Week 3 of Jesse 39.9 is complete. Three weeks with less than 1 soda and very little sugar. I’m now at 220 lbs, 10 pounds down from when I started (remember, you have to subtract clothes from the scale numbers that I show here). The lightheadedness from last week is getting better. I don’t feel as tired from the carbs that I used to eat either though. Basically I used to get tired mid-morning, then drink soda, get wired for an hour, then tired again; repeat mid-afternoon. Now I’m just normal all day. It’s a gift and a curse.

If I continue to lose 2 pounds per week, I’ll be to my goal of 39.9 pounds in another 15 weeks, or around the end of February. That’s probably not going to happen, because I may not lose weight Thanksgiving and Christmas week (though I’ll try) and I’ll be in NYC for a week in February. But I’m not turning 39.9 until May 2014, so I’ve got time to spare.

This week’s hurdle was going out of town. We visited Kristi’s parents in York, Pennsylvania, which we do every couple of months. Typically I drink a soda and maybe have a candy bar on the way down so I can be cognizant while driving. This time, I had a water and some seeds & nuts, and I did fine. While there, we had a birthday dinner with soda, cake & pie but I only had a water and 1/2 a piece of key lime. Like the movies, I returned home much less out-of-it than usual.

The next day, before our trip back, we ate at a steakhouse. That usually means a burger, fries and a soda for me, but I didn’t want the carbs to make me tired on the drive home, which would in turn make me need to drink soda. So I got a grilled chicken salad and a water (I was too sad about that to take the obligatory picture of my dinner, so I took a picture of the window (see above). I was able to drive home without getting tired. I have to remember these benefits when I get tempted.

I continue to ramp up the exercise… I’m up to 30 minutes on the Elliptical in the garage, and 10 minutes of the Bow-Flex with six different exercises. I’m shooting for once a day for that workout, so if I miss a day or two over the course of a week, I’m OK.