Author: peter

Last week I decided not to count calories anymore, and to just track my weight unless I felt the need to “diet” again.
That resolution lasted about 6 hours. I decided after 4 straight days of weighing in at 170#, enough was enough, and I needed to be more careful again, so I never stopped tracking my caloric intake. The result is, four days later, I was back down to 166.9# this morning. Still not exactly where I want to be, but back in my “comfort zone.”
I’ll stop counting again next week.
Maybe.

I am, quite literally, sore and stiff from head to toe this morning. My recipe for this wonderful feeling is as follows:

1. Start by moving large quantities of trash and recycling to the landfill Saturday morning. This works those lifting muscles in the back that you don’t use all that much if most of your daily activities consist of typing.
2. Attend a Karate class late morning to early afternoon. This works to exercise different muscle groups than your regular ones used in Aikido. (Note, if you normally practice a hard art, go to a soft art class instead.)
3. Move heavy furniture in the afternoon. This builds on that warm-up you got in the morning with the trash.
4. Drive a friend/family member’s vehicle to the dump. This is particularly useful if the vehicle is significantly different from what you normally drive (e.g. a van as opposed to a Subaru). This works different muscles to maintain posture or stretches you in somewhat different positions.
5. Sleep.
6. Sunday afternoon, hop on your mountain bike. Go straight up for 2.5 miles of class 4 road. Pause momentarily at the top, then plunge straight down something that Jeeps would hesitate to tackle because the mud, rocks, trenches, and logs across the road give them pause. Do not pause.
7. Arrive at family’s house and eat 2-3 times more in one meal than you have been in an average day. Feel the stomach muscles stretch in response!
8. Finally, wake up on Monday morning and regret everything that led up to this “wonderful” feeling.

I started the Medifast Diet one year ago. While I’m up a few pounds today (169#), I’ve managed to stay within 5 pounds of my goal weight of 165# for since October. I also decided that it’s safe for me to stop counting my calories every day, but I will continue to track my weight to make sure I don’t sway too far off track.