Last Updated on July 14, 2025 by Michael Brockbank
Well, week three wasn’t the pillar of greatness I thought it would be, but I still lost 1.8 pounds overall. So, I can’t call it a failure. It’s not as much as week two, but any loss is still an accomplishment.
Too many people get locked into the idea of dropping weight wicked fast. When they don’t lose 10 pounds in a week, they often get frustrated and give up. Instead, they should focus on the positives and embrace the achievements, regardless of how small.
I could whine about only losing 1.8 pounds. Or, I could get excited that I’ve lost weight for the third straight week. Not to mention the fact that I earned enough points on the spreadsheet to keep my shirt on for Tuesday’s show.
Actually, there were quite a few achievements this week that helped me keep the loss trend going.
How I Lost 1.8 Pounds This Week
There were a lot of contributing factors that helped me reach several goals this past week. Though, I probably shouldn’t try to grind out most of my points over the weekend. I was quite exhausted and am still a bit sluggish this morning.
Nonetheless, I lost weight while improving several aspects of my lifestyle. If you want to see the differences between the weeks, check out the spreadsheet on the Summer of Fitness page. I did quite well across the board.
Decreased Average Caloric Intake
In week three, I decreased my average intake by 520 calories per day. That’s roughly the equivelant of cutting out a can of chili or a couple cans of pop. That’s kind of major if you think about it in terms of food.
Unfortunately, this comes with a bit of an asterisk. I didn’t track food well at my niece’s wedding in week two, and I didn’t log the drinks we had to toast my brother’s birthday in week three. Still, I know I didn’t eat as much this week as I did in the last. So, it’s still a win.
Decreased Average Carb Intake
One of my goals was to cut down the carbs, and I did so by 67g per day. That was mostly due to the fact that I stopped eating two Maverick sugar cookies every day. Instead, I picked better sugars to help offset my hypoglycemia.
You’d be amazed by how quickly a lot of those snacks add up throughout the day. And if you’re not active enough to burn them, those sugars turn into fat. That’s how the body works for 99.9% of the population.
Increased Average Burn
Obviously, trying to keep the points green in the Summer of Fitness challenge is going to increase caloric burn. That’s because I am deathly afraid of doing the Tuesday night podcast shirtless. I dread it more than I do with thalassophobia.
This week, I burned slightly more than I did the week before. Of course, I squeeked by keeping the points green by only 187 for the week. Still, I improved average burn by 98 calories per day. This was done through walking far more often and playing the Oculus for nearly three hours in total.
Ramped Up Total Steps
You’ll earn steps through virtually any activity. And as I pushed for fast-paced walks this week, I had 8,376 steps more this time around. What’s funny is that I made more steps making sure my points were green yesterday (Sunday) than when I played an 18-hole round of golf the week before.
I also earned quite a few steps playing Beat Saber all week, but it was the 90℉ walks I did in the backyard (20 minutes at a time) that really drove it home.
More Sleep!
One of the greatest accomplishments this week was how I was able to get 0.83 hours more sleep on average per day than I did throughout the entire year of 2024! That’s almost an extra hour per day.
Unfortunately, it also meant that I got less done in the mornings. So, I need to find a happy medium somewhere, such as getting to bed by 9:30 pm after a cup of Sleepytime Tea. That’s something I’ve been trying to build a habit out of for the past several years.
Goals for Next Week
So, last week was a close call in terms of points. And there are a few things I can do to improve my progress in week four. For one thing, I really need to focus more on keeping to my Net 600 Calorie diet.
But aside from eating better and earning more points, what else would I like to do this week?
Getting Back to the Gym
It’s been a long time since I was regularly going to the gym. Things have been north of hectic for a while, but I think we’re getting to a point where I can get back to routine visits.
My plan is still to go to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Today, we’ll be going after lunch, which should help with hypoglycemic reactions. In the past, pushing myself at the gym first thing in the morning was wiping me out as I didn’t have the blood sugar to keep going.
Besides, I can really rack up the points at the gym. The problem is that I’ll have to maintain the routine if I want to make sure I have enough points on the spreadsheet. With any luck, this week is going to set yet another bar for how physical I need to be overall.
Increase Protein Intake
I’m still not getting even half of the protein I should have on any given day. In fact, I had less protein in week three than I did in week two. So, I think it’s time to start planning out daily meals to ensure that I get X amount of grams every day. At least, from the perspective of the three primary meals.
For instance, I can aim for 30 grams of protein for each breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then, get a few snacks that are higher in protein throughout the rest of the day. That should get me quite a bit closer than the average of 75 grams per day I got in week three.
Simply having eggs with my banana and fig bar in the morning would be an improvement.
Don’t Wait Until the Weekend to Rack Up Points!
For the second week in a row, I relied on the weekend to earn the points needed for the Summer of Fitness challenge. However, dialing the activity so high on two days is starting to wear me down.
I’m too old to keep up that kind of pace. That round of golf really tossed the challenge into overdrive.
If I spread the points evenly throughout the week, I wouldn’t have to stress about it and could somewhat relax on the weekends. That is, unless I play another round of golf.
In reality, I just need close to an hour per day of some kind of physical activity. That can be about three fast-paced 20-minute walks, two rounds playing Beat Saber, or any other activity that is trackable through the Fitbit. That’s until I start going to the gym again. Then, it’s a whole new level of stress for points.
Let’s Keep the Winning Streak Alive!
So far, I’ve lost a total of 4.6 pounds over three weeks. While that’s not the epic weight loss journey I was hoping for, it’s better than going in the opposite direction. What I’m happiest about is the fact that every week thus far has been at a loss. Even the half a pound in week one was still half a pound of fat lost.
That’s the trick to keeping yourself in the game. Don’t dwell on trying to burn the fat instantly. Start by changing your bad daily habits into more productive ones.
Losing weight and keeping it off means a lifestyle change. Otherwise, the chances are great that you’ll put the weight back on, and then some. In my case, it’s all about increasing physical activity as a desk jockey who spends 16 hours at his computer for work and play. That’s not what I want to be for the rest of my life.
With all of that being said, let’s keep the losing streak alive. Even if it’s by a single pound, it’s still movement in the right direction.
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