The Conclusion Of The October Project

Weight Loss Journal - Oct 20th - SelfieIn September I was struggling with a plateau. It seemed like regardless of the amount of exercise I performed each week, the scale just wouldn’t move. It was tremendously stressful and I went from weekly weigh-ins to weighing myself every few days.

I talked to a couple of people about the issue that I was having and the suggestion was to increase my calories from 1,800 to 2,200 and incorporate more protein into my diet. I resolved to do just that and, to reduce stress, I also resolved to stay off the scale and trust the process. The October Project was born.

Throughout the month of October I set out to eat at least 180 grams of protein per day and split my Macros into 40% Protein, 40% Carbohydrates, and 20% Fat. It didn’t always work out but I made an honest effort at sticking to my template.

The hardest part was staying off the scale. In the back of my mind I feared that the extra calories I was consuming would turn to fat and I would surely gain weight. Without periodic weigh-ins how would I keep the weight gain in check?

My last weigh-in before October had me coming in around 235 pounds. The weeks leading up to the final weigh-in had me in a range from 232.2 at my lowest to 241 at my heaviest. I told myself that as long as I didn’t weigh more than 241 pounds at the end of the experiment, I would consider it a success.

Throughout October I logged my food, water, and exercise and made a point to blog about it frequently. By sharing my logs with the online community I felt like I was keeping myself accountable. As the month went by I exercised, logged, and blogged.

Today is November 1st and the day I stepped onto the scale for the first time in a month. I weighed in at 239.4 pounds. While I was keeping my fingers crossed for a new lowest weight, I can’t complain. I’ve been consuming considerably more food than I had been and my weight fell into the same range it did a month ago.

Despite the scale remaining more or less the same, there have been some changes happening with my body. I had to toss some of my clothes because they were comically large. For instance, I used to fill out a XXL Shirt. These days I wear an XL and feel very comfortable in it. There are days when it feels a little snug but when I put on an old shirt it feels as though I’m trying to wear a bed sheet.

My pants are much the same way. I used to wear a 40 waist and those same pants are tremendously baggy all over. I bought some new 38 waist pants and even those feel like they are going to be too big soon. I could probably slip into a pair of 36 loose fit without much trouble.

These changes didn’t all occur during the month of October but it is when I began to pay closer attention to the way I looked in the mirror and how my clothes felt. Partaking in this little project has taught me a lot. I don’t have to obsess over the scale to feel good about myself. As long as I eat a moderately healthy diet and keep active, positive changes will happen despite what the scale says.

Walt

Hi There, My name is Walt White and as the name of this blog suggests, I am a Pennsylvania resident. In addition to having numerous hobbies that I discuss on my blog - I’m also the father of three little girls and a pitbull.

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