It’s August, and that means I have five months to reach my goal of weighing 240 pounds by the end of the year.
I didn’t do my regular Sunday weigh-in last week because I was away on my final summer getaway—a weekend at a lake cabin with some of my college friends. It was exactly what I needed. The weather was beautiful, the food was plentiful, the drinks were cold, and, as always, the stories from our college days seemed to get better every time we told them. Weekends like that are good for the soul, even if they’re not always the best for the waistline.
I stepped on the scale yesterday, Saturday, August 1, and I was pleasantly surprised. My weight came in at 270.9 pounds, only a few tenths of a pound higher than my previous weigh-in. Considering the weekend I had, I’ll gladly take that result.
Now the real work begins.
To reach 240 pounds by December 31, I need to lose 30 pounds over the next five months. That’s an average of about 1½ pounds per week—a challenging goal, but one that is absolutely achievable. The key isn’t finding a new diet or a better workout plan. The key is changing my daily behaviors and becoming more consistent.
I’ve proven to myself that I can eat well and exercise for several days in a row. The problem comes when I start negotiating with myself. I tell myself I’m too tired to work out. That one fast-food meal won’t matter. That I’ll make up for it tomorrow. Those little excuses don’t seem like much in the moment, but over weeks and months they become the difference between making progress and standing still.
This journey isn’t about motivation anymore. Motivation comes and goes. What I need is discipline—the willingness to do the right thing even when I don’t feel like it.
I also need to stop making the workout more complicated than it has to be. It doesn’t matter if I go to the gym before work, after work, or later in the evening. It doesn’t have to be a perfect one-hour workout. A solid 30 to 45 minutes is infinitely better than skipping it because it doesn’t fit my “ideal” schedule.
The same goes for my nutrition. Driving home after a long day at work can no longer end with a stop at a fast-food drive-thru. My health deserves better than convenience. Every meal is another opportunity to reinforce the person I’m trying to become.
My Commitments for the Next Two Weeks
Rather than trying to change everything overnight, I’m focusing on a few simple commitments:
- No soda.
- No fast food.
- Complete a short daily home routine of squats, hip thrusts, push-ups, and sit-ups.
- Continue getting to the gym whenever possible, even if it’s only for a quick workout.
Fall sports camps begin tomorrow at the University of Mary, which means August will once again become one of the busiest months of my year. I’ll spend more time on my feet, walking, lifting, and staying active throughout the day, and that’s certainly a positive. But being busy can’t become another excuse for skipping my workouts. If anything, staying healthy becomes even more important during demanding times.
Work is important. I take pride in what I do, and I always want to give my best to the student-athletes and coaches I serve. But the truth is, if I don’t take care of my own health, I won’t be able to continue doing the work I love at the level I expect of myself.
That’s why my health has to become a non-negotiable priority.
Five months from now, I want to look back at this post and know that August was the month everything changed—not because I found some secret weight-loss strategy, but because I finally became consistent. One workout at a time. One healthy meal at a time. One good decision at a time.
The goal is attainable.
Now it’s time to prove it to myself