Week 5 Progress Report: The Lost Week

Sorry this is a day late!

Beginning Weight:	280.2
Original Target*:	293.6
Adjusted Target:	278.4
Actual Weight:	281.0
Gain/Loss:	+ 0.8
Total Gain/Loss:	– 21.6
Avg. Loss/Wk.:	4.3
*Original target calculated on a beginning weight 302.6 lbs. and an average loss of 1.8 lbs./wk.

The last week was filled with fluctuations, largely due to bad meal planning, from Friday night’s eggplant Parmesan to Sunday’s combination of corned beef and colcannon (not to mention a rich and fat-laden cake) to yesterday’s scrambled-egg sandwich and homemade pizza (not the same meal). Sunday was intended to be a “diet holiday”; Monday, however, was not.

Call it “the lost week.” As in, “I lost my mind.” The whole point of this program is to become more mindful of my eating habits. I tell people to trust the process; but for the process to work, you have to do your part by budgeting your intake. That means thinking ahead — planning what you eat instead of letting yourself be ruled by whim and opportunity.

So okay, I’ve got the excess out of my system, more or less, and learned how to make a loaf of tasty rye bread. As far as the pizza goes, it would have worked much better and had fewer calories with half the meat. (In fairness, I haven’t worked in a pizza restaurant for almost three decades, so I had forgotten how to portion supreme-type pizzas.) Time to get back on the wagon.

The trick to succeeding in a weight-loss program is to not let a single week’s regression or setback define the program as a whole. In overall terms, I’m still well ahead of where I expected to be when I started, and there’s no reason I can’t stay ahead. No, I don’t reasonably expect to lose 4 – 5 pounds a week as I have done up to this point; however, 1½ – 2 pounds a week would be just fine — that’s what I planned for.

I have 20 pounds to lose to make my first intermediate goal, 262, which would bring my BMI below 40 for the first time in well over a decade. At my planned rate of reduction, I should reach that goal by June 9 at the latest. By my original estimate, I would reach it by July 22. I have no doubt I can make the June date; heck, if I keep my average rate up, I could reach 262 before Easter. (Fasting on Good Friday could do it!) But the point is not to lose the weight by a particular date so much as it is to lose it and keep it off until I die.

If I can plan my weight loss, I can plan my meals. Of course, life throws off plans all the time: Homo proponit; Deus disponit. But things can’t go according to a plan you haven’t made. I’ve signed up with Meal Planner Pro to help me think ahead as well as find new recipes to try that will help my family meet our nutritional goals. LifeHack and Healthline have suggestions for meal-planning apps, but the information is pretty dated (for example, Evernote no longer offers the Evernote Food app). There are also printable plans and calendars available.

The “lost week” is past. Time to move on.