Exercise

Exercise-

What image comes to mind with the mere mention of the word exercise?

Does your mind immediately revert back to videos featuring leg warmers and dance music? Or do you think of images of the former linebacker hanging out in the gym grunting and telling stories of his former glory. Maybe you think of the guy who walks around the office in the shirt that is too tight trying to show off that barbed wire tattoo wrapped around his bicep.

Perhaps it is none of those images you think of when you think of exercise, perhaps like me the first thing you think about when you think of exercise is the long list of excuses you can take shelter in to avoid the struggle. Let's see how many I can think of without trying:

• Don't have time to exercise
• Can't afford the equipment
• Don't know what exercises to do
• Don't know which exercises really work
• Exercise is HARD
• Soreness after exercise
• Exercise is boring

I am sure there are many many more.

C'mon it is no secret exercise has so many benefits for your life, it is not a new revelation that through exercise we can not only look better, but feel better and live longer; but it is not easy, and it takes consistency.

Anyone who tells you how fun and easy it is to work hard and swim in a pool of your own sweat is either lying or delusional.

Here is a little secret, you CAN lose weight without exercise. However, if you want to be healthy and look your best you SHOULD mix exercise with your smarter food choices. There are many reasons why to mix in some exercise but one of the simplest and most fundamental is that exercise burns calories. As we discussed in previous blogs to lose weight you must burn more calories than you take in, therefore exercise is a very important component to any weight loss plan.

There is so much information available on the topic of exercise that it would be silly for me to try to cover it all here. I do have a couple of ideas in mind for future blogs on various exercise related topics but I want to spend some time discussing my own struggle with exercise and how I am dealing with some of the excuses listed above.

The only way to gain the health and life changing benefits of exercise is to exercise. This is a fact I have known for a very long time. When I was in high school not only was I on the wrestling team, but I also lifted weights on a daily basis and even belonged to a gym, but I was never one of those guys who lived at the gym or loved to exercise. As soon as wrestling season ended my senior year I pretty much quit exercising and began finding other things to do with my time.

Some people truly love to exercise, they practically live for it, I have never been one of those guys. I probably understand how exercise affects the body and which exercise works which muscles better than a lot of people, but I still don’t really enjoy the process. My dislike for exercise may be just as responsible for my immense weight gain as my love for food.

Sometimes like paying bills or scrubbing toilets, we have to do things we just really don’t enjoy. I knew this was true in December when I made this commitment but I wasn’t looking forward to it.

A few years back, I took up running in the mornings, this lasted for about 3 days until I developed shin splits, if you have ever had shin splits you know they are very painful, but if you get shin splits and you already don’t like exercise it makes it even easier to not continue.

Last year in a fluke accident at work, I fell and broke my ankle, this made for an exhausting few months of hobbling around on crutches and going through physical therapy to regain full use of my ankle.

For the first few couple of months I was not very consistent with my exercising and I can almost go down the list of excuses listed above. I live too far from a health club or gym. Financially I can’t afford to join a gym or buy any fancy equipment. I didn’t want to do anything that would cause any more damage to my ankle. The excuses could go on and on.

I did have a plan, I set my alarm clock every morning to get up at 5:30 and began exercising. I picked a few different exercise routines to try. I mentioned consistent earlier, I was very consistent with hitting the snooze button and curling up under the covers and simply not getting up in time for exercise. Have you ever noticed how comfortable your bed is at 5:30 and how much more enjoyable it seems to stay in bed than to get up and work out.

I was making myself do some small things, like park a little farther away from the office and take the stairs instead of the elevator, but small things have only small benefits and I knew to achieve the results I wanted I needed to find a way to exercise that I truly enjoyed and make myself accountable like I had with food.

There are some great programs available. Most gyms will help you get started on a good program for your goals. If you can afford it a personal trainer can be a wonderful advisor to make sure you are doing the right things. If you can’t afford a gym membership or a personal trainer there are still some excellent options available to you Couch to 5k is a great running program that is designed to help beginners be able to run a 5k in just 9weeks for more information here is a link http://www.c25k.com/

If you don’t really want to go to the gym and you are not really into running the key is to find something you enjoy doing. Kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking and many other fun activities are excellent forms of exercise that will improve heart health and burn calories. The important key is to find something you like to do so you don’t get bored.

Another thing that has really helped me is to find a partner to exercise with. This not only helps keep me accountable to make sure I am doing what I am supposed to do, but also keeps my routine from getting too boring because I have someone to share it with, thank you Reagan.

One last point, exercise is not easy. You will be sore the next day after you exercise for the first time, this is normal. Your body is reacting to the new challenge you have issued to it, this soreness will not persist with each workout. Give it a couple of days, and keep moving and the soreness will ease up. Make sure each time before you engage in any exercise routine you stretching well and doing a light intensity warm up.

One of the worst things a beginner can do is to pick something too hard you will tire out too fast and you won’t want to do it again. Keeping this in mind when finding your niche. If you enjoy cycling don’t try to be Lance Armstrong the first time out. The same thing is true with running, if you have not made a habit of running on a regular basis don’t sign up for a 5k and think it will be a breeze. Work your way slowly into your routine but keep pushing yourself to get better.

Exercise is just like any other aspect of weight loss first we must make a commitment then we must hold our self accountable and finally we must set realistic short term goals. The other thing in my opinion is just like when making smarter choices regarding food making smarter choices regarding exercise can make all the difference in the world when it comes to whether or not we can succeed.

Exercise can be the accelerant that ignites the fat burning fire or it can be the road block that completely shuts down the weight loss journey. If we pick the right exercise for us and select a good path that we can follow the results will be remarkable.

For the past month I have made the additional commitment and improved my consistency with my workouts and I believe the scale has recognized this.

If you needed further proof that I don’t really enjoy exercise and that it is something I tend to put off just look at the date on this blog and keep in mind I usually have these up Monday morning.

Thanks to anyone who may be reading and possibly enjoying. I appreciate all of your support as I continue along the weight loss journey and I truly hope some of my experiences are helping some of you.

Next MONDAY by special request the blog will focus on a week in my life, we will discuss exactly what I am eating and what exercises I am doing.

Tomorrow is Weigh–in Wednesday getting close to the half way point!

The 3 Truths of Weight Loss Part 4:

Tips and “Tricks”

We have focused this 3 part series on what I call the 3 Truths of Weight Loss and how each truth effects your weight loss journey. This is the final part of the series and we will talk about some tips and tricks that may help you achieve the goals you have set.

Remember these tips and tricks are meant to help in our journey, but they do not replace keping track of your calories and burning more than you take in.

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Pick a smaller plate- We were trained as kids to clean our plate, just make it a smaller plate you can reduce your calories significantly by choosing to fill a smaller plate

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Put your fork down between bites- This little trick will slow you down as you eat and will allow your body to communicate the "full" signal to your brain.

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Enjoy the conversation- If you have family dinners it is common to finish your first helping and then immediately go back to the bowl for seconds. Instead give yourself 5-10 minutes to sit and enjoy the fellowship and allow your food to digest. You may not need seconds after all.

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Don’t park so close- It is natural to want to park as close to the office or the store as possible, but by choosing to park further away you are increasing your heart health as well as burning a few extra calories.

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Take the stairs- If you have the choice between the stairs ans an elevator take the stairs, much like the tip about parking,; your heart and your waistline will both thank you later

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Keep snacks on hand- There is a catch to this tip, make sure the snacks are healthy. If you have a can of almonds in your desk and you get hungry you are more likely to eat a handful of almonds then you are to go get a Zinger out of the snack machine.

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Chose your calories wisely- For breakfast you could either have 2 Krispy Kreme Glazed Donuts or 2 Eggs, 2 Slices of Turkey Bacon, 2 Slices of Sara Lee 45 & Delightful Honey Wheat toast with a pat or margarine and strawberry preserves and you could even add a piece of fruit. Which choice will fill you up longer?

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Anything that grows on a plant is healthier than anything processed at a plant- This one doesn’t need a lot of explanation, clearly a banana is healthier than a Twinkie

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Drink lots of water- drinking lots of water is healthy for our body in so many ways, but it is extremely effective when losing weight for 2 reasons. First water has Zero Calories and second significant amounts of water can help diminish your appetite.

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Find a hobby- if you are like me you eat if you are bored, the trick is to find something to do. I graze through the kitchen eating whatever I can find unless I keep myself busy doing something else.

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Never eat as a secondary act- think about how often food is a secondary act to something else we are doing. “How many wings did I eat while I was watching the game?” Make sure when you are eating your purpose is to eat. It makes it much easier to track your calories and hold yourself accountable if you aren’t mindlessly shoveling food in without thinking.

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Ask for your salad dressing on the side- drowning your salad in ranch dressing can make it have as many calories as a hamburger, get the dressing on the side and use the fork dip method.

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Reward yourself- reward yourself when you meet your goals, but as a word of caution, don’t reward yourself with a half gallon of Cookie Dough Ice Cream

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Plan meals ahead of time- this will allow you to put some thought into what you are going to eat instead of making rash hungry decisions

Avoid Buffets- First of all, a sign reading “All You Can Eat” is more like a challenge than an invitation. Besides if you are like me, you know that if you pay $15.00 for the buffet you had better darn well eat $20.00 dollars worth; otherwise you got a raw deal.

Enjoy a long walk on the beach- yes it is cheesy, but it will do wonders for your waistline and if you can get someone special to walk with you it may even do wonders for your heart…

Balance your calories- Some experts advice eating several small meals per day to avoid hunger. This is good advice if this is a plan that works for you. Different people have different hunger needs, some people function better in the morning on a small breakfast and will eat a big lunch and a small dinner. Personally, I like to spread about half of my calories throughout the day and save a large amount of room for a good home cooked dinner. The key is to find your balance.

Beware of "Hidden"Calories- Sometimes it is not our main course or even our snacks that sabotage us, it is our beverages or our accessories. Be careful you may be eating a very low calorie bowl of soup, but the cornbread you are about to crumble into it may have as many calories as the soup. Also don't forget if you drink soft drinks those things are packed with sugar and therefore with calories. The choices here are to allow yourself enough room in your meal plan for these saboteurs or to find alternatives. I personally can not stand the taste of diet soda so, I drink almost exclusively water. I do have one glass of sweet tea at night with my dinner (about 200 calories).

As an addendum to thiss tip, if you like beer or wine make sure you account for those calories, and keep the consumption within reason, too much of this delicious frothy goodness can not only lead to a night you don't remember but can keep your waistline from shrinking the way you had hoped. Hey they don't call it a beer belly for nothing.

You don't have to sit still while you watch TV- Here is an odd tip, next time you are watching your favorite show, when the annoying ads come on spend that time doing push ups or sit ups or some other exercise that gets you moving. An average 30 minute sit-come has around 8 minutes of ads, if you can watch 2 shows a night and practice this tip TV time could become a major fat burning experience

I hope at least one or 2 of these tips and "tricks" helps someone meet their goals.

40 pounds gone 60 to go; I can hardly wait 2 days until weigh-in Wednesday.

As always Thank You to anyone who may be reading and hopefully enjoying. Remember the opinions expressed in this blog are mine and the plan I am following including “The 3 Truths of Weight Loss” is not approved by a doctor, a nutritionist, or a bureaucrat, only by me.

The 3 Truths of Weight Loss Part 3:

The 3rd Truth of Weight Loss: Calories

When it comes to losing weight there are as many plans as there are stars in the sky. There are the milkshakes, the fast food sandwiches, low carb, low sugar, low fat, eat only meat, eat only raw food and the list goes on and on. Every celebrity and retired quarterback has a plan. There are points to count, there is bread to avoid, and don't forget there is grapefruit just waiting to be eaten.

It all seems so complicated, what really works?

We have seen the before and after pictures and heard the testimonials for all of these plans. Many of us have tried some or all of these programs and our results have not been the same as the actress or the quarterback.

Why are these programs successful, or at least partially successful? I would suggest that every program on the market whether it is reducing carbs or fat or has you only eating hot peppers and lettuce has one key thing in common; it is reducing your caloric intake.

My third truth to weight loss and perhaps the most fundamental is simply if you burn more calories than you take in you will lose weight.

We have talked about goals and accountability and we have talked about smarter choices and deprivation but calories are what ties the whole thing together. This has been the hardest of the 3 part series for me to write because of the technical nature of some of the information, I will try to make it as simple and intresting as I possibly can. I don'twant this to sound like a medical report, I am not a doctor, I am just a FAT guy trying to lose weight and trying to help others do the same.

Let's first dispel a few misperceptions about calories. First Calories are not what creates fat. Actually a calorie is defined as a unit of energy supplied by food. A calorie is a calorie regardless of its source. Whether you're eating carbohydrates, fats, sugars, or proteins, all of them contain calories

Another misperception is that calories are the enemy and should be avoided at all costs. The truth is everyone requires calories to live, remember calories are units of energy. Even if you lay in bed all day and never move you still need some calories to reach the remote.

They key is not avoiding calories, but maintaining a good caloric intake and burning more calories than you take in. There are some very complicated equations out there that will tell you exactly how many calories you need to consume each day and at the end of this blog I will link to some calculators and some other tools, but an easy formula to keep in mind is to consume 10 calories per pound of your weight.

For example if you weigh 150 pounds you should average about 1500 calories per day.

This is a guideline not a hard rule. The more you weigh the more calories you need to function. Other factors like age and sex need to be considered as well. Keep in mind most doctors recommend not going below 1200 calories a day to maintain your health.

Before I started my weight loss journey in December I was not monitoring my calories at all and I was not making smart food decisions I was averaging somewhere around 3500 calories per day. Based on the formula introduced above I was well on my way to 350 pounds. It is amazing how many calories we can take in when we aren't paying attention

At the risk of scaring some people away I need to introduce another small bit of math. To lose 1 pound per week you need to decrease your calories by approximately 500 per day.

For example I now weigh 264 pounds so to maintain that weight I would need to eat around 2600 calories per day, but to lose 1 pound per week I need to eat around 2100 calories per day.

This math is pretty simple but don't forget to adjust it as you lose weight. I try to adjust every 10 pounds.

This is where the other two truths we have talked about come into play. It is important to maintain accountability and make the right decisions. Everything we eat and drink has calories and it is up to you to track those calories each day to make sure you are maintaining your goals.

When we talk about smart choices, if your daily goal is 1500 calories then one Thickburger Combo from Hardee's with a medium fries and a large coke will put you over your goal. However you can still go to Hardee's and order the BBQ Chicken Sandwich with a side salad and a water for less than 500 Calories.

Tracking your calories is all about accountability. You know your goals you know what you are eating. Everything you eat or drink has calories, It tells you right on the label how many calories are in the food. By simply keeping a food log of what you eat and how many calories you have consumed you will better hold yourself accountable for achieving your daily goals.

There are a few very good sites online that will help you count your calories and monitor your goals. One such site can be found Here.

I have found this site very useful. On this sight you can actually enter what you are eating and it will help you track exactly how many calories you have used and how many you still have to use. Also it provides a spot to enter your favorite recipe to find out how many calories you are consuming. For example we discovered that the chicken soup recipe my mom passed down to my wife has only 220 calories per serving. Yummy!

Another important thing to know is that every major restaurant has online nutrition information including calories which is good information to have before you order. Most can be found on the restaraunt's primary homepage but a simple Google search with the restaurant's name and the word nutrition may save you a step. I have found a helpful tip is to review the menu online before I get to a restaurant then I have had the chance to make an informed decision without the pressures of time or what looks delectable on the menu.

One last consideration that I would be negligent if I did not mention is exercise. I don't want to go too deep into exercise now as I will have an entire blog on exercise coming up in 2 weeks but it is a subject that must be mentioned. I waited this late to mention exercise not because it is not important but because many experts feel it is important to spend a few weeks working on your eating habits before introducing exercise.

Every thing we do burns calories; the more active we are the more calories we burn. The more calories we burn the more weight we lose. While monitoring your diet is important, adding exercise is like putting extra fuel on the weight loss fire. For a list of some activities and the calories each would burn you can look at this list. Don't forget to account for these calories in your daily count as well

I hope I have not bored anyone.

Remember if you don't meet your goals one day don't lose hope remember this is not a sprint, but a marathon and if you maintain a good average you will see results.

As a bit of disclaimer, you can chose to eat anything you would like to as long as you monitor your calories and you will see weight loss; however if your goal is to be healthier there are other factors besides calories to consider. That of course is not my focus at this time but some more information on nutrition you should see this article

The final parts of this series will focus on some “tricks” and tips to help on our weight loss journey.

35 pounds gone 65 to go; only 2 days until weigh-in Wednesday

Thank to anyone who may be reading and hopefully enjoying. Remember the opinions expressed in this blog are mine and the plan I am following including “The 3 Truths of Weight Loss” is not approved by a doctor, a nutritionist, or a bureaucrat, only by me

The 3 Truths of Weight Loss Part 2:

The Second Truth Of Weight Loss : Do Not Deprive Yourself.

I like food.

Actually, that’s not true.

I love food.

It is that love for food that led to me to the brink of 300 lbs. It is that same love for food that would make my quest to lose 100 pounds impossible if I attempted to sustain myself on a restrictive diet. I couldn’t make it through a “pizza party” at work smelling the hot delicious pizza and only eating a bowl of roughage. I would probably eat my own arm off first.

If you have ever tried to diet you know how hard it can be to deal with the feelings of deprivation. Whether you are cutting carbs or counting calories you know how hard it can be to rely on willpower and simply deprive yourself of the foods you enjoy.

If we don’t restrict our diets and deprive ourselves how can we possibly lose weight? The answer will sound simple; make smarter choices.

The first thing that happens when you decide to remove certain foods from your plate is that you start to crave those foods. Think about the times when you have tried to reduce carbs, didn’t it seem like your stomach just longed for the hot buttery taste of a melt in your mouth yeast roll. Or doesn’t it seem like if you try to avoid red meat the steakhouse across the street from your office starts piping in the most amazing smells imaginable.

What usually results is the deprivations leads to cravings and those cravings grow more and more intense until finally you reach your breaking point. The problem is once you are at that breaking point you don’t just eat and enjoy one of the yeast rolls that seemed to call your name but instead you devour an entire basket. This binge only frustrates someone who is trying to be a “good dieter”, who just wants to improve his or her life and health. Far too often this leads to failed diets and frustrated people.

It is for this reason that my second truth of weight loss is simply not to deprive yourself but to make smarter choices.

Making smart choices doesn’t always mean choosing the salad and watching with drool dripping from your lips as your dinner companion enjoys the seafood platter, what it may mean instead is finding items on the menu or in your cabinet that are better choices that will still meet your craving.

For example on a recent trip to Texas Road House instead of choosing the beautiful 16 oz rib eye with the loaded baked potato I ordered an 8oz sirloin with rice pilaf and steamed vegetables. Now keep in mind I like everything on my plate so I enjoyed this meal very much and it left me surprisingly full and satisfied.

Another example of making a smarter choice is when I go to lunch at Wendy’s instead of getting the Baconator with a large fry and a large coke (1412 total calories) I get a chili with a Jr. Bacon cheese burger and water (500 total calories). The key is I still enjoy what I ate.

I can not and will not live on bean sprouts and sea weed. I will eat food I enjoy. The key is to eat food I enjoy in a smarter way.

This is not just for meals but for snacks as well. There is never a need to deprive yourself of snacks, The snacks just need to be smarter. Fruit is always a good snack and it is very portable and extremely tasty. Nuts and trail mix are also good healthy snacks that I really like.

There are times however when fruit and nuts just are not what I want when I am snacking there are times I really just have to have a Snickers bar. I try to fight the urge for a Snickers bar with an alternative like a fiber bar which is only 90 calories, but sometimes nothing satisfies the craving for a Snickers bar quite like, well a Snickers bar, and when that happens I eat a Snickers bar.

It is not a failure to give in to the occasional craving I believe it is actually better go ahead and eat a snack size Snickers now and try to make up for those calories somewhere else than it is to deprive myself now and eventually eat a whole bag of that nutty chocolate temptation

The following are a few tips from the USDA about making smarter choices. Each tip is a link to several more tips. For more information you can go here.

	•	Make half your grains whole
	•	Vary your veggies
	•	Focus on fruit
	•	Get your calcium rich foods
	•	Go lean with protein
	•	Find your balance between food and physical activity

These tips are all great but be sure you implement them with food you enjoy it is the only way you will be able to stick to your plan.

Making smart choices is an individual thing, I can’t tell you what foods you like and what foods you don’t like but if you make smarter choices with the foods you do like I believe you will have greater success. There is something smart on the menu that will taste good, you just have to find it.

The next 2 parts of this series will focus on the misperception of calories and some “tricks” and tips to making smarter choice

34 pounds gone 66 to go; only 2 days until weigh-in Wednesday

Thank to anyone who may be reading and hopefully enjoying. Remember the opinions expressed in this blog are mine and the plan I am following including “The 3 Truths of Weight Loss” is not approved by a doctor, a nutritionist, or a bureaucrat, only by me.

The 3 Truths of Weight Loss Part 1:

The first truth of weight loss:

Goals & Accountability

One of the first steps I took when I started my weight loss journey was to make sure I was setting realistic goals and finding ways to hold myself accountable. I believe that one of the biggest pitfalls that someone faces when they first begin an effort to lose weight is that of unrealistic expectations.

We see the ads we hear the stories of losing 20 pounds in a week; or “90 days to a better body” and we set our sites on the “quick fix”. How many of us have a room full of old exercise equipment or a shelf full of diet books but yet we look in the mirror and the weight is still there. I believe that is because we set our expectations to high and when we don’t see the results we want to quick enough we give up. I didn’t get FAT overnight and I will not get skinny overnight.

We must set goals or we will never achieve them; but we must set goals that are attainable and that will not cause us to fail before we even get started.

I knew when I started I had a lot of weight to lose, but until this weekend I never mentioned 100 pounds to anyone. I did some research and found that most doctors recommend only losing about one to two pounds per week. 1 Pound per week is NOT a quick fix! 1 Pound a week is makes it seem like it will take forever to achieve your goals.

Take it from me; I started out with one pound a week as my goal in December,

I also set a “short term” goal of 25 pounds. At 1 pound per week I expected to have lost 25 pounds sometime between May and June.

However I am already at 30 Pounds lost and it is not quite April.

It is very rewarding each week to see bigger losses than expected, but as long as I have seen at least one pound each week I have been happy.

As important as it is to set goals it is equally important to hold yourself accountable.

I have found a few little ways to keep myself motivated and hold myself accountable.

1. The first thing I did was to tell someone who would hold me accountable. I didn’t share my goals with many people at first just my wife and my brother 2 people I knew would push me and support me. The support is so important

2.I have committed to weigh-in once per week no matter what I have eaten or how consistent I have been with my exercise I know I have to answer to the scale.

3. I have also done other things. For example I have a $25.00 gift card in my wallet that I told myself I could not spend on myself until I lost 25 pounds.

with the realistic goals and self accountability I am attempting to overcome the first big pitfall.

the next 3 segments will further discuss the pitfall of deprivation and complication as well as focus on the next 2 truths of weight loss. Then we will talk about some of the "tricks" I am using to achieve results.

70 lbs to go... only 2 days until weigh-in Wednesday

Weight Loss

It has been 6 months since I have posted on here and I have decided to rededicate my blog. There are 2 million people blogging about politics and honestly I am weary of politics right now. So I am going to spend the next few months keeping an online journal as I attempt to lose 100 pounds.

Some of the people who read this may have known me for a long time, others only a short time so I wanted to share a little history. I have not always been FAT ( I hope that word doesn't offend anyone, but it is the word that best describes what I had become) Growing up I was always a slender guy, athletic even. I was the 145lb starter on my varsity wrestling team in High School. I ran regularly and pretty much ate whatever I wanted, and never had a problem making weight before a tournament. As I got to college, I discovered beer & pizza delivery. I also quit making time for exercise. I began to slowly pack on some pounds. Four short years after High School I graduated from College weighing somewhere around 230lbs.

I thought at that time 230 was pretty large and I begin exercising and became very active and lost about 20 pounds, before I had another life changing event. I met my wife, we got married and "WE" became pregnant. I was a good husband I ate when she ate, and I shared her cravings. She craved Chili Cheese Burgers. I gained 40 pounds while Reagan was pregnant. Over the next 7 years I kept gaining weight, and never did anything about it.

I would hang on to clothes until I had no choice but to move up, sadly my wardrobe went from loose fitting XL to tight fitting XXL shirts. My dress shirts had gone up to a size 20. For anyone who doesn't wear dress shirts daily the average size is somewhere between 15-17. Worst of all I felt so lethargic all the time. When fat sneaks up on you slowly you don't always realize with one look in the mirror just how much fat you are.

On December 17, 2009 I made a decision. I decided I no longer wanted to be FAT. I got on the scale that day and the scale after screaming in pain informed me I weighed 299 lbs... yes you read that correctly I was one Chili cheese burger away from 3 bills. Yes, I weigh enough to play lineman in the NFL. Do you realize if I weighed myself twice in high school it wouldn't have been 299 pounds. I am 5ft 9, I don't carry 300 pounds very well. I knew then I had to make a change.

So, that's how I got FAT and how I realized I needed to make a change, the next question was HOW?

That's the key. Everyone has a plan and there are somewhere around 4,123,654,987,books on the market each with a different approach on what to eat and on how to exercise. A person could drive themselves crazy trying to figure out where to even begin. If you cope with stress by eating, avoid the stress of trying to figure out what diet to choose or what plan to follow.

I believe there are only 3 truths to losing weight:

1. Set realistic goals and keep yourself accountable.

2. Do not deprive yourself or you will not endure.

3. The only rule rule about eating is to burn more calories that you take in.

These are the only rules I follow. I weigh -in every Wednesday and to this point I have lost 31 pounds. I have a long way to go and I plan to use this blog and my new Facebook site to keep track of my progress. I will go into more details on how I am following my 3 rules and I will update everyone on my weight each Wednesday.

Thanks to everyone who is supporting me. I hope you will all be happy with much less of me around.