Sorry about yesterday...

Life has a way of throwing things in your path to trip you up. At this moment, I am going through a season of my life that is quite taxing. In times past, I would turn to food for strength and encouragement which is sad when you realize that that is why God put people in our lives. I will not lie. It would be easy to sink into a gastronomical abyss but I can not. I've come to far to fall back. Food is simply fuel. No more and no less. It is not a crutch. It is not a support. It is good tasting energy.

The problem with going through the tough times without a plan is that there is no way to return to a baseline. I will not eat outside of the controls that I am already practicing. The clothes are still fitting looser. I have a goal. Through God's help, I will reach that goal.

Some startling new revelations

Okay, the 24 hour Fitness thing has been a constant since the 1st of January. I have noticed that my clothes are fitting looser. I am losing weight slower but I'm losing inches faster. A great dichotomy, I understand. I won't ever completely get it but I will accept as fact. My food choices have completely changed and I am actually feeling better than I ever have. I am looking forward to all that I'll be able to accomplish in the coming months.

2010 begins

A new year, a new way of doing things. Began tbe next level of the journey this week with a membership at 24 fitness. I decided to tweak my workout a bit so I cut my walk to three miles only to include a two mile bike ride. I also began a low impact circuit (machine weights) as well as including some more stomach crunches. I gained some weight over the Christmas break but the strides I'm making have already rendered weight loss.

I am slowly converting the rest of my eating habits to include a more poultry based diet - chicken sausage, turkey meatloaf, etc. More fresh fruits and vegetables and weaning away from canned or frozen. Yes, I know what bind that puts me in with my busy day but I have determined that abundant life is better than just surviving. I do have occasion to eat fast food but limit that to once or twice a week rather than everyday. Also, I now have declared a personal moratorium on drinking flavored teas. One step at a time. More peaks than valleys.

I lost a total of five pant sizes and four shirt sizes in the last year and determine to keep on track for the new year. I see nothing but sky and won't look back. Health is more important than comfort. Life is more important than stasis. Until next week...Also, I will post pictures again in a months. Stay tuned.

Twas the day after Christmas

Learned something new about myself. It wasn't the food at Christmas that got to me. It was the sneaking. I don't know who I was sneaking from -- myself, others, or God. As Job made a covenant with his eyes, I made one with my mouth. I will not lie. I did indulge, just not the extent as I have in times past. I kept my indulging very small -- a Hershey's mini, a total count of six cookies for the week, two one inch cubes of something too sweet to be considered food, and about an eighth of a cup of sweet yams, that is my confession. Moreover, I stuck with whole grain breads, egg whites, turkey based meats, my own trail mix -- walnuts, sliced almonds, sunflower seads, white raisins, and dried cranberries -- and yes, lots of water.

A new year begins at the end of this week. I can hardly wait to see what it has in store. I've got a health club membership for Christmas and can't wait to get that started. I'll still keep checking in every Saturday.

Merry Christmas

Am out of town for Christmas this week. No worries. Still need to exercise. I found an indoor track to accomodate at least my walking until I get back home. Yes, ladies and gentlemen a Wal-Mart that is super serves the purpose well. I was able to get my minutes in today without too much hassle. Also, the Christmas crowd served as an intricate obstacle course to add an element of interest to the day. I will probably be making as many trips around the place as I can until I go home.

The lesson is that there is always a way around anything if it means getting some exercise. Also, the week being Christmas, I must not turn back on the discipline that got me here. It's not hard really. Just a little more work.

Today is Saturday....

This week a rather odd thing happened. I have left my plateau and am beginning another downward slope. My wedding ring keeps falling off and I need to resize it. Unfortunately, for the time being, I have to go without it.

According to the ring, I now weigh less than when I got married. This thought caused me to reflect on my nearly eighteen years of marriage. All that I have introduced in this blog is indicative of about a years time. Since getting married, I have gained and lost much. Even now, I feel very conscious of the time in my married life when I haven't exactly taken very good care of myself. It is now more than ever that I am grateful for the fact that I have an extremely understanding wife. It was God that brought us together and love that sustained us until today and all our tomorrows. My new goal is to be a more healthy husband for her. My hope is that the next eighteen will be exponentially better.

A new page is turned...

Today, I walked into to 24 hour fitness and began my preview week. I knew that I would have to move to the next stage of the journey. It's been a long one so far but today I continue.

I'm still doing alright with the food. I have restricted myself to 2200 calories and can hardly wait to see where the next turn in the journey goes. The best part of the whole thing is that I've finally overcome the eating part. It is with great joy that I announce that I now have gotten moderation down to a habit. I know that I've said that I've worked it before but some of the bad stuff now has a place in my eating habit. I'm still on my goal to be a waist size less than 50 by Christmas. I am at 52. More next week.