So I’ve been getting a lot of encouragement from the folks I work with lately. They meet me in the cof
fee room, and say things like “Hey! How’s the diet going?” or “Hey, you’re looking good – must be all the lettuce!”. This competition got publicized not only within our company, but throughout our industry. I’m quite proud of what the 6 of us are trying to do, and am pleasantly surprised at how seriously each of the competitors are taking it. Of course, I want to win, but more important is what this competition can do for all six of us – and I think it’s something that most of our co-workers and supporters (I said most) don’t really understand.
Sure, I respond with a joke, usually that this is the result of my “swiss chard and grapefruit” diet – but this isn’t a diet. This isn’t an exercise regime that will go for 6 months. This is a total lifestyle change. It is a complete decision to change everything about my diet and my fitness. It was about my third run when I thought to myself: “I will be doing this for the rest of my life”. And it wasn’t just running. It was how and what I eat. It was how much I slept. It was thinking more about what I ate. And it was about finding a way to enjoy doing it.
Getting badminton back into my life has been a blessing. I feel like I run in order to “allow” myself to play badminton. The running is helping my speed, endurance and stability, and the badminton is helping my overall fitness. I missed it so much, but given how fantastic a workout it can be, I’m glad I have started playing again. And the running to my mp3 player (yes, I am not an iSlave) has also been a surprising delight. I’m now running about 4 km, or 2.5 miles, and in another 2.5 weeks or so will be running a full 5k. That’s been a pretty cool experience, frankly.
I’ve also started something called the One Hundred Push-ups Challenge, which will push updates through Twitter. I have to admit, I had thought I could do more push-ups than I really could. It was more humbling than how hard I was puffing after my first run. Oh well, it’s one more thing to get me fit. After that is done, I’m going to start the Two Hundred Sit-ups Challenge.
The most inspiring thing is the weight loss. Yesterday marked 6 weeks since the day I started, January 1. I’m somewhat stunned that I’ve averaged weight loss of 4 lbs. per week over that time, and watching myself shed the pounds has been quite fun. I’m a little obsessed with my scale, but it is not overly concerning. It’s just fun to watch the weight drop – at a pace that I never thought possible.
When this challenge was first conceived, I was talking to a very good friend, and confided in him that I would be disappointed if I didn’t end up losing 30 pounds in 6 months. 6 weeks in, I’m very close to losing that amount – and hopefully will have done so by the end of February. So I’ve decided to set a new goal – instead of a goal weight loss, I’m just heading now for a goal weight. I don’t want to disclose that one, but now I will be disappointed if I don’t reach that goal.
