I pre-wrote this post a week and a half ago. Since writing this, I’ve lost 6 lbs and I’m within 4 lbs of my final goal.

It’s killing me. That last 10 lbs is sticking solidly to me like a leech. I have been taking a long, hard look at my diet to find out where the extra calories may be coming from, and I think I may have isolated a few problem areas that I will begin working on this week.

Sweet potatoes. Yes, in Paleo and even in Whole30, these are allowed. However, they are still pretty high in carbs for their weight, and I do love them. I have been eating them quite a bit, and I am pretty sure I always eat too much of them. So, starting today, I’m laying off the sweet potatoes. For now.

Almond butter. So, you’re not supposed to eat desserts on Whole30 at all. Paleo allows it, but it’s supposed to be a treat. Well, I’ve kind of messed up here as I finish every meal with a small almond butter and chocolate square. I’m pretty certain that not only is this harming my weight loss, it’s a bad habit to be in. Also starting today, no more desserts.

Not enough carbs before exercise. This one seems counter-intuitive to me, but the truth is that our bodies use carbs during exercise, and depriving myself of carbs before a run actually does more harm to weight loss than help. Before my last run, I ate three pieces of dried apricot and I was amazed at how much better I felt and how much my performance increased.

Sleep. I need more of it. They say 8-10 hours a night is the best for weight loss, and when I was losing 10+ lbs per month, I was very careful to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. I’ve allowed that to get down to 7 hours a night, and I’m certain that it’s affected my ability to lose weight. Tonight, I will go to bed at 9 pm and get the most sleep I can.

Not enough food. I come back to this one a lot because it’s my biggest sin regarding weight loss. Conventional wisdom is CICO: Calories In vs Calories Out. Well, this is true, but the deficit cannot be too big or the body goes into conservation mode. I think I keep kicking into conservation mode since my meals have tended to be rather small. That’s something I’ve begun changing in the past two weeks, but without the aforementioned four items, it hasn’t been enough.

Portion size. I’m not a real big offender in this area, but I’ve not been very consistent in keeping portion sizes appropriate. Whether I eat too much or too little, I need to settle on a better size and stick to it.

It’s not that my final goal is unrealistic. Heck, according to BMI, I’m still overweight. According to the military height and weight standards, I’m hovering at the maximum allowable weight. The only measures I’m in the good range in are body fat percentage and clothing sizes. Getting down to 165 lbs is a much healthier weight for me and will allow me a little more wiggle room than I have now.

So, it seems that this plan worked. I’m now within 4 lbs of my final goal, and I’m not struggling, suffering, or being otherwise in any discomfort. The food I’m eating is the same as I’ve been eating for the past 18 months with the exception of the sweet potato and the chocolate/almond butter desserts.