Category: photography

So, I’ve reached two almost simultaneous milestones I wanted to tell you about.

The first milestone is that I reached 250 pounds. That means that I have 50 more to go, and I have lost about 45 pounds since paying close attention to my health and nutrition again. It has been 70 days, or 10 weeks, since I’ve tried to lose weight and improve my nutritional lifestyle, starting at almost 300 pounds. I’m 39 years old, and 6 feet, 2 inches tall. I’ve lost over 100 pounds before, so I feel that this is an exercise more in practice than in theory.

The second milestone is that I’ve maintained 25% body fat percentage (BFP) for a day or two now. 25% is the well-known BFP indicating the high-end of overweight in later adult men. This is significant because, according to these standards, I am no longer obese, but rather overweight, and that is good absolutely fantastic news. According to the studies and findings associated with overweightedness versus obesity, I should see great health benefits if I can keep up this level of health versus an obese one.

I will feel less like I’m carrying a stone around in my stomach. My sleep apnea and skin issues will subside, and I will have more energy to commit to exercise and personal well-being.

However, I do not intend to stay overweight, and I am striving for a BFP of 15%, which is in the middle of the normal range. In other words, I am aiming for a final weight of 200 lb. with 30 lb. being fat. This is a significant point, because according to a different measure of overall health, the Body Mass Index (BMI), I will still be overweight, though I’ve been at 185 before, and I felt uncomfortably thin. People voiced concern for me because of my weight in a new way, and that was not fun either. BMI is often criticized for being less useful for people who are taller or shorter than the average, or who have a greater lean weight (more weight from bone, organs, and other lean material).

10 things I want you to know about how I’m losing about a pound every two days.

1. I am eating a lot of shelled nuts, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, natural beverages, like coffee, and very, very little meat or fish.
2. I am trying to eat whole foods, when possible. Very often a meal or a snack consists of one type of food, like an ear of corn.
3. I am trying to cook as much of my food as possible, as opposed to leaving it up to someone who does not care as much as me about my health.
4. I do not restrict any kind of food, but rather prefer lower calorie, natural or close-to-natural foods. I gave up alcohol, which is the only exclusion to this rule.
5. I eat my adjusted calories as though I was not exercising (now about 1650 kcals), and do not “eat back” more calories from exercise, often 500-1000 calories according to my activity tracker. There is controversy surrounding this idea, but not for me.
6. I use MyFitnessPal.com to track my calories, and log everything I eat.
7. I use a Fitbit Ultra tracker and the Fitbit Aria scale to track my calories burned through movement and my daily weight and fat percentage.
8.  I try to remind myself of sensible approaches by reading, researching, experimenting, and repeating. The black walnuts harvest project (planned for a future post) is an example.
9. I drink at least 64 ounces of water every day, and now crave it if I have not had it.
10. I eat pizza at least 5 times a week, I have fast food on occasion, I eat packaged, processed foods, I use Splenda, and I ingest about 1/8 ounce of nicotine a day via electronic cigarettes. I am not leading, by any means, the epitome of a healthy lifestyle, but I am happy and satiated. I achieve sensible nutrition, a sweet spot I plan to stay at for a while.

So, here’s to your health, and I wish you the best day.