The Quest to Lose 10 Pounds in 6 Weeks – Week Two

Wow – you guys rock with your support for my husband Fran! After his post last Wednesday introducing his quest to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks (doctor’s orders), I know he was nervous he might get teased. Not only all my regular readers, but his friends, colleagues and loved ones came through with overwhelming support. It definitely made a difference…

Starting Weight (Week One): 220 pounds

Current Weight (Week Two): 218 pounds

That’s right, Fran kicked off in style with a 2 pound weight loss in the first week! I am SO proud of him. Read on for his account this week about the weight loss impact of traveling for work and socializing with clients.

Did you miss the first post? Check it out here -> The Quest to Lose 10 Pounds in 6 Weeks -Week One.

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So, here I am again, back in the blogosphere. Hello to all of those who have chosen to return to read my second contribution to this six week ‘series’ that chronicles an unhealthy guy’s quest to live longer. It has been an interesting week.

The week got off to an amazing start. The support from co-workers, friends, family and the throngs of fitness and health professionals and bloggers my wife knows (most of whom I have never met) who reached out to support me was inspiring to say the least. I found it amazing how many people said that I was an inspiration to them. That blew my mind. Other people told me I was brave for sharing what I did. Initially that made me laugh. I mean, there are guys getting shot at overseas, firemen running into buildings and kids with cancer, fighting for their lives. That’s brave. But I sort of get it – I think that there is some level of bravery involved with being honest about yourself. 220 pounds and the details of my doctor’s appointment were not easy to share but I think that is the point. I don’t think losing weight and changing my lifestyle will be easy but if I am able to do it and get other people to follow suit, I can dig it.

I started the week back at the doctor. In order to get an accurate reading of my triglycerides I had to fast the night before. I haven’t gotten the results yet. I still think that they just haven’t figured out a way to tell me that my blood is 90% butter, but I will give you all of the details in next week’s post once I find out the results.

From there, it was not a bad week at all. I managed to get to the gym twice. I am shooting for three or four times a week but, baby steps. The good news is, I actually enjoy the gym. The bad news is, I’m told that 80% of this “battle” is the dietary part. So I focused on that. That said, I really struggled with the food journal aspect. I have the apps to use but I get so frustrated with estimating portion size. I can’t just write that I had a “fairly large turkey sandwich.”

My victories were the little things. Having an apple rather than pretzels, hummus on veggies instead of ranch dressing. The toughest challenge in this regard was a business lunch at a steakhouse. The one trick that works in this scenario is dropping the D bomb with my clients. Doctor. That word is magic. Once you mention “doctor’s orders” in conversation people leave it alone. Steakhouses make little, if any effort to provide a healthy alternative and I get that, it is a steakhouse. So, I did the best I could. I had some Caprese salad. Trust me, this was healthy, given the restaurant. And it killed me to not eat steak for my main course. I was picturing Lee Marvin or Charles Bronson just shaking their heads in disgust. But I got the scallops. Yes, they had to remove the bacon wrapping from the scallops which was painful for me to ask of them, but they did. And for my side, some broccoli. I may have had a bite or two of cake. And yes, wine was involved. Which brings me to another challenge. Alcohol.

Alcohol. Homer Simpson once referred to alcohol as the cause and solution to all of life’s problems. It was not a dry week. I had two or three dry nights but mostly I just tried to cut everything in half or less. This wasn’t easy but it wasn’t the monumental suffering I had anticipated. And then…the business trip.

Traveling is not easy for those looking to eat healthy. Traveling to Chicago? Mother of God help me. This city is sustained by its hot dogs, sausages, deep dish pizzas and big, beefy, calorie-laden BEER.

And yeah, this trip involved lunches, dinners, cocktail parties and sporting events. While I was there I went to see my beloved NY Rangers play the Blackhawks from the comforts of a suite. Are you familiar with a suite? Well, they are a gift from God. Aside from being awesome seats, they provide you with a buffet and an endless supply of beer and wine. Talk about the Garden of Eden. Except in this scenario, the forbidden fruit is chicken fingers, wings and hot dogs. There was a very nice looking salad. This was similar to my struggles with fish at a steak house. Salad? At a hockey game? In Chicago? Original six?

A few people have asked for specifics of what I’m doing for diet. If there’s anything my wife has taught me, it’s that diets don’t work. Instead you have to look for changes to make that you can live with long term. That said, here’s a quick before and after of what a typical work day’s eating was like then and now:

Despite all the challenges, I think I really CAN do this.

Hopefully I will be a few pounds lighter when I write again.

– Fran