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Progress Journal (Weight Loss & Money)

OJB said:
Ashsrt said:
what's your height?
Click to expand...

Hello!

I am 6 foot 1 inch
Click to expand...

Nice, same here! Keep at it man, getting under 220 is amazing. You’ll starting seeing veins in your arms and legs that you haven’t seen before. And your upper rib cage starts showing. Muscles start showing cuts. Don’t lose the momentum. Good luck!
 
V-log # 21: https://youtu.be/KLfhFqLZpGE

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Summary
1. I lost another -2.2 lbs this week.
2. Paid $500.00 towards my debt.

I also read and Reflected on Caleb Jones "Four Major lies people have about women and sex" and I'd say I agree with two of them 100%, and the other two points he makes I'm about 75% with him on.

The four 'lies' he attacks is
1. Sex outside of marriage is bad (I agree with him 100% that it is not).
2. Monogamy is the only solid relationship mode (LoL. I only have to look at my parents, my friends, and my friend's parents to know this is 100% BS).
3. A woman should only be exclusive to one guy (I'm like 75% with him on this).
4. A woman who sleeps around is less valuable (--I know some women who slept around in order to hurt their BFs or create drama. So, like maybe I'm conflating two separate issues, or maybe I've had a few bumpy experiences, but I'm like 75% with him on this. I don't think having sex makes you less valuable. I think creating needless drama makes you less valuable.)

Also, he had a list of differences between men and women, and this gets into Red-Pill Theory. All I want to say on the subject is that I agree with and acknowledge Red-pill Theory, but I don't like dwelling on it to the point where like some red-pillers treat women like the great enemy.

In any case, my main focus is currently losing weight and paying off debt, but since I'm at this part in his book, I figured I'd give some thought to what he is saying.

Also, I'm going into the last week of this 3-month workout program I've been following (Best thing I've bought all year). It has four levels to it (Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, and Advance). After I finish this week, I'll be taking a 1-week break before repeating the whole program but on a higher level (level 2). I can't believe I've been working out for 3 months already. Before I bought the program I had a very spotty workout schedule, but this program makes it really easy to just follow. I"ll be doing new pictures two Fridays from today.

And, I recommended a Real Life friend to this place, but I don't know if he will come.

Last, I'd like to lose another 1.6 lbs this week because that would hit the -40lbs mark (about half way).

Well, that's it for this week. Hopefully next week is just as solid.

--OJB
 
V-log # 22: https://youtu.be/z6ebku6W4VU

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Summary
1. I lost another -3.4 lbs this week, pushing me over the 40 lbs lost mark.
2. I sent a $1,500.00 payment which will reduce my personal debt to $0.00, making me debt free and accomplishing my B-goal.

I had not planned to be debt free this soon; my original plan was to have it all paid off by January 1st, but I had the money and said, 'Let's just do it.' This is huge. Originally, like 3-4 months ago, the debt was multi-source and around $8,000.00 and was causing a lot of stress, but slowly I was able to get it down to just 1 source of debt and then I just attacked it until now. This really puts a smile on my face--maybe even more so than the 40 lbs I've lost so far.

In any case, this opens new doors for me in two ways: 1. After I get to 200 or less lbs (I'm not 100% sure what my final weight will end up being), I plan on getting a new wardrobe, and by new I mean everything pretty much as to go as a lot of my clothes are even now too baggy on me. So I'm going to start saving money for that. 2. Also, this opens up the chance for me to pursue a new B-goal, which I will consider and plan out over this next week.

In terms of fitness, I am pushing to get my weight to 222.8 by New Years as this would be the -50lbs lost mark. I am currently at 231.2 lbs. Regardless, I will be taking new pictures next week along with a 3-month review report.

Last, in terms of reading Caleb Jones stuff, I won't go over everything I read from his put this week, but I did come up with a list of things to work on.

Things he suggests
1. Be Confident--I've average here.
2. Be Outcome independent--Probably my best internal trait
3. Control emotions--This could use some work.
4. Tan--I don't really tan, but being a shade or two darker would be nice.
5. Have a skin care routine--I'm going to look into this over the next week.
6. Have my head--I need to be more consistent with this, but I just hate shaving in general.
7. Lose fat--working hard on this.
8. Fix teeth--I have one tooth that is out of alignment I'd like to get fix.
9. Have an Edgy Wardrobe--This sounds like Radical's area of expertise, but once I start approaching the finish line of my weight goal I'll buy his E-book.

--
That all I have for this week. I'll be back next weekend, with new pictures, new plans, etc.

--OJB
 
V-log # 23.

https://youtu.be/H-l8vGXAD0Q

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Okay, here are the stats.

This week I only lost -0.4 lbs (Not great, but better than gaining).

In the last 6 weeks I have:
1. lost -12.8 lbs
2. Paid off $3000.00 worth of debt

In the last 3 months (14 weeks), since I started v-logging I have:
1. lost 34.6 lbs
2. Paid off $6901.00 worth of debt

My current weight is 230.8 lbs

Here are pictures: View attachment 1

This is the first picture I took at the start of this (265.4 lbs), and below is the new pictures of me being at 230.8 lbs.



--

I have another 30.8 lbs until I hit my weight goal of 200 lbs (I might need to still lose more, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there).

--
Going into the next 3 months I want to make 2 changes to my weight loss program.

1. First, I want to work out in the A.M. not the P.M. The reason being is that eventually I will be pursuing other goals but this does not excuse me from maintaining my physical health. Hence, the only way to make more time is to workout in the A.M. giving me more free time after work to do other things.

2. I will be doing 18-hour fasts everyday. This is on top of my low/no-carb diet.

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I'm starting to save money for my new wardrobe. My next A-goal, once I finish losing all my weight, will be to buy a new wardrobe. I've started putting a list together of stuff I need/want to buy. This will still be some time out, but at least I'm working my way there. Sadly, I have to also fix my truck (one of the tires is super fucked, and the brights keep turning on by themselves).

--

Last, so when I originally stated my goal was to pay off my debt someone (not here) said "That's a good goal, but what you are going to do to keep yourself from getting back into debt?" I have to admit, that question rather stuck with me as I didn't have an answer, and I still don't have one, exactly. Regardless, my new fuzzy B-goal is to up my income to $100,000.00 per year. No, I don't have an exact plan on how to achieve this--I'm just going to work towards it and try to accomplish it by January 1st 2024 (110 weeks from today).
 
This is straight up phenomenal work done in three months - both on weight loss and paying off debt. Definitely like the idea of shifting workouts to the morning - I like having that feeling of accomplishment early on. Hopefully it'll give you the same boost. Keep it up!
 
V-log # 24 (I had the right microphone plugged in this time, lol).

https://youtu.be/rbPm5IhyPEk
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Summary: This was a solid week, so two major thing:

1. I lost -4.2 lbs this week (Currently, 226.6 lbs). I want to note, however, that I weighed myself Thursday morning instead of Friday Morning this week because it was America's Thanksgiving. I had three parties I had to go to yesterday so I knew my weight would be heavy thing morning (Friday). I skipped dinner almost every night this week to help count balance yesterday, but I will be going back to my regular eating schedule starting tomorrow (Keto + 18 fasting period each day).

2. Last week I stated I wanted to increase my income up to $100,000 per year. This goal has been on my mind for a long time--and I would have made it an A-goal instead of a B-goal, but I realize that my physical and mental health must come first, though to be honest, I want to make a lot more than $100,000 per year, so I thought I'd do a stepping stone goal first. Regardless, I decided--for better or for worse--to buy Caleb Jones' Location Independent Business Course. This will be the last thing/only thing I buy from from him for the next year as there are other people/stuff I want to look into as well in other areas for my life. Still, I thought this to be a good first step in this goal.

Last, I realized I didn't list out my goals that I want to accomplish over the next 2-3 years, at least I didn't list them out in this log. I basically have three tiers of goal. A year-long goal, an A-goal (This is a goal I make time for), and a B-goal (This is a goal I do only IF I have time). So here they are.

Year-long goals
1. Complete this year-long workout program I have (I've complete 98 days of it so far)
2. Complete a year-long P.E Program.

A-goals
1. Get to 200 lbs or less, and/or 10%-12% body fat (Current goal).
2. New Wardrobe
3. Girl Goal # 1
4. Passion Project
5. P.E goal
6. Girl goal # 2 (God willing I have the money, this is where I'd do a couching thing with Andy).

B-story
1. Pay off debt (COMPLETE)
2. Increase Income to $100,000 per year (Current B-goal)

Now, I want to be clear, this list is not all of my life goals nor is the order that is being presented set in stone. I have a very step 1, step 2, step 3 type of mindset where I plan something backwards and then move forward with it. Sometimes my plans work, other times I have to re-correct/change course, but I have a general idea/vision of where I want to go in life.

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That's all I have for this week.

--OJB
 
https://youtu.be/jRpJ-_1iA5Q

V-log # 25 (I was painting today so I'm a little stuffed-up).

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Summary:

1. I've lost another 2.4 lbs this week. I am 1.4 lbs from my goal of 50lbs lost before New Years, so I should be able to hit that goal within the next 2 weeks.

2. I was a little under the weather Tuesday-Wednesday, so I am behind on my workouts a little bit.

3. I finished watching Caleb Jones' business course. There is a lot to digest, however, he makes the plea of not watching his course and never using it. So, to get my money and time worth out of it, the first thing I want to do is implement his goal/time management skills he talks about. First he suggests you list it out -- a daily to-do list--(which I already do, but could do better); second, he suggest you have a fix schedule you live by (I have a loose schedule I live by, currently), and last he suggest you have daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly goals that you have listed out side-by-side with your schedule.

4. I have some truck repairs I need to get taken care of: I need 2 new tires with rims, new shocks, and a new turn-signal switch. I need to take care of these items before I can save money for a new wardrobe--also, after I'm done losing all the weight and stuff, I'd like to visit a few out-of-state friends, so I need my truck to be in long-distance-traveling condition.

--

Also, I had a bit of a argument with my dad the other day. Over lunch, he was complaining about his best-friend's live-in-girlfriend because his best-friend was complaining about her. (Does that make sense? Because it doesn't make sense to me and I was there). In any case, I put up hand about 10 minutes into the conversation and said, "I don't care for this conversation. The affairs of others are not my concern." And he got pissed at that response.

--

Weekly goals:

1. Catch up on my workouts (Super important)
2. Create a fixed schedule (I'd like a printable page I can print out and put in my workout folder to carry about with me)
3. Think of a niche for side business (I have an idea I am currently testing atm).

--

That's all I have for this week.

--OJB
 
V-log # 26: https://youtu.be/BUbRFk4TiRs

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Summary:

I meant to do this Friday night, but the days slipped away, but in any case, really busy week.

1. I lost 0.6 lbs this week, getting me to 49.2 lbs lost (so close to the 50 lbs mark >< ). Also, I've dropped another pants size. I've gone from a 44 to a 42 to a 40, and now I can wear a 38! I looked up what my stats should be for a 6'-1" man, and I should be between the weight of 166-202 lbs, and have a 32-34" waist. So, hopefully once get to those markers (this is how I came up with a 200lbs goal) I will have a better idea of how much more, if any, weight I have to lose. Currently, I am at 223. 6 lbs.

2. Work has been stressing me out this last week and this in turn has made it hard for me to sleep. The last 4 days I've been unable to fall asleep until like 2-3 in the morning, and I usually wake up at 5:30ish. So I've been really tired recently.

3. I completed a business plan (Not really the greatest plan, but it is made). I go over it in the video.

4. I also bought a scheduler/daily planner that I am going to carry with me everywhere I go. Each night, I write the top 6 things I need to get done the next day, and then attempt to complete them. If say I only complete 4/6, I put the two I didn't get done on next day's list, along with 4 new items. Trying to apply Caleb's advice of listing it out and setting dead lines.

5. Last, on my off days of the gym, I've been reading The 7 habits of Highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey. Here are the top three things this week I've read that stuck with me.

a. Be someone who is humble enough to accept and take responsibility for his or her circumstances and courageous enough to take whatever initiative is necessary to creatively work his or her way through the challenges of life. (In other words, everything bad in your life is your fault).

b. Don’t lower you expectations of life to the point where you aren’t disappointed by anyone or anything. (Dan Pana says something very similar to this).

c. Whenever you have a problem in your life start by changing/working on yourself, not with other people. (This does with a.)

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I really need to eat super clean this week as I want to hit that 50 lbs mark next week. Despite having blown passed my original goal of 235 lbs by New Years, I'd like to hit this marker and start next year off right.

Until next week,

-OJB
 
V-log # 27: https://youtu.be/lPO0ZY-Hlso

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Summary:

1.

I did it.

This week I've lost another 2.2 lbs, getting to me a total of 51.4 lbs lost, and hitting my goal of having lost 50 lbs before New Years. I consider this to be a major mile stone and am very pleased with my results. I plan on going hard for the next week on the diet, then I'm going on a bit of a vacation for the week between Christmas Eve and New Years. After New Years I will push toward my goal of being 200lbs or less by June 1st (which I think I will hit). Once I hit 200lbs, I will get some opinions on where my body weight is and will determine what my end goal for weight loss shall be. While it would be cool to have rock-hard abs, I will admit that it is more practical and better for me to aim to be healthy and fit.

2. I've been thinking about my gym workouts this week, and honestly, some exercises I feel I've done better with than others. Legs and Arms I always push myself to the limit (in a good way). Back and shoulders need some work, but it is my chest exercises I never feel like I do well in. I know this because I keep track of my weight/reps and I don't see much improvement (number wise) on my press exercises. Usually I do 3 weight lifting sessions a week, each with 1 pull, 1 push, and 1 leg exercise. I am considering trade one of those days for an all day chest workout for the next 12 weeks and seeing if there is any improvements in my capability to perform bench presses and how my chest looks overall.

3. Money wise, I've completed one power point presentation for my YouTube Podcast that I want to try next year. I want to create 6 before launching so I have plenty of material.

4. In a chapter I read this week from 7 habits of highly effective people, I read two things that have been on my mind.

a. I need to learn how to balance results and my capability of producing results--In other words, and to use my working out as an example--I want to live a long life (that is a result), and the best way to produce that result is having a healthy, fit, and disease-free body by eating right and working out (This is my capability of producing results). I need to repeat this idea of balance across all aspects of my life. There are some areas of my life where I focus all on one side or the other.

b. The second thing I read that stuck with me is to not care what other people think of you (and I really don't give shit about other people's opinion), but TO WORRY about how other people think they can treat you (I need to work on this, a lot). I do sometimes let people say some pretty nasty things to me without any repercussions. This is a weakness for me, without doubt.

5. The last thing I wanted to make note is that I've been trying to be better with scheduling my time, making list with deadlines, having daily goals, etc. I have a good, 50ish things I'd like to accomplish in my life before I die, so I need to be efficient with my time while still having fun and enjoying myself. There is a time management book I plan on buying and reading sometime next year.

6. I'll be doing a 1-month/5 week progress review next week.

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I think that is it for this week. I plan on meeting a friend tomorrow for lunch, continuing my diet/workout this week, and continue doing things to help my financial stability.

Until, next week

--OJB

P.S. Thank you to everyone who is reading and showing their support with comments and/or likes.
 
I've personally noticed, and seen in others, that bench responds very well to increased frequency. You can deadlift once a week and make progress for a long time, but I've never seen that work for bench. I wouldn't drop the other stuff, I'd just start adding another bench session in the week. Most people I've seen make optimal progress with 2-4 times a weekk. All the people I've seen doing only twice a week bench (and steadily increasing weight) are doing a lot of assistance instead.
 
Hello guys, here is my 5-week/month review

V-log: https://youtu.be/LM3qkoFdLqc

--

I've a lot of things to go over, but let us get into it.

1. In regards to weight loss, I've lost 0.8 lbs this week. I thought I would have lost more as I ate clean this week but I think the weeks of my losing 4+ lbs are over. I imagine the last 20-40 lbs I need to lose will be much slower, and I will be likely only losing 0.5-2.00 lbs per week. Regardless, I am currently at 220.6 lbs, -52.2 lbs from where I originally started last year. In the last 5 weeks I've lost a total of 10.2 lbs.

2. Side business-wise, I created another power point presentation for my YouTube Podcast. The last 5 weeks look like this:
Week 1: Bought Caleb Jones' business course.
Week 2: Finish the business course and had a list of ideas.
Week 3: Bought a planner and created a business plan.
Week 4: Created 1st Power Point presentation.
Week 5: Created 2nd power point presentation.

I'd like to double my weekly output for this.

3. I read another chapter from 7 habits of highly effective people. I've only been reading 1 chapter a week and attempting to implement the ideas into my life. I have a bad habit of reading stuff like this too quickly and not using anything I learned. So I figure If I just work on a chapter a week, and I mean really work on it, I'll get more out of these books.

There are a couple of things this week that really stuck with me, but I'll give the top 3 that I liked.

1. Being proactive is basically the skill where you do not let emotion drive you decision making but take a moment to consider the outcome you desire and all your possible choices before making a decision. I think most people know to do this but I can certainly say that I don't always make the best decisions at a given moment and do sometimes let my emotions get the best of me.

2 The second thing he suggests is that you always keep your commitments and promises.

3. The third thing he suggest (which fits right into this forum) is that you set goals and work towards achieving them.

All the advice seems simple, but sometimes the simplest advice is the hardest to follow and implement.

The last thing he suggest was to write out a few problems you have and figure out ways to eliminate them. I ended up writing 16, lol. This book is not the only one who has suggested I find and eliminate things that cause stress. Caleb suggests it, and the guy I take health advice from (Dr. Eric Berg) suggests that eliminating things that cause you stress is important for both health and happiness.

I want to be clear, I try to not to complain or put any type of negativity into my log, but sometimes you do have to list out problems so you can see what needs to be tackled and dealt with. So in no real order the list is.

1. The Vaccine Mandates--I want to be clear, I am pro-medicine, but the idea that Chicago is using businesses to either financially hurt people (firing people) or socially ostracize people (refuse them business) if they don't comply with the Vaxx mandate I find evil. If the businesses don't comply they get fined. Originally I was going to get the shot but when I heard the mandate I decided not to. By all right I should get the vaccine due to some lung issues I already have, but I find the whole situation fucked. What I most likely will do is get the shot but refuse to show or discuss it with any friends or family as I don't believe my personal medical life is anyone's business but my own. I'm more open to the idea to showing a business proof as they are put in a bad position (enforce the mandate or be fined out of business).

2. Lack of money--This has been on my mind for a long, long time. I'm working slowly (slower than I'd like) to solve this problem but it will take some time. Mainly, what I am trying to do is create three sources of income (offline thing, online thing, day trading thing) so that if something ever goes wrong again and we get lockdowns, I'm not financially hurting.

3. Taxes--my taxes are fucked. I don't even know where to start with this.

4. Health Insurance--Lack of work in 2020 lost me my health insurance.

5. Not enough time for my goals--I know Andy talks about this in a few of his podcasts, and this is more feeling than fact, but I do feel the weight of time (does that make sense?) pressing down on me. One of the things I've done is buy a scheduling book and I've been trying to write out lists of things to do daily and get them done so I can make progress in some of these areas.

6. Relationship with my father--I have a pretty good relationship with my dad but sometimes I feel like he believes his desires and wants out of life are the same as mine. I've started telling him (and other family members) flat out when I'm not interested in something and to not include me in the discussion or gossip hour. I'd say the biggest difference between us is he values money over time, while I value time over money; and he doesn't like being alone (hence why he stays married to a woman he by all rights should just divorce) while I enjoy my alone time and am not bothered by the aspect of loneliness.

7. Personal Phone--I had to cut costs during 2020, so I got rid of my personal phone and just have a work phone. I'd like to get a personal number back for obvious reasons.

8. Truck repairs: My truck needs two new tires, shocks, a new switch for the brights, some wiring work, and a new gas cap.

9. Teeth--I have one tooth that is out of alignment. I'd really like it fixed. It is the one physical aspect of myself I like the least.

10. Cysts (non cancerous, thank God)--This is something I've had since I was young and they've become way more noticeable since I've lost the weight. I'd like to have surgery to remove them.

11. New place to live--I know this is coming, but not when; the landlord has intentions of selling the place I am currently renting. I think he would have already done it if not for the virus.

12. Relationship with my mom--I found this out yesterday, and it really angered me, but my mom has been calling all my family members and telling them I'm anti-vaxx (at least that is what my Grandma told me). I've not confronted my mom about this yet, but it really cut deeply when I heard that. I told my Grandma that I don't discuss my medical history with anyone but my Dr. and that I would not engage in this conversation--she took my comment surprisingly well.

13. Customer relations--in my day job I have a few customers that causes me head aches. I'm trying to get better at negotiations so I can have better outcomes vs. when a customer complains about my prices and calls me 20x trying to find ways to save a few dollars. But I'm not sure what is the best method some days.

14. Paper work--I'm always behind on my paper work--I just don't feel like I have enough time.

15. --Meeting deadlines.--I always feel like I am 1 week behind everything. Again, hopefully me getting good with my time management will help this.

16. I do have a fear that the economy will collapse again (more shutdowns) before I have time to implement everything. I don't have any power over what the government does, but I'm sure I have more power/tools available to me than I realize.

I don't have a plan/solution for everyone of these problems, nor do I have a good idea on which one to tackle first, but I am going to have to start ridding myself of these stresses one by one.

--

I'm taking a mini-vacation this week between the rest of today and New Years Days, no diet or working out for a whole week. When I get back I want to grind out the last of my fat I need to lose, start eliminating some of these stressors, and continue on trying to make side income. I have a lot of my plate; if I can even get half of this done, I'd be happy.

That's all for this week,

--OJB
 
I am back from my mini vacation.

I did work on my mission statement this week (something a lot of self-improvement gurus suggest). In a nutshell it is a brief description of what my ideal life would look like.

--

So, I plan to keep pushing with my weight loss, and I really defined what my measurable objectives are for this goal. For me to consider this goal 'accomplished' I need to hit the three following markers.

1. 200 lbs or less.
2. A 32-34 waist.
3. 10%-17% Body fat.

I picked these markers because at my height this would be what is considered as fit & healthy stats. The only one that is a little vague is the body fat %, but once I hit 200 lbs, I'll have a better idea what this actually means. I would like to have hit these markers by June 1st (just in time for summer).

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The other thing I want to work on is reduce my stressors, in other words, I have a bunch of little problems that need my attention. While no life is 100% problem free, I would like to get my stress list to 3 or less items. A lot of of these problems could be solved with a week or two of effort, or in some cases a solid day. So, I'm just going to go tackle them one at a time.

--

I didn't do much on business this week as I was vacation-mode.

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Continuing to read 7 habits, I got into habit 2 this week--and basically--the habit is just visualizing the end result of any goal (aka, a mission statement/plan). I won't go deep into this chapter, but I'll highlight some things I read that were thought-provoking:

1. "To begin with the end of mind means to start with a clear understanding of destination."

2. You can't [shouldn't] behave towards people that undermine their self-discipline or self-esteem. (I took this to mean that you need to hold people accountable for their actions, or lack of, while not attempting to humiliate or destroy their self-esteem through spiteful actions.)

3. It’s a principle that all things are created twice, but not all first creations are by conscious design. (I took this to mean is that you shouldn't follow other people's plans for you. You need to take the time to write down and understand what you want out of life and why.)

--

So, with the above in mind, the major things I'd like to accomplish this year are:

1. Finish my weight loss goal.
2. After goal 1 is done, get a new edgy + powerful looking wardrobe.
3. Reduce my stress/minor's problem list by at least half.
4. Double my income. (I did an end of the year accounting for myself. I didn't do as well as I had hoped financially over the last 12 months.)
5. Girl Goal (I'll get into this later this year, but there is a particular girl goal I have).

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That is it for this week. Let us see what I can get accomplished.

--
 
I don't think I agree with #2 and unless its specifically in context to how they interacted with you. If someone wants to lie to themselves and fail at their goals, it is really isn't any of my business unless they directly ask me for input. If we enter into some sort of agreement or social contract, and then they do the same thing and try to tell me their self lie; then by all means call them out.

For those stressors, I think you're right. I'd attack them starting from quickest to resolve. Having less things in motion provides stress relief on its own.
 
This week was a bit of a dud for me. I don't know why, but I was starved all week no matter how much I ate, and ate I did. I found it really hard to keep on the diet this week and kept gorging myself on carbs. Sadly, when I weighed myself, I was up +4.2 lbs. I'm not going to get upset about it. I'm just going to dust myself off and do better this week with my eating habits.

I will say, however, all my weight lifting number have gone up this week.

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In terms of attacking my stressors/problem list: I did two things.

1. I scheduled for my truck to get taken in and have some repairs done. I've been putting this off because I just have not wanted to spend the money. But, I have to do it.

2. I got the V-shot. I thought long and hard about this, and basically it boiled down to do I lose this battle but win the war? Or fight this battle and suffer (and possibly still lose)? I don't even know what me 'winning the battle' exactly would have looked like in this situation.


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Side-money stuff, I'm hoping to have major news on this next week.

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I read another chapter from 7-habits, and this chapter was basically about managing your time (which I am NOT good at). I get distracted a lot and sometime have WAY too much on my plate. So There are two ways to handle to-do lists:

1. Schedule time for activities (I've been working on this. Bought a planner a few weeks ago where I plan out the next day the night before).
2. Delegate activities (This I don't really do, but I need to do it. I try to do WAY too much myself at work and really need to delegate responsibilities to other people.)

--

This week just meh for me. I'm hoping that next week I get better results.

Until then,

-OJB
 
A much better week,

Summary:

1. On the weight loss end, I kept to the diet this week and dropped -3.8 of the 4.2 lbs I gained. I weigh exactly 221 lbs. I will be honest, it feels like I've been the 220s for a long time, and I am anxious to break into the 210s. I am really pushing to do that by this coming up Friday.

For those who don't know, I eat a meat, fat, and green veggie diet only, and I do 3 sessions of weight lifting a week, and 1 session of movement based exercises (jumping exercises).

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2. On terms of my stressors I am attempting to eliminate: So, I've been focused on repairing some neglect to my truck (by neglect, I was just broke in 2020 due to the virus, and it seemed like that was the year my truck decide to start having problems). Individually, none of the problems are that expensive to fix, but combined they do seem to add up. I got two of the problems, new brake lights and the brights' switch, fixed this week. I still have some other issues I need to resolve over the next 2 months.

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3. Two months after buying Caleb Jones' business course, I finally launched the first episode of my Podcast on Youtube; I currently have 7 subscribers. It wasn't the prettiest of things, but I did it. Now, I just got to keep consistent and post a new episode each week. I didn't realize that two months had already passed since I bought the product--time can slip away quickly--but after I saw that 8 weeks had passed I thought to myself, "Enough time has passed to plan things out. Best if I launched now, even if ugly." And I so did.

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4. Continuing to read 7 habit, I read one of the interlude chapters between the habits. In essence, the author discussed 6 things to do that can help build trust with other people:

1. Understand the individual you are dealing with. (I could do better with this.)
2. Keep commitments. (This is my strongest aspect).
3. Attending to the small things-- (I could do better with this.)
4. Clarify expectations (I really NEED to work on this).
5. Having personal integrity. (When reading this, I realized this aspect, or lack of, in others, is what makes me despise people the most. When people criticize, belittle, betray confidences, or gossip, I tend not to like these people.)
6. Apologize when mistakes are made (I feel like this not a problem for me. Doesn't society teach us to apologize even when no mistake was made?)

The best part, I thought, was his emphasis to build relationships with individual people, not groups.

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5. I am meeting a friend today to breakfast. I try to meet a friend each weekend. The real reason I do this is because I can be--at times--a real social hermit and just hide myself from the world. So, I try to keep myself from doing that by doing something social each weekend.

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That's all I have for this week.

I am really hoping to break into the 210s by next weekend.

Until then,

--OJB
 
Somewhat a busy week:

1. In regards to weight loss, I gained +0.6 lbs. I seem to have stagnated in the low 220s in terms of losing weight and am having a hard time breaking through into the 210s. This week I am going to adjust my diet slightly by eliminating any extra natural fats I've been including in my meals (this would be things like butter, sugar-less chocolate, avocado, etc.)

To be honest, I was surprised that I didn't lose any weight as I had to buy a new belt this week, and I kept to my diet (lots of kale and chicken). I'll just have to keep adjusting until the numbers start dropping again.

However, my weight lifting has been really solid this week. I've been gaining reps on 90% of my exercises and will be add about +5-10 lbs to each exercise after this week.

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2. In regards to eliminating stressors: I've been going down my to-do list. Changed out my truck battery this week since it decided to die, so, nothing super major.

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3. In regards to my YouTube Podcast, I released a new video this week and gained +2 subscribers ( 28% increase for me, lol).

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4. In regards to reading 7 Habits, this weeks habit is dense, so I'll be taking two weeks to really reflect on and implementing this chapter before moving on. In essence, you are either competing with people or cooperating with people. The author suggests that a lot of the problems in life come from people competing against each other instead of cooperating (though he acknowledges that in life you do need to compete in certain situations.)

So he suggest that a lot of problems can be resolved by working towards some outcome where everyone benefits. (Win/Win is what he calls it). The author suggests that while this statement sounds like common sense, a lot of people actually fail at achieving it. He suggests on five steps to achieve, of which of the first two I'll be working on this week.

1. Build Character. This includes

Having integrity, which means sticking to your principle and values and not bitching out when they become inconvenient.

Having maturity, which is having the courage to go after what you want and take action while being considerate of other people.

Having an abundance mentality. (There is plenty of money, power, and women to be have.)

2. Building Relationships,

This is actually something Andy talked about in one of his Podcast (though worded differently), but in essence, the author suggests that you build relationships with the idea of transforming the person you are working with/in some type of relationship with for the better.

I think number 2, transforming relationships, is where I fail. I would submit most people have relationships because they want something, instead having a relationship to build something (I can admit that I am/have been like that with certain people in my life.)

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The last major thing I did this week was go through my social media and just purge the fuck out of it. Recently, I've noticed that people have gotten a lot more toxic in their rhetoric and beliefs, so I decided it would be better to rid myself of such influences (which include some friends I've known for 10+ years). It was hard, but I just can't tolerate such negativity and hatred any longer.

--

That's all I have for this week. I hope that the changes to my diet starts yielding me results.

--OJB
 
Weekly Update.

1. In regards to weight loss, I lost 1.6 lbs this week, getting me to 220 exactly. This month has not been a great weight-loss month for me, and while I have made a bit of progression, it was not as much as I had hoped for. Regardless, I will keep pushing forward to the magical 200lbs I so desperately desire. Really, my diet was just trash this month--was it lack of discipline? Diet fatigue? Outside forces? Most likely a combination of all the above. I've never been a sugar addict, but I do love fried foods. Also, I do get tired of planning my week around my meals in order to lose weight (this seems to mentally fatigue me the most). Regardless, I only have 20 more lbs to go.

Weight-lifting went well this week. I'll be adding 5lbs to all my lifts this month. (I watched a video where someone suggested to try to improve your lifts by 5lbs per month. If you do this each month you will have added 60 lbs to your exercises in a year. Obviously this is a general statement, but I think it is a good goal to aim for.)

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2. In regards to my Stressors-list, three things happened this week.

1. I got $1000.00 bill for my car insurance. After some consideration and negotiations, and I got it down to $650.00

2. Some dude was dodging me because I am owed $3,200.00, but I was finally able to get into contact with them and get everything resolved.

3. Work has been a little slow this month, but this week, I was invited to look at and bid a project in Denver Co. I will be flying out there later this week to look at said project.

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3. In regards to my YouTube Podcast, I released my third video this week. I tried a suggestion to improve engagement. The suggestion was to title the episode in the form of a question. (Example: How to do X?). The video has gotten more views than my other videos, but the overall watch time is lower than my first video. Mostly likely, the biggest upgrades I can do is getting a better microphone and having more confidence in my speaking skills.

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4. So in regards to 7 habits, I finished reading the second half of the Habit-4 chapter. In essence, he talks about creating systems for yourself, and other people you are delegating tasks to, in your professional and personal life. This is something that has been on my radar for a while now, and I've never been able to really grasp, design, and implement systems into my life (this is likely why my life feels chaotic is some aspects.) While no doubt I have been involved in other people's systems (isn't society just one big system that tries to get people to behave and act in certain ways in order to yield some type of result?) I've never been able to create my own.

He suggest you base your system around 'rewards' which he breaks into four categories:

1. Financial
2. Psychic
3. New opportunities
4. More power/responsibilities.

I really want to tackle this idea in my life (I've already a couple to-do things on my weekly list related to this). I am going to try to implement systems (more in business than personal) into my life over the next few months.

--

Well, onto February. Let's see what I can make happen this month.
 
Weekly Update:

A really solid week. Let's get into the details.

1. In regards to to weight loss, I finally broke through the 220s stagnation I've been in for the last 6 weeks and was able to lose 3.6 lbs this week, getting to me 216.4 lbs. The major change I've made to my diet is cutting out all the added natural fats (butter, sugar-less chocolate, avocado, olive oil ect.) Once I hit my desired weight (I'm guessing somewhere between 190-200 lbs) I will add these elements back in.

I've also bought a 36" waist pants that I don't fit yet but am aiming for. Really, according to this waist to height chart I read, my waist should be between 32"-34." Once I hit that marker I'll be the in 'healthy' range for my height.

Right now my game plan is this:

215 lbs: Take new progress pictures. (So hopefully in the next 2 weeks.)
210 lbs: Buy Mr. Radical's fashion guide and start making a to-buy list.
200 lbs: Take another round of progress pictures, get feedback on how much more weight I should aim to lose, and start buying stuff from my to-buy list.
185lbs-200lbs: Consider this goal accomplished and move onto other things, while making sure that I keep working out and being mindful of my diet for the rest of my life.

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2. In terms of Stressors

A. Took a little effort, but I got my truck to pass its emissions test. There is still some repairs I still need to get done, but slowly I'm getting everything off my to-do list complete. Honestly, had 2020 not tanked my savings I might have just bought a new truck. After I buy everything for my new upgraded fashion/style I am going to go start saving heavily for a new vehicle.

B. I debated with myself if I wanted to share the following in this weeks log. I got my second V-shot last weekend, and I did not have a good reaction. While I understood there was a chance of me getting fatigued form the shot, and boy did I ever, I not predict the toll it would have on my mental fortitude. In other words, while shivering in bed, unable to sleep, I had some dark thoughts. However, by the end of the next day I felt 100% better and back to my normal self. At least I have this checked off my to-do list.

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3. In terms of business, I released another podcast and got another subscriber. (Woot, I'm up to 10, lol). I think the goal this year will to be to just build an audience, and next year to see if I can monetize it.

Also, in terms of my day job, I created a questionnaire that I will be using on my up coming project in Denver. The questionnaire is more for presentational purposes than for information as I'd like to make this sale. Basically, what I'm doing, is I want to get the information from the customer about their needs and wanted outcomes for this project in a way that displays organization, understanding, and confidence. What most people do, and I would know because I've seen time after time, is they will bring a notepad, jot down 3-4 notes on a major project. I typed up 24 questions asking stuff from technical info to schedule and deadlines to the customer's preferred coffee (a tip I read and immediately implemented.)

I'll find out how well this work Monday when I fly out to Denver, Monday.

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4. In regards to reading 7 habit, this week I read about habit number 5--Seek first to understand then to be understood. In essence, the author suggests that before you make your case, you need to understand where the other person is coming from. His suggestion is listen, then state the emotion you believe they are expressing and rephrase the content they just said to you in your own words. Once they agree that you understand what they are saying is when you present you idea, plead your case, etc.

That's pretty much it. I'm really going to try it and see what results/reactions I get from other people.

Another thing I've been doing, based off suggestion from this book, is every Friday I come up with a 20-25 weekly to-do list based off my goal sheet. While I would say I have 100ish major life goals, I've broken some of them apart and came up 22 goals for the next 2 years. Some of these goals are just "Get into the habit of doing X each week," while others have more measurements attached to them (Such as the weight loss goal). Either way, my weekly to-do list is based off these goals.


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There was other stuff, but some of it was minor or outside the scope of this journal.

That's it for this week. Until next time.

-OJB
 
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