October 10, 2011 Posted by Eli in Eli

Tags: Eli Can't Lose series, health, weight loss

Eli Can't Lose - Day 1

Given all of the hormonal issues I suffer from thanks to PCOS, I can't say that I will ever reach this goal but it's there nonetheless. I am going to do the best I can to keep consistent and focused on that and do the best I can. Whether I reach it or not isn't my main concern; it's the journey towards it that I am most interested in. I have been dieting and exercising for some time, since June actually, and I've lost around 20lbs since then but I haven't really been keeping track in any kind of accurate way. This time around, so my own issues and misconceptions about progress and my body don't get in the way, I will be logging things and using some tools to keep track of everything.

It is a well known fact that women with PCOS have a hard time losing weight, especially around the middle where it seems to settle. My body has always been oddly proportioned - small head, small arms, muscular and small legs, hardly any ankles, huge flabby midsection - and it's always been a source of frustration for me. Without insurance I can't take anything for the PCOS or subsequent insulin resistance that comes with it and I can't take anything prescription to help with weight loss or thyroid issues. All I have is diet and exercise and natural supplements and that will have to do.

As I said, this is more about the journey, the effort, the perspective, and me getting myself to a better place mentally about my body, than it is about reaching some dream of a weigh loss goal and fitting into a Shrine coat. Do I want to fit into Shrine clothes? Of course! Will I ever? With my body type, bone structure, and hormonal issues, I seriously doubt it. I'd have to do some pretty unhealthy things in order to shrink down to that size and I don't plan to do that. I plan to keep my eyes focused forward. I plan to believe in myself. I plan to just keep doing what I've been doing since June and see where I am from month to month. I lost almost 20lbs when I didn't even know what I was doing and now I have a much better idea of what I need to be doing and a better idea of how my own negative perceptions about my body get in the way. That information alone is going to make a lot of difference in how far I can get.

There are 8 products that I will be using in relation to my weight loss and fitness tracking. I will be reviewing all of them on the blog and hopefully including some video segments about them as well. Keep an eye out for my first couple of videos and reviews for the Withings WiFi Body Scale and the FitBit Ultra Fitness tracker sometime by the end of the week. I will also be substituting the "Eli Can't Lose Series" for my "Daily Journal" posts for the next month since I won't have time to do both with all of the additional writing and new sections I'm working on for THC.

As for today, it was a good start ...

I woke up at 5:30am and was able to get a few things done before starting my workout at 6:00am. I did a variety of things for an hour. It's been a while since I worked out and it felt good to be back into it. I hope to do another hour of cardio around lunch time and then a final hour around 9:00pm just before bed. I will do these three workouts a day 4 times a week and I want to try to keep this schedule for a month. This new schedule will allow me plenty of time for creative work during the day without having to interrupt myself as often - which was the problem with the last schedule I created. I have a ton of design, writing, and programming work to do that requires long periods of uninterrupted time for concentration and development. Doing my workouts in the morning and evening, with an optional lunchtime workout, will keep me moving and exercising regularly without stunting any creative production.

I look forward to this journey. Thanks for taking it with me.