Wish Me Luck!

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Chinese Proverb

Today, I started another diet. Although I am a little excited about the diet (I usually am when I start one), I admit that I don't really have the fire in the belly yet (actually, I just have the belly, which is not a good thing). As I have been talking with my wife, Emily, about going on a diet again, she suggest that I start this blog to track my changes and keep people involved with my progress. Of course, I am not really excited to share the intimate details of my weight loss program with the world, but then again, I doubt anyone will actually read this. So, I have decided to take my wife up on the challenge and try to write a little something each day about my experience.

I guess I should start by explaining what the goal is. I am interested in healthy weight loss, so I am not planning to lose 100 pounds in the next 12 weeks. I have several health and fitness related goals that I intend to achieve.

First, I will complete a health and fitness program regimen. This is always a hard thing for me to do. I have started endless programs and diets, but I have rarely finished them. This is kind of weird, because in other aspects of my life, I usually complete everything that I do. A friend of ours mentioned that she had done this program called Kristi Approved, which is a relatively strict eating program with a good workout regimen to go with it. In an effort to keep myself motivated, I have forked over a decent amount of money to do the program. It really worked well for our friend, so I am hoping it works well for me.

Second, I will lose at least 24 pounds. That is two pounds a week for 12 weeks. From all of the other diets I have done, this is a nice, healthy amount to lose each week. At the end of 12 weeks, I will re-evaluate and see what I need to do to continue to lose more weight (yes, I need to lose more than 24 pounds).

Third, I will stop being addicted to food and using food as an outlet for stress. Ultimately, for me food comes down to needing an outlet for stress. It really isn't any different than drugs, or alcohol, or some other addictive or intoxicating thing. The problem is food has been used in my family this way for years. I have two grandfathers who died of diabetes, both of my parents have been overweight for most of my life, and my sisters and I have struggled with weight loss as well. So, for me, the real challenge is to start using food for what it is intended for, to provide energy and sustain me throughout the day, and to stop using food for my own purposes, namely, to relief stress.

As I mentioned above, the blog is intended to help me keep on track, keep myself honest, and solicit feedback on what I am thinking and doing. Over the next 12 weeks, I hope to provide information about what I am doing, how I am doing, and hopefully (keep your fingers crossed), provide some inspiration for others to improve their lives as well. So, sit back and relax as you read about my journey. While you do, I am just starting to take that first step of a thousand miles! Wish me luck….