I do not suggest or endorse the methods I used to gain 18 lbs in 3 months. And Yes, it was unintentional. I am just telling my story to show how it can be done.
Eat- Everything- Everyday
We traveled to Merica to itinerate for 3 months. This basically means lots of meetings, lots of vision casting and lots of food. I found it amazing that my good fortunes would place me less than 5 minutes away from a nearby IHOP during All You Can Eat month. Who could resist?!?
The adage that a picture is worth a thousand words… uh, well just look below.
I ballooned up to an all time high of 181 lbs! It was a personal record, for sure. I weighed 124 lbs when Bernice and I married 22 years ago. I couldn’t gain weight to save my life. My how times have changed.
Here is my theory of how I lost those 18 lbs in 3 months-
1. A Stand Up Desk
It was not an intentional choice. As a matter of fact, it was a forced choice. We did not have space in our apartment for me to have a regular desk. I chose to try out the new-to-me but passing trend of a stand up desk. I had heard I would burn calories by choosing to stand instead of sit when my work required me to be behind a desk. I have no idea if this contributed to my weight loss, but I absolutely love the stand up desk! I also read that If you compare standing while fidgeting to sitting while fidgeting, you get 30 extra calories per hour. If you stand for half the workday, or 4 hours, you burn an extra 120 calories per day.
Mike Kim has a great blog and he wrote about the most lethal household item in your house to work from….the couch.
And then there is this:
- Scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana analyzed the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over about 13 years, and found that people who sit for most of the day are 54% more likely to die of heart attacks.
SOLD!
2. UP by Jawbone
Once again, I did not buy this fitness bracelet because I wanted to lose weight. Honestly, I love competition and my wife bought one. We could compete against each other and I could put to rest my thoughts of that if it is measurable I could beat her. Side Note: She regularly dominates me in our Up Competition:(
It is simple. Wear it, walk, run, crawl.. it measures it all and syncs directly to your phone. She has bragging rights as of now, but I assure you this has definitely assisted me in losing weight. I am up to 10,000 steps per day. That is approximately 5 miles per day walking. Sheesh… I’m tired just writing about it.
3. The food in Brazil is GREAT!
Rather than focusing on ‘Less of this’ and ‘More of that’ I just considered eating what was available to me. In my current setting that means grabbing snacks like bananas, oranges and cashews instead of Snickers (no matter how hangry I am:)) and potato chips. I drink coconut water, fresh juices and lots of water instead of soda. It is so easy.
I still have an occasional Banana Split binge and a Snickers. I have by no means arrived. I just know I am lighter than I was three months ago. It isn’t how much I am eating as much as it is what I am eating.
Want to lose 18 lbs in 3 months….. come to Brazil!
Leave a comment below on how you think the easiest/best way is to gain/lose weight.