90 Days on MFP

A few months ago I decided to finally do something about the deplorable shape I had allowed myself to get into after more than a decade of overeating and underexercising.

So I joined the brand new 24-hour gym around the corner, and I started going 5 nights a week after tucking my wife and the kids into bed. Starting on my daughter's birthday (July 14th), I also joined MyFitnessPal to really take control over my diet as well.

In order to hold myself accountable, I committed myself to posting pictures of my progress - for better or worse - after 90 days. So here I am, keeping that promise.....

I've lost 32+ lbs, just shy of 19 total inches, and almost 10% body fat, but I'm nowhere near finished yet.

How have I done it so far?

1. I set my activity level at "Sedentary," and I didn't eat back my exercise calories.
2. I started out with a daily calorie deficit of 500 ("1 lb./week") on my five workout days each week, but eating at maintenance on my two rest days. Over time I've changed my protein macro to "25%" and gone to eating fully at sedentary maintenance in order to improve my weight lifting performance.
3. I knew from the start that I was going to see this through for a long time, so the speed with which the weight came off was always secondary to maintaining my lean body mass. It's far easier to keep muscle you already have than it is build new muscle. That meant weight lifting had to be an integral part of my workouts from Day One.
4. I alternated weeks of pure weight lifting (1 body part/day) and pure cardio in order to maximize my performance - and allow for maximum recovery at 46 years old - on each. Workouts usually wound up being just over an hour or so. As I enter my next 90-day rotation, I'll be switching things up as my workout goals have changed (more focus on lifting, a little less on cardio).
5. I've embraced, as best I can, the concept that this is truly a lifestyle change rather than a temporary diet. That means that I eat the foods I like to eat which includes cake, candy, soda, etc. No one would ever accuse me of "clean eating" - no matter how they personally defined it.
6. No excuses or "cheat days." If it was a scheduled workout day, then I worked out - even when I didn't feel like it. When I felt like I wasn't getting enough fuel for my workouts (read: got hungry regularly), I increased my daily calorie goal. I'm not going to be able to "cheat" the rest of my life, so it's better to make the adjustment on the front end rather than cheat on the back end. (Yes, of course, there will be days in my life that I'm going to go over my goal intentionally. The holidays are coming, and I will be partaking of my share. But they're called "special occasions" for a reason. They lose their meaning if you wind up giving yourself excuses every week or two to "cheat." Far better to be more realistic with your calorie goals in the first place.)
7. The only "macros" that I track are calories, protein, fiber and water. (If you're meeting your fiber and protein needs, the fats and carbs will work themselves out.) Each morning I get up and pre-log my dinner. That tells me how much protein and fiber I need to eat throughout the day in order to meet my protein and fiber needs. Once I figure out how I'm going to do that, I know exactly how many "fun" calories I have left to eat whatever other foods I like.
8. I spend a lot of time figuring out foods that I truly enjoy to meet my goals. It's an on-going process experimenting with new recipes and ingredients. The reality is that you're not going to continue eating foods you don't enjoy, so there's no point in loading up your diet with them. Better to find the most taste-bud pleasing choices instead.
9. I make extensive use of MFP's recipe function. Almost all of my recipes have been entered, and I adjust the serving sizes - and ingredients - to fit my dietary needs.
10. I eat *all* of my calories. If I have calories left over, I fill them with "treat" foods right up to my daily limit. I also log honestly: if I ate it, it's logged. Not logging the food doesn't "un-eat" it.
11. For me, being an active part of MFP has been important. Knowing that there are people who not only support you but are counting on you to support them as well is its own accountability. It creates a certain level of responsibility to others. My MFP friends (shout out to everyone on my FL, but most especially to those whom I can count on to regularly leave comments or like my progress updates. I don't want to name names for fear of leaving someone out, but you know who you are and you are appreciated.) are an integral part of my success so far.

I'm sure I've left out some things, but feel free to ask whatever questions you might have. I'll do my best to answer them. My diary is public, so feel free to check it out.

If you'd like to add me to your MFP friends, please send a friend request. I enjoy sharing whatever knowledge/experience I have and interacting with the wonderful people on my FL every day.

And this "success story" post wouldn't be complete without a big thank you to my beautiful wife who has she been incredibly supportive from the outset and who took the pics posted here. Love ya, babe

I've still got 25 lbs left and a lot of body recomposition to go to reach my goal. Stay tuned, and I'll check back with you in another 90 days....