EXACTLY

i just discovered a list that reflects almost exactly my philosphy on this getting fit thing.

Chris Pirillo's '50 Weight Loss Tips'

The Rules

this stuff is common sense to some people. that means this should be easy, right?

starting right now, the following rules are in effect:

FOOD

1. no more fast food

the spirit of this rule is to stop eating shitty fried grease bombs from the fast food outlets you know and love. that jared guy says subway is ok and i believe him. subway is exempt.

2. when thirsty, drink water or diet drinks

this one should be easy. obviously water is the best bet here. i have to have a diet dr pepper every now and then.

3. snacks must be healthy

apples, celery, pretzels, granola bars, rice cakes, cardboard, tree bark, that sort of stuff.

4. eat smaller portions

seriously, put down the second hot pocket. JUST PUT IT DOWN!!! YOU DON'T NEED ONE FUCKING HOT POCKET, MUCH LESS TWO FUCKING HOT POCKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111

5. this space reserved for a rule to be followed when going out to bars, tailgating, or other activities related to drinking. this one is going to be hard. i love beer. beer loves me. i want to make love to a bottle of beer. i want to plant my seed in a bottle of beer and spawn half human half beer babies. fuck. i need some time to write this one.

SWEAT

6. go to the gym at least 3 times a week

i need to use my gym membership. i am paying for it. I SHOULD USE IT. the idea is to go 3 mornings a week before work with bonus trips on the weekend.

7. walk for at least 30 minutes every possible day

every evening possible i will go for a walk with my special lady. it's good exercise and it's a good way to have some time to talk each day. i don't think i will ever type "special lady" again. am i 60 years old? do 20-something people even THINK the phrase "special lady"??? and i fucking typed it??????????

8. sign up for things that involve physical activity

sports, volunteering at the food bank, just stay active. things that are recurring are even better because it's more of a commitment, but easier to stick with than one-off things.


wow.
this is going to be a challenge.

details coming tonight

tonight i'll post the rules - the heart of THE PLAN (TM). i've got a pretty good idea what the rules will be but i'm expecting to revise them based on results and feedback going forward. i've already broken one of the proposed rules today... had a burger king croissant for breakfast. shit.

a new beginning

wow, what a lame title for my first blog entry. oh well, i'll get over it.

if you ask me i'll tell you i'm a happy person. i honestly am. how can i not be? i have a beautiful wife that i love very much. our families are wonderful - supportive, loving, fun to be around. life is never boring - family, friends, beach trips, hokie football games, bars, shows.

but that's only half of the story.

i am not happy with my body. i have been overweight since childhood. at 6'0, 325 lbs, i am a big man. from time to time i'll get on a fitness kick. these kicks last an average of 2 days. each time i think THIS IS IT, THIS TIME I'M REALLY DOING IT and then i find myself repeating the same mistakes in no time. the most success i ever had i followed the weight watchers program for several months and reached a low of 276 lbs. i started slipping and before i knew it i was back at my pre-diet weight.

well guess what?

THIS IS IT!!!!!!! THIS TIME I'M REALLY FUCKING DOING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

in this blog i'll document my progress and my mistakes. i hope for this to become a place where people relentlessly call me out when i do something stupid that threatens my goal.

which reminds me, what is my goal anyway? i hestitate to attach a number to this project because in the end there's not some magic weight i want to hit. i just want to be in shape, feel good about myself, and be able to do all the things i like to do (and maybe some things i don't like to do) without carrying around the equivalent of 10 bowling balls in my gut and in my ass. but there's got to be some way to measure success, so i think for now it's going to be the scale. i'll weigh in from time to time and post the results here. eventually i'd like to get to a fit 225 lbs. with my build and heredity, it think that would be just about right. holy shit, that's 100 lbs...

so anyway, i don't want this to be like all those other lame weight loss blogs. you don't have to be nice to me in the comments. i won't cry, i promise. i mean, i'm not discouraging positive reenforcement, but sometimes i need someone to kick my ass when i screw up. i'll post more details of THE PLAN (TM) as i figure them out. eating, working out, that kind of thing. i turn 29 in november and i want to reach my goal by the time i turn 30, so some of this stuff is going to have to be aggressive.

so... here we go...