I’ve always read “weight loss advice” saying I should NOT check my weight everyday. But I’m learning that I need the daily accountability. So, here are the rules for my first weight loss habit.

• I’ll use my bathroom scale to measure my weight
• This will happen first thing in the morning
• I’ll report at the bottom of every post this month (April 2009)

At first I was going to use my Wii Fit for my scale. But I discovered the bathroom scale was easier and less likely to wake up the family.

This should be an easy change. The point is to become more aware of my weight and BMI. It’s also a backdoor way to get back into the habit of blogging.

Weight Loss Habit Update: 235.6 pounds.

Creating new habits is a powerful way to change. This is true in every area of life but especially so when it comes to losing weight. When our daily way of life moves us toward weight loss, it’s like running downhill.

This is something I’ve always known, but not always practiced. It’s too easy to say, “Get some new habits.” If you’re like me, you need something more.

Then I read this post by Tim Ferriss called The Power Of Less. It’s a great introduction to using the power of habits to change your behavior. After reading it, I made this plan.

1. I’m going to choose one new habit related to jogging and weight loss every month.
2. I’ll post public updates on my progress at the bottom of my blog posts.
3. Then I’ll move on to another habit the next month.

Now the obvious: This plan includes regular blogging again. So, we’ll talk more about this tomorrow.

I’ve heard about documentary on McDonald’s “Super Size Me.” I finally took the time to watch it and am no very afraid of eating their food. I’ve even launched into lectures at my poor children who love the nuggets.

This video was really the missing link for me about why I got so fat in college. When I was 17 years old I began to serve Ronald McDonald. I kept that job (with promotions up to manager) through college, until I was 20. During those years I basically ate McDonald’s 10+ times each week. So, I was on the mild version of what this documentary portrays. My weight went from 170 lbs to 220 lbs during those years.

It all makes a little more sense now!

The posting on this blog is a good reflection of my running – crappy.

My consecutive day running plan and bigger goal was crushed by the FLU. It was five days in bed and then 5 more days of low energy. Looking back, I might have fallen into depression for about three weeks. My records show that I had 117 consecutive days ending October 23.

Today was the day of the race and I was not there.

The only good news at this point is I’m trying to walk the dog. That will at least keep me outside and thinking about running every day. My hope is to build back into some 3 mile runs on warmer days and walk the dog at least a mile on the cold days.

This last week, I’ve really increased my milage with the gaol of running under 50 minutes in a 5 miles road race next month. I didn’t plan to add any specific speedwork for another few weeks, but I’ve found something even better.

It’s called running for your life.

About one mile into my route, there is a pack of dogs. They have trotted after me atleast 3 times this week. My standard defensive gestures seemt to work - commanding voice and moving away from their territory. This morning I discovered how much easier it is to just spring past their house. If I keep my footsteps quiet, I can be out of range before they have time to react.

Please don’t be concerend about my safety. I’ve met these same dogs in the daylight and they are not aggressive. They simply bark at me runners in the dark and persue for about 20 feet. Two of the three are small breed dogs and the large dog doens’t come into the road.

Anyway, it’s easy speedwork.

Tomorrow, 6 October 2008, I’ll achieve 100 days of consecutive running. It’s been easier than I at first imagined. There have been many hard days and some tough situations that almost broke the streak. But I am so glad I started and have no plans on stopping.

I also have a new goal to add to my “run every day” motto. I’ve begun training for a 5 mile race on Thanksgiving morning. I am working for a time under 50 minutes, but would take faster. The training plan is still in process, but here is my basic approach. I have about 7 weeks before the race.

• During October, run at least 3 miles each day and run 5+ miles at least once a week
• On those daily runs, work in several faster section
• Eat less and really lose a few pounds this month
• Test my time at the end of the month

I’ll try to keep this blog updated with my progress. I’m doing morning runs again, so the cool down time may give me a better chance of blogging.

Now that school is back in session, I’m back on a solid morning routine for my running. But I have a problem getting cooled down fast enough before I have to leave. If I don’t allow enough time, I end up sweating through my clean clothes after my shower. My solution:

How To Take A Cold Shower

1. Start the shower at a comfortable lukewarm tempaturee
2. Slowly remove more hot water about once per minute
3. Once the shower is cold, stay in at least 5 more minutes

After trying this chold shower methods for two weeks, I’ve decided I would rather be sweaty. The good news is that our weather should be getting cooler soon.

I sat down tonight after my short 1 mile jog to calculate my total days running in a row. I’ve had to abandon the tally chart because I kept forgetting to mark my runs. So, I’ve backtracked and added the information to my planning calender.

I was surprised to learn that today is my 50th consecutive day running. What’s better is that I’m beginning to feel like it’s easy. I’ve been aiming for at least two miles jogging every day, but in a pinch I’ll settle for one. The second miles have been magical and have really accelerated my fitness gains.

Tonight I stuck with one mile for several reasons.

• It was 10 PM and I need to get to bed before midnight
• A campfire was smoking up the neighborhood
• A big dog tried to kill me yesterday, so I would rather fight him in the daylight
• I need to run at 5:30 AM tomorrow
• I was in a hurry to get back to my ice cream

So, this is the end of my self congradulatory running post. If all goes well I’ll be back on 2 miles in the morning. Plus, I’m wanting to move up to 3 miles each day in September. Thanks for reading - now go out and run a few miles.

How can I be more effective in my weight loss efforts? This is a question that’s been on my mind over the last several days. I’ve been jogging everyday, but my total weight loss for July was not impressive.

So, I’m thinking about the Pareto Principle and how it might help me get the most effectiveness out of my dieting. I also found this article on applying the 80/20 rule to your diet.

The basic ideas is this: some things make a much bigger difference than others, if you can focus on the most efficient tactics you can do more for less energy.

Bottom line for me: my diet is affecting my total weight loss much more than my jogging. This makes sense if you look at estimated caloric burn versus caloric intake.

• Running a mile burns something like 125 calories
• McDonald’s double cheeseburger 440 calories
• So, running off that sandwich takes about 3 ½ miles or 40 minutes of jogging.
• But, I can eat that burger in 3 minutes or less.

Added to all this is the fact that I have many opportunities to overeat everyday, while I typically run only once. So, if I can get control of my eating I’ll be that much closer to loosing weight. Right?

I’m trying a version of the Slow Carb Diet this month, or at least for a few weeks. Thanks to Tim Ferriss for the diet idea.

• Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbohydrates
• Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again
• Rule #3: Don’t drink calories
• Rule #4: Take one day off per week

Any thoughts?

Have you tried this weight loss plan? Will it kill my running energy?