Week 2 of My 12-Week Fitness Challenge: Lackluster Ending

With week 2 of my fitness challenge over, it's time to take a look at my recent performance. And although I am still losing weight, I feel as though I could be doing much better. Especially after last night's binge-fest.

Actually, I really didn't snack much last night. It was mostly the food choices I had throughout the day and evening that really put me over the edge. Though, I did have quite a few Soft Batch cookies in the evening that I really didn't need to add to the total.

But I know that I just need a day or two to digest all of that junk and move on. That is as long as I maintain a good plan for eating and snacking in the meantime.

Only Lost 1.4 Pounds This Week

This past week, I only lost about 1.4 pounds. If I would have been more conscious about my food yesterday, I would have easily cleared three pounds. Yesterday was the first day that I consumed more than I burnt.

I'm not overly worried about it, though. I just need to digest all of the junk I had yesterday while keeping my eating habits in check.

Although 1.4 pounds isn't a lot for a week, I've still lost a total of 5.2 pounds since this latest challenge started. I'm just happy to be back in the 220s.

That's one of the most important things to remember when on your own weight loss journey. Just because you have a crappy day of eating doesn't mean you're going to balloon back up to your starting weight overnight. Keep in mind that it takes the human body 24 to 72 hours to digest various forms of food. In three days, you could be down more than three pounds simply because you've finished digesting what you ate.

Also, bear in mind that increased water intake will help you process that food much quicker.

Still Need to Increase Activity

In the grand scheme of things, I've lost more than five pounds so far without really putting in much effort for cardio activity. Well, outside of going for walks periodically around the yard. I really need to start getting in some more movement.

I think part of my issue is because I keep getting sidetracked in the mornings with work and projects. If I force myself to not work until 8 am, I'd be able to get in my workout routines.

That's something I'm going to try really hard to accomplish this next week. Lately, I've been trying to get as much done as I can and often start shortly after I wake up. I need to start taking time for myself. This isn't just important for my physical health, either. If I constantly push myself to keep working on various projects, I'll eventually burn out.

So, it's a good idea to take my mornings and focus on my own mental and physical health before jumping into my day. Besides, exercise improves overall brain functionality and acts as a stress reliever.

I just need to prioritize myself.

On Track to Hit 206 By May 1st

According to the estimates from my 12-Week Fitness Challenge spreadsheet, I am on track to hit 206 pounds by May 1st. This is taking my last week's performance as an average across the board, though. And since there have only been two weeks recorded, this estimate will fluctuate wildly as time goes on.

Still, it's been decades since I've seen myself near the 205 mark. We're talking nearly 30 years, so it's pretty exciting even thinking about 206.

I'm certain that I can do better, though. I just need to adjust my tactics throughout the week and keep a closer eye on intake.

The ultimate goal is to hit 200 by May 1st. This means that even with a poor performance this week, I'm still pretty close to my goals. If I can get myself going in the right direction for working out, I bet we'll see some major differences in the upcoming days.

Need to Be More Mindful this Next Week

This next week, I need to get myself back into the swing of working out and going to the gym. I need to NOT work and step away from things that can wait until I'm done exercising. That's quite a mindset to change, unfortunately. I have so much going on and very little time to do them.

Nonetheless, I'm still losing weight and am very excited to see where the next 10 weeks take me.