The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.014

I continue to climb at least 20 extra flights of stairs each day. I've been tending to do the stairs 5 flights at a time using the stairway in my front hallway. It takes me well less than a minute to do each set. I just run them. This makes them perfect for commercial breaks on the television. Two birds, one stone. It also gets my heart rate up significantly at least 4 times per day. Three birds?


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It's been a good month. I wouldn't read too much into these last two days. I was not making a huge push to improve the charts (nor would I consciously). In sharp contrast, I ate something that didn't agree with me and paid the price. What can I say? Life happens.


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I originally estimated that I was gaining about 3 pounds per year. I figured that if I burned an extra 10 pounds per year then it would take me 3-4 years to get back down to a healthy weight. Although the data is very noisy, I appear to be on track.

I am 8 pounds lighter than I was one year ago today. Is it the pure math of the extra calories I'm expending? Is it being conscious of my weight each and every day? Is it posting these charts for others to see (subconscious peer pressure)? Do I really care? It's working and there has been absolutely no hunger involved. That's all that matters. A trivial change in my behavior is apparently all it takes over the long-term.


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As seen in the chart above, I definitely seem to be swayed by the sun. It's not a perfect match. One reason for the discrepancy may be that the month of maximum daylight is not the month of maximum heat. There's a lag. There's also probably a lag between my mood and the seasons. Fall may be my favorite season. Halloween is a fun holiday. Knowing that yard work season is finally over can't hurt either.

Unfortunately, the end of yard work means that I don't burn as many calories doing yard work (or hiking or doing a variety of other outdoor activities). Combine that with leftover Halloween candy and what do you have? The chart! If it happens again, then I'll make it up next year. No big deal. This is a long-term plan. That said, there's a chance the effect won't be as big this year. Will my behavior subconsciously change now that I've seen the effect? Who knows!

Perhaps I'll alter my plan in the future (once I am in the blue zone in the first two charts) to adjust for these seasonal effects. More stairs in the winter and less in the summer? I'm in no hurry though. It is such a low priority to me. First things first.

And lastly, the weather is not the only thing that affects my mood and/or stress level. I'm not a moody person, but I am easily stressed. That's especially true when I think about our country's long-term economic future. I'm doing that each and every day too. Sigh.

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

Source Data:
SunriseSunset: Sunrise Sunset Calendar