Milestone Achieved: Breaking the 300 Barrier

When I wrote about losing my first 50 pounds back in June, I knew I was on the right track, but I honestly wasn’t sure how much further I could push myself. Well, I’m thrilled to report that consistency and persistence have paid off in ways I never imagined. As of this week, I’ve officially lost over 80 pounds, and for the first time in nearly 20 years, I’m below 300 pounds. For those who can’t do math, that means when I started this weight loss journey, I had ballooned to 380 lbs.

Let me pause for a moment to let that sink in. Below 300 pounds. Twenty years. I can barely remember what it felt like to see a number starting with a “2” on the scale, but here we are. It’s surreal, emotional, and incredibly motivating all at once.

What’s Changed Since June

The fundamentals haven’t changed much since my last update. I’m still using Lose It! religiously, still walking religiously, and still doing strength training at least two days a week. The Wegovy continues to help manage my appetite, and intermittent fasting remains a cornerstone of my approach. I switched from using Strava to track my workouts to Fitbit. Strava is awesome, but I prefer the way Fitbit breaks down the information.

My daily walks have extended from 3 miles to consistently hitting 4 miles. I recently took a 4-mile walk, averaging a pace of 13:39 per mile (about 4.4 miles per hour) . I had to dial back the jogging because my knees started hurting. I took this as a sign I was not quite ready to start running. I hope to get back to doing so light running again soon.

I also had to pause my strength training for a few weeks due to back issues. Over the last two weeks or so, I have resumed strength training and push myself during every workout.

The Power of Music and Motivation

As I mentioned in the past, music has become crucial for me to maintain the intensity in my workouts, especially when walking. Since June, I have created two additional public playlists that help me keep my pace while walking. The original playlist is excellent, but I needed to change things up from time to time. The playlists (which were also created with the help of Claude) are:

• 80s Walking Mix - High-energy 80s hits perfect for walking - multiple genres, no Madonna
• Walkin’ & Rockin’ - Walkin’ and Rockin’ delivers high-powered rock anthems to fuel your stride. Blistering riffs, thunderous beats—this playlist is built for pavement pounding, stress melting, and cardio domination. Lace up, crank up, and let the rebellion roar. 🎸👟🔥

The Physical and Mental Transformation

The physical changes go far beyond the number on the scale. I no longer dread mowing the lawn as it has become much easier to complete, and I consider it a different kind of exercise. Heck, I even tend to mow more of the lawn with the push mower than I used to.

But more significant than the physical changes are the mental ones. The person who used to look for excuses to avoid activity has been replaced by someone who looks for opportunities to move. When traveling, I no longer use the moving walkways; I walk wherever I need to. When I go shopping, I park further from the door and walk at right angles to get more steps. Even when I do my exercise walks, I walk on the outside of curves to get more steps without altering my route.

My blood pressure continues to improve, my resting heart rate keeps dropping, and those aches and pains I attributed to “getting older” have largely disappeared. Turns out, many of them were just from carrying around 80+ extra pounds. I almost forgot how clothes are supposed to feel when they actually fit.

There has been one thing that has been difficult to deal with this summer: my golf swing. I struggled the entire season to find consistency with my swing and have had to constantly tweak it as I lost more weight (but that is a good problem to have). One part of my golf game that has improved quite a bit is my putting. This is because I can stand over the ball better, and that allows me to have a more consistent swing.

Looking Ahead

As incredible as this milestone feels, I’m not done yet. My next goal is to lose another 20-30 pounds, which would put me at a weight I haven’t seen since my mid-thirties. The journey that began with simple consistency—tracking food, walking daily, and strength training—has evolved into a complete lifestyle transformation. What started as a goal to lose weight has evolved into a fundamental change in how I view health, activity, and what’s possible at any age.

If you’re on your own journey, remember that progress isn’t always linear, but consistency is everything. Some weeks the scale moves, some weeks it doesn’t (I hit a plateau myself the last few weeks that I was able to push past), but the habits you build today become the foundation for tomorrow’s victories.

Here’s to the next 20 pounds—and to never seeing a “3” at the front of my weight again.

Photo by Samuel Ramos on Unsplash