Time for a Change.

301.3

That's what the scale claimed this morning after I distinctly heard it go "umph!".

Fuck.

There's no getting around it: I have gotten too fat and out of shape.

Folks tell me that I carry my weight well, and that I don't look as heavy as I am.

That's nice and all, but the problem is that kind of platitude (well meaning and true it may be) only fed into my personal illusion that I was just a "big" guy. Hell, my dad's a "big guy". Of course, he's had a couple of heart attacks and a major stroke that's burned out the left side of his brain...

So, I'm going to apply that geeky and bizarrely obsessive part of my personality toward losing weight and getting back into shape. To that end, I've decided to follow these guidelines:

1. No Dieting. Aside from trying to eat better, I'm not going to go on a diet. Been down that road, and it led me here.

2. Small steps. When I graduated High School, I weighed in at 175lbs. I'm about 90% sure that I'll never see 175lbs again, but it's taken me 20 years to add 225lbs to that base. Essentially I'm walking around with another, larger, person strapped to me. So my goal is to lose weight evenly and consistently. Overall my goal is to lose 75lbs and keep it off. Once I get to 225lbs? Well, we'll see!

3. Do something positive for me everyday. I spend around 8 hours a day working for someone else. This work benefits them. I need to do something, even for a little bit, that benefits me.

4. Record my efforts daily. This way I can look back and celebrate the successes (no matter how small), and see where I might be able to improve. Computer geek that I am, I've built a day-to-day spreadsheet, and I'll update my progress here weekly.

So does that mean that I'm giving up bacon and bourbon? Hell no! I'm sure that somewhere during this life changing effort, they will be my crutch, rock, and salvation.

So if you're morbidly curious about whether I can do it or not, follow along.

Cheering is allowed.