I received this email advertisement: "Lose 3 times more weight than dieting on your own with Jenny Craig's scientifically proven program."

Uhh, yeah. The only way I could have lost 129 lbs in the last six weeks is with a chainsaw. And then you could give me a cute nickname like "Stumpy." I dunno, my diet is pretty straightforward. Its basic premise is eat the lowest calorie count while getting all the nutrition including amino acids, in an overall vehicle that is sustainable to eat that also includes an acceptable price point. shrug It's not that hard. It's just easier to eat whole foods than an amalgamation from a laboratory.

But, oh sweet, blessed Twinkie! Is it not the pinnacle of 20th century food engineering? I mean, Pop Rocks had all the sizzle and freeze-dried ice cream had all the wonder, but, the Twinkie? That has all the daily go-to and wholesomeness of the modern day apple pie. Clearly, I totally get Woody Harrison's character in Zombieland and his post-apocalyptic, snack cake search.

Before you think I'm a sweet tooth guy or that I'm in some sort of dietary danger, fear not, friend! Remember, I resist Lord Salt. Sugar, meh, I could be tossed on a deserted island with no deserts for the rest of my life. But, despite my current vegan approach, tossing a case of beef jerky in my direction is the dietary equivalent of a hand grenade.

Quick sidebar: Some folks have pernicious grammar tweaks—like holding fast to a resistance against the Oxford comma. I don't have many pet peeves, but the one I do have is using the verb quote when the noun quotation is intended. But, that has been an Internet issue as long as I can remember.

Fortunately, after a various Rubik's Cube-like permutations through 2018, my diet is rock solid. Whether it is in its specifics or in its implementation, I don't know, but, I have no appetite issues or any cravings, which is significant as my last meal of the day is before 2:30 PM. It is unnecessary for me to do a single minute of cardio to lose substantial weight in The 5th Expedition. But, don't tell that to my treadmill and elliptical as I spent a combined 140 minutes on them yesterday morning on a down day with a crick in my neck.

Daily, I think about 2019. I think about not only returning to my high school weight, but actually BEATING it. Razzle dazzle! I've heard other guys talk and they sound like getting back to that weight is impossible, that as we get older, we're just resolved to being fatter—that's not my mindset. Sure, I had advantages in my teens that I don't possess now and was active, but I had an atrocious diet. I can beat my wrestling weight of 163 lbs—even if I'm an inch taller now.

Yet, as that's an interesting internal motivator, still, is it something that can go the distance?

I like the idea of a Facebook return. Oh, I HATE the platform itself, but that's hardly the point. I really haven't connected to people at all in years. I suspect most think I'm still Into the Wild-ing it up in Alaska. Those who met me after 2001 would have never considered me for any kind of athletic prowess. And who is to blame them—I carried excessive amount of weight in my nonvegan years. I won't lie: I'm looking forward to my How Do You Like Me Now moment.

Still, that is merely a perk. It's not what brings me back to the gym, time-and-time again.

I am driven by the change and what the change means. Becoming an enhanced version of myself.

As I have written before, I train...

...To move freely and interact in the world;

...To glide upon the earth and spring to the heavens above;

...To stretch out my arms like Wolverine and rail against the tempest of Death.

Now, how does achieving that change me as a person, or better yet, alter my approach to life? THIS is why I do the things I do that render my moisture-wicking, "dri-power" t-shirts into sweat-drenched clumps in the hamper.

I am on a great springboard to hit the low-200s, specifically 215 lbs by November 20th. My intent in the 5th Expedition is to lose 30 pounds. My model forecasts that it will be done and incidentally, The Second Expedition did just that. Granted, I'm starting out at a much lower weight so the percentages aren't the same, although not unlike the last weigh-in's comparison to The F.E.

I feel confident I can beat out the earlier posted 30. By comparison, the first 3 weeks of it I still ate 50+ calories per day than I do now; in The Second Expedition's second half, I switched to a fatter macro diet (66%) and ate 244+ more calories a day (and was hungrier than my approach now). It may not seem much, but the math is there: 6124 calories or about 1 ¾ lb that I left out there in that six-week period. More telling will likely be my increased cardio sessions. With the 5th Expedition and my revitalized gym space, I'm working out past my previous 6AM for an additional 55 minutes. That addition alone can contribute in excess of a 5+ lb weightloss for the period with just a run-of-the-mill cardio.

Of course, the wild card is one that's always out of my control and that's my BMR decreased with the weightloss...and as I continue, I'll have to rely increasingly on workouts over a large BMR.

And when I get to 215, The 6th Expedition is for the remainder of the year and will bring me below 200 lbs to what I suspect the low 190s. But, it's too far out to give much thought.

But bringing it back to the present, I am in striking distance (14 lbs) of losing 100 pounds since the start of 2018.