About ME:
My name is Mac. I am a 270 pounder, staring down the barrel of 40! I turn 40 years old in late August and I WILL drop 40 pounds by then.
Look, I am not a guru, god, or longtime practioner of fitness. I am a normal guy that has put on unwanted weight. When I was 16, I would have given anything to gain 50 pounds. Not so much at 39. I am here for the community that DietBet provides. I know that losing weight is not an easy thing to do, let alone going at it by yourself. Slow and steady wins the race, and it is more fun to race with someone than not.
I am immersing myself in fitness/ nutrition knowledge for the next year. My goal is to be 230 on September 1, 2016 and 190 on April 1, 2017. Join me. Help me. Let me help you.
Until this year, I have never been over 235 pounds (I'm 6'2"). I worked in industries that kept me active until I took a desk job in 2014. That destroyed what little fitness, energy, will power, won't power, and drive that I had. I ballooned to 280 pounds, gaining 60 pounds 18 months.
I still have the same job because it really is a great one. What I have decided to do is to change my habits in order to combat my cubicle's hold over my weight.
Last week I had a stand-up desk installed in my cube. It can be lowered when I need to sit, but I try to stand at least half of my day. Did you know that at my weight (270), I burn an extra 270 calories if I stand for 4 hours of my day versus sitting? That is a 4-pound weight loss in a month for doing nothing but standing up. See what standing can do for you here: Juststand.org
I also bought and use a Fitbit. My goal is the vanilla goal that everyone has to start off: 10,000 steps in a day. I park at the top of the parking garage, farthest from the exit, and I walk to the office. From my car to my desk , I average 600 steps and 5 flights of stairs climbed each way. I set a reminder on my phone that goes off every hour and I take 2 laps around the floor I work on: 300 steps each time. Those two small changes create an extra 3,000 steps in my day, a full 30% of my goal!!!
I have an hour lunch, so I eat then I walk. I usually get 40 minutes of walking in each workday: 5,000 steps, 50% of my goal.
The remainder of my steps come from Daddy duty. I have a daughter and two sons. :)
My stand-up desk and the extra steps I have added have allowed me to lose 10 pounds in 2 months. I have not yet changed my diet... although that is soon to come.