Its been an interesting 2025. Its also been a moment since Ive posted anything, so I wanted to kind of just update where things are.
Firstly, a little accountability. Things have completely stalled out. Ive been sitting somewhere between 265 and 275 for the last month or so. I’ve stopped food logging entirely. I got busy in early October working on a car project that monopolized most of my free time. The simple truth here is that I stopped making my health the top priority. I didnt go completely off the rails – I was still eating decently-ish and was still active. But I was eating a lot more calorie dense foods like cheese and a lot less veggies. Not accounting for my calorie intake made a huge difference because I wasnt as aware of it. For me, this is the one way for me to hold myself accountable for the deficit. The strictness of my routine is where I had the most success.
I’ve been working to tighten up some of the holes in my diet. I havent been accounting for my food, but I have been cooking better and eating more consistently with the way I had been. I also decided that junk that I was allowing in the house, even if sugar free, is probably not the best idea because I still get out of control with it from time to time.
My current plan for 2026 looks something like this.
- Food logging – This is making a return because it just works so well for me.
- Calorie deficit – Again, this is something I know works and keeping the calories out greater than the calories in means more weight loss.
- AM Gym Sessions – I want to attempt to get back to a more consistent gym schedule. By the end of the day these days I just feel so low energy and often times am involved in other things that require my time. Im already awake by 5AM most days, so I think I can make it into the gym. Im already on the treadmill most mornings. I want to start thinking about putting on a bit more muscle, although I dont know that I need to get back to lifting as heavy as I used to.
- 2x walking – In addition to the gym, I want to make sure Im walking at least twice daily. This seems to be really good for keeping my blood sugar in check without quite so much insulin. Less insulin also keeps the weight in check.
- Consistency! – This is everything and is the name of the game. I want to build routine that keeps all of the above as just part of my daily way of living. These are all lifestyle changes and consistency in either direction leads to consistent results – either direction.
- No evening carbs – Based on my blood sugar data, it seems like I would do better to not have anything overly carby – even if a lot of fiber – in the evenings. Im seeing blood sugar spikes after dinner (which is normal anyway)that carry through the nighttime hours and make my blood sugar higher in the AM. To that end, I think keeping the carbs to a minimum in the evenings is probably best. Im usually in bed by 9P most nights anyway, so this shouldnt be a huge ask. That may change once the spring weather breaks and we have more daylight. I tend to be more active in the evenings during the summer months. I’ll re-evaluate those needs accordingly. However, I think for now, carbs will probably happen earlier in the day. This wont be a huge shift. I’ll just eat leftover casserole stuff that I make for lunch instead of for dinner. Pretty easy change.
- Cheats – This is where i need to be super aware. For the foreseeable future, I think Im probably best with the approach i took earlier this year – keep the cheats somewhat controlled. If Im going to do a pizza, I need to make it at home and not go too crazy. Things were getting a touch out of control with the pizza. This same thing goes for the treats like the sugar free PB cups and whatnot. Its nice to have around for a blood sugar emergency, but I do tend to lean on those when Im stressed or am hungry in the middle of the day and sometimes my self control isnt the best. I do better when that stuff isnt around. I think a weekly allowance of one meal as a treat – like a homemade lower carb pizza is more than ok. This does seem to satisfy my pizza cravings and isnt the worst thing in the world.
None of these are overly difficult changes, as they are things Ive done before and am used to doing. Just have to jump back on the train. I didnt hit my goal of 250 this year, but priorities shifted in the fall and that happens at times. Im still down 50 lbs from the first of the year and Im proud of that. I know now that I have the ability to get it done and know what it takes to get there. I also know some of the triggers that affect my weight and where I tend to fall short. I’ll definitely be keeping those things in mind.
Im not sure how Im posting yet next year. I liked the idea of posting infrequently as an evaluation of how its going. I think there was a point this year where I got too focused on “here’s what Im doing – give it a try” kind of thing. I was excited because it was working out so well. Bear in mind these are the things that are working for me.
There are so many ways you can go to lose weight and improve your health. It really is about finding what works best for you. Dont be afraid to try things. Dont be afraid to fail. Thats how we learn what works and what doesnt. Dont be afraid to cook – thats how you control your food intake. Honestly just opting to cook your own food vs eating out will save you a ton because now you can control the ingredients.
We live in the greatest time right now because we have access to so much technology that can help us meet our goals, if we’re interested in executing. Get an instant pot, get an air fryer – you can get either for less than $100/each. The internet is full of recipes for both and most of the time, you can alter other recipes that fit your needs. If you’re just starting out, just focus on finding the recipes first. We can do this. And you dont have to wait until the next year to do it. Let’s get it. Here’s to 2026. Let’s get some!