242.5 – 40 By 40 Day #1

This is a difficult post to write… The last time I posted was on May 14th. That’s nearly 3 months ago to the day. I was going to do some soul searching. I was asking about carbs, fast food and alcohol. The same 3 issues I find myself asking about today.

Since that post I’ve celebrated a birthday… my 39th. I’m embarking on a mission: 40 By 40.  I need to lose weight. That’s what Prime Verdict is really all about. I need to lose a good amount of weight. I’d like to be right around 200 lbs (190 would probably be perfect but beggars can’t be choosers).

So, I’ve got a new goal: Lose 40 pounds by the time I turn 40 next August. 

This will not just “happen” by itself (clearly). I’ve done that soul searching. And here’s what I’ve come up with.

The Plan To Get To 40 By 40

• Alcohol – I drink beer and whiskey. I love beer and whiskey. I probably won’t ever give up drinking beer and whiskey. That said, I can cut back on the amount and frequency I drink. Instead of drinking 1 to 2 nights a week I’ll cut back to 1. Instead of having 5 beers when I go out with the boys I’ll have 4. In order to hit my goal of 40 By 40 I need to lose an average of 3.3 pounds per month. I figure I go out maybe twice a month (with the guys) on average. By that math (having 4 instead of 5) I’ve just cut out 24 beers over a year. It’s a start.
• Carbs – They make me feel like shit but I really enjoy some of them. Especially pizza. I can’t ever see a time when I won’t ever eat pizza but going back to my “4 instead of 5” analogy it will work here too. 2 pieces instead of 3. Maybe an extra serving of salad. You know what I mean.
• Fast Food – This is the big one where I can make some big changes. Bottom line… I’m done. At least for the next 100 days. That’s 3+ months and I’m guessing that if I can stick to this that alone will get me those 3 lbs per month. I just need to do it. There’s nothing good that comes from fast food. Ever. I need to stop stopping for McMuffins in the morning and stop stopping on the way home for a “snack” before dinner. Its disgusting to even type it but I’m laying it out there. Day 1 started this morning on the way to work… I drove right past. Success.
• Exercise – I need to do more. Scratch that… I need to do some. My toes are bad (surgery scheduled for November) and because of the extra weight I’m carrying my knees are killing me. Walking is where I’m going to start. At lunch, around the neighborhood, etc. Coupling this with eating better should get me where I want to go.

So there’s my plan at least to start… going to stick with this for the next 100 and see where I’m at. If I’m on target I should be down 10 pounds or so after that 100 days. Will be interesting to see where I’m at. 100 days from today is November 21st. The goal is 232.5. Ready… go.