thoughtnot

I have a problem, and I’m admitting it here.

The problem? I eat too much, and I don’t exercise enough.

Not that I think those of you who know me are blind. Since graduating from college in the mid-90s, I’ve gained more than 60 pounds and I’ve lost muscle mass. It’s quite obvious. I have a plethora of reasons and excuses, none of which are “good”. It’s just something that happened. My current weight is in the neighborhood of 255lbs. My lowest (ever) to my knowledge was in 1993, when I hit 185.

I don’t know why I eat so much or order food that is so bad for me. I’ll walk up to the counter at Wendy’s for lunch with all good intentions of getting a chicken sandwich and salad, but will somehow walk away with a double burger and large fries thinking “what just happened?!” I’ll go to Subway thinking “veggie and cheese”, only to walk away with an Italian Sub jammed with meat and who knows what.

When it comes to food, it’s like I have a switch in my brain that I can’t find. Despite my best intentions, my stomach somehow over-rides my head. My trips to a buffet are not unlike the lyrics above. And what I eat and drink seems to go straight to the bottom line (no pun intended). I KNOW what I should be doing, but a very real “mental block” is stopping me.

Like everyone, I make “resolutions” every year to eat better and exercise more. I’ve joined the YMCA, but didn’t find myself going often enough to make it financially worthwhile. I bought a mountain bike and started riding some, but now my rear wheel is broken and waiting replacement. I’ve cut out softdrinks a few times, and have tried walking… regardless, it seems to just end after a while and I’m back to square one. It’s not that I don’t WANT to change my habits… it’s honestly that I can SEEM to change them.

Everyone tells me “Mike, you like meat so much… try the Adkins diet!” My response: No. Weight Watchers? No. Jenny Craig? No. Forget it… “fad diets” and/or diets that require gimmicks are not for me. I don’t dispute they work for some people, but in my head that is NOT what I need.

What I REALLY need is a little dwarf that sits on my shoulder and flicks my ear when I try to order something more than I need. But since that’s obviously not reality, I need to focus on a lifestyle change. To me, it’s a simple formula: Eating Less + Eating Better + Exercising More = Weight Loss.

Personally, I don’t think I need to stop eating at McDonalds, or enjoying my favorite barbeque. What I need is to not do it so often, and to equal it out. What goes in needs to be countered by an amount of exercise that burns an equal or greater amount of calories. Sort of a trade off, I guess.

So what’s the plan? This is it. I’m talking about this here because I want/need everyone’s support. I plan to give some updates here on how I’m doing. Now that the weather is better, I plan to exercise more — even if it’s just a walk around the block. I plan to fix my bike soon and ride more. And I plan to THINK before I order.

The “planning” part has failed me before, but I hope this time is different. I know it’s not enough just to “want”… I have to “DO”. I need to do this for myself, for my wife, and for my kids. I do not want to be an early victim of heart failure because I had a love affair with baby-back ribs and White Castles.

I control my destiny… I just need some help at the wheel.