A Pledge to Myself

I, Robby Vaughn, do hereby swear to lose the weight that I have been promising Christiann and myself to lose for years. It is unfair to her and me that I have failed in this endeavor, particularly because my failure rest squarely on my shoulders. I have sabotaged myself at every turn, on every business trip. ENOUGH!!

I have reached the unconscionable weight of 258.3 pounds at 5’11”, which is obese by any measure. Unacceptable.

I will lose 20 pounds by the end of the year - that is 20 pounds in a month and 13 days, which is a challenging number. Furthermore, I will lose a total of 79 pounds by my 41st birthday, that is basically 10 pounds per month. I need the challenge, and I need to be successful. I MUST be successful.

I am tired of being fat. Tired of my body being sore and aching from lugging all of this fat around. I am prematurely getting old and arthritic because of my weight and the laziness and sloth that it creates in me. I am tired of looking frowzy and unkempt, wearing clothes that don't fit, and generally going through life looking like someone who doesn't care for himself.

To get where I need to be here is what I will do, without fail and without question or excuse:

1. I will only eat one meal (a healthy meal) per day Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The meal may be lunch or dinner, but otherwise I am fasting. The meal will be tracked, but no calorie restrictions on the meal other than it must be less than 1800 calories.
2. Tuesday and Thursday I may have as many meals as I want, but they must total fewer than 1800 calories.
3. On Saturday and Sunday, I can have two meals over the weekend of whatever I want without guilt, but the other meals of the day must total no more than 1500 calories. I can have both meals on one day or have one each day, it doesn't matter. If I have both one day, then the other day still has a 1500 calorie limit.
4. I can drink three glasses of wine per week generally (special occasions allow for exceptions to this rule, but count as one of my week's free meals regardless of what day of the week they take place).
5. My diet will generally follow the Paleo or Primal Blueprint - Vegetable-based, with protein and healthy fats. Low-carb in general. Whole foods as often as possible. I am trying to keep carb consumption below 100 grams per day.
6. ALL food will hitherto be tracked in My Fitness Pal app until goal is met. The only exception to this rule are the free meals on Saturday and Sunday.
7. I will exercise, legitimate exercise, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This exercise will generally be cardiovascular exercise (sprints / intervals once per week) or combination exercise like CrossFit.
8. Tuesday and Thursday will be devoted to strength training or combination exercise like CrossFit.
9. Climbing is an extra activity that is added on and does not take the place of the regularly scheduled cardiovascular prescription, unless we start back to climbing three or more times per week. It can take the place of strength training on any Tuesday or Thursday.
10. On Saturday and Sunday I may take one day as a complete rest, but the other requires a long run, hike, or extended period of exercise (bike riding, rock climbing, swimming, etc). Long and slow is the prescription, preferably outside.
11. Whenever possible exercise should be done out of doors.

Because a healthy body and mind go together, I also want to work harder on improving my mental state by adding activities that I think improve mind and spirit. They are as follows:

1. Study for one hour per day for my French Wine Scholar.
2. Spend half an hour per day on French language study.
3. Spend half an hour per day practicing, with intention, on the guitar.
4. Read one book every two weeks (alternate between nonfiction and fiction).
5. Do 15-20 minutes of mindfulness exercises per week to start (meditation, etc).
6. Yoga once per week to start, perhaps on the weekend for now - increase as weight comes off.

In order to gauge progress I will take some initial measurements of my neck, chest, waist, thighs, hips, arms. I will also get starting pictures and weight plus body fat % from my scale.

I will weigh in and take measurements weekly which will be charted in excel. I need to be looking for two or more pounds lost per week or I will miss my goal. Weigh-ins will take place on Friday mornings upon waking. This will reduce water from the weight as well as ensure that my free meals are not disrupting the weight with added water and carb weight.

A successful week means that we continue on the above plan for the following week.

On an unsuccessful week I pledge to add two additional exercise sessions into the week of thirty minutes or more each and reduce calories by 200 per day. Further, one of the free meals will be given up.

I will make a digital goal board of images to help keep me motivated, which I will ensure I can access anywhere. I will look at this goal board daily and whenever I feel tempted to not follow-through on my commitments to myself and my family.

Lastly, I will keep a digital journal of the progress - this very blog - in order to be committed and help hold myself accountable.

This weight loss will change my life and the way that I approach it. The Longs Peak climb will cement that my new body is strong and capable - proving that fitness will allow me to chase my dreams more completely.

I must not fail!