My 6 Point Weight Loss Plan

In my last post I talked about how important it is to have a plan for weight loss for beginners like me, and then gave some ideas for developing that plan.  So today, here is the result of my own personal planning process, based on my own research, as well as the success I’ve had the couple times I’ve dabbled in minor fitness efforts in the past.  Without further ado, here is my plan to achieve my goal of losing 70 lbs. to get to a healthy BMI:

• Track everything.  I’m firm believer that being able to look at past progress is an immensely powerful tool to help stay on track in times of low motivation.  I also think that what gets measured gets done well.  So I intend to log all my food with the MyFitnessPal app to track my daily calorie intake. Currently MFP says I have a daily calorie goal of 2390 in order to lose 1 lb. per week.
• Weigh in one per week.  I will do a weekly post here called Weigh-In Wednesday in which I share my current weight, as well as a recap of my starting weight and goal weight.  Currently I weigh 238.4, and my goal weight is 168.4.  I will also include a photo snapshot to illustrate the visual progress I’m making.
• Prepare as much of my own food as I can.  I have a horrible habit of eating out multiple times per day, and I have come to the conclusion that success as a weight loss beginner is only likely to come cooking as many meals at home as possible.  This will allow me to better track how much I am realistically eating, and it will also help me make better decisions from a wider variety of foods available.
• Drink plenty of water.  For me, this means at least 96 oz. per day, or ¾ gallon.  Drinking plenty of water helps with appetite satiety, and is good for your body for so many other reasons as well. 
• Exercise for fun, not to meet calorie goals.  In the past, I have been guilty of using strenuous cardio to “buy” extra calories for junky foods.  This is unhealthy, as I put my body through exhausting physical exertion, yet still overate, so I saw no net benefit from my work.  This time around, I am only going to exercise for fun—that means I will NOT be tracking exercise in MFP, and will only be relying on my true calorie intake. 
• Don’t be afraid to alter course.  If something I am doing stops working, I will not be afraid to try something new.

Have you had success with losing a lot of weight?  What hard and fast “rules” did you give yourself when developing your weight loss plan?

5 Planning Tips for Weight Loss Beginners

I'm a notoriously habitual planner.  Seriously, I am absolutely AWESOME at meticulously planning things down to the last detail.  Back when I was a big Dungeons and Dragons geek (okay, I probably still would be if my profession allowed the personal time necessary for it), I was almost always the Dungeon Master; needless to say, my favorite part of this was the massive amount of planning that went into every adventure before we all even sat down at the Dr. Pepper-and-Doritos-filled gaming table. 

I've found my planning skills to be useful (while sometimes annoying to those around me) in everything from friendships, vacations, my career, cooking, and pretty much anything I involve myself in.  That's why I believe that having a well developed plan will end up being one of the keys to weight loss for beginners such as myself.  Any time I think of straying or behaving badly, my plan will be there to keep me on track.  Here are 5 planning tips for other beginners at the weight loss game:

• Know where you are now.  It is crucial when working towards any goal that you take a clear, honest assessment of your current standing.  Tonight I weight in at 238.4 lbs, which at 5'11" puts me at a 34.2 BMI, squarely in the "Obese" category.  Obviously, this is not awesome news, but if I am going to get down to a healthy weight to help me need a longer, happier life, I need to know the ugly reality.  
• Know where you want to go.  A map only works if you know where you want to go.  And since my plan is my map to success as a weight loss beginner, I need to know what success looks like if I want to achieve it!  For me, success looks like a weight in the "healthy" BMI range, meaning 135-170 lbs.  I think with my broad-shouldered, stocky build, 165-170 would be a suitable range.
• Decide what tools you will use to get there.  The two obvious ones are a healthy diet of fewer calories than my body needs to maintain my current weight, and a healthy dose of good old fashioned exercise.  However, in order to track these things and make sure I am sticking to plan as best as possible, I will be using MyFitnessPal, the leading web-based calorie tracking app.
• Decide which path is most appropriate for you.  Different "paths" will lead you to the same place with different degrees of speed and efficiency.  The ultimate goal for a weight loss beginner is lifetime habit change, so I will be starting off slow, aiming only to lose 1 lb. per week until I've proven to myself that I can stick to a regimen and make consistent progress.  Only then may I look to get more aggressive in my efforts.
• Hit the road!  The most important part of any plan is actually executing it.  This is where I have failed in the past, and it is where I intend to really put my nose to the grindstone.  Instead of mapping out endlessly detailed scenarios and possible paths to success, I am picking one and just getting started.  

What does your weight loss plan look like?