10/13/17
Day 212
Extreme Accountability Challenge
Today’s weight 192.6 pounds
Starting weight 304 pounds
Destination weight 175 pounds
Goal Date to achieve destination weight 11/22/17
Number of days until destination date 40
Total weight loss to date 111.4 pounds
17.6 pounds to go

Looking at those numbers beneath my feet this morning, I have so many thoughts going through my head, and really my heart, it’s hard to describe. It’s been 212 days since my first post back in March. The pounds that have come off of me are enormous. 111.4 pounds. That number sounds crazy. It’s hard to believe that I let myself get to that point, but I did. It was as though I was falling from some place high and couldn’t get my footing. Down I went, except I was falling up in weight. Everyday an extra bite of this or taste of that. The desire to eat was an obsession. At night when I came home from work, after dinner more food became my medication. It was destroying my health of course, but it was bigger than that, it was destroying me. By the grace of God I didn’t have more medical issues. I deserved them, but maybe God was protecting me from myself so that I could reach someone else that is falling up in weight like I was.

212 degrees Fahrenheit is the boiling point of water. It’s the point that water ceases to just be hot and becomes real power. The steam that water at 212 degrees produces is powerful enough to power ships and whole cities.
Just 1 degree different and everything changes. These 212 days have revealed something powerful in me.
There was no chance of me ever losing weight long term unless I harnessed some inner strength that I had never been able to successfully find within me.

Publicly declaring my intentions to lose from 304 pounds to 175 pounds by November 22, 2017, in 252 days, when I had tried every weight loss program I could find and had failed miserably seemed crazy, it wasn’t. In fact it was probably the most reasonable thing that I’ve ever done. Think about it, me continuing to accept my obesity as opposed to doing whatever was necessary to get the weight off, that would have been crazy.

As I approach my goal of 175 pounds, there is so much that I want to share with you if you are out of control with your weight like I was. You don’t have to be 129 pounds overweight to be out of control. You could be 5 or 10 pounds overweight. The reality is that if you cannot get a handle on it you have a problem, it’s just a matter of time before you hit the big league obesity numbers.

Do something radically different like I did and change your trajectory, get the weight off and get healthy.
It may feel uncomfortable at first but….

Remember comfort is overrated.
Get uncomfortable and take a chance and…

Press post then press forward.

My name is Alan Thomas and
I’m a writer, a speaker, and a life coach!
175 pounds here I come!!!

08/06/17
Day 145
Extreme Accountability Challenge
Today’s weight 222.6 pounds
Starting weight 304 pounds
Destination weight 175 pounds
Total weight loss to date 81.4 pounds
47.6 pounds to go

Hitting a plateau, as most call it, can be really discouraging when you have a lot of weight to lose. Over the last several days I have hit one of those plateaus. My diet and exercise have been on target, I’ve not cheated.

So maybe it’s more about perspective. I really think most challenges are really about perspective. So I decided to check this plateau thing out.

This is what I found when I Googled the word plateau.

pla·teau plaˈtō/
noun

1.an area of relatively level high ground.
synonyms:upland, tableland, plain, mesa, highland, coteau
“a windswept plateau”

2.a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress.
“the peace process had reached a plateau”
synonyms:quiescent period; More

verb
1. reach a state of little or no change after a time of activity or progress.
“the industry’s problems have plateaued out

First let’s take the second definition of plateau,

a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress.

Well regarding the process of weight loss I could be discouraged, but I choose not to. I reverse the view, I turn this picture around. What if I changed my perspective to when I was in the “weight gain” process, plateauing at that point was a good thing. Have you ever gone through a period when you ate a lot of calories and jumped on the scales and to your surprise you plateaued? I know that I have. I was doing the activity that should have resulted in weight gain only to plateau, I was happy about those plateaus. And like a good little glutton I continued to overeat and worked my way out of that plateau all the way to 304 pounds! Success!! Not!

I can learn from those plateaus. If I continue the healthy changes to my behavior, and not lose heart, just like when I was gaining, I will lose.

Now consider the first definition of plateau

1.an area of relatively level high ground.
synonyms:upland, tableland, plain, mesa, highland, coteau
“a windswept plateau”

Whether you’ve had success losing some weight or are just starting, recognize the plateau as high ground where you can assess your progress. Use this time to get brutally honest with yourself. Have you made the necessary changes or are you still having a bite of this and a taste of that?

Have you been at this plateau for days or has it been weeks or months. If so change your approach.

From the “high ground” of this plateau.
1- Don’t get discouraged
2-Keep the appropriate perspective
3-Use this plateau as an opportunity to access your behavior with food
4- Be honest
5-Make the necessary changes, if any

It may feel uncomfortable and down right unsafe at first but….

Remember comfort and safety are overrated.
Get uncomfortable and take a chance and…

Press post then press forward.

175 pounds here I come!!!