Weighting Out Winter

The last time I updated you on my efforts to reach my weight loss goal of 20 pounds (for those of you still living in medieval times, that comes out to 1.43 stones), I had fallen short in September. I was stuck at 17 pounds at the end of September after really working out hard that month. With cooler weather coming, I faced the prospect of no more swimming workouts in the convenience of our backyard pool. I am simply not up for a nice winter swim as some are.

Canadians, eh? And I cannot handle this exercise below freezing …

I tire easily of winter cycling. Get it, tire? Anyway, I knew I needed to transition to more indoor workouts as the weather deteriorates into a Chicago winter. But I didn’t just want to hang around the gym.

I figured I would quickly get bored …

I wanted to find some exercise that I could get excited about, like this little guy …

Booyah! But then I got discouraged and thought to myself, “What’s the point?” I had figuratively worked my ass off in September only to find that I hadn’t literally worked any of my actual ass off.

I fell into a deep malaise. After cleaning the malaise off my pants, I tried to find an indoor exercise groove that would be comfortable and effective. I initially looked to combine work and exercise which produced zero results.

But as the days went on in October, I stopped looking. The weather held. I could still walk and bike outside. Yes, I was down a bit in steps/pedals from a strong September.

But my weight was holding steady at 17 pounds down, despite Halloween candy. And then the weather held through November. However, I gained 2 pounds in November thanks to leftover Halloween candy, nervous eating during the election, and Thanksgiving, despite my steps/pedals being down just ever so slightly.

My plan is to gain weight. It’s inevitable. I add weight every winter. My body is telling me to hibernate. I’m considering it. But my plan is to gain less weight than I’ve lost. I figure I have 3 months of winter weather ahead of me until the weather breaks in March. If I can gain less than 5 pounds per month over the next 3 months, then I will start Spring 2021 weighing less than this past Spring. It sounds like a terrible plan, but it’s all I can figure out. I don’t expect December to go well. You know who’s coming, right?

Correct. And you know what that means …

December will be a challenge. I’ll let you know how it goes.