Time to get serious

It's time to start our year-long journey toward acheiving a healthy weight (and a healthy weight is anything up to being 5 to 10 pounds over the weight the government tells you is your optimum weight!) and more importantly, maintaining it.

It starts today.

You are now working on a process toward changing your lifestyle to a more healthy one. And I repeat - do not cut out all chocolates, all sweets, etc. If you deprive yourself of stuff you love, you'll fail.

Not that there is any failure with my program, because it'a a year long process of exercise - exercising your will-power muscle as well as exercising your body, learning from any setback and applying that knowledge as you progress.

What to do today?

Continue to write in your journal after each meal. Did you eat a donut for breakfast and ten minutes later have a headache? Did you have a lot of energy after a particular meal? If so of what food did that meal consist? Were you feeling sluggish after a meal? If so, what did that meal consist of?

Your weight training program is Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so no need to start on that today. If you live in a sunshiney area,,go for a bikee ride. If you're one of those inundated by snow, try to go for a walk or go skiing.

Step on the scale and record your weight - then don't look at the scale again for 2 weeks. It will take you at least 2 weeks before you start losing weight - because you have to set up a caloric imbalance in your body, and your body has to recognize what you're trying to do. (Yes, I'm anthropomorphising a bit.) Also, since you're going to be lifting weights - light weights, if you're a beginner at it - you could even gain a pound or two in the initial two weeks, because muscle weighs more than fat. But you want muscle. Your body is a temple and muscles are what shape the walls. You don't want a temple that sags in and will blow over at the first sign of a strong wind.

If you eat a lot, you are going to cut down your meals by a fifth. One heaping spoonful of everything rather than two or three.

Also, try to get into the habit of drinking a glass of water about half an hour before each meal...you'll find that it does help to keep you feeling full. If there's a lot of food left over, no problem. Don't throw it away, put it in the fridge, properly marked, and have it for lunch or dinner in the days ahead. (If you've never eaten left-overs before, you may well find that food actually tastes better on the second day. If properly reheated, anyway!)

Above all, remember that this is the first day of the rest of your life. And that life is for enjoying.