April 13, 2026 · Marcus · Built to Endure
Week 1 is done. Let’s talk about it — all of it.
Not the highlight reel version. The real one.
The Week in Review
Monday I laced up and got on the treadmill. Thirty-five minutes. Nothing heroic — just movement, intentional and logged. I planned out my breakfasts and lunches for the week, opened MyFitnessPal for the first time with actual commitment, and went to bed feeling like a man who had finally stopped shadow boxing and entered the fight.
Wednesday night I threw punches at air.
Nearly a thousand unnecessary calories. No dramatic reason. Just the old habit showing up like it never got the memo. Two days of calorie deficit, gone in one sitting. I wrote about it mid-week — if you missed it, it’s worth going back to read. I’m not going to rehash the shame of it here, because Thursday I got back up, and that’s the part that matters.
After Wednesday, I held around 1,800 calories a day for the rest of the week. The deficit survived. The week survived.
By Sunday morning — this morning — the scale said 217.8 lbs.
That’s a loss of 3.6 lbs in Week 1.
What I Learned About My Macros
Here’s the thing about tracking your food — it shows you the truth whether you’re ready for it or not. I hit my calorie target most days, but when I looked deeper at the breakdown, the macros were off. Too much fat. Not nearly enough protein.
Calories matter. But macros matter too, especially for someone trying to lose fat without losing muscle in the process. Protein keeps you full, protects the muscle underneath the weight you’re carrying, and makes the whole process more sustainable.
MyFitnessPal is recommending 175 grams of protein per day for my size and goals. This week I wasn’t close to that. So the plan for Week 2 is simple — same calorie target, adjusted meals, more protein built in from the start rather than scrambling to catch up at dinner.
Meal planning already exists as a habit. Now I just need to plan smarter.
On Activity
I walked twice this week — both times 35 minutes on the treadmill. It wasn’t my primary focus and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. Right now, the kitchen is where this battle is being won or lost. Movement matters and I’ll build on it, but I’m not going to overwhelm week 1 with goals I can’t sustain.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is sustainable.
The Verse I Keep Coming Back To
“Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
— 1 Corinthians 9:26–27
I chose this verse as the foundation of this blog because it describes exactly who I had become — a man who knew the right things, said the right things, and then went home and lived like none of it applied to him. A boxer beating the air. Running, but aimlessly.
What strikes me after Week 1 is the phrase “I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave.” Paul isn’t being poetic here. He’s being blunt. Discipline is not passive. It’s not a feeling you wait for. It’s a daily decision to override what your body wants in favor of what you actually need.
Wednesday night my body won. The rest of the week, I did.
That’s Week 1. One bad night and six better ones. 3.6 pounds gone. Macros identified. Plan adjusted.
The prize is worth running for. I’m learning to run with purpose.
— Marcus
Week 1 Stats:
- Starting weight: 220+ lbs
- Week 1 weigh-in: 217.8 lbs
- Loss: 3.6 lbs
- Average daily calories: ~1,800 (post-Wednesday)
- Workouts: 2 × 35 min treadmill walks
- Tracking: MyFitnessPal daily
- Week 2 focus: Hit 175g protein daily
Built to Endure is a personal fitness journal documenting one dad’s journey from obese to fit — in his 40s, in medicine, and rooted in faith. New posts every week.