I am working to get ahead of the holiday weight gain. I began another cut using the RP Diet App the day after Thanksgiving (so, the starting weight is just a bit inflated). The goal is to lose 10 pounds (i.e., get to 210 lb) by the end of Winter Break. I intend to test body composition on January 11th. I hope this cut will take me to the 10% body fat level. I am doing this for no other reason than to demonstrate it can be done. (It is also giving some forced control over my holiday eating.) The plan is to enjoy the opportunity. I will enjoy the festivities without letting the festive behaviors creep into the rest of my days. I will enjoy food—just less of it.
So far, I have good headstart to the fat loss. Above is a screen shot of my current progress. I am officially on Winter Break, so the real challenge lies ahead. Can I be at home most days and stick to the plan? I trust I can. The RP Diet tells me when to eat and how much. (I find this so much better than constantly telling myself not to eat.) The key will be sticking to the plan 80-90% of the time. I have my Eat ‘n Park Smiley Cookies (a Pittsburgh tradition I am passing on to my kids) on order. I will allow myself one. I am forgoing the Chex Mix that usually goes along with our puzzle tradition. My mother-in-law will be visiting, so we will be making a trip to Salt & Straw for ice cream. It will be a manageable holiday break. It should be all about careful planning and wise decision making. It should not be about depriving oneself.
I am ahead on my progression. The downward trend won’t be so clean in the coming weeks. I will expect a few upward blips on the progress graph, but I understand that these will be mostly water weight and will be recoverable. The long-term trend is what I need to watch.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!