Last Updated on July 30, 2026 by Michael Brockbank
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.
Considering that I really didn’t do much and have eaten out way more than I should have, I am kind of impressed that I lost anything at all. I figured I would have gained more of my weight back.
So, I am starting this next week at 254.6 pounds. It still saddens me a bit, as I weighed around 213 when I first moved into this house. But I am confident I will meet my Halloween goals in 100 days.
How I Lost 1.8 Pounds this Week
In the grand scheme of things, 1.8 pounds in seven days isn’t terrible. According to the CDC, you should be able to lose one to two pounds per week with a healthy diet. Then again, I used to drop more than twice that amount.
I was also in my 30s and 40s when I was capable of doing that. Now that I’m 50, it’s going to be a lot more difficult to get my body into a healthy weight while making sure my insides don’t fall apart.
Currently, I’m taking a statin and have to donate whole blood every eight weeks to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
What Kind of Exercise Did I Get in Week One?
I didn’t get to do much in the way of physical activity. I was nursing a hurt back throughout most of the week, so movements were very limited. I think I averaged around 3500 steps per day.
I did a bit of lifting, as we’re still packing crates and boxes to move, however. They weren’t overly heavy, and I was able to get in a bit of movement as we neared last Friday and Saturday.
On the upside, I still have to climb a flight of stairs every time I get a cup of coffee. And I can tell ya, my glutes have been quite firm throughout everything. That goes to show how much coffee I actually drink in a day. I have to go upstairs to get every cup.
What Did I Eat Throughout the Week?
I wasn’t very good at recording my intake. Although I kind of pigged out a bit on my Birthday, it wasn’t anything grandiose. We had Hu Hot for dinner, and I had a slice of birthday cheesecake.
It just dawned on me that no one sang happy birthday to me and I didn’t blow out any candles. I think that’s a first. I mean, Jen sang happy birthday to me over a voice message. But there was no birthday hoopla this year.
In reality, though, it’s been very chaotic and messy. There just wasn’t really a lot of time to organize anything, especially with how bad my back hurt. So…it is what it is, I suppose.
Anyway, I haven’t had the healthiest of diets, but I also didn’t dive face-first into sugar and carbs. I guess that’s progress.
Goals for Next Week
Because my world is still somewhat upside down, I’m going to try to keep the goals simple. My back is feeling much better, but I don’t want to burn myself out too quickly.
I mean, the whole point of this was to see if I can lose weight and be in better health despite being in limbo in terms of a job and a home.
Recording Everything I Eat
First, let’s start with the basics. My goal this week is to record everything I consume in MyFitnessPal. I’ve been using the app for more than 10 years, and it’s been pivotal for losing as much weight as I have. Keep in mind that I used to clock in around the 320-pound mark.
Recording everything and seeing how positive or negative I am in terms of my Net 600 Calorie Diet is very helpful from a mental standpoint. If I am negative by too many calories, I second-guess whether I truly need that extra cookie or bowl of ice cream.
No Fast Food!
I went shopping yesterday and bought enough food to last me about a week and a half. There is no reason to order fast food other than being lazy. And all the food I bought yesterday are things I truly enjoy.
Besides, ordering takeout or Door Dashing is getting to be insanely expensive. I don’t have the money to keep eating fast food. Plus, the motivation just isn’t as prominent with cyclospora running rampant.
‘Murica!
Honestly, we live in the stupidest timeline.
Try to Move More Often
My back is still a bit tender, but I should be able to start getting in some additional movement every day. Walking seems to be OK, but the weather hasn’t been the best supporter for being outside. Seriously, it topped 103 the other day here in Denver.
Maybe I’ll take a look at what my average steps were last week and see if I can add two thousand per day. That’s about a 15 to 20-minute walk for me, depending on how fast I can move.
I don’t want to push too hard, though. The last thing I need right now is to spend a week lying on my back. At least now, I can sit and move about…ish.
Trying Hard to Change My Mindset
Currently, I am working on trying to get my mind back to where it was back in 2012. Well, at least to the degree of putting in maximum effort to both lose weight and learn how to write better. Back then, I had a very high level of determination to succeed. Today, not so much.
Why is that, you ask? I have no idea. We made a few breakthroughs recently that happened to shed a bit of light on some aspects of my life. But I have a long way to go before I can put myself in 14-year-old shoes.
I’ve had a lot of things in my life change drastically over the past few months. Yet, it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll just keep working on making each day as much of a success as I can. Even with a bad back…
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