Tag: intermittent fasting

My Journey to Lose 39 Pounds in 56 Days: Day 22 Update

Curtis BlevinsLeave a Comment on My Journey to Lose 39 Pounds in 56 Days: Day 22 Update

Losing weight is never easy, but when you set a challenging goal for yourself, it becomes an even more remarkable journey. On September 5th, I embarked on a mission to shed 39 pounds in just 56 days. Today, on Day 22 of my weight loss journey, I’m here to share my progress, the challenges I’ve faced, and the strategies I’ve employed to keep moving towards my goal.

Starting Point: September 5th – 204.4 Pounds

When I started this journey, I weighed in at 204.4 pounds. While I was still 61 pounds down from my highest recorded weight and my deep dive into what really controls weight loss or gain. It was still 33 pounds heavier than my lowest weight and 19 pounds from my target or goal weight. It pushed me to set a new and somewhat scary goal. Ironically that goal isn’t solely weight related, but to be able to run a marathon in under 3 hours. We will get to that later on in the blog. I know reaching 165 would come easy, but I was determined to make a significant change in my life and regain control of my health.

The Slow Going Start to Getting Ahead of Track

The first two weeks of my journey were surprisingly slow. 14 days in I was down 5.3 pounds, which is great, but no where near “on pace” to reach 39 down in 56 days. I had stopped drinking ketones for the first 2 weeks because I had a theory I wanted to test. Once I added a serving in each morning on day 14, I saw another 5.8 pounds come off by Day 18! It was an encouraging change, and I was motivated to keep pushing forward.

Intermittent Fasting: I have been following a fairly strict intermittent fasting schedule. Some days I followed a 16 – 8 approach, allowing me to eat only during an 8-hour window. While other days I would only eat 1 meal a day with no snacks.

Drinkable Ketones: Ketones are compounds that your body produces when it burns fat for fuel. By consuming drinkable ketones, I aimed to accelerate fat loss while maintaining energy levels.

Hydration and Coffee: Staying hydrated with water and enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning helped boost my metabolism and suppress my appetite.

Day 22 Update: 192.5 Pounds

As of Day 22, I currently weigh 192.5 pounds. While this is an overall loss of 11.9 pounds since I started my journey, I’m aware that I need to pick up the pace to stay on track. To meet my goal, I need to be an additional 3.5 pounds lighter by this point.

The Potential Plateau Challenge

After my initial success, I didn’t want to fall into a common obstacle in weight loss: a plateau. Instead of letting my weight stabilize, which can be demotivating. I chose to beat hemeostasis by eating more often and more, yet still healthy foods) for 2 days. While I put on a couple of pounds, I (hopefully) avoided a plateau that could last weeks to a 3 day event to help keep my body guessing. We will see if it works in the next few days/weeks. 

The Road Ahead

The journey to lose 39 pounds in 56 days is far from over, and I know there will be more challenges ahead. However, I remain committed to my goal and determined to make every day count. It’s essential to remember that weight loss is not just about the number on the scale but also about improving overall health and well-being.

I’m excited to see what the next 34 days of this journey will bring. While I’ve faced a few challenges so far, I’m confident that with the right mindset, dedication, and a willingness to adapt, I can continue making progress towards my goal of a healthier and happier me. Stay tuned for more updates on my journey, and remember that with determination and the right strategies, you can achieve your own weight loss goals too.

Day 19 of trying to lose 39 pounds in 56 days. 11.8 down.

Curtis BlevinsLeave a Comment on Day 19 of trying to lose 39 pounds in 56 days. 11.8 down.

So far I am pretty happy with my results! I definitely have found a few habits that I am changing my responses to that are helping. It was crazy how every time I went into the kitchen the pantry would open even if it wasn’t my intention to get something from it. Going to grab a glass for water the pantry would open. Putting dishes in the dishwasher, pantry would open. Luckily 19 days in, the pantry isn’t opening as often as it was on day 1.

So what am I Eating / Drinking? I am mainly eating home cooked meals that have simple ingredients, most of which you can find in the recipe section. I am occasionally eating fruit in its original whole form. I have eaten out 2 times so far, wings with Family and Friends.

I have been drinking water, coffee, fat coffee, ketones (last 5 days and will continue), unsweetened tea and a few La Croix naturally flavored bubbly waters. I have had 2 adult beverages at the Golf Outing, but no others during this

More importantly, when am I eating? I am intermittent fasting. Most days I have eaten 2 meals with a NO SNACKING goal… I may have missed the mark on that one a few days so far, but I am getting to the point I am not craving snacks again. I have eaten 1 meal and no snacks 4 times so far. I plan on upping that number as the challenge goes on. I have completed one ketone supported fast for 60 hours so far. Surprisingly, the 60 hour fast wasn’t hard. I have done them before and had a hard time completing them. This one wasn’t easy, but I was able to workout and run the same if I had been eating. I am going to make a post solely about fasting soon.

Exercising? I am sticking to my plan of 20 to 40 minutes of Strength/HIIT training 3 days a week and 4 days of Low Heart rate work. My resting heart rate is staying in the low to mid 40’s with this plan and will continue to adjust based on rHR.

Results so far? So far, so good. While weight loss has been a little slow and then fast and then slow again, it should be. I am currently on tract to meet the crazy goal.

Day 18 progress

Can I lose 39 pounds in 56 days?

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Against my own advice, I have been stepping on the scale A LOT lately. On September 5th, it read 204.4 pounds and my body fat percentage was 25%. Not going to lie, I was disappointed in myself. I had let some old habits fall back in and processed foods had become a staple again. I was snacking multiple times a day and I hadn’t let my body fast for more than 20 hours in years.

That was the “Bad” news. The good news is I didn’t feel hopeless like I did when I weighed over 265 pounds and 40% body fat. Back then I thought that the only way to lose weight was to diet, work out multiple times a day no matter how sore you felt, and feel hungry and tired constantly. Today I know that the changes I make will lead to more energy, better sleep and mood, and help me get back to the better version of me.

39 pounds in 56 days??? Some have asked my why so much and so fast. The reason is I haven’t set an audacious goal like this in years and there are a few reasons its going to be awesome for me. 39 pounds would put me at 100 total pounds lost since I started focusing on getting into ketosis. I want to run a “fast” marathon. Over the last 7 years, my average weight has been 185 pounds. While I feel good if not great at that weight, it still gets a little tough to run a marathon. While a marathon should be tough, I don’t think it has to be. Taking an additional 20 pounds off should only help. Plus I want to feel light on my feet again. 56 days is 8 weeks. While I plan on keeping the weight off until I get that fast marathon completed, I want to show myself and others that rapid change is possible if you commit to the activity to make it happen. 8 weeks goes by in a blink when you look back. I am sure there are going to be days that seem like they suck. But I / we have been through worse.

How am I going to do it? I prepped for 2 weeks before I stepped on the scale. I already started to eliminate snacking and shifting back to eating more Whole Foods. I actually stopped drinking ketones most days for almost 2 weeks at the start of this challenge. I know how much of a positive impact they have over the last 7 years, but I wanted the first few weeks to be all me and then reintroduce them to see how they help now. My main goals are to:

  1. Eliminate Snacking
  2. Hydrate
  3. Meal prep focusing on high healthy fat and moderate protein.
  4. Intermittent fasting. 20 to 26 hours most days. 36 to 48 once a week with 2 being over 48 over 8 weeks.
  5. More than 7 hours each night of sleep.
  6. Alternate days of Strength/HIIT and Low heart rate cardio. At least 20 minutes each day. Long run days should not take longer than 90 minutes. 45 to 70 minutes once a week is the target.
  7. Only Drink Water, Coffee, Tea, bone broth, or ketones. Adding a little butter, heavy cream, or MCT oil is ok when needed.
  8. NO ALCOHOL Some could get by with a beer or wine with dinner and not have too much of an impact. Alcohol wrecks me and my sleep.
  9. Accountability. I am going to post my progress in a group. At least weekly weigh in results. If you’d like to join, you can find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2keyschallenge

Is there a goal that you want to pursue or are currently going for? Let me know in the comments! Fingers crossed I can update the title to “How I Lost 39 Pounds in 56 Days”, wish me luck!

As of Sept 21st, I am slightly behind my goal in progress, but the last few days it’s been coming off a little more than a pound a day. So there is a good chance of it!

Before: 204.4

September 5th, 2023