Week 9 report

I know these weekly updates must be getting mundane, but I feel obligated to report my progress regularly. Just like the entire purpose of this blog, it helps keep me in check, guilt-tripping me into staying focused throughout the week. But once again, I had a good week. Well, kind of.

Jen took a photo of me Hulking out after a run and a haircut yesterday.

As far as calories are concerned, I completely fell off the wagon. I did great most of the week, but completely binged twice, which resulted in an average daily intake of over 1,800 calories. I'm supposed to be averaging 1,520 per day. That being said, I really stepped up my exercise, finally adding swimming into the mix (two classes so far). That must have been the difference-maker, as I still dropped a full pound, just like the last two weeks. I weighed in at 167.8 and was so excited, I almost Hulked out.

There are only three more weeks left in this little "experiment" and I'm starting to think more about what I'm going to do once it's over. I really like where I'm at physically and mentally, but I certainly don't want to count calories for the rest of my life. However, I think this will go a long way, as I am starting to make better food decisions without even really thinking about it. I never blacklisted any types of foods, but when you are monitoring your caloric intake, you kind of eliminate the junk by default, forcing you to make healthier choices. I hope that carries over and helps me be more aware of what I am putting in my mouth every day.

I've been saying it for a few weeks, but starting this week, it's definitely time to add more weight training. When I get my body fat checked again at the end of Week 12, I want to make sure I've done everything I can to help lower that God-awful 27 percent of body fat I had before starting my diet.