Weight No More

July was a real up & down month weightwise for me. Up is not the direction I want to go, but 2 personal trips, 1 business trip, and a family birthday party throw my eating and exercise plans off a bit. I was up a couple pounds, down a couple, up, down, up, down, etc. But the final result for July was down 3 lbs, and I made my goal weight set at the beginning of the COVID lockdown.

It wasn’t because of my steps. They were down, under 10,000 per day, but purposely so.

I had my reasons for my reduction in steppage.

First, what else did I have to do last July during COVID lockdown? Nothing. I walked and biked to keep myself from going crazy.

Editor’s Note: Didn’t work.

Although we may be heading back to another lockdown, we aren’t there yet, and I’ve been out and about as safely as possible doing other things.

Also, last July I was not swimming across Lake Michigan. I can justify one swim and one run/bike per day. Maybe I can squeeze in an additional short dog walk or some outdoor yard work to add steps. But to consistently get over 10,000 steps a day, I would need to add a second walk/bike segment per day. That’s just too much time to commit. I may not be able to squeeze in my nap if I’m walking and biking all the time.

Finally, having lost 3 lbs in June with barely 10,000 steps a day, I wanted to see if I could still lose a pound or two with slightly lower steps. With 3 lbs lost in July still being more than 2, the answer is yes.

Now the question is why. If you followed my sad weight loss efforts this spring, you may recall the weight was resisting my efforts to shed it. So, what happened over summer? Two things:

1. I started swimming daily in my quest to traverse Lake Michigan.
2. I added 2 new supplements to my daily regimen.

I’m a big believer in supplements. There’s lots of evidence out there on the Google world-wide interweb to support their use. Most of the evidence is a type called “anecdotal,” which I think means medically-sound. A few years ago, I was trending toward high blood pressure and cholesterol, so my doctor wanted to put me on prescription pills. Well, I wasn’t going to take his pills, so I decided to take … well, other pills that are not medically approved. I take garlic, cinnamon, and CoQ10 to address my maladies, and my blood pressure and cholesterol are excellent these days.

So, in my Google-webbing research, I stumbled upon 2 new supplements that I thought might help with weight loss, and I added both at the beginning of June. That’s when the weight started coming off. Coincidence? I have no freakin’ idea, although I have heard that diet pills loaded with amphetamines will have that effect. Actually, they are both “natural” supplements, although a fungus is involved in one. I have done some additional research, and I will stop one of the supplements in August but continue the fungus-based supplement through August. Yes, I am setting up my own anecdotal clinical trial. You’re welcome!

But why? I met my weight goal. Well, I’m still a bit puffy and have a muffin top. Hey, good time to make this a musical post with a song about muffin tops.

Anyway, I want to see what happens in August. Ten years ago when I was this weight, people said I looked gaunt, which is not necessarily a good thing. Nobody has called me gaunt this time. In fact, my wife called me svelte. Isn’t she sveet?

I’ll let you know how the weight loss goes in August and also if I can anecdotally endorse the fungus-based supplement.

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Not an anecdote is that I wrote a book. Click here to buy it on Amazon, or I will never reveal the secret fungus-based weight loss supplement.