NotYetRetiredMom? (NYRM) and I started a diet bet with Healthy Wage, November of 2020. The terms for me were to lose 63 pounds, which was over 22% of my starting body weight. My first official weigh in was 277 pounds. Putting me 68 pounds below where I was at my heaviest less than 6 years ago, but almost 60 pounds heavier than my lightest in that same 6 years.
NYRM wanted to do a bet. I said I wanted to as well. Part of the motivation to do the bet was I had already accomplished transformative weight loss in a one years timeline (over 100 pounds in 2015/2016). I did it with her before which was critical for me last time and I knew I could count on it again this time.
Looking back a year later I can say that having a dedicated partner to support you, to help keep you on track, and that you are accountable to can be so helpful. I found her motivating when she could do things I couldn’t yet, when I looked next to her and wanted to emulate her effort or flexibility and when holding my forms and planks.
Knowing I was starting a step back, from the two steps I had taken forward, was more motivation. Calculating that I would end the bet, at a lower weight than I can recall in over 20 years of adulthood, the entire time I’ve known NYRM, added a dash of self doubt.
Flash forward to over 100 rides on our Peloton, 150 core and strength classes and countless stretches later. 10s of thousands of steps logged on the Fitbit, 100s of miles walked and hiked, even on vacations. November 15th, 2021. We could weigh in two weeks early, just a few days ago, and get our weight verified by video. Turns out? We both did it! We both lost the required weight in just under a year, both of our weights have now been verified, and we have both requested our payment checks. Now what?
I thought about doing another diet bet. Even with the poor payment terms (like 7-14% return) I wondered if it would still motivate me. I don’t know that I need it right now. The routine that we have built and our ability to measure how well we are executing, has me excited to have that be the motivation in itself. This is a big shift for me mentally.
In the future I plan on documenting my new focus goals and also talk about what I was doing to get here. Creating new goals, ones more centered around physical accomplishments and not just a weight loss target. I am going to start with a few candid pictures of where I am physically and with my flexibility, documenting where I am with some of my weight efforts in strength training, and how I am staying active in the Winter that is coming. I want to progress to the next level. I want to be able to see and measure that progress.
I feel like this is the missing part of the fitness journey for many of us. I myself have moved in and out of the labels of “morbidly obese” “obese” and “overweight” but look to tackle the journey into “average”. What does that diet look like? What exercise and effort and time is required?
However, I am still setting a weight loss goal and a timeline. I will be 45 at end of June, 2022. I want to weigh 185 pounds, starting at the 210-214 weight from my final weigh in from the diet bet. I feel like I have taken the few days off I needed after winning. I accept that I will be enjoying good food and company over the next 60 days but commit that I will be working on my activity levels and prepping some amazing food as well over that time. That is a part of why I am starting this process here. Documentation and accountability.
Here we go!
Retired Dad
Retired Dad Life 