June 1, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.4 lbs.

Meals

Under calorie goal by 22.

1 main meals:

• EveryPlate - cheesy chicken & pepper quesadillas

Snacks

• Gala apple
• String cheese
• Quest - Protein cookie
• Kettle - BBQ kettle-cooked potato chips

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Biking:

• 40-minute bike ride with my team

Other Thoughts

I got my full BioScreen results back today and I PASSED this time! Much like how I did a side-by-side comparison for the InBody body composition tests from February & May, I'm going to show the lab results from January 25 adjacent the May 31 lab results.

BioScreen Results Comparison

I have never seen my blood pressure this low! And just like my nutritionist predicted, my cholesterol came down as a result of my lifestyle changes. This goes to show that committing to eliminating added sugar and including a modest amount of cardio can go a long way.

June 2, 2023

Weigh-in: 222 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 750.

3 main meals:

• McDonald's - sausage burrito w/ sugar-free vanilla iced latte
• Chipotle - chicken al pastor bowl
• EveryPlate - bacon & roasted tomato linguine

Snacks

• Tid Bits (low-sugar brand) - citrus gummies
• Alani Nu (low-sugar brand) - smoothie gummies
• Body Armor - Peach Mango Lyte (no added sugar)
• String cheese
• Chipotle - tortilla chips w/ salsa verde

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Barefoot training:

• 1-mile jog, half of it barefoot
• Barefooot bear crawling, ~0.2 miles

June 3, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.6 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 350.

3 main meals:

• Eggs & buttered sourdough bread
• Beef & cheese bowl w/ onion & peppers
• EveryPlate - tunisian-spiced chicken w/ couscous & carrots

Snacks

• Humm! - zero sugar raspberry lemonade kombucha

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Biking & Squats:

• Short bike ride to Target & back
• Dumbbell squats

Other Thoughts

I noticed I've been staying around 222-224 lbs. since about May 25, so almost 2 weeks now. While it's nice I'm not going back up in weight, I've noticed my exercise has been decreasing during that same timeframe. So has my fiber consumption, so I may just need to keep up with my veggies, which I tend to slack on when I'm not tracking it. Might need to add "eat a bowl of veggies" to my habit tracking app, and make it 5 days a week. And one way or another, get myself back to doing strength workouts 4 days per week, excluding my PT, so, core & upper body exclusively. First my callouses need to heal up on my hands a bit more, but they're almost there from when they opened up a week ago while swinging on monkey bars.

June 4, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.2 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1500.

3 main meals:

• McDonald's - sausage burrito + sourdough bread
• Organic beef & cheese quesadilla w/ peppers & onions + nonfat greek yogurt/chipotle powder crema
• EveryPlate - salisbury steaks w/ herb mashed potatoes

Snacks

• String cheese
• Garlic knots
• Keto cookie dough ice cream

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Swimming & Squats:

• Swimming at the outdoor pool
• Kettlebell squats

June 5, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 850.

3 main meals:

• McDonald's - steak egg & cheese bagel w/ iced sugar free vanilla latte
• Trek Cafe - spinach & ricotta cheese manicotti
• EveryPlate - bacon & roasted tomato linguine

Snacks

• Humm! - mango passionfruit kombucha
• Sugar-free gummies (Alani & Tid Bits brands)
• String cheese
• Cheese, beef, peppers & onion quesadilla (corn tortilla) w/ Pace hot salsa

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Bikes & Parkour:

• Jump exercises as add-on to PT
• Kong vaulting up to a block from an aerobic step
• 2-hour casual team bike ride on the Trek trails
• Bodyweight pull-ups - (5-5-3)

June 6, 2023

Weigh-in: 222.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 250.

2 main meals:

• Beef, cheese, pepper & onion quesadilla (corn tortilla) w/ Pace hot salsa
• EveryPlate - tunisian-spiced chicken w/ couscous & roasted carrots

Snacks

• String cheese
• Whole wheat sourdough bread w/ organic butter
• Culver's - cheese curds

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

June 7, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.4 lbs.

Meals

Under calorie goal by 17.

3 main meals:

• Trek Cafe + McDonald's - Nonfat plain greek yogurt w/ mixed berries + iced sugar-free vanilla latte
• Trek Cafe - 'Guac my world' wrap -- turkey, guacamole, and other veggies & maybe prosciutto?
• Noodles & Company - Backyard BBQ Chicken salad w/ 3 potstickers

Snacks

• Kind - oats & honey bar
• String cheese
• Pink Lady apple

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

June 8, 2023

Weigh-in: 221.6 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 370.

2 main meals:

• Homemade big breakfast - 4 cheesy eggs w/ nonfat plain greek yogurt & salsa + spring mix salad w/ 3 tomato slices & ginger vinaigrette
• EveryPlate - tomato chicken sausage cavatappi with roasted garlic & bell pepper

Snacks

• Lily's - [sugar-free] peanut butter filled chocolate bar
• Joyride - [sugar-free] sour gummy bears
• Yerba mate
• Halo Top - peanut butter cup ice cream (12g added)
• Humm! - kombucha (0g added)

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Core & Climb:

• Core workout from my strength coach
• Short rock climbing sesh

June 9, 2023

Weigh-in: 221.2 lbs.

Meals

Under calorie goal by 22.

3 main meals:

• Whole grain sourdough buttered toast
• Trek Cafe - southwest chicken panini
• Trek Cafe - cheesy chicken quesadilla

Snacks

• Joyride - sour gummy bears
• Halo Top - peanut butter cup ice cream

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

Other Thoughts

Intentionally took a rest day today so I could be fresh for the Trek 100 tomorrow.

June 10, 2023

Weigh-in: 221 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 2150.

3 main meals:

• Greek yogurt w/ raspberries, honey & ground flax + buttered whole grain sourdough toast
• Trek 100 catering - mustard chicken sandwich on pretzel bun w/ green beans, corn & mac n' cheese
• Highway 18 drive-in theater - 'gutbuster' 2/3-lb. cheeseburger + cheese curds, mozz sticks & onion rings

Snacks

• Lean Body - 14oz protein shake
• Optimal Nutrition - preworkout energy drink
• Kate's Real Food - 2 energy bars
• Orange

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Trek 100:

• 19-mile bike ride - took about 2 hours, forgot to record it in Strava

Other Thoughts

Today was the Trek 100! Woohoo! My first bike event! I biked the 19-mile route. The first 10 miles, I was on my personal acoustic bike, and then at the rest stop, I swapped it for an electric BCycle bike because my legs were getting pretty sore. I had excellent pre-event nutrition, but after the event was over, I kinda stopped watching what I was eating. I did make sure to avoid sources of added sugar, but I ate a lot of fried and barbecued food post-event and at the drive-in movie theater Sam & I went to later in the evening. That was our first drive-in theater experience, and I was more interested in sampling their concession stand offerings than meeting my calorie goal for the day.

June 11, 2023

Weigh-in: 225 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1000.

3 main meals:

• Starbucks - Plain iced latte + double smoked bacon sandwich
• EveryPlate - Mushroom quesadillas
• EveryPlate - Harissa-roasted chickpea bowls

Snacks

• Pillsbury crescent rolls
• Buttered whole-grain rye sourdough bread

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

June 12, 2023

Weigh-in: 222.4 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1400.

3 main meals:

• Greek yogurt w/ raspberries, honey & flax
• PB&J w/ milk + pretzels w/ peanut butter
• Toppers Pizza - Wisconsin curds & bacon pizza w/ tacostix

Snacks

No snacks today.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Morning cardio:

• Bike to the Sun Prairie YMCA & back
• 15-minute lap swim

June 13, 2023

Weigh-in: 224.6 lbs.

Meals

Under calorie goal by 500.

2 main meals:

• Trek Cafe - salad
• EveryPlate - kung pao beef bowls

Snacks

• Greek yogurt w/ strawberries & honey
• Toppers - tacostix w/ sriracha mayo dipping sauce

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Morning cardio:

• Bike to the Sun Prairie YMCA & back
• 15-minute lap swim

June 14, 2023

Weigh-in: 221.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 650.

3 main meals:

• McDonald's - iced sugar-free vanilla coffee + steak, egg & cheese biscuit
• Trek Cafe - PB&J + 2 apples
• EveryPlate - garlicky roasted pepper penne w/ toasted panko & parmesan

Snacks

• Lean Body - cookies & cream protein shake
• Quest - peanut butter protein cookie

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Crossfit class - 6 rounds in 20 minutes:

• 6 x 5 [band-assisted] pull-ups
• 6 x 10 push-ups
• 6 x 15 squats

June 15, 2023

Weigh-in: 220.8 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 400.

2 main meals:

• 2 homemade breakfast burritos - roasted sweet potato & poblano, shredded montery jack & mozzarella, bacon & eggs + salsa on the side
• EveryPlate - pork & poblano tacos

Snacks

• green apple
• Iconic - protein shake
• Oh Snap! - pickled chili-seasoned pineapple bites
• Joyride - berry gummy guppies & sour gummy bears
• Koe - strawberry-lemonade kombucha

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

June 16, 2023

Weigh-in: 221.6 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1050.

3 main meals:

• McDonald's iced latte w/ cottage cheese & kiwi
• Trek Cafe - salad w/ mozz & chicken
• Culver's - double PBB&J butterburger w/ cheese curds

Snacks

• Cottage cheese

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• Morning bike ride to YMCA & back
• 15-minute swim
• Rock climbing sesh

June 17, 2023

Weigh-in: 221.6 lbs.

Meals

Over calorie goal by 1300.

3 main meals:

• Homemade - chicken & cheese burrito w/ flax seed
• Panda Express - kung pao chicken + mushroom chicken + super greens plate
• EveryPlate - pizzeria pork sausage soup

Snacks

• Kiwi
• Homemade - Cheese burrito
• String cheese
• Keto - peanut butter cup pint

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Day at the Y:

• Morning bike ride to YMCA & back
• 15-minute swim
• Weightlifting - bench press, shoulder press, assisted pull-ups

June 18, 2023

Weigh-in: 222.8 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Beach Day:

• Light badminton & kite flying on the beach (the sand offered some resistance)

Food

Other Thoughts

I've decided today to stop tracking my food. It's started to feel like mental overhead that is subtracting from my energy and holding me back. At the outset, it was a fantastic accountability tool, but I feel lately like I'm going through the motions when I track my food. My intuition about what I should eat and how much has greatly improved since Day 0 of this challenge. My new default behavior is to choose foods without added sugar and to exercise several times per week. While I don't adhere to my calorie goal very often anymore, that hasn't stopped me from losing weight. I'm also aware of how much I can eat and still hit my calorie goal even without looking at the app. I just tend to not give as much weight to the calorie limit as I do to my protein, fiber, and sugar consumption. Going forward, I'm going to continue to track my weight, PT, and exercise, as usual.

2023 Weight Loss Journey - First Half

June 19, 2023

Weigh-in: 221 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• Morning bike ride to YMCA & back
• 15-minute swim
• Weightlifting - upright barbell rows, pull-ups

Food

Other Thoughts

My shoulder was aggravated a little bit today, so I stayed off of it for my strength training. Mentally, I was prepared to do a lot more, but it was going to be stuff that engaged my shoulder. My knee was also irritated today. I wasn't able to do as many box jumps as I normally can, or as many barbell squats. Feels like I need a full day of no exercise, some rest, and some ice.

June 20, 2023

Weigh-in: 220.6 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Mixed bag:

• Afternoon bike ride to YMCA & back
• 15-minute swim
• Weightlifting - bench press, incline bench press, pull-ups

Food

Other Thoughts

My nutritionist & I agreed that it'd more productive to continue tracking food, but to reduce the granularity if I think it's bothersome to track in MyFitnessPal. So, I've added a feature to the new blog post format so I can track the number of cups of fruits & non-starchy veggies using emojis.

June 21, 2023

Weigh-in: 223.2 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Morning cardio:

• Morning bike ride to YMCA & back
• 15-minute swim (500 yds)
• Rock climbing sesh

Food

June 22, 2023

Weigh-in: 221.4 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Trek Science Fair:

• Test-riding 5+ bikes

Food

Other Thoughts

In the morning, I got set up with an EGYM account at the YMCA. This is going to allow me to do circut training on weight machines without having to plan workouts. It comes free with my YMCA membership. I'm still going to do free weight stuff but this is a nice addition to my arsenal of strength training options.

June 23, 2023

Weigh-in: 221 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

Food

June 24, 2023

Weigh-in: 218.4 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

Local trail ride w/ a friend:

• 6.8-mile trail ride at Sheehan Park (2 laps)

Food

Other Thoughts

I finally beat the plateau! I was stuck above 220 for the whole month of June. Just hit under 220 today! Very excited about this. That's officially 35 lbs lost since May 15, 2022. It's also 25 pound lost in the last 6 months. The majority of my weight loss has happened this year!

June 25, 2023

Weigh-in: 219.6 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

Food

June 26, 2023

Weigh-in: 220 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

Food

June 27, 2023

Weigh-in: 217 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

Food

June 28, 2023

Weigh-in: 218.2 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Morning strength training:

• Morning bike ride to YMCA & back
• YMCA - eGym circuit - 1 round (full-body machine workout)

Food

June 29, 2023

Weigh-in: 217.6 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

No

Exercise

No exercise today.

Food

June 30, 2023

Weigh-in: 217.4 lbs.

PT (Physical Therapy)

Yes

Exercise

Morning at the YMCA:

• Morning bike ride to YMCA & back
• YMCA - eGym circuit - 1 round (full-body machine workout)

Food