Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.006

Six months down, a lifetime to go.


Click to enlarge.

It might just be me, but I think I might see some leftover Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, and Thanksgiving leftovers in the chart.


Click to enlarge.

I said from the beginning that I would not be consciously altering my eating habits. I will not deprive myself of pumpkin pie. Let's just put it that way. :)

The charts therefore are what they are. Winter is brutal (no yard work, fewer outdoor activities, and multiple food related holidays).


Now for the good news.

1. November is probably my worst month for weight loss. It's officially over. Further, I strongly suspect that this year's November wasn't as bad as last year's November. It will be interesting to me to see the seasonal variations as more data is collected.

2. I continue to climb the extra 20 flights of stairs each day. It adds up. That's roughly 36,000 feet of additional climbing since the beginning of June. It is a firmly entrenched permanent habit. I will eventually make progress in the right direction again. It is simply a matter of patience. I originally thought it might take 3-4 years to get down to my goal. Perhaps that's still true.

3. The time needed to comfortably do the 20 flights of stairs continues to fall. I'm generally only taking 4-5 minutes per day now. I can always find time for that. It's no big deal at all (which is important since I am generally a lazy person looking to do the minimum necessary to meet my long-term goals).

4. I've also been doing some additional stair climbing on the side from time to time (although I never feel compelled to do so). On the 7th of November I climbed 200 flights of stairs all out (in addition to the 20 flights I always do). It took me 48 minutes and 47 seconds. That's actually fairly close to a personal best (done many years ago when I was younger and lighter).


See Also:
The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.000

13 comments:

Troy said...

209 to ~204 here.

Used the old trick of getting a takeout box before eating for t-day, making two meals out of it.

1lb a week is more than fast enough, probably too fast for me since it's mostly due to eating much less than normal and not really exercising (which is a healthier way to lose).

Last time I went from 230+ to ~180 I just went way too fast, finishing in just 6 months. After that I realized that I was in maintenance and didn't have to have hurried so much to get down to 180.

My goal this time though is to just get back into my college jeans. Gonna be tough but I'm halfway there I guess.

Plus I want to go back to Japan and they have this weird thing about 34" waist breaking the law . . .

http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-06-13/news/17164666_1_japan-today-overweight-health-care-costs

Stagflationary Mark said...

Troy,

Fascinating link. Re-educated? That's a bit creepy!

Audrey said...

Mark,
Way to go! Keep up the good work.
Holiday get togethers and being stuck inside are momentary diversions.
Audrey

TJandTheBear said...

Mark,

How tall are you? Your weight suggests we have TOO much in common. ;-)

That's true if we hyperinflate or default. I have said repeatedly that it is a risk to me and that it is not a trivial one.

However, that is clearly not what I believe will happen (at least in my lifetime).


FTR, "official" Debt to GDP just reached 99.5%.

Fritz_O said...

"I climbed 200 flights of stairs all out..."

Dude, you are like totally a stair-climbing mAdMaN!! Stoker dude!

You should take your mAd sKiLz to this place!


All kidding aside, I'm impressed with the way your financial discipline is matched in extent by your physical discipline.

Stagflationary Mark said...

Audrey,

Today's momentary diversion was a Living Social Deal.

5 Big Macs
5 Large Fries

$13

As they say in the Godfather, they made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

I was just at McDonalds a couple of days ago. I had the $1 McDouble and the $1.29 small fries. Big spender!

Stagflationary Mark said...

tj and the bear,

I'm 6'3". I was a lean (a euphemism for not being muscular, lol) 180 pounds in high school. I was the tallest on our basketball team. It was just a town of 800 though. Small fish in a very small pond. ;)

FTR, "official" Debt to GDP just reached 99.5%.

If it was our temperature, I'd say we were running a bit hot. Perhaps Bernanke can inject some antibiotics into our "lifeblood", lol. Sigh.

Stagflationary Mark said...

Fritz_O,

April 29, 2010
24 Hour Climber Sets Record!

"I climbed 39,411 stairs or 27,095 feet in the 24-hour period," Bernadette said. "I started at 2 p.m. on Friday and continued until 2 p.m. on Saturday, taking a few breaks throughout the event." The building she climbed was the Harbor Point Condominium Building, located at 155 N. Harbor Drive in downtown Chicago.

When I was at my peak, I did 4,000 feet (400 flights) in about 2 hours. I certainly felt it the next day. I can't even imagine doing 27,095 feet in 24 hours. That's amazing!

Stair climbing increases bone density, builds muscles, and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, research shows that seven minutes of stair climbing a day cuts the chances of dying from coronary heart disease by 62% percent and decreases the risk of a heart attack by 50%.

7 minutes per day? I climbed the 20 flights in under 4 minutes today. No benefit for my heart apparently. I'll try to slow down a bit tomorrow.

Sarcasm!

Then again, perhaps it would be best if I didn't. I don't want to risk outliving my nest egg.

Sarcasm encore! :)

Wisdom Seeker said...

Why not climb 40 flights per day to make it to that 7 minutes? With all the extra food and the reduced opportunity for other exercise, it would appear that your "health portfolio" might need rebalancing!

Of course, for now I'm a 200+ pound hypocrite, so I need to start doing the same...

EconomicDisconnect said...

No worries, looking at the chart the the move up was a dead fat bounce and will correct lower within the trend! All my best, glad you are doing so well.

Stagflationary Mark said...

Wisdom Seeker,

Why not climb 40 flights per day to make it to that 7 minutes?

I'm just trying to do the minimum necessary over the long-term. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Mark,

just came across this, thought I had to let you know!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2247582/The-cheats-guide-exercise-Taking-stairs-time-burns-MORE-calories-leaping-them.html

regards from the netherlands, Rik

Stagflationary Mark said...

Rik,

Fascinating!

Thanks for posting this. I will create a new post on this topic in the next few days.

As my legs have strengthened, I've shifted from one at a time to two at a time. This article's conclusions need further thought. I'm not completely convinced that one at a time is better.

He added that the greater total energy expenditure of one-step ascents must be partly explained by the fact it takes longer.

In addition to that, I think I even burn more calories after I'm done climbing two at a time. My heart rate stays elevated longer after I'm done.

It's just a thought.