Weight Loss Journal, Entry number one

Okay, it is a little comical to keep writing these "Nothing can stop me now" posts, only to log back in 6 months later and have to admit I've actually gained weight! I think I was 253 when I last posted six months ago, and I'm about 268 now. Up 15. At last year's physical, I was 248, which means I am up 20. So, if one definition of "insanity" is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results, then I am afraid I'm a nut job.

Oh well.

So what can I do differently? Eat three moderate meals and three small snacks and nothing in between? Hmm, not exactly rocket science. What else? Go to OA meetings? A possibility. Walk daily? Sure. Um. There, that's a plan.

And...drum roll, please...document the entire thing in this blog. Seriously. If writing is helpful (one of the OA "tools," then writing a blog that might be helpful to others has got to be helpful too. So this is entry number one. More soon. :-)

The Road to 208

It's been a little over a year since the last post here. I've posted a bunch at my other kazillion blogs, but Back to the Well has had a dry spell. Well, all that's about to change...

I weight 253. It's time to get this weight loss thing over with once and for all. I have more important things to do in the next 30 years than to obsess about eating, weight and exercise.

So what's the plan? I've had dozens of plans over the years; I've lost and regained hundreds of pounds. What sort of paradigm shift will make all the past plans and plots obsolete? Like the gunfighters I write about, I'll try to sort this out with bullets. :-)

The goal and plan is as follows:

• Get down to 208 or below, the weight I'd be required to maintain if I were in the Marine Corps.
• Find the right exercise(s) that I enjoy and that fit into my lifestyle, and exercise regularly.
• Move toward a low-fat, vegetarian diet. Maybe I'll be strict, or maybe I'll do turkey, chicken and fish.
  We'll see.
• Lose the next 20 fairly quickly, as these pose an immediate risk to my health.
• Shoot to weigh 233 in 10 weeks or less (i.e, by or before Sept 17.
• Lift and sculpt, but not at the expense of cardio and consistent weight loss.

That's pretty straightforward, don't you think? What are some of the possible exercise options?

• Walking.
• Cardio machines and weights at Fitness One.
• Cardio machines and weights with Josh at Planet Fitness.
• Dumbbells in the basement.
• Tennis or basketball?
• Synchronized swimming.... :-)

I'll work on that part. More later.