The challenge: 2009

We have undertaken a challenge, a challenge of great strength and determination, a challenge that will likely see death, pain and misery.

Of course, that can only mean one thing; it's a weight challenge.

Now, starting at my super-buff 115kg, it should be a relatively easy process of starting to shed those pounds kilograms. The issue I've mainly been having is, I don't eat at McDonald's, I don't replace meals with ice cream and I don't think "a milkshake is a fine and vital source of calcium".

So, tougher measures are needed!

With the help of a part-evil, part-kind personal trainer and the dietary advice of a sadistic financial adviser, the plan to achieve the greatest weight loss in 2009 has been set.

Here is the progress to date. Thanks to the genius that is Google Docs, this chart should will actually update as I update the data. I'm going to go ahead and apologize now if it doesn't.

So, what are the terms of the challenge? Simple, $1 is paid for every pound lost; simple as that. That $1 is then duly returned to its rightful owner, GAP, Old Navy, Target, Walmart and Banana Republic upon our triumphant return to Texas in December.

Now, obviously I'm shooting for $300, but I would have to implode for that to happen, so to keep things achievable, I think I'll just try for the "Ideal Body Weight" of 67.4kg (150lbs) as it seems like a nice figure (in every sense of the word).

It's not easy, lots of exercise (and it keeps getting more) and what I think is a pretty harsh diet; but, ultimately, it's gonna be great!

Paleolithic diet

This week, Ashley and I have been following the Paleo Diet (Paleolithic diet). This diet is, in essence, the following of the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various human species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture.

In other words, 'what the caveman ate'.

Centered around commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts; and excludes grains, legumes (alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, and peanuts), dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

There is a considerable amount of theory around the modern reliance on processed foods being our downfall. I don't know; I'm not a nutritionist (kind of makes sense though, right?).

I'm not sure if I understand the whole science behind the diet, there's a 266 page to read through, but a couple of things I have discovered in the last week -

1. I have lost 3kg in the last week, the diet in the only thing that I've changed, ergo, I attribute the weight loss to the diet.
2. Planning meals & cooking without the above mentioned food stuffs is harder than I ever though possible. I struggle with this all the time.
3. Even though by the end of the week I thought I'd be craving cakes & doughnuts etc. the reality is, I would kill someone for a sandwich right now.

We're going to keep on with it, see what happens; I don't know if I'll actually end up killing someone for the sandwich, but I'll Tweet about it if I do.

You should check with your physician before starting any new exercise or diet regime

Sections of this post are referenced from the Paleolithic diet article on Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia