Dear Friends –

it has been 2 months since my last update and things continue to progress in funny and unexpected ways as I venture closer towards my goal of a sustainable, healthy, and balanced lifestyle.

This time, let me start with the BLUF (aka Bottom Line Up Front): I’ve lost 67 lbs since 12/24/22. I still workout 30 minutes a day but I don’t stress if I miss a day. All my labs and vitals are perfect, which is a big improvement from the “less-than-perfect” report card I got before. I still have a bit more to go, but the end is in sight and the nice part is everything I am doing is sustainable so no big shifts are needed.

Today, I’d like to share 5 more lightbulb moments that switched on for me along my journey.

1. Candy bad. Fruit good.

OK, I admit it, I keep candy in the house. I have a 4-year-old and 6-year-old and anything less than a their favorite piece of chocolate or gummy bear would be unacceptable. However, they are also easy pickings for Dad. I’ve found having a lot of fruit (especially apples, bananas, nectarines, mangoes) in the house helps to fill that need for something sweet and fills you up more. Besides, as Marge Simpson said, “fruit, it’s nature’s candy!”

2. Sleep makes a big difference

About a month ago I started wearing a Whoop. It is a really cool device whose sole purpose in life is to yell at me that I don’t get enough sleep. I swear, whoever invented it has it out for me. Anyway, obviously the device is 100% right. The days that I do get enough sleep, cravings subside, cortisol and stress levels return to normal, mental clarity returns, and I just feel at peak performance. This may feel obvious but I found it correlates very strongly to overall health and weight trending. So, I am working hard to find time to sleep more. Let’s call this one a work in progress. 😉

3. Meal consistency may not yield consistent results

So, I was eating the same thing every day for a few weeks and I plateaued. I was working out and working hard on keeping the results trending in the right direction but I just could not break through. Eventually I thought I would try to change things up and shift away from my usual cereal to overnight oats, and usual lunchtime salad to other options. Dinner options varied quite a bit; in fact, it was all over the map and far less consistent than my previous three weeks. By the end of the two week period, I thought I was going to gain weight, and I had actually lost 4 lbs. Sometimes the meal variation helps to break free from the routine!

4. Stay thirsty, my friends

I used to buy a lot of La Croix but never really felt quenched. It was a weird thing. I still like sparkling water but my daily intake is good old fashioned water. I drink it all day long and fill up my water bottle throughout the day. When I’m hungry, bored, contemplating, or simply parched, I take a sip. It has helped tremendously to keep a large refillable bottle nearby at all times.

5. Talk with others

It is so important to find a group of people who are supportive of your efforts and will cheer you on. Better yet, who will even do it with you. I’ve had friends make me gluten free pancakes and cook whole healthy meals because they know I’m really watching my diet closely. The more you share, the more support you get, the more encouraged you’ll become. I had a few folks reach out to me after my first post which was truly inspiring for me to read. If you do happen to reach out, I am happy to share anything about my journey and listen to yours.

I’ll be back in a couple months or so with a progress update and I hope the trend will continue!

Cheers!

This article was originally posted on LinkedIn.