Plans Promises and Consequences

[thelerner]

I was wondering where to put this.  Thought about in my PPD but I wanted other people to join in if they wanted, plus the strength of this project is that it's public.  Group Studies is a relatively underused sub-forum, maybe it'll do well here.

 

This thread is about making a Plan sealing it with a promise of consequences if you don't follow through.  The idea is the use of public peer pressure to increase follow through. 

 

[thelerner]

Title: Politics of Weightloss

 

Promise: Starting on Nov 1st 2017, I plan to lose 5#'s a month (relatively easy goal..at first) every month til I get down to 185#s. 

 

Plan: 5#'s from weight taken on first of the month.   Avoid excess carbs(breads, sugars) Less Crap (fried foods, candy, pastry), Exercise more, Do 3 1/2 day fast end of month if not on track. 
 

Consequence: For each month weight loss hasn't been hit, I will pay $150 to a Trump PAC (negative) and $150 to Heifer Org. (positive charity) $300 in total. 

Addon> When I get to 185# I will pay $185 to Heifer.  (positive goal reinforcement)

 

Assumptions should take 4 or 5 months.  I expect it to be easy at first, harder each successive month.. or not.  I'll keep my notes within this post. 

Addon> Assumption this will run through February.

 

Notes & Strategies:

if successful consider extending a few months to keep weight off, ie similar PPC to stay at #185 or below. 

To answer Stosh below, you are correct, lose > 5lbs, still need 5lbs loss the following month.  To Vajra Fist, yes I will do a 2 3/4 day fast (ala Tim Ferris) before giving money to a Trump PAC.  Hopefully due to successful dieting and/or impeachment it won't be an issue. 

 

2 days to go.  Due to Chili party on Saturday, my house if full of leftovers, cakes, candy and liquor brought by kind but misguided friends.  Thus been fattening up a bit.  I hate letting Fannie May turtles go to waste.. and rumor has it genie's get trapped in opened wine bottles, and the only way to get them out is to finish it.  So far no genie's but you never know. 

 

1 day to go.  After pool class hit the Tommy Nevin bar in Evanston.  Fun place, they were doing Halloween trivia and playing cool music.  Young Northwestern crowd.  They have a pool table, but I didn't play.  I did have 1 full Guiness, and a short one.  I didn't want to eat, but it was Taco Tuesday with two buck Tacos.  So I had 2.  Bad.. that's enough of that.  Though guiness is actually relatively low for a beer, lower then most craft and all IPA styles.  Nonetheless, such things not allowed unless I'm having a cheat day. 

 

11/1/17 Weight 207.6 (higher then expected) shouldn't be too hard to get to 202.6 by Dec.

11/8/ I'm sure there was decent weight loss until I went to Florida for 5 days.  I tend to lose weight and also gain weight quickly.  Five days of eating and drinking badly has resulted in 207.8#.  No problem, just gotta buckle down a bit. 

11/11/ So.. during 5 days in Florida I gained .2#'s, well probably more like 2- 3 pounds since I'd lost a bit before hand.  Good news is in the 3 days I'm back I'm at 204.2 losing a pound plus each day (won't last).  Mostly by eating cleaner, plus smaller portions.  Breakfast one egg veggie omelet, lunch homemade beef barley soup, dinner fish or chicken w/ veggies.  Plus I usually have one cheat a day.  Yesterday happy hour dinner w/ one drink and seared tuna appetizer (plus slice of son's leftover pizza).  

11/13 at 13 days in and latest reading is 202.8, within .2# to my goal.  Yet what the dieting gods take away, they can give back even faster.  I'm grading my meals(A+ to F), trying to keep things simple and repetitive.  It'd be nice to get at or below 200# this month.  Beyond weight loss the point is to gain healthy lifetime habits. 

11/16 202.0 Grading each meal helps and is quick.  From A+ down to an F based on calories, nutrition, also taste and satisfaction.  Sometimes w/ a healthy salad, I can't get no.. satisfaction. 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2017 by thelerner

[Stosh]

 good luck , but if you lose ten pounds in month one, youre gonna still be on the hook for five pounds month 2 right ? 

[Vajra Fist]

Best of luck brother. I've struggled with my weight for a few years and one thing I've found that works more than anything else is fasting. It's the simplest, most effective and best for your health. In the past week I've dropped a handful of kilograms just from 42 hour fasts.

 

Fast a whole day. Wake up the next day, skip breakfast and eat a healthy lunch and dinner. Then dive back into the fast again. Plan to repeat this over and over until I reach goal weight. Maybe even throw in a few longer fasts if I'm feeling good.

 

Wim Hot Method helps with inner strength and will power. As does pine pollen tincture. 

 

Don't give any money to Trump

[thelerner]

Like the Wim Hof method and Pine Pollen, but find that taking the Pollen regularly causes loss of my pollen due to its affects. 

Edited October 30, 2017 by thelerner

[Chang]

I wish you all the best in your noble endeavour the beginning of which inches ever nearer.

[thelerner]

New month coming tomorrow. 

Anyone else want to join in on Promises & Consequences? 

[Marblehead]

2 hours ago, thelerner said:

New month coming tomorrow. 

Anyone else want to join in on Promises & Consequences? 

I don't make promises unless I am 99% sure I will be able to follow through.  The 1% is in the event I die before I follow through.

 

 

[Aetherous]

1 minute ago, Marblehead said:

I don't make promises unless I am 99% sure I will be able to follow through.  The 1% is in the event I die before I follow through.

 

Great philosophy to live by.

[thelerner]

On 10/19/2017 at 4:32 PM, thelerner said:

Title: Politics of Weightloss

Promise: Starting on Nov 1st 2017, I plan to lose 5#'s a month every month til I get down to 185#s.

Plan: 5#'s from weight taken on first of the month.   Avoid excess carbs(breads, sugars) Less Crap (fried foods, candy, pastry), Exercise more, Do 3 1/2 day fast end of month if not on track.

Consequence: For each month weight loss hasn't been hit, I will pay $150 to a Trump PAC (negative) and $150 to Heifer Org. (positive charity) $300 in total. 

 

Dec 1, no money for Trump (& only usual $ to Heifer), weight has gone from 207.6 to 200.4 this morning.  About what I expected.  First month easiest, then increasingly harder as I move against set points.  Though as Taomeow pointed out, its good to internalize my body wants to shed the weight.  That I'm cooperating with it, to achieve a healthier life. 

 

In any case Dec 1 I'm at 200.4, 7.2# loss.  I will be 5#'s less by Dec 31st, same penalties apply.  Continue better eating habits and adding more exercise to the mix. 

 

12/28/17

Not going to well.  Decembers nasty due to parties and gifts of food, and harder to take long walks and bike rides.  I find myself stuck between 197 and 198,with a few days to go.  Thus pulling out the big guns.  I'll fast again.  Which means I will be able to eat for my upcoming Sunday New Years eve party.

I'll do the Tim Ferris 36 fast from Thursday night to Sunday night.  I should lose the 4 or 5 pounds by Monday morning.   Perhaps half water weight, but under 195.4 my goal for January 1. Plus even with the water weight, at 197.4 I'd still be 10#'s under what I started at 2 months ago. 

 

I'm also thinking if I succeed in losing the 5#'s this month, to renegotiate the Promise and consequences to a 3# loss a month.  To make it more likely I'll keep on track.  Acknowledging weight loss gets harder as you go on. 5#'s the first month was easy, 2nd hard, third might be very hard.  Instead of setting myself up for failure, better to set a more realistic goal to meet and beat in order to carry on the journey for long term success. 

 

Doing the

Edited December 28, 2017 by thelerner

[thelerner]

On 10/19/2017 at 4:32 PM, thelerner said:

Title: Politics of Weightloss

 

Promise: Starting on Nov 1st 2017, I plan to lose 5#'s a month (relatively easy goal..at first) every month til I get down to 185#s. 

 

Plan: 5#'s from weight taken on first of the month.   Avoid excess carbs(breads, sugars) Less Crap (fried foods, candy, pastry), Exercise more, Do 3 1/2 day fast end of month if not on track. 
 

Consequence: For each month weight loss hasn't been hit, I will pay $150 to a Trump PAC (negative) and $150 to Heifer Org. (positive charity) $300 in total. 

Addon> When I get to 185# I will pay $185 to Heifer.  (positive goal reinforcement)

 

Assumptions should take 4 or 5 months.  I expect it to be easy at first, harder each successive month.. or not.  I'll keep my notes within this post. 

Addon> Assumption this will run through February.

 

Notes & Strategies:

if successful consider extending a few months to keep weight off, ie similar PPC to stay at #185 or below. 

To answer Stosh below, you are correct, lose > 5lbs, still need 5lbs loss the following month.  To Vajra Fist, yes I will do a 2 3/4 day fast (ala Tim Ferris) before giving money to a Trump PAC.  Hopefully due to successful dieting and/or impeachment it won't be an issue. 

 

 

1/1/18 Last month success.  Needed to go from 200.4 to 195.4.  On 12/31/17 after normal morning weigh in I was 194.7 :), (note on 1/1/17 I was 195.3# after sauna..)   

 

So I consider last month successfully completed.  For January I'm lowering the weight loss in the Promise to 3#s.  I want to focus more on lifestyle and developing good habits rather then losing weight.  I'd rather add an extra month then develop bad habits trying to lose 5#'s a month.  The Consequence if I don't lose the 3#'s by 1/28 are the same. 

 

1/18/18 Not going well.. about 195ish.  Tired of dieting and feeling guilty when I don't.  Would like to quit this month, but promise is a promise.  Just gotta buckle down.  By the end of this month I need to be 192.3#'s 

I think I'll take next month off.  Not goodbye but a month off.  Get back to no pressure normal for a month. 

 

1/27/18 Not going well.. about 197ish.  Tired of dieting and feeling guilty when I don't.  Would like to quit this month, but promise is a promise.  Just gotta buckle down.  By the end of this month I will hopefully be 192.3#.  But to do this will require foolish and extreme measures.  Thus as of Saturday night, I am fasting. 

 

Not that fasting is foolish, but the plan is to lose weight through intelligent life style choices, not through extreme measures.  But ce'est la vie, better to starve for 4 days then pay Trump $150.  But this is not a responsible way to lose weight long term.  Much of the loss will be water and that's a foolish game.  Still I'm 10#'s down and must keep a stiff upper lip with nary a fork or spoon in it. 

 

Last month talked to sister.  She persuaded me to not take a month off.  So I won't but I'll keep it to 3#'s.  Should be easy, if I could get out of my own way.

 

Again, weight is measured from Feb 1st to 28th.   The ultimate plan is to get back to 185#.  Better to get into athlete mode, then focus too much on weight loss.   

Edited January 28, 2018 by thelerner

[thelerner]

On 1/1/2018 at 1:04 PM, thelerner said:

1/1/18 Last month success.  Needed to go from 200.4 to 195.4.  On 12/31/17 after normal morning weigh in I was 194.7 :), (note on 1/1/17 I was 195.3# after sauna..)   

 

So I consider last month successfully completed.  For January I'm lowering the weight loss in the Promise to 3#s.  I want to focus more on lifestyle and developing good habits rather then losing weight.  I'd rather add an extra month then develop bad habits trying to lose 5#'s a month.  The Consequence if I don't lose the 3#'s by 1/28 are the same.

Last month talked to sister.  She persuaded me to not take a month off.  So I won't but I'll keep it to 3#'s.  Should be easy, if I could get out of my own way.

 

Again, weight is measured from Jan 1st to 31st.   The ultimate plan is to get back to 185#.  Better to get into athlete mode, then focus too much on weight loss.   

1/29/18 Sadly, I'm in fasting mode again to insure I make it.  Need to be 192.3# or below.  At the moment 193ish, won't be eating for 2 days.  The end of month weigh in is any time on January 31st.  The weigh in for February is Feb 1st first thing in the morning.  I will lose another 3#'s by hook, crook, intelligent discipline or.amputation.byFeb28th.my

damnit.spilledcoffeeonkeyboard.space.not.working.