The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.000

I've been gaining some weight over the past few years so I am starting a new self-directed weight loss plan.

I have a stair stepper. In the past what would happen is that I would start off slow and keep increasing the number of flights I would climb each day until all the excess weight was gone. It would usually end with me climbing 200-400 flights of stairs while watching a TV show or a movie. I'd feel great but at some point I'd lose interest and stop though. The cycle would then repeat.

So here's a more realistic long-term sustainable weight loss plan. It is an Illusion of Prosperity exclusive. Anyone can do it. Feel free to join me!

The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan

I will climb 20 flights of stairs each day just before taking a bath or a shower. It takes somewhere between 4 minutes and 8 minutes depending on my mood and fitness level. I will also drink a 12 ounce glass of water. If for some reason I cannot climb 20 flights of stairs (or their equivalent), then I will take a 20-minute walk instead.

That's it. That's the entire plan and I intend to follow it for the rest of my life (or as long as I am physically able).

I will not be consciously changing my diet, although I do expect it to change. I tend to eat differently when I have more energy and I am confident that this plan will give me more energy. I will not be consciously changing my level of physical activity elsewhere, although I also expect it to change for the same reason.

I'll be charting my weight in the years to come and showing the results at the end of each month on this blog.

I am calling it the "free lunch" plan partly because I do not wish to pay someone else to guide me nor do I wish to change what I eat. This is not a diet plan. In my opinion, life is to short to ever be eating low calorie rice cakes. I'm also calling it a "free lunch" plan because I love sarcasm and it reminds me of our economy. ;)

I'm 6'3" tall and weigh 225 pounds. It is my intent to get back down to 200 pounds (or less) and stay there permanently. I will be climbing 7,300 flights of stairs and burning roughly 32,000 calories (the equivalent of 10 pounds of butter) per year. Since I have been gaining about 3 pounds per year, I would therefore expect it to take me 3-4 years to get down to my goal, all things being equal. I think it will probably work better than that though, since it should give me more energy and I tend to eat less and move more when I am not tired.

I've been testing this plan for the past few days. As in the past, I am very tempted to increase the number of stairs I climb. Who doesn't want quicker results? Instant gratification doesn't work long-term though. If I increase the number of stairs I climb then I will simply lose interest again someday. That's my theory anyway, based on past results.

This plan officially starts on June 1, 2011. I'll be posting my first chart of the results at the end of June. Don't expect to be blown away. I'd be surprised if there is much to be seen at all. There might even be some weight gain. Who knows? It is only the long-term that matters to me.

I can say with 100% certainty that I will not regret this decision. At the very least, it will do no harm.

Who knows, maybe someday the results will even inspire me to write a common sense weight loss book. Wouldn't that be something? It would be a one page book with a long-term chart, lol.