Day One: Initial Weigh-In and Pictures

This morning, I met with a super nice trainer named Jacob for my initial weigh-in and to officially start my 90 days. For the most part, he approved of my plans, but felt that I should focus more tightly on strength training and on calorie tracking and portion control. He had some good points. There was also the trainer sales pitch, but it's definitely tempting to add that level of accountability to this entire exercise. But my goodness, it's expensive--prohibitively so for me, even with the 20% discount offered to participants in this challenge. I am listening to Jacob's advice, but I think I am trying this on my own, at least for now. I have many years of reading behind me, and well--I have Jason, who is nearly a trainer himself at this point. If I need extra strength training, he can help me.

As for the numbers themselves, they were predictably dismal. My weight is 214.3 pounds, and my body fat percentage is 44.4% (which is down, by the way, by about 3% from the last time it was measured.) That means I need to lose 49.3 pounds to hit my goal of 165, which I think is possible, though by no means easy. We'll see what happens to the body fat percentage along the way. I am, with great trepidation, sharing my before pictures. Front, back, and side views in a bathing suit or similar, both before and after the challenge, are a requirement, but not really where I want to place my focus. In the interest of keeping an accurate record, however, here they are:

I definitely feel better with more clothes ON. Whew!

Meanwhile, on to the rest of the day's activities:

Exercise: 

• Day 1 of the 30 Day Abs Challenge (15 sit-ups, 5 crunches, 5 leg raises, 10 second plank)
• Hike with the family at Hemlock Bluffs, 1.86 miles
• Stretching
• Short walk after the kids are asleep, 1.24 miles

Nutrition:

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese and nutmeg, fresh garden and CSA tomatoes, hot tea with 2% milk and 1/2 tsp raw sugar 
• Lunch: roasted chicken breast, sauteed spinach, baby kale, and baby bok choy, fresh garden and CSA tomatoes
• Dinner: grilled boneless chicken thigh, roasted cauliflower with garlic and rosemary, grilled asparagus, baby bellas, and orange and red peppers
• Snacks: raw almonds, hot tea with 2% milk and 1/2 tsp raw sugar

Stats:

• Steps: 11694
• Calories:  1152 consumed, 429 burned
• Weight: 214.3 (Official Weigh-in at Lifetime)