My goal weight isn’t set in stone, but I’d like to lose a total of 80 to 100 pounds.

I’m feeling better, but I’ve been at this stage of the game – many, many, many times.  I always do well for the first few weeks, then I stall, and then I tend to settle back into old habits.

I have been eating a relatively simple diet – lots of protein and green veggies.

I’ve also started using shakes, during the morning, so that I have plenty of energy for the first part of the day.  I find that I’m not hungry in the mornings – which is fine for days that I want to intermittently fast – but I also find that using the shakes helps me make it to lunch, without headaches and jitters.

I’ll update soon, as I make more progress.  Thanks for visiting, and have a blessed day!

I started March 9 with a goal of losing 80 pounds.

As of today, March 12, I am down 2 pounds.

I am eating low-carb / keto foods, including meat, some nuts, green vegetables, and lots of water.

I have had some success with various low-carb systems, over the years, and now that my sleep issue is being medicated and my work schedule has regulated – I think I’m ready to roll.

Weight loss is weird – and requires a certain mentality.  As I read through this site and remember my life over the last 10 years, it’s cool to see some of my progress (and a bit frustrating to face my failures).

My hope is, I will take things nice-and-slow, enjoy the daily victories, and keep moving forward.  I’m not going to kill myself with (too much) exercise or over-tracking of calories and results.  Instead, I plan to eat real food, every day, and keep moving.

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Here’s my current chart – in old-school NCN style:

Eating – I do well when I limit carbohydrates and eat real foods.  So, that’s my plan.

Exercise – I plan to walk a minimum of 3 miles per day – and exercise 3 to 5 times per week.

Water – I will drink enough water to remain hydrated – and stay away from soda.

Sleep – My goal is to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per day.

Calories – I will count my calories – with a goal of losing 1 pound per week.  I’ll experiment over the next few months, but for the first month, my goal will be 1800 calories per day.

Tracking – I will track my progress here on the site – and an app on my phone.

Weighing – I’ll weigh in each Monday morning.

This is my current, keep-it-simple, stay-focused, plan.  Blessings.

I have revamped the website and removed most of its clutter.  This might be a metaphor for my new weight loss goal.  I intend to simplify everything and focus on making intelligent decisions.

For those new (and any who might have hung around, despite the lack of posts) – I go by NCN.  I started blogging years ago over at No Credit Needed – and chronicled my progress as I paid off my debt.  Pumped after getting out of debt, I started this weirdly title site, No. Calories Needed.  My goal was to lose weight.

Note the period after No.  It’s supposed to abbreviate to Number of  – as in Number of Calories Needed – but it really doesn’t make that much sense.  I just picked the title because it matched my original NCN online nickname.

I have struggled with my weight for literally my entire adult life.  I am in my early 40’s now – and I have been on-and-off diets for more than 2 decades.  (That sounds a little overly-dramatic.  For the record:  I am a very happy person with a great wife, awesome kids, and a cool job.  I just struggle with my weight.)

Over those years, I have gained and lost hundreds of pounds.  As I sit right now, I need to lose 80 pounds – period.  For the first time, I’m starting to have some health issues – sore knees, achy joints, sleep issues – all of which are related, more or less, to my being overweight.

So, I’m going to work as hard as I can to lose 80 pounds (at a minimum), with a stretch goal of 100.  I’ll be back tomorrow with my plan and more details.

I’ll consider this my new “first post” here at No. Calories Needed.  If you wish to follow my journey (and cheer me on!) please use the buttons in the right-hand column to subscribe to the site and follow me on Twitter.  Many Blessings!

I really started working on my weight in May.  Between May and December, I lost 50+ pounds.

I lost 6 inches from my waist and 2 shirt sizes.  Here’s how I lost 50 pounds this year –

Walking –

I walk a minimum of 4 miles per day, every day.  Walking makes me feel better, gets my blood pumping, and burns calories.

Running –

This one was tough at the beginning, but after losing a few pounds, I began to do a bit of jogging.  I’ve scheduled my first mud-run  in April, and I’m pumped.

Eating –

I eat fruits, vegetables, meat, and nuts.  I skipped processed foods – and focus on foods that are real.  When I need to break a stall, I’ll decrease carbohydrate-intake.

Water –

I drink water – lots of water.

Encouragement –

I surrounded myself with positive people – and a few close friends to text when times got tough.

I’m looking forward to 2015.  I plan to do more writing here at No. Calories Needed – and if all goes well – I’ll drop another 50 pounds – and post a picture next December.  #motivation

Since that date, I’ve lost a total of 44 pounds.

Here’s what I have been doing –

I walk 4 to 12 miles, per day, every day.

I work out at the gym 3 to 5 times a week, focusing on elevating my heart rate and strengthening my muscles.

I am staying away from starches and carbohydrates, focusing on eating healthy fats and protein.

My wife is working out and walking with me and she’s doing awesome.

Hopefully, I meet my first mini-goal of 80 pounds by Christmas – but the progress I’ve already made has me feeling great – and I’m smaller than I have been in years.  Rock on!

As of today, I am down 41 pounds.

I re-started my weight loss (once again) June 1.

As I mentioned in my previous post – I hit my highest weight – ever- back in March.

So, on June 1, I decided to try, one more time, to shed the pounds.

I am eating a lower-carbohydrate, real-food, diet.  Basically, I eat meat, vegetables, berries, a few nuts, eggs, and drink lots of water.

I am walking between 6 and 12 miles, per day, every day.  I’m also going to the gym – 5 days a week.

I haven’t been this size in several years – and I’ve never been this strong.  I’m feeling healthy – physically and emotionally.

Have a blessed day.

I have (once again) started losing weight.

My first goal is to lose a total of 80 pounds.  I am down 24.4 pounds.

I re-started my weight loss (once again) June 1.

I hit my highest weight – ever- back in March.  I got a little freaked, lost about 10 pounds, lost motivation, gained 5 pounds back, lost 3 pounds, gained 7, and so on, and so forth.  Such is my life when it comes to losing weight.

So, on June 1, I decided to try, one more time, to shed the pounds.

I lost 10 pounds in the first week or so (which was, most likely, water weight) – but I stuck to my a very vigorous workout schedule – and I am down 24.4 pounds.

Basically, I am eating a lower-carb diet and doing a lot – and I mean a lot – of walking.  I am averaging 8 miles per day – and on some days I’m walking as many as 12.

I have also started the T25 program – and I’m doing C25K.

So, yeah, I’m working super-hard and I’m super-focused.  I waited the entire month (almost) before blogging, because I want to be sure that I’m actually sticking to something for more than a week before I wrote about it.

Thanks for checking out the site.  I know I’ve been here before – believe me, I know – but, there’s no time like the present to “start over” – so here I go.

Be blessed.

Last year, I managed to lose a total of 15 pounds, which was awesome.  This year, I plan to be more focused and lose even more.

Tomorrow, which is actually today, because I’m typing on Sunday, but publishing on Monday, I will re-join our local gym.  I really have missed the gym, but the budget really hasn’t allowed for much wiggle-room the past two years.  This year, I’ve made a goal of tightening my belt, literally and figuratively.

I like going to the gym…

Well, I like BEING at the gym.  Going, not so much.  But, once I’m there, I’m there!

So, my plan is to swim a few laps, hit the old treader, and really stretch.

It’s cool to be back to blogging.  For a variety of reasons, I’ve been away, but now I’m back.  You rock!

Today, I want to write a bit about how my weight loss has already changed my life.  (I can’t wait to see how much better I’ll feel when I lose another 20, 30, or 50 pounds!)

I sleep better.

I enjoy spending time outside, playing in the yard, with kids.

I find myself looking for opportunities to go outside, for a walk, or a bike ride, or just to work in the yards.

I am down a full pants-size, and am this-close to a being down a shirt-size.

I have more energy.

Life is better.

Cool.  Be blessed.