Part 2 of 3
We now move on to the second phase of sharpening the focus. I call it “Assign” because I was trying to be cute and clever and make all 3 parts start with an “A.” But it is really just crafting a plan.
I’ll use the SMART acronym for setting this plan.
Specific – I will lose 20 pounds by January 1, 2020.
Measurable – Loss of 20 pounds in 20 weeks, or 140 days.
Achievable – Lose 1 pound per week
Realistic – Health professionals recommend losing 1-2 pounds per week.
Time-based – Deadline is January 1, 2020
Let’s look at the math for the Achievable and Realistic sections a little more. Last post, I found that if I consume about 1,460 calories a day, I should stay at the same weight. To lose 20 pounds, you must consume 70,000 fewer calories than what would maintain your weight (1 pound is 3,500 calories). Over 140 days, that’s 500 fewer calories per day. So that’s 960 calories a day.
Is that doable? Certainly. In the weeks immediately prior to and after surgery, that’s in the neighborhood of the amount of calories you consume. Most surgeons will advise a 1,000-calorie limit, but especially right after the surgery, you don’t really make it to that limit – your stomach and digestive system are still somewhat in shock at the reduction of the size of the stomach. So 960 is reasonable for me.
Also, you have to go through an adjustment period to see what your stomach will accept. Things do change. I tried to order buffalo wings from Pizza Hut about 5 months after my surgery. My stomach said, “Oh no, not in here” and immediately sent them back up. Scratch that off the list. Sodas, because of the sugar and carbonation, are also on my stomach’s “Do Not Deposit” list.
Last time I also mentioned my 2 weeks of lost plasma donations due to low protein in my blood. The normal recommendation after surgery is 80 grams of protein a day. I obviously wasn’t getting that, and since I wasn’t tracking my food properly, it’s hardly a surprise. I need to go higher. So I’ll shoot for 90-100 grams of protein each day.
Let me pause here to mention another “A” word – accountability. In this effort to get back on track, I cannot make excuses. It’s OK to admit I slipped back into emotional eating, but it’s not OK to excuse it (I’m re-gaining, but it’s not my fault; it’s my emotional problems). It’s not OK to blame others ((Insert family member name here) eats stuff I can’t, and it’s too tempting and (s)he won’t eat my approved foods, so I eat the bad food and gain weight). The scale told the hard truth (I’m not doing what I should and weight gain is the result), and the only remedy is to address the hard truth by giving myself some new assignments and then acting on them. No one forced the pounds on me against my will. I gained them, and it’s up to me to lose them again.
This can also be applied to business. If your business is stuck or not growing as you want, and you have assessed the situation, you then need to assign yourself a remedy (or multiple remedies). Use the SMART acronym to set your plan to get back on track. Perhaps hiring a Virtual Assistant can be part of your plan. A good VA will take some things off your plate so you can get the business moving forward or faster as needed. Contact Us and let’s discuss how we can work together to make things happen.
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