Goal #4 - CHECK!

Photo courtesy Sergio Panei Pitrau, licensed CC-BY-SA

Today I achieved my GOAL #4 - - I weighed in this morning at 269.7 pounds, breaking the 270 pound mark, for a BMI of 39.9.  My official weigh in for logging and tracking purposes is not until tomorrow and a lot of water can be retained between now and then, but as far as hitting milestones goes, this counts. 

I am thrilled about this for several reasons, not the least of which is that it's nice to keep checking off these little milestones.  Knowing my need for intermittent rewards, I worked 8 different milestones into my plan, starting at a loss of 20 pounds, all the way up to my final goal, to be down to 165 pounds. 

Although I have reached half of my goals (4 of 8 goals), the real heavy lifting (if you'll pardon the expression) is still to come - - I have lost more than 60 pounds right now, but I still have 105 pounds left to lose.  My objectives are back end loaded, which makes sense in a way - - it's always more difficult to start off and begin working out and adopting new, healthy habits.  At this stage in the game, many of those positive habits are becoming deeply ingrained so that my routine of healthy eating and regular exercise feels natural to me.  With luck, and momentum, the last 105 pounds should be just as "easy" to take off as the first 60+.  And by "easy", of course I mean "gruelling", but you get the picture - - I know now that this is an achievable target, with time and (lots of) effort.

Another reason that I am thrilled to break 270 is that I can now register to be a bone marrow donor.  I signed up this morning, and hopefully will be accepted.  And just in time, too - - Canadian Blood Services only accepts bone marrow donors up to the age of 50 years, and I am hitting 45 years old this weekend.  The fact that I'm incredibly immature doesn't count, only calendar age.  Fooey. 

As an observation, I am hitting this milestone somewhat faster than I expected (by a couple of weeks).  Looking back at things, I have noticed a real difference in my weight loss since I have started using the elliptical machine.  Certainly the elliptical machine has a lot of benefits - - it's easy to use, and interesting, in that I am constantly fiddling with the tension, so my workouts pass very quickly (especially compared to the recumbent bike).  I love that.

I have also been taking up the intensity of my workouts every few weeks or so, which is helping me avoid plateaus.  First it was taking up the time on the elliptical to 35 minutes, then it was adding varied tension, then it was taking the time on the elliptical up to 40 minutes, then it was adding incremental walks, and now, this week, I have added free weights to my routine.  Every little change mixes it up a bit, and keeps the weight coming off.  Sure, there's a downside - - my workouts on weight days are pushing an hour, which is time in my life I will never get back.  But overall, the results speak for themselves.  I am enjoying the positive results, and that just motivates me even more to work out and stick to my nutrition plan.

Tomorrow is the official weigh-in - - fingers crossed that I can keep this great result...!

Goal #5 is to lose 100 pounds, i.e. to reach a weight of 233.9 (BMI of 34.5).  This would put me in Obese Class I (as a comparison, I am currently at the high end of Obese Class II).  Only 36 pounds to go...!  Give it 4 months or so, and I should be there.