-20

Up until this year I've never paid much attention to my weight. I climbed a mountain and wakeboarded consistently without dying, so it must be OK, right? But in January I stepped on the scale (for the first time in a long time) and wasn't at all impressed with the number that popped up. Blame it on the office job, the frantic lifestyle of an MBA student, or sympathy weight. Doesn't really matter, it just needed to change.

I set a goal of 10 lbs by the end of March, but wasn't sure if I could even do it. Only once had I lost weight and that was a summer at camp where I worked outside 18 hours per day. The idea of losing weight just to turn around and gain it back later didn't seem like a worthy pursuit, so I decided to only do things I could continue for a lifetime. First to go was the 20oz Mt. Dew every afternoon. Lifting weights twice a week again would be easy enough too. I'll lose 10 pounds in no time! Nope, two months later the scale was still lying to me.

Fine, cardio. I hate running but if thats what it takes I'll manage. Just once a week at first, then twice. We also started cooking more meals at home, paying attention to food labels, taking lunches, eating out less. I made my 10 pound goal on the very last day of March.

Since then it's just been more of the same: small changes that I can commit to doing forever. I eat breakfast, watch portions, exercise regularly, eat ground turkey instead of ground beef, wow I sound old.... Oh well, I am now -20 lbs from that day in January. I can run 2 miles in a respectible time and without going into cardiac arrest (which is nice if you're being chased by a bear.) I have more energy and smile more. If I have to act like an old guy to feel like a young guy then so be it!