My first year: progress report

About me:

Height: 6'2"

Starting weight: 265.0 lbs
Current weight: 214.4 lbs
Goal weight: 210.0 lbs - Stretch goal: 200.0 lbs
Progress: 50.6 lbs lost

Starting BF%: 33.1%
Current BF%: 21.8%
Goal BF%: 18.0% - Stretch goal: 15.0%
Progress: 11.3 BF percentage points lost - 46.6% reduction in total BF.

Fitbit stats:
4,373,728 total steps - Best day: 44,092
12,387 flights - Best day: 300
2120.02 miles* - Best day: 21.37

*2120 miles = the distance between New York City and Tucson, Arizona (also the distance between New York City and Cartagena Colombia... that sounds more impressive, especially since I'd have to walk on water )

What I've learned along the way... these are the things that have worked for ME - YMMV:
- Weigh / measure your food! This one is a MUST!

- There are no EVIL foods; moderation is the key

- Moderation is the key, but you need to work towards it - for me...:
- Moderation Phase I = avoidance pure and simple... if trigger foods aren't in the house, you can't eat them
- Moderation Phase II = if you find yourself craving one of your trigger foods, tell yourself you can have it tomorrow, most of the time the craving will be gone the next day, if not, get yourself a sensible portion and fit it into your next day's calories - the key is to not let yourself feel deprived... feelings of deprivation = BAD
- Moderation Phase III = the end state: reintroduction - being able to have trigger foods in the house and not lose control; I've gotten to Phase III for most items, but others like ice cream and peanut butter, I can't keep in the house yet... but I'm getting there!

- Exercise is GOOD! Exercise = being able to eat more! I try to eat 80% or fewer of my exercise calories back... this allows for a couple of things:
- Allows some headroom for calorie estimation errors (exercise calories or consumed calories)
- Allows for the occasional cheat - that's right... I cheat. Occasionally, I'll allow myself a couple pieces of 'undocumented' dark chocolate or a small handful of roast almonds... I think a small cheat now and again is good for relieving the constant burden of logging your food and exercise. The key for me is to make sure it's something sensible and reasonably healthy.

- Plateaus are normal - just grit your teeth and push through them. I suffered through a 4-month plateau and it was a killer. There were a few things that helped me through it:
- Focus on your NSV's... are your clothes fitting better? Have more stamina? Is your waist smaller? Your arms more muscular? Not all your progress is going to be seen on the scale... some would argue that the most *important* changes won't be seen there
- Weigh / measure your food! Did I already mention that? Is it a pain? Yes, in the beginning, but it's worth it!
- Shake up your exercise routine
- DON'T GIVE UP!!

If you've read this far, you've got the patience and endurance it takes to get where you're going - now get moving!