I started my serious quest to add fitness and calorie observation to my daily routine in January, 2012, when I hit my peak weight of 248lbs. I have not always behaved as well as I desired, but steady commitment to regular physical activity and observation of calorie intake has allowed me to slowly and carefully balance metabolism versus activity and calories, taking advantage of the laws of thermodynamics to reduce my weight and increase my level of fitness.
Earlier this year, I set my sights on a change from my maintenance weight of about 200lbs to a new goal of 195lbs. The move to 195 went so well, I was able to reset my goal to 190lbs. Thanks to a routine of increased physical activity as the summer wore on, I was able to achieve these goals. But physical activity is not enough. Tracking and regulating calories was essential to this process. As a rule, I do NOT diet. Instead, I merely eat foods I enjoy but in moderation, with a focus on vegetables and fruits and a lessened emphasis on meat. I watch my calorie intake. If I exceed output, I adjust output (I exercise more) to compensate.
Teaching in Taos helped this along for me at the end of the summer. Long runs in a reduced-oxygen atmosphere forced me to work harder. It wasn’t so much the low-oxygen that helped; it was the gorgeous locale (Taos) that encouraged me to be outdoors and active. I even participated in a semi-ritual at the SMU-in-Taos campus. There is a 1.2-mile loop that some people have decided to try to run as fast as they can. A colleague of mine did it in 9:15. I managed it in 10:16. For me, that was an absolute personal best, since I was running it as fast as I could manage (but had to walk for about 10 seconds to catch my breath on a hill). It’s no record for the course, but the fact that I was able to sustain that kind of speed for nearly the entire course was a very positive sign.
The process continues. Now, with normal-semester work back again, I have to focus on maintenance. There is not enough time to focus on moving hard to another goal level (e.g. 185), but for now I just need to keep things as they are until I can carve out more time to exercise again. It’s a process. Maintenance is almost as hard as weight-loss, given all the stresses and pressures of a nomal week. But I am optimistic.
Since January, 2012, when I was 248 lbs, I have lost just over 59lbs. My final goal is 175lbs. That will take a lot more time – after all, I didn’t put this weight on overnight and taking it off will also not happen overnight. But what really matters is that my vitals are all good, better than they were in 2012. That’s why I want to keep this up. It’s not about weight loss. It’s about well-being. So far, the more I take off weight, put on muscle, and increase my athletic ability, the better I feel. There will come a wall in all of this… But I am curious to see where that actually lies for me.
