How can you improve yourself within 100 days of focusing on fitness? If you challenge yourself and put in the effort, you could achieve some great results, all without paying for PEDs or some get-fit-quick scheme offered by an influencer with a 70s porn mustache.
Where I’m Starting
I am 6 feet tall and weighing in at 256.4 pounds at the beginning of this challenge. I have a tendency to put on muscle mass relatively easily. So, aiming for something like 180 pounds is somewhat unrealistic unless I want to look like a cancer patient. Not to mention that my bones are more dense than average, thanks to genetics.
My current goal is just to get as close to the 210-pound mark as possible before taking a look at my overall physique and blood work. At that point, we’ll strategize what comes next. But for now, let’s lower my blood pressure and burn some fat.
Collecting the Data
Obviously, I created a spreadsheet for the 100 Days of Fitness challenge. This time, we’re working on a point-based system to help gamify the process. The gist of it is that steps are each worth a point, while one pound of weight lifting is worth one-tenth of a point.
That’s because we’re focusing more on burning fat than bodybuilding.
Then, different activities will rack up more points. The goal is to get more than 850 points during any given day, which isn’t all that difficult in the grand scheme of things. I could do that just with a 15-minute walk and getting more than 11,000 steps during the day.
I also have points set up for keeping myself in a caloric deficit. This gives incentive to keep my calories low until I get to a certain point in my weight loss journey. Once I get closer to 215 pounds, I’ll rework the points and fitness strategy.
Days in a blue-green color mean that I recorded all of the data.
Anything with the default white background are estimations based on previous numbers and is subject to change as time progresses.
The Current Point System
Carb Intake
One of my goals is to reduce carb intake. That often means fewer sugars, breads, and pastas as some of the more prominent. Every carb I eat reduces the points by four. So, if I have a carb-rich day, I’ll have to seriously burn some calories to make up for it.
For instance, a single peanut butter cup cookie from Maverik will cost me about 1200 points, meaning that I could walk an extra 1200 steps to make them back. But then I also have to consider the calorie burn deficit.
Pounds Lifted
It took a while for me to hammer out a realistic point system for lifting weights in comparison to my daily routines. The result was that each pound lifted equals one-tenth of a pound. So, if I lift 40,000 pounds one day in total, that racks up 4,000 points.
This is what’s best for me according to my level of activity and what I’m aiming to accomplish.
Calorie Difference
I earn an extra point for the calorie difference between what I consume and what I burn. This means that if I keep myself in a caloric deficit, I’ll earn more points. The point difference isn’t massive, but enough to keep me on my toes for the Net 600 Calorie diet.
Should I be worried as that can foster starvation diets? Nope. I am realistic with myself and won’t do anything silly to try to rack up more points. All of this is simply to keep motivated to burn fat and be more active. Once I hit about 220 to 215 pounds, I’ll have to re-evaluate my diet and routines because the Net 600 diet will no longer be valid.
Calorie Burn
I gain one point for every calorie I burn over 2200. That means being more active throughout the day earns more points. The reason I included this was because there are things I do that are cardio exercises that don’t necessarily increase the step count.
For example, I get around 105 steps per minute while walking around in the backyard. However, I only get about 86 steps per minute while playing the Oculus, despite the Oculus vastly increasing my heart rate. The calorie burn offsets what I miss out on steps.
As for the “2200,” that is about what I burn normally sitting on my ass all day just being alive. Anything over being lazy is worth a point.
Steps
Initially, the scoring system was based on steps. Each is worth a single point, but I needed to adjust for weight lifting as going to the gym was costing me points. That’s because you don’t really rack up the steps when using something like the chest press machine.
Of course, the steps make up the lion’s share of the points each week. However, everything else added together can offset those points if I’m slacking. That means that I can’t just rely on walking 10,000 steps per day and expect to break weekly records and numbers. Eating a ton of cupcakes will easily decimate all those points.
Weight Loss Updates
- Fit After 50: A New Fitness Challenge – Yet Again?
Well, the Fit By 50 challenge kind of dissolved rather quickly. Just as I was getting back into the groove of things, my world was turned upside down. It’s been a rough couple of months, but I think I’m ready to give it another go. - Fit After 50: Lost 1.8 Pounds Thus Far in This Heat!
Well, week one wasn’t the banner week I had hoped it would be. Instead of coming out of the gate strong, I kind of just lingered around the house in this ungodly heat. However, I still lost a bit of weight, which is forward momentum.
The Focus for 100 Days of Fitness
- Increasing physical activity to burn fat
Using my Net 600 Calorie Diet, I plan to burn twice as much as I eat through daily activities. - Improving overall strength
I’m not working toward bodybuilding, but I wouldn’t mind adding a bit of strength overall. - Getting more sleep
Regular sleep affects all kinds of things in your body, and I would like more of it, please. - Gamifying the experience with points
I’ve created a point-based system for daily activities to help keep me in the game, so to speak.
Eventually, I’ll have to shift my diet from fat-burning to maintenance as I get closer to my weight goals. The problem is that I won’t know what my actual goal weight will be until I get closer to 210 pounds. It depends on how much muscle I put on and what my body fat percentage looks like.
Regardless, I’ll take you along on the journey so we can discover those things together.
Keep in mind that this is relatively close to the method I used to lose 80 pounds. Well, with the exception of getting lazy and letting things slip over the last several months. I could blame it on stress, but that would be just the tip of an exceptionally large iceberg.
Why the 100 Days of Fitness Challenge?
I wanted to change things up a bit this time around. Instead of just a run-of-the-mill 12-week fitness challenge, I wanted to push my boundaries and prove to myself that I can commit to the plan. Besides, this challenge lets me test out my point-based system for exercising. It might prove helpful should I decide to invest in building my own fitness app.
A lot can happen in 100 days, especially if you truly commit to yourself and push your fitness limits. Remember, a challenge is meant to challenge you. It’s not supposed to be easy.
Also, Halloween is 100 days from when I start this challenge. I would still love to use latex body paint and go out as Venom. It’s been on my radar for several years, and would love to see if I can do it this time around.
How Do You Challenge Yourself?
There are a number of ways you can challenge yourself in every aspect of life. It all comes down to what you want to improve and the plan to get there. Everyone is different with varying wants and needs. If you want to challenge yourself, you need to decide what that means for you.
Whether you want to grind out 100 days for fitness or simply lose a few pounds, challenging yourself is a great way to find your limitations and understand your body. Just don’t be too hard on yourself if you fail a challenge. Figure out why you failed, make adjustments, and try again.