So today, with a two week break prior to the Super Bowl and the “Sunday Funday’s of the past 20 weeks in my rearview mirror, I embark on my weight loss journey. 2022 was a very unhealthy year for me – I’ll just leave that right there! I started 2023 with a vision to get after it and get back to where I was weight wise in 2020, which was about 15 pounds lighter, so I’ve got my work cut out for me.
The year started with a lot of working out, intermittent fasting, and THEN – a five day trip to Las Vegas for a trade show followed by an immediate trip to Orlando to speak at a mastermind and join some of the top marketing minds in the digital world. Given all the travel and eight days away from my own bed and routines, let’s just say the hard work that kicked off the year was pretty much destroyed! I had some epic meals in Las Vegas and enjoyed some of my favorite haunts: SW, Lakeside, Carbone, STK, and so on, and so forth. Late nights followed by walking a trade show all day led to blisters on my feet and a serious need for a massage, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. On the bright side, I averaged well into the 20,000+ steps per day which hopefully helped burn some of those calories!
Here’s a few highlights of an epic meal at Carbone, which I highly recommend!
Weight Loss Goals 2023
To be blunt, my mission isn’t just to lose weight, but it’s to keep it off and range within 3-4 pounds of my ideal weight. My mid term goal is to get to a weight of 185 pounds. Longer term I’d like to get sub-180, assuming I feel good and am not starving myself or missing out on enjoying life.
Things happen, like travel, entertaining clients, and events. While I will try to be disciplined, I’m also an extrovert and very human. I won’t let a few pounds get in the way of a good time because like they say, you only live once. Also, if I make drastic changes to my body composition, I’m not going to be so hard on what my weight is. However, for me, being 5 foot 9, losing 10 pounds makes a huge impact on the appearance of the shape of my face and stomach, so that’s a short term goal I want to achieve.
When at home and in a routine, I plan on being very strict so I can achieve my results. It sucks my month was half good, half unhealthy, but as February is now arriving and I have a good break in my travel schedule, it’s go time.
As of this morning, I was a very disappointing 198 pounds. I use a Bluetooth scale and app on my phone to track this in an organized manner.
Here’s a few things I’m planning on doing to get to my ideal body weight of 185.
#1: I’m cutting out sugar for two straight weeks and then putting a serious limit on it after that.
You can read about what happens when you cut out sugar for two weeks.
Cutting out sugar is VERY hard. Especially if you are addicted to smoothies, acai bowls, protein bars, or in my case, RUM. Rum drinks are full of sugar. While I’m really limiting drinking alcohol for a while, this also means that I won’t be having any mixed drinks. Seriously, when you get down to it, most things you have contain sugar.
#2: I’m starting to take some supplements.
I’m looking into a new weight loss injection that works similar to the WeGovy weight loss injection. Read about it on this page – Tirzepatide Weight Loss – What You Should Know.
#3: I’m being active every day.
A brisk, long walk will be done on rest days. Other days will include cycling, either outdoors or on my Peloton, group training at House of Athlete, and altitude training at House of Athlete. The altitude training is one of the most difficult, yet enjoyable workouts I’ve ever done. An immaculately designed room concentrates on cardio and weights in four minute blocks, back and forth, and it’s super intense. This should get me “mountain ready” as I have a trip planning to go skiing in Montana.
#4: Limiting starchy carbs.
See above spicy rigatoni! While Italian cuisine is totally my jam, that’s going to be cut out for a while until I get to my target weight of 185. I may reward myself with one meal after 10 pounds of weight loss, however. This also means no more bagels, no matter how delicious and replenishing they may be after a workout.
#5: Increasing hydration
Water is a vital part of life, and it can help you lose weight according to various studies, like this one published on Healthline. This has been known forever, and it’s the easiest feat to accomplish on a daily basis. I find water much more tolerable when you invest in bottled water, but I also add cucumber or lemon to my water to add a little flavor. The lemon juice can help you detox your body as well.
Seems like an easy plan to follow, but we all have our bad days. I’m going to do my best to stay on track, and use this blog for accountability.
Also, it’s probably fair to list my supplements I’m taking during this journey. I’ll create an entire page on men’s health supplements, but for now, I’m only taking SuperGut products.
What’s your plan for 2023? Does any one have any more suggestions on what more can be done to lose weight? Would love to hear from you in the comments.