This post should have been written 2 weeks ago. For real. But here were are, better late than never. I made the bold declaration that I was going to embark on a brave weight loss journey and my Perk friends would get a front row seat — warts and all — of the process. Then I proceeded to invent reasons why I needed to start later. Ultimately, I finally decided I needed to buckle down, get a coach and some accountability.

At Perk Energy, we have made friends with some amazing macro/flexible coaches. We love them all and they have been great supporters of what we are doing. When it was time to begin addressing my weight loss goals, I chose to utilize @motivationmindy because we are long-time gym buddies and she has the cutest baby. Its not subjective, its science. Not only that, but Mindy is the kind of coach that will understand my specific needs and goals. She will tailor my program to not only support the aesthetic changes I want to make, but to make sure I am able to reach my performance objectives as well. 

S C I E N T I F I C   E X H I B I T  A

Mindy sent me a questionnaire to determine my goal and my relationship with food. It was very revealing. I had to think about what and when I was eating and why I was eating. I know I eat my feelings. I make more excuses for bad food choices when I am disappointed or depressed. Treats and junk food seem like a reliable way to do something pleasurable when I feel down. Injuries are a double-edged sword because I can't do the activities i like to do and I tend to eat worse.   

"Sometimes I will impulsively wolf down handfuls of food while staring at our food stores. My wife Rena will say, ‘Gary’s pantry eating again.’ Is that bad?"

I then took the dreaded "before" pics. I am very uncomfortable posting this photo — not because I am shy — but because I am an inherently private person. I do believe in the importance of tracking progress and I will be using a few metrics to do so. I will track appearance (shown below), my body composition (test coming soon) and my weight. For most people, I would discourage using weight as an important measurement because it doesn't take into account body composition changes that occur from getting stronger. I, however, compete in weightlifting and the sport is organized into weight classes so I need to be as strong as possible at the correct weight to be competitive.