Dan Nied's Fortress of Weight Loss: Day 14
Published January 09, 2008
See, for fun, I’ve taken to doing an unofficial weigh-in at night, to go along with the official weigh-ins in the morning. I usually like to see how much weight I’ve lost simply by sleeping.
I try not to put any stock into those night-time weigh-ins. After all, who knows what extra baggage you are carrying around? Inside your body is the remnants of any food you ate since your last bowel movement, plus any liquid you drank since your last piss. That stuff adds up.
But there have been times when I have lost a significant amount of weight during the day (last Sunday being the most obvious drop when I lost 4.4 pounds during waking hours), and I can’t help but get a little giddy when that happens.
But the numbers, predictably, are usually higher before I go to bed. I’m prepared for that, but when they are higher than I expect, I can’t help but feel a little frustrated.
Tuesday I awoke weighing 290 pounds, a shitty number to begin with, as it was 2.2 pounds higher than the day before. Just for kicks, when I got home from work at 11:30, I decided to weigh in again. The catch there was that I had to pee and, being the inquisitive and gross kind of guy I am, I was wondering how much that pee would weigh. So I climbed atop the scale and was shocked to see 295 pounds. That’s right, only four pounds under the diet’s starting weight, and a full five pounds over the day’s starting weight. To make matters worse, it’s 7.2 pounds higher than Monday’s official weight.
But hey, wait a second. A person’s weight is the most fickle thing in the universe. It goes up and down constantly, and can fluctuate up or down up to 10 pounds in a single day.
True, but I was still hoping that this would be one of those days in which I would lose weight during the day, giving me reason to be optimistic when I woke up for the official weigh-in on Wednesday.
I’m not really upset about this. I just think it’s kind of annoying. But, like I said, I really shouldn’t weigh myself at night. Hopefully I will learn that lesson.
By the way, if you were wondering, after I took that piss, I weighed 294.4. So that particular pee was .6 pounds.
Someone commented that this wasn’t really a scientific blog. Well I beg to differ. I am teaching you all about water displacement.
- Dan Nied's Fortress of Weight Loss: Day 14
- Published: January 09, 2008
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Sci/Tech
- Filed Under: Culture: Society, Sci/Tech: Health/Fitness
- Part of a feature: Dan Nied's Fortress of Weight Loss
- Writer: Dan Nied
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Comments
Life style choices, guys. You don't need to go to the gym to exercise.
As I mentioned before, if you tried to fit in some extra physical extra exercise every day such as a brisk walk every morning and every evening (as in walking a dog), or taking the stairs instead of the elevator or using the commercial breaks while watching TV to do some push ups or something that would help.
Why sit while watching TV? You could stretch out at least.
In any case, I would look at gym work more as conditioning. So why not condition for some sport/activity? And then go from there.
There's nothing wrong with cheese because it gives you calcium to build better bones. Try cutting down on anything fried and all sugar. You tend to emphasize protein and starch.
As for vegetables, why limit yourself to celery and carrots? More excuses. Winter squashes are rich in vitamin A and keep pretty well. If you substituted carrots, celery, steamed vegetable like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or mushrooms for some of the protein you're eating you'd probably have more energy. Do you have a microwave? There's frozen fruit and veggies.
You can eat pizza and lose weight if you:
1. make it yourself
2. get some diet version
3. buy a pizza and only eat 1-2 pieces and do not order thick crust, extra cheese, pepperoni or anything else high in fat or sodium
Weighing yourself more than once a day is stupid.
I weigh myself every morning to make sure I'm not overweight or underweight.
Checking your vital stats (waist, hips, chest, arms and legs) also helps you see more than just pounds, but gives you a better picture of your total health and fitness.
I don't really want to work out either man. The trick is to just throw on your workout stuff, lace up the running shoes and go without thinking about it. By the time you step foot in the gym you'll be glad you went.
I love working out but have a hard time finding a 1 hour block after lunch. Nevertheless, I found that there are things I LOVE to do and if I pay money, I'll go. Right now it's ballroom dance. Believe it or not, I get a great workout, it's only once a week and so it supplements my other routines. It helps if you have an off-the-couch activity you like and you're cheap like me, that's the way to stay motivated. Force yourself to have a cost-response. If you don't go, it won't be about not exercising, it becomes about the almighty dollar. I get enough exercise, I just eat enough to counteract any calories I might have lost!!!!
Again, I admire you for putting it all out there.
The best advice I give my clients about making it to the gym is just don't think about it - Just Do It - like what Nike says. The other things going through your mind are NOT AN OPTION. Then move your body through the movements of going to the gym, still 'not thinking' - just doing. Next thing you know, your done with your workout and feel great!





I completely understand the gym thing. I am also a member of a gym, here in the same building complex as my office. There are mornings when I get up at 5:30, leave the house to go to the gym before work. More often than not I end up at the Starbucks for an hour reading the paper and talking with the locals...then there's not enough time to go to the gym before I start work. It's really pathetic.
I respect what you are doing; like I shared with you previously I am trying as well. I can't keep track like you are but you are still giving me inspiration.
Thanks