Big fat update 1

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am trying to lose weight. Ideally, I should weigh somewhere around 160-165 lbs. Two months ago, I was tipping the scales at at least 205 (but possibly as high as 209).

About 6 weeks ago, I decided to try losing weight and getting back into shape. I come from the kind of family that needs to pay close attention to our weight (otherwise it quickly overtakes us). The last time I made this kind of effort was back in 1995. I kept the weight off for 3 1/2 years. Once I finished college, got married and started pastoring a church, my weight climbed gradually until I found myself nearly 50 lbs. overweight.

I wanted to devise a weight-loss / fitness plan that I would actually follow. I didn't want to start something that I would only end up quitting after a few weeks because it wasn't realistic or reasonable over the long term.

Here's what I came up with:

1. Stop snacking. (I love chips/salty foods/hoagies. It doesn't take much to convince me to eat any of these things between meals or in the middle of the night.)

2. Eat less fried foods. (Fried foods taste sooooo good, but the devil invented the recipes.)

3. Drink more water. (This wasn't too tough, because I'm not a big soda or juice drinker. I like coffee too, but I don't usually have more than a cup a day.)

4. Eat smaller portions. (I always eat seconds and end up staying at the table until I feel sick to my stomach. I have decided to eat only one modest portion for meals and I almost always skip dessert.)

5. Walk / exercise / lift weights at least three evenings per week. (I'm actually enjoying this. Once I got over the initial shock of starting up, I realized that I had a boost of extra energy during the day and I was sleeping more soundly at night.)

So that's the plan.... and it's gradually working.

For today's "big fat update," I weighed in at:

186 lbs.

That's a total of 19 lbs. lost so far.