Honestly, this is a message about becoming too damned fat. However, people are inundated with diet talk so I will deftly change the subject to goal setting. Yes, goal setting seems like a much more appropriate topic for upscale readers like yourselves.

So…this is a message about goal setting. Didn’t the title of this message explain that? Maybe not. Permit me to explain.

I find goal-setting to be a very important part of life. Someone once said, “If you don’t know where you are going…you might end up there”. Someone also said, “You can never be too rich or too thin”. Another person, maybe someone who didn’t really like to exercise, said, “You can’t outwork your diet”.  I find each of these statements to be profound.

I have used various forms of goal-setting all my life. I suspect you have as well. If you hadn’t been a good setter of goals, and probably just as importantly an achiever of goals it is unlikely you would ever have been approved to receive this newsletter. I learned in a speech-giving class that it’s a good idea to suck up to your audience early and often!

What are the elements of good goal-setting?

1. A goal needs to be specific. I wanna lose weight doesn’t cut it. I wanna lose 33 pounds because I’m too damned fat is much better.

2. A goal needs to be measurable. You can’t just look at yourself in the mirror and conclude you’ve met your goal. When you stand on the frigging scale that’s MEASURABLE.

3. A goal needs to be achievable. It doesn’t make much sense at virtually any age to say, “I want to be the center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels”. We all know Mike Trout has the job lined up for the foreseeable future.

4. A goal needs to be relevant. More than anything else the goal needs to be about something that is important to you. Other folks have their own issues they are battling. You will be the person who is most focused on achieving the goal you end up setting.

5. A goal needs to be timely. You can’t lose 33 pounds in one week or two weeks or likely one month. Break your goal down into smaller achievable parts.

6. This is Randy’s special rule. You need to TELL people at the beginning what your goal is. That way if you don’t achieve your goal or fall behind pace your family and friends can laugh at you and make fun of you and generally think less of you because you are a slacker. I kinda think rule #6 might be the most important rule of goal-setting.

So…I established a goal of losing 33 pounds. Why? Because I was too damned fat and my clothes didn’t fit well and I had a hard time tying my shoes and stuff like that. My goal was specific. My goal was measurable. Rather than Tuesday being Taco Tuesday, Tuesday would be the day each week that I stepped on the scale.

I could swear I knew what had caused me to get fat. I am almost 100% certain it had something to do with what and how much I was eating! If I could find out how to measure what I was eating I would be headed in the right direction. My goal of losing 33 pounds was certainly relevant to me. I didn’t want to be too damned fat. My goal was also timely. I started on March 1, 2022, and never looked back. The Nutrisystem eating plan was going to be my ticket to victory. I would eat Nutrisystem foods for the next 20 years if I lived that long or until I lost 33 pounds.

Finally, it was time to tell people about my goal to lose weight. That’s rule #6…the most important rule of goal-setting. I went out on Facebook and told my FB friends what I would be doing. I always included the above caricature of a guy standing on a scale. Every Tuesday, even when I was traveling the world, I gave my 2,500+ friends on Facebook an update. Sometimes I had good news to share but not always.

Several really nice people humored me with “keep it up”, “nice going” and the like. Then they went back to the struggles they were facing in life. I appreciated those comments the most. They came from some of the nicest people I know. If someone that I didn’t personally know made a supportive comment I immediately concluded they were a nice person.

Without further adieu, I share with you Part 1 of a two-part series on “Randy’s weight-loss journey“. I hope you enjoy it.

WEEK 1
During week 1 of the Nutrisystem eating plan, they ask that I eat their foods for all seven days of the week. Beginning in week 2 and beyond I will be eating NS food (both frozen and non-frozen) for five days each week and my own food, in NS recommended quantities, for two days. I am also drinking a minimum of 64 ounces of liquid. For me, that’s water, Gatorade Zero, and Coke Zero. I’m not a huge fan of drinking water except for exercise.
 
I didn’t really know what to expect when I stepped on the scale at the end of week 1. What if I had GAINED weight. OMG. I couldn’t believe what the scale showed. I lost 8.4 pounds! People are always quick to say that in the early days of a diet you will be losing “water weight”. That seemed odd since I was drinking so much liquid. NS says to expect weight loss of 1-2 pounds/week. There can also be “plateaus”. I think they are just covering their butt with those disclaimers. Nevertheless, beyond thrilled with the results from week 1.
 
 

WEEK 2
Week 2 of my Nutrisystem eating plan completed. Results? I lost 1.8 pounds. I’ll take it. Following week #1 I am allowed to eat a little bit more food (B-L-D and 3 snacks). Nutrisystem says folks should be able to lose 1-2 pounds a week after week #1. The food is good. I am never hungry. I drink a lot of liquids and pee a lot. From here on out if I could lose 2 pounds/week or close to it, I would be thrilled. Now? Where’s breakfast?
 
Weight loss results
Week 1   -8.6 lbs.
Week 2  -1.8 lbs.
 
Total   – 10.4 lbs.
 
 
WEEK 3
It’s Tuesday! Weigh-in day! Week #3 (21 days!) of my Nutrisystem eating plan is now complete. I spent three nights on the road up in Portland watching the NCAA basketball games last week. That makes eating right a bit more challenging.
 
 
Nutrisystem offers both frozen and non-frozen foods. My plan also includes eating non-Nutrisystem foods 2 days a week and their food 5 days a week. This means that when I’m on the road (I average 3 nights/week or more EVERY week on the road) I have to make a visit to a grocery store and then have a fridge and microwave in the hotel. That’s not the most convenient thing. I have followed the entire program to a “T” and am also walking at least four miles every day.
 
 
Nutrisystem says folks should lose 1-2 pounds/week. I’m hoping for an average of 2 pounds/week. This is a long slog. My goal is to lose 33 pounds and then assess from there. It is with great trepidation that I step on the scale each Tuesday. What if I fail? Well…so far so good. In week #3 I lost three pounds. Very pleased with those results. Today week 4 begins. Sticking with the plan and understanding this will take time.
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
 
Total – 13.4 lbs.
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost
 

 
WEEK 4
Tuesday is weigh-in day. I always step on the scale with a good degree of concern and trepidation. During the first three weeks of my Nutrisystem eating plan I lost 13.4 pounds. Week 4 results were disappointing. I only lost 0.2 pounds. Despite traveling for three overnights to the east coast I felt I had “stuck with the program”. In addition to what I ate I also walked 37.1 miles during the week! I could always blame the referees (scale) but I won’t. I will simply go onto Week 5 with a very positive attitude with gratitude toward the results already achieved and hopefulness on the good results to come.
 
My travel included a trip to Philly to see our UCLA Bruins play in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament. It’s not tremendous fun traveling through airports and going to restaurants with J.J. and his friends when I’m eating packaged Nutrisystem food and drinking only Diet Coke when they are having chicken wings and fried calamari amongst other things. However, I still maintain I am never really hungry eating like this. That’s a good thing.
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
Week 4 -0.2 lbs.
 
Total – 13.6 lbs.
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost
 

 
WEEK 5
Tuesday is weigh-in day. Good results this week. I lose two pounds for a 5-week total of 15.6 pounds lost. I still love the taste of the Nutrisystem food. Nutrisystem says weight loss should be 1-2 pounds/week. Most everyone on the NS program eats the same AMOUNT of food. With that being said I think my eating 1,500-1,800 calories a day should result in a faster weight loss than someone who begins the program at 180 pounds. However, I’m not sure it works that way.
 
I am now into my “normal” 2-3 nights of trackchasing travel each week. Managing this program while running through airports and driving rental cars 300-400 miles a day adds to the challenge of finding, preparing and eating the food. I’m still walking more than 4 miles every day. Most of the reason for the success I’ve had rests with Carol (that is usually the case). She’s my “vegetable chopper” and more. This is a long slow slog but I’m on the case.
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
Week 4 -0.2 lbs.
Week 5 -2.0 lbs.
 
Total – 15.6 lbs. lost
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost
 

 
WEEK 6
My Nutrisystem plan is a lot like playing golf. If you have the wrong expectations, you’re going to end up disappointed. Nutrisystem says you should expect to lose 1-2 pounds/week. I’ve said from the beginning if I could lose 2 pounds/week I would be thrilled. When I got up this morning and looked in the mirror things didn’t look good. This is not unusual. Stepping on the scale is always a very scary feeling. What if I didn’t lose any weight? Heaven forbid, what if I gained weight? After I told all these people? The Nutrisystem eating plan is pretty simple. Just eat their foods and some of your own fruits and veggies and drink at least 64 oz. of liquid and you should be OK. Now, after six weeks of doing exactly what NS has asked me to do things are OK.
 
This week I lost 3.8 pounds. In six weeks, that’s 19 pounds. In that time, I have gone from the high 250s to the 230s. I couldn’t be happier. This week I traveled three nights to Oklahoma and Texas. I drove past a LOT of Waffle Houses. I will go there again sometime. Carol says I looked “skinnier”. I told her, “You’re paid to say stuff like that”. She’s the one who chops my vegetables and serves most of my meals at home. Thank you, Carol! I am beginning to wear some of my old XL t-shirts. I’m more than halfway towards my goal. I take one day and one meal at a time. Thanks to everyone who has offered encouragement.
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
Week 4 -0.2 lbs.
Week 5 -2.0 lbs.
Week 6 -3.4 lbs.
 
 
Total – 19.0 lbs. lost
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost
 

 
WEEK 7
I will go to my grave thinking that the reason I reached my highest weight ever before I started Nutrisystem…had something to do with what I was eating! I must admit I never feel very confident in my hoped-for weight loss each Tuesday morning. Slow and steady appears to be winning this race.
 
This week had me on the overnight trackchasing trail for three nights. One night was sleeping in my car in a Jack in the Box parking lot! Nevertheless, the week’s results show 1.8 pounds lost. When I see WHAT I am eating now compared to WHAT I was eating before it feels as if I should have lost more. Don’t get me wrong I am super pleased with the results! A coming up soon 2-week trip to Europe with Carol has me worried.
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
Week 4 -0.2 lbs.
Week 5 -2.0 lbs.
Week 6 -3.4 lbs.
Week 7 -1.8 lbs.
 
 
Total – 20.8 lbs. lost
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost
 

 
WEEK 8
This week I lost another 1.6 pounds. That’s 22.4 pounds in eight weeks. Nutrisystem says folks should expect to lose 1-2 pounds/week after week 1. Dang! They might be right. I thought I might beat the average. I am at my lowest weight in four years. I don’t cheat on the program and this week I walked 36 miles! Maybe slow and steady will win this race.
 
Overall, I am very pleased with the results I have achieved. However, I can tell I still have a long way to go. I’m guessing it will take another full eight weeks to get where I want to be. Just reaching my first goal of 33 pounds of weight loss isn’t going to be good enough. When I reach that goal, I will have a smaller weight loss goal to take me to the next level. I will likely back off the Nutrisystem plan for two weeks while we vacation in Europe. It is what it is. I’m committed to this and will take whatever time it does take to meet my goals.
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
Week 4 -0.2 lbs.
Week 5 -2.0 lbs.
Week 6 -3.4 lbs.
Week 7 -1.8 lbs.
Week 8 -1.6 lbs.
 
 
Total – 22.4 lbs. lost
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost
 

 
WEEK 9
Weight loss is a one step at a time endeavor. I am happy to report I lost two pounds this week. One step at a time? Yep. I walked 39 miles this week! I travel 2-4 nights every week. I never would have thought I would be looking for a grocery store on these trips more so than a Waffle House. I also never would have thought I would be buying green beans and blackberries!
 
I have one more official weigh in before Carol and I depart for a two-week trip to Europe. I won’t stick to my eating plan as strictly on this vacation. That wouldn’t be much fun for Carol, would it? I have Carol to thank for much of my weight loss success. She makes six pounds of “loose meat” at a time. Our European trip is two weeks off. I will be trackchasing way down in central Mexico this weekend. I guess I will be seeing the insides of several Mexican grocery stores! One step at a time, baby.
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
Week 4 -0.2 lbs.
Week 5 -2.0 lbs.
Week 6 -3.4 lbs.
Week 7 -1.8 lbs.
Week 8 -1.6 lbs.
Week 9 -2.0 lbs.
 
 
Total – 24.4 lbs. lost
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost
 

 
WEEK 10
Four pounds lost this week! That’s my best week since week 1. I am now at my lowest weight in nearly five years. I continue to walk 35-40 miles/week. All good. I was in Mexico for three nights and ate in a couple of Mexican restaurants and drank some tequila and ate some mouth-watering tacos. I never expected a four-pound loss this week.
 
There will be no weigh-in next week. Carol and I will be in Europe for two weeks. From a weight loss standpoint, this is minorly (majorly?) concerning. We’ll spend most of our time in Italy, the land of pizza and pasta. I can’t eat Nutrisystem meals on this trip. That wouldn’t be fair to Carol. I would be over the moon if I didn’t gain ANY weight. As it is I am allowing myself a three-pound weight gain during the two-week trip. Chao!
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
Week 4 -0.2 lbs.
Week 5 -2.0 lbs.
Week 6 -3.4 lbs.
Week 7 -1.8 lbs.
Week 8 -1.6 lbs.
Week 9 -2.0 lbs.
Week 10 -4.0 lbs.
 
 
Total – 28.4 lbs. lost
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost
 

 
WEEK 11
There is no weigh-in this week. We’re in Italy. Do I expect to lose any weight while we are in Italy, the land of pasta and pizza? I do not. I didn’t come to Italy to lose weight. I just hope I don’t gain too much. If I do? No problem. I will lose whatever I gained when I get back!
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
Week 4 -0.2 lbs.
Week 5 -2.0 lbs.
Week 6 -3.4 lbs.
Week 7 -1.8 lbs.
Week 8 -1.6 lbs.
Week 9 -2.0 lbs.
Week 10 -4.0 lbs.
Week 11 – No weigh-in (Italy)
 
 
Total – 28.4 lbs. lost
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost
 

 
WEEK 12
 
Just got back from nearly two weeks in Italy and other countries. I gained 5.8 pounds. My goal was to gain a maximum of 3 pounds. Frankly, after eating pasta and pizza every day for lunch and dinner at gourmet restaurants as well as having an ice cream treat virtually every day and eating lavish hotel buffet breakfasts each morning I am thrilled with my “limited” weight gain. After seeing and thinking about what I ate I thought it could’ve been much worse. I wasn’t going to Italy to eat 1,500 calories a day! I did walk 73.9 miles during these two weeks. I’m sure that helped some.

In three days, I leave for another 16-day, primarily international, trip by myself. I will be attempting to use the Nutrisystem eating plan during this time so I should lose weight. It’s a lot easier making eating sacrifices when I am by myself than when I feel a need to “entertain” Carol…although she eats like a bird.
 
Weight loss results
Week 1 -8.6 lbs.
Week 2 -1.8 lbs.
Week 3 -3.0 lbs.
Week 4 -0.2 lbs.
Week 5 -2.0 lbs.
Week 6 -3.4 lbs.
Week 7 -1.8 lbs.
Week 8 -1.6 lbs.
Week 9 -2.0 lbs.
Week 10 -4.0 lbs.
Week 11 – No weigh-in (Italy)
Week 12 +5.8 lbs. (Back from Italy)
 
Total – 22.6 lbs. lost
 
Goal – 33 lbs. lost