Last Updated on January 15, 2016 by Michael Brockbank
So, I am putting this challenge out there for anyone who wants to join me. I am going to prove that you can enjoy all of the good stuff you like to eat and still lose a few pounds inside of a week. Ultimately, I am doing this for myself in order to kick start my year. I’ve been pretty bad as of late and need to get this going. If you’re interested, here are the details of what I am doing.
What I am Planning for the Upcoming Week
Starting Sunday, I am going to put far more effort into physical activity and reduced calorie intake. It’s going to be a life-changing event for me because there are a lot of things that I’ll have to sacrifice – and not just food either. If I stick to my plan, I’ll improve my sleep schedule as well as eat a better selection of foods.
Sleep Patterns
Sleep plays an important role in your existence. Without it, you could suffer from a variety of health issues from mental to physical. Starting Saturday night, I am going to schedule at least eight hours of down time every night. This doesn’t mean that I’ll actually get eight hours of sleep, but it does mean I’ll be in bed longer than my current average of six.
Throughout the school week, I plan on going to bed by 10pm and waking up at 6am to work out before taking my girls to school. Usually, I get between five and six hours of sleep every night – which wears me down pretty quick throughout the week. I’m not in my 20s anymore and can’t keep pushing myself like I used to – according to my wife.
Exercise in the Morning
When I get up at 6am, I am going to work out for 30 minutes. This will be mostly cardio as my wife and I will be hitting the rec center after work to do a bit of weight training. But the mornings and every other night will be dedicated to some kind of cardio – including doing some core work. To keep from burning too much and add protein to my morning, I’ll be drinking a 12oz bottle of whey protein powder. This drink also adds 120 calories from the get go, but should be enough to kick-start my day.
Breakfasts
When I lost all my weight before, I lived on Cream of Wheat and multi-pack vitamins in the morning. This gave me nearly all of my iron in one shot and all of the vitamin C I could need. I love Cream of Wheat and usually try to mix in a cup of chopped berries. We’ll see how much money I have to work with.
Lunches
I usually fall back on Progresso soups for lunch. Last time, I saw how much sodium I was taking in throughout the day and modified my dinners to offset the 1380mg of sodium from my soups. I’ll try to do the same this time around. A single serving of Pringles and perhaps a mandarin orange may be included as well.
Dinners
Dinners are going to be a bit tough. Currently, we don’t have a lot of money in the household and rely on extremely cheap foods. Now, it’s still possible to lose weight while eating some of the things we get. Unfortunately, this is where a great deal of sodium and calories comes into play. Cheap processed foods are gentle on the pocketbook but heavy on unhealthy.
Snacks
I am still going to have some of the snacks I love such as those peppermint patty miniatures and mini Rolos. However, my night-time snacking may focus more on carrots. It’s what I had last time. This reduces the carb intake at night. Carbs that are not used for energy will turn into fat stores. Carrots are a good way around that. I also have an affinity for those tuna packets from Sunkist. We’ll see what’s available throughout the week.
Weight Training at Night
The reason why my wife and I go to the rec center at night is because it’s the only time we can do anything together. We’re workout buddies and keep each other motivated. It’s easier for the two of us to get away at around 6pm to work on muscle development. This will be done Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Cardio at Night
When my wife and I are not at the gym, we’ll be doing some cardio and core work. Personally, I love playing the Kinect. It’s a hell of a workout if done correctly. Some games are more grueling to play that the most active cardio workout DVDs.
Calorie Goals
My goal for calorie intake is to keep my numbers in the green by 500 per day according to MyFitnessPal. When combined with the 1750 calorie goal on the system because I want to lose at least two pounds per week, I should lose slightly more than three. The tricky part is to make sure you don’t over do it.
Don’t Push Yourself Too Hard
The last time I was pushing myself to get into shape, I found myself passing out quite often. This was because I wasn’t eating enough in the mornings while burning the calories. Essentially, I burned two to three times as much as I consumed before 10am.
Pushing yourself too hard can be very bad for your health. Reduce your calorie intake, but realize that your body still needs food in order to survive. Speaking from experience, it’s possible for even fat people to pass out from a lack of food intake when they burn too many calories.
My ultimate goal for the year is to weigh about 180 by next Christmas. That’s 90 pounds in 11 months. It may not seem like a lot, but it is when you’re doing this without supplements, medications or surgeries. Getting in shape is much different than simply losing weight. I prefer to change myself from the Koolaid Man to Captain America. But we’ll see how the year pans out.
If you feel like joining me in this week of loss, feel free to send a message on Twitter. You can also post a comment below. I’m always looking for friendly people. There is something to be said about using the buddy system to keep motivated for fitness.
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