Plan For Losing Weight

16 Apr 2007

I've always been a large guy, simply because I tend to overeat and not exercise very much. Over the last few years, it's gotten out of hand, and when I stepped onto the scale in February I was over 300 pounds for the first time in my life. Carrying all that extra weight is an extra strain on your back, and makes even simple actions like climbing stairs a strenuous proposition.

I have two young children that are just getting to the age when you can start taking them out to experience more of the world beyond their own back yard. My parents instilled in me a great love of the outdoors, and camping in particular. I want to make sure I'm in good shape to get my kids out to experience some of the fun, family activities I still remember from when I was young. Unfortunately, being 300 pounds wasn't going to cut the mustard. Chasing around the young'uns requires a lot of energy, and I finally got to the point where I knew I had to bear down and lose some weight for my sake as well as for the kids'.

So then, how to do it? I'm a logical thinker who doesn't have much time for fads or any diet with a name. I decided right off the bat that the right thing for me was to eat less (and smarter) and exercise consistently. I know this doesn't sell books, but in my mind it's the glaringly obvious solution. The most common sense advice I could find on the web was this article from the Mayo Clinic.

As far as food, I used to hit the company cafeteria every day, loading up on too much of too many things. I'd come home, eat a huge dinner, and then likely wrap up the day on the couch eating large amounts of junk food for a snack after the kids went to bed. Now I bring my lunch to work each day. It consists of a single-slice lunch meat sandwich, a fruit cup, and some fruit juice. For dinner, I try to eat a small salad with light dressing. If the wife makes something that looks particularly tasty, I might have a small portion of that in addition to or in place of the salad. I've also virtually eliminated the nighttime snack, aside from a bag of microwave popcorn once every couple weeks or so. The other big change is chocolate. Damn, I love chocolate. I could eat up to a good quarter pound of it after most meals. Now I allow myself 2 Hershey's miniatures after dinner. This has probably been the hardest thing for me to cut back on, but I'm sticking to my guns.

When it comes to exercise, I didn't have much of a problem deciding what to do. The first decision was scheduling. I am NOT a morning person. Getting out of bed for work by 7 is hard enough, so I decided the only realistic option was to use the valuable "me" time I had after the kids went to bed each night. The choice of exercise was equally easy. We had a $2000.00+ treadmill gathering cobwebs in the basement, so I decided it was about time to put it to some good use. Now, after the little ones are cozy in their beds, I spend 30 minutes every night walking at a very brisk pace. Every so often I notch-up the speed and incline to push me harder as the current settings become easier to handle.

I started this new approach on February 15, and as of today, April 16, I have lost 40 pounds. My eventual goal is to lose 100 pounds and settle-in with a weight somewhere around 200 pounds (where I haven't been for 15 years) for the long run. It hasn't been easy, and will require lifestyle changes for the long haul, but I am finally sufficiently motivated to do this for myself and my kids.

UPDATE 8/21/2007: I've posted a Weight Loss Update.