The Long Way Back: Week 8 Recap

 Well, it has been a few weeks now and the rapid weight loss has started to taper off. I suppose this is the point where it starts to feel like a grind. My current weight is 239.6 pounds.

This is probably the crucial phase of the process — the time where real habits are built. Habits that hopefully can last for the rest of my life.

That has always been the issue for me.

I’ve always had the willpower to push through a long and aggressive cut because deep down I know there’s an end to it. But what I do after that end has always been where things fall apart. I fail to plan… and eventually end up gaining the weight back.

The truth is, I have many levers I can pull to strip fat away.

I can tighten the calorie deficit.
Cut carbs further.
Lean heavily on keto products because they’re lower in calories.
Even fast for a couple days during the week.

Those levers work. They almost always move the number on the scale.

But this time around I’m trying to be more mindful of them. Not because they’re bad tools — but because I need to ask myself a more important question:

Is this sustainable?

There are days where I know I could fast for 24 to 48 hours and just get my steps in. Motivation is easy when you know the scale will reward you.

But deep down I also know something else.

I should be building — or at the very least maintaining — muscle.

That means protein.
That means fuel for strength training.

A steady pace will ultimately lead to a better physique and better long-term health. The goal isn’t just to be a smaller version of my old self. I don’t want to end up skinny-fat.

Body recomposition is the real goal.

And the importance of muscle only becomes more obvious as we get older. It should always be a priority.

Anyway, that’s enough preaching from me.

I don’t have everything figured out yet. This is just me thinking out loud as I try to find the path that works for me on this never-ending weight loss journey. Over time, experience gives you little nuggets of wisdom you can apply the next time around — hopefully with better results.

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This Week’s Tip: Costco Finds

When I’m at Costco, there are a couple staples I always grab.

The organic chicken tenderloins pack and Real Good flour tortillas are absolute essentials for me.

With those two items alone, you can make chicken quesadillas, tacos, or burritos most days of the week. The macros are excellent, and with that much protein and fiber you’ll stay full while cutting calories.

Add Ray’s No Sugar Added BBQ sauce and you’re in business.

Meal prep is ridiculously simple too.

Just open up a three-pack of the Costco chicken tenderloins, season them however you like, and cook them all off on a George Foreman grill. Chop them up afterwards and you’ve got 3–5 days of easy access protein ready to go.

Taking the guesswork out of what you’re going to eat makes everything easier.

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Anyway… back to the regularly scheduled program.

I just crossed 31 pounds lost in a little over two months.

About 15 pounds a month.

Not too shabby.

LFG.

The Long Way Back: Week 5 Recap

 February 16 Weigh-In: 245.3 lbs

Total Loss So Far: 25 pounds
Timeline: About 6 weeks in

The last recap was 11 days ago, and we’re still chugging along.

This morning I stepped on the scale at 245.3. That’s 25 pounds down in roughly six weeks. I’d say a good portion of that is water weight. I don’t know the exact percentage, and honestly, it doesn’t matter right now.

These are the early days of a cut. The number on the scale still matters. There’s no shame in that.

But I also know that when the scale stalls for a few days — or even ticks up slightly — the response doesn’t change. Trust the process. Track your food accurately. Hit your steps every single day. Lift at least three times per week.

That part is non-negotiable.

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What I’ve Learned From Yo-Yo Dieting

One thing I’ve learned from years of dieting is that restrictive plans don’t work for me long term.

I can cut carbs aggressively and watch the scale drop fast. I’ve done it. It works.

Until it doesn’t.

Because once I fall off that wagon, it turns into binge eating. Then I gain it all back — usually faster than I lost it.

That cycle is exhausting.

So this time I track everything. If it fits within my daily calorie target, I eat it and make peace with it. Psychologically, that changes everything. I’m not stranded on some island eating fish and leaves. I have structure, but I also have choice.

And that makes it sustainable.

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Priorities Have Shifted

Now that I’m older, my focus isn’t just losing weight. It’s building muscle.

I want my body to cooperate with my brain as I age. Muscle matters for longevity, mobility, and metabolic health. So protein is a priority — close to 1 gram per pound of body weight when I can fit it into my calories.

Carbs stay in, especially on strength training days. Fiber is non-negotiable — as much as my gut can tolerate.

I aim for 11–12k steps per day, and I never go below 10k. Weight training at least three times per week.

Small adjustments. Big consistency.

That’s what got 25 pounds off.

My clothes fit looser. My feet are thankful for the lighter load. I can feel the difference.

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The Calorie Deficit

My intake typically ranges between 1200–1600 calories per day.

That’s aggressive for my body weight and activity level, but with the amount of fat I have to lose, it hasn’t felt overly taxing. I’m managing it well.

At some point in the next month or two, I may tighten things up to a consistent 1600. But for now, I can afford this phase.

The rule is simple:
If I start feeling lethargic, unmotivated, or my training performance suffers consistently — I’ll adjust.

This isn’t about suffering. It’s about sustainability.

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Twenty-five pounds down.

A lot more to go.

But this is the first time it feels controlled instead of chaotic.

For now, we keep stacking disciplined weeks.

Another Campfire Story from Joshua Tree: The Phoenix Lights

Out here in the desert, the sky feels closer. You spend enough nights under it — real nights, away from city glow — and you start noticing how alive it feels. Satellites gliding. Aircraft blinking. Meteors streaking. The occasional thing that doesn’t fit neatly into a category. Which brings us to tonight’s campfire story. Not from Joshua Tree… but from another desert sky. March 13, 1997 — Phoenix, Arizona. Thousands of people reported seeing a formation of lights moving silently across the sky. Not dozens. Not hundreds. Thousands. Witnesses described a massive V-shaped structure — some saying it blocked out the stars as it passed overhead. Completely silent. Slow. Controlled. Intentional. Later that evening, another set of lights appeared over Phoenix, hovering and slowly descending behind the mountains. That second event was eventually attributed to military flares dropped during an exercise. But the earlier sightings? Still debated. Pilots reported it. Police officers reported it. Ordinary families standing in their driveways reported it. Arizona’s governor at the time even joked publicly about it — before later admitting he had witnessed something himself. No official explanation has ever fully closed the case. And here’s the thing about desert skies — whether you’re in Arizona or Joshua Tree: They don’t give you many places to hide illusions. There’s something about wide open land and unobstructed horizon that makes you trust what you’re seeing a little more. Or at least question it differently. So when stories like the Phoenix Lights come up, they resonate out here. Because anyone who’s spent enough time under a desert sky knows: You can identify most of what passes overhead. But not everything. And sometimes the unexplained isn’t about proving what happened… It’s about acknowledging that thousands of people looked up on the same night and realized they didn’t have an answer. Just another story for the fire.