“To escape criticism: do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” Elbert Hubbard
TWISI (The Way I See It) – Over the last 3 months I have lost 15 pounds – from 217 to 202. My objective is to get my weight under 200lbs while maintaining strength and work capacity. I’m almost there. Along the way I have learned a little more about myself and my habits and a lot about the difficulties to lose weight amid the challenges of our modern world.
The way I see it, the odds are stacked against us. Society enables obesity: food is engineered to be incredibly delicious & addictive; portion size portion sizes are ridiculously large; high calorie foods & drinks are readily available everywhere we go; mobile connectivity increases stress; online social & entertainment media inhibit physical activity. Our DNA has not adapted to the rapidly evolving modern world. Thus, weight gain is literally inevitable for all of us.
To overcome the odds, we must establish sustainable habits for healthy eating, supplemented with exercise (or daily movement). Sustaining healthy habits is easier with the support of friends & family – which is another challenge all together. Fortunately for most of us, we have the support of our CrossFit community.
So, here are the primary tactics I relied upon to overcome some of challenges we all face to lose weight. - Meal prep: I’m very fortunate that Yvonne preps our meals for 2-3 days at a time. She keeps things very simple, yet delicious. Most of our meals include a protein (beef, chicken or fish), a veggie (salad or steamed green) and some white rice.
- Intermittent Fasting or “Time Restricted Eating”: this was the most challenging for me, because I enjoyed eating late while watching something on the TV. For the last few months, I try to eat my last meal before 7:30PM and don’t eat again until 8:30A. Most days I “fast” for 14 hours.
- Walk – Twice a day, I take my dogs for an easy jog or a walk. In the AM, I walk or jog for at least 45 minutes before I eat anything. I’ll have a little black coffee before I go. Our nutrition partner, Jason Falcon is a big advocate for counting steps and I understand why. To keep your thermogenic engine burning calories, the best method is movement throughout the day.
- Remove temptation: I have a terrible sweet tooth and love snacks. Removing these things from easy access helped me snap some of my subconscious habits, i.e., eating a handful of macadamia nuts every time I walked into the kitchen.d
- Substitutes for Craving – cravings are inevitable. I found the best solution is to have healthy substitutes readily available: fresh fruit instead of chocolate or baked goods, mineral water instead of sugar drinks or alcohol, etc.
Finally, don’t take your foot off the gas when you’ve hit your goal. Keep your healthy habits. It’s very easy to reverse your progress if you let yourself slip back into old habits.
DAILY MEDITATION I’m not a “meditator” – its very difficult for me to sit still and clear my mind. I prefer to do that on my runs or walks. However, I am enjoying my new morning habit of reading a Stoic Quote from The Daily Stoic and making some notes on my interpretation. Check out the book – it’s pretty cool.
TWEET OF THE WEEK: “If you’re just getting started in your fitness journey, fit people everywhere are cheering for you – even though they may not show it.”
WORKOUTS – Primary Focus: Front Squat, Secondary: Push Press Supersets Skill: Toes-to-bar & Pull Ups
The week ahead: - Mon: 3RFT – 400m Run, 15 Power Snatch, 200m Run, 10 K2E, Rest 2min #55/75
- Tue: Front Squat 6×1. Metcon: Amrap 6m – 6 FSquat, 8 Burpee Pull-Ups #95/135
- Wed: PPress 1RM. Metcon: 5RFT – 6 DB Devil Press, 8 DB Push Press, 100m FC
- Thu: Pull Up Test. Metcon: “Annie” – 50,40, 30, 20, 10 DUs & Situps
- Fri: Squat Clean Complex. Metcon: 3 RFT – 15 WB, 12 DB FR Lunge, 9 DB HPClean
- Sat: Amrap 12m – 500m Row, 20 S2OH #65/95, 500m Row, 15 S2OH #95/135, 500m Row, 10 S2OH #105/155, 500m Row, Max Reps S2OH #155/225
- Sun: 400m Run, 10 Pull-ups, 20 Push-ups, 30 Sit-ups
CRAIG’S LIST (Stuff I’m Reading, Hearing, Watching, Using or Buying)- 10-Second Balance Test May Predict How Long You’ll Live – Researchers found that people who couldn’t stand on one foot were nearly twice as likely to die in the next 10 years from all causes. Tbh, this seems pretty obvious, since balance and strength are essential to prevent falls and injuries. But, it’s nice to know that Scales are part of most of our warm-ups!
- Top Gun: Maverick – No agendas, just a damn good movie with some incredible jet acrobatics that will leave you feeling nostalgic, entertained and satisfied. By the way, I loved the nice, personal, introductory message from Tom Cruise thanking everyone for watching his movie.
- HeyDude Shoes – These are the ultimate summer slip-on casual shoe. It’s like a stylish, cloth Croc – or flip flop. Got a pair on my recent trip to the North Carolina coast and I absolutely love them. And, they’re priced right!
Make it an awesome week!
Craig |
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