20 pounds

Well that's a load off. Literally.

I tipped the scales at 152 pounds in clothes this morning (which would be 149-150 without). I believe I was around 172-173 when I decided sometime in late February that I needed to lose weight.

The biggest thing I did was start tracking calories. I believe listing what you eat (AND drink) is absolutely necessary for weight loss. I used the free MyFitnessPal app and it's amazing just how quickly calories can add up (especially from drinks). My goal was to stay around 1500-1750 calories per day. Of course, getting sick while in Jamaica - and not being able to eat - helped quite a bit!

One other thing I did - and I still can't believe I got suckered into it - I ordered these Alpilean supplements off the internet. I have no idea if it helped or not, but I'm about two-thirds of the way through my three bottle order. I guess it didn't hurt.

I will say, not only do I feel better (it's like running WITHOUT a twenty pound vest on), but my blood pressure has gone down significantly too. I'm usually well below 120/80 now (this morning was 115/64), and I'm debating whether to cut my pills in half or maybe just stop entirely. We'll see.

I still have a little pouch in my belly, so I wouldn't mind dropping another five pounds or so. Plus I've been doing shoulder-touch planks (70-100 per day). Of course, we're going out for supper tonight so I'll probably gain five pounds back just from looking at the menu!

Mostly I wanted to lose the weight for running, but it really does just feel better. The lower blood pressure is a bonus! And, while I don't want to comment too much on my wife's weight, I will note that she has lost even more than I have (and looks fantastic!)!

So, that's where that is at. I know I will gain some back once my running mileage starts to increase this summer (because I will have to eat more), but I'm pretty happy about where I am at the moment.