- No fast food.....period
- No out to eat lunches (unless business related, at which I'll make sensible choices).
- Try and keep calorie count to 1500-2000 calories a day
- Run during lunch 3x/week -- 3 miles per run
- Start the P90X work-out routine at night.
- Document my experience via this blog, including the foods I eat, emotions I feel during the day, and the temptations that continue to challenge me day in and day out.
Weight management has been a huge challenge for me in my life. I've gained weight, and I've lost weight (only to find it again.....). I've been pretty good about working out at times, and then I make excuses and fall off the bandwagon and it takes a long time to get back on the horse. I always end up back in the same place, mainly because I've been unable to transform my behaviors and change my way of life.
Its not like I don't know what's causing me to gain weight -- I'm pretty sure it's the pizza, burgers, sweets, and beer. The question I need to answer is this, "knowing that those foods are not the appropriate choice, why do I continue to crave and consume them?". It's almost as if I can tell I'm doing the wrong thing, but don't have the will power or self control to stop. Then, of course, afterwards I feel like crap and wonder why I just ate all those things. For some reason, I either feel the need to punish myself by eating so poorly, or I'm gullible enough to convince myself that it's not that bad to eat one more piece of pizza or one more piece of cake.
My hope is that by being honest to myself, and those who happen to read this, it'll force me to acknowledge what's causing my failure. It may sound corny, but I think there's something to be said about having to be honest and admit your shortcomings and failures. It's very similar to confession/penance at church. The power of admitting your sins to someone else and asking for forgiveness is very powerful. By recognizing those barriers, hopefully I can start to break them down and change myself for the better.
The reasons I want to change are pretty straight forward. If I don't make some changes now, I may end up on the Biggest Loser one day. ok, maybe thats a stretch....and maybe its not. I definitely don't want to be as fat as I am now from a general comfort standpoint as well as a the health risks. Plus my clothes are getting tight, and I don't want to have to invest in a new wardrobe at this point.
I also have a beautiful wife and two young boys to think about. If I can't take care of myself, how can I take care of them. I'd like to be healthy and fit so I can enjoy my time with my family and not worry about the limitations that come with being overweight. Additionally, I want to make sure I teach them how to make good choices when it comes to food and hopefully build good behaviors in them at an early age so they don't struggle with the same thing I'm struggling with.
I hope that this blog will allow me accomplish my goals and identify the barriers I need to eliminate.
Ultimately, my goal is to maintain my weight at ~215-225 lbs, which is a good weight for me -- not too skinny, but also fit enough to run regularly, play basketball, look normal in a swim suit or in business attire. I also want to run a whole marathon by 2015 (the year I turn 35). I've done two half marathons, and I know that with proper training and at a reduced weight I could finish a marathon with a respectable time.
We're going for it over here too! Hopefully we can all help each other out when we get together instead of gorging on things because it's "vacation". I don't know about the marathon, but maybe soon I'll be able to do a half with you guys.
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