Last Friday, my autographed advance copy of The 4 Hour Body (affiliate link for pre-order) arrived in my PO Box. I can’t put into words how excited I was to start flipping the pages (after I wrestled it away from my husband). If you’re a nerd and a jock, it’s pretty heavenly – and it tipped the scales on a project I was considering.

I’d already been contemplating using these last few weeks to strive for some specific fitness goals I’d set at the beginning of the year. My work commitments are going to keep us at home, and travel-free periods are usually a good time for me to focus on my eating and workouts.

So, I’m going all-in for four weeks. (And I actually started on Saturday.)

The Goal: Drop 16 pounds in 28 days, without losing muscle. I want to be at 140 lbs. on Dec. 31.

I’m still working on documenting the before and after with measurements. (I’ll have those done tomorrow.) And a body composition analysis on Friday with either the DXA or BodPod. (More on those in future posts.) And yes, I took pictures, but I don’t have the guts to share them yet. (Let’s just say they weren’t very flattering.)

What can I tell you?

Saturday morning, I weighed 156.4 lbs., and that’s pretty much where I’ve been since June. Some days a little higher, and some as low as 153, but never for very long.

Sunday morning, I was down to 154.6, and today I came in at 153.0 lbs. It’s an encouraging start for me.

What am I doing different?

The short answer: Not much.

I was already eating a high protein diet and watching my “white” carbs. Now, I’m following Tim’s Slow Carb Eating Plan to the letter. Six days a week, that means no dairy, breads, or fruit. And I’m adding a second lunch and protein shake at bedtime. Yep, adding.

And I’m really looking forward to the 7th day. Nothing’s off limits. I will eat my fill of BBQ Chicken Pizza and cupcakes with a smile on my face.

The nerd in me insists on tracking everything, so I’m documenting my journey pretty closely. I’m logging all my food with DailyBurn. And I’ll be posting regular updates on here.

Crazy? Probably a little. But I’m having fun and learning to cook for the first time in my life.

What’s your crazy goal to finish out the year?