it seems to be holding there for several days. My weight sometimes comes off little by little, a few ounces here and there, and sometimes I get a big drop all at once -- 2 pounds. In the past, when I would get lower than 188, I would bounce back. This blog was first called The Final Fifteen because I was trying to get down to 173. Then, gradually my weight creeped back up to 217, 218. That's what I weighed in January of this year (2020).  With this intermittent fasting, things have begun happening that I thought might not work for me. The main thing is this: I'm not hungry much.  I get hungry at lunch, but then I go right through dinner time with no food and it's easy. The hardest part is just staying busy. I get little cravings when my family is all eating food around me, but they aren't monstrous (the cravings I mean).  Here's what I think has happened. My body is what they call fat adapted....

Now that I'm at 188 pounds again, people are starting to ask what I'm doing to lose all this weight. Here's the answer: 1. Intermittent Fasting: 4 months ago I began fasting 17 or 18 hours a day. And the weight just starting coming off. Nice. During this period, I have read books and watched YouTube videos that helped me figure things out. I was just introduced to this guy, Ken Berry, today. Here's one of his I liked: https://youtu.be/kZXVqvn1uhw .  2. I eat fewer carbs. No sugar drinks. No grains. And no grains is big. But that's due to my allergens. Still, it helps with the weight loss. 3. I eat more fats. I eat sardines. I admit that I don't really like them. The sardines are like taking vitamins for me. I do it. They aren't so horrible as to make me gag, but they aren't cheesecake, right.  4. I journal. Part of this is a gratitude journal.  5. I do a resistance training workout. More on this later. I've got to see where this is going to go. It fe...

This is the first of a 10 part series on Lazy Weight Loss. Part 1 is on intermittent fasting. This is a work in progress. I am hoping you will comment and ask questions. That will help me hone this to be a resources that many can use. Why am I using the word Lazy? Here's why. It was easy. For the first time in my life. I stumbled upon the answers to weight loss for me. And I am going to share it all here.  Then, I plan to write it up in a book and add it to The Art of Focus series. If you want to read The Art of Focus, go here -  https://amzn.to/3cg1Net .