Going Forward

In my last entry I hinted that some changes to both my weight maintenance efforts and to this blog were in order. Since then I've spent some time reading most of the relevant posts here and I think I've come away with an insight or two or three.

Most of the changes I've been contemplating involve how I'm going to lose the weight that I've regained and how I'm going to keep it all off this time. There is one change, however, that is going to affect anyone that visits the blog: Gotta Keep It Off! is moving.

There's no need for anyone to panic, at least not yet. I'm in the process of setting up the new digs and there's still plenty of tire-kicking and tweaking left to do. Once the time comes, I'll give plenty of notice and I'll point you in the right direction. This decision was a tough one, but in the end I figured that it was necessary. In addition, because the move is part of a "fresh start" for myself and the blog, all the posts that are hosted here will not be moving to the new site. They won't be going away, they just won't be a part of the new site.

Now to start working on me...

State Of The Blog

For my first post of 2010, please indulge me while I take a critical look at the current state of Gotta Keep It Off! and my plans for its future.

Gotta Keep It Off! began in June of 2007 as a tool to motivate me to maintain my 130 pound weight loss. During that first year I wrote 143 posts in just over six months and a few dozen people decided that they liked reading what I wrote.

In 2008 the number of posts dropped to 79 as I struggled to keep up with the previous year's writing pace. The end of the year also saw me flirting with higher numbers on the scale.

Unfortunately, both of those trends continued into 2009. As the numbers on my scale soared, the number of posts here sank to an embarrassing eleven for the entire year.

2010 is going to be a make it or break it year for Gotta Keep It Off! I want to bring it back to what worked during 2007 while investigating some of the current trends in the blogging world. The first step will be to go back and reread all 233 posts and the corresponding comments to remind myself what worked and what didn't. If it's inspiration I need, I can't think of a better place to find it.

The site has also looked pretty much the same since the beginning and is ready for an overhaul. Almost nothing is out of the question and I already have some ideas in mind. And while I'm not opposed to making a buck or two to cover any costs I may run into, Gotta Keep It Off! will always be about sharing my struggles to stay healthy and not about funding my retirement.

Finally, it's time to put up or shut up. If by the end of the year I don't think I've done a good job accomplishing what I've set out to do, I will walk away. It wouldn't be worth your time or mine if I wasn't giving you my best effort.

So welcome to the future and whatever it will bring!

First Week Back

So here we are, a week after I decided that enough was enough and that I needed to get back to work. I am happy to report that my first week back went very well in spite of a few challenges, including a weekend full of travel.

The bottom line is that I'm four and a half pounds lighter, but more importantly, I'm in the process of reestablishing the good habits that got me to my preferred weight in the first place. Now it is all about following through with what I started.

A good start is always the best motivation. On to Week Two!

Back To Square Two

Hey, remember me? I used to write stuff in this space every now and then. Frankly, I'd be surprised if anyone still checks out this blog...

As you might have guessed from my unexplained disappearance, I fell off the wagon, hard. I have reasons and excuses galore, but the fact remains that the only reason I'm back is that I'm running out of clothes to wear. I think the smartest thing I ever did was get rid of all the clothes that became too large for me as I lost weight, because I can't afford to buy a new wardrobe full of the same clothes that I gave away not all that long ago.

So tonight I finally decided to get my act together and go back to square two and shred the excess baggage that's been accumulating in all the old familiar places. The reason I say square two is because I caught myself before totally undoing all the hard work I went through before.

Going forward, one of three things is going to happen. The first possibility is that this is the last post you'll see from me for another five or six months, in which case will probably mean total and abject failure. The second possibility is that I'll get back to posting for a while, run into some convenient excuses, lose my focus and fall off the wagon again. This is not a preferred course of action and will take some hard work and intense focus to avoid.

Finally, the desired third outcome is that I will get my mojo back and I will not only be successful with my efforts to get back down to a much healthier weight and in keeping it off, but that I will be able to continue to write about it here in a way that won't drive away any potential readers.

It's good to be back!

Bumps In The Road

My commute to work is a 60-plus mile round trip. Over the years I've become quite familiar with the route I take to get there. That doesn't mean that the trip is exactly the same every day. There's always something new demanding my attention. Construction, accidents, potholes and heavy volume are just some of the obstacles I must face regularly. Detours are something to be expected, no matter how annoying they are.

The road I'm navigating to return to the healthy habits I abandoned is also filled with obstacles to avoid. These "bumps in the road" must be handled carefully. If not, I risk running off the road and never reaching my destination.

This is my way of saying that I encountered one of these bumps last night in the form of ice cream and fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. That left me with a question this morning: What was I going to do about it? Was I going to continue going "off road" or did I want to get back on the highway so I could resume my journey to better health?

My answer is simple. I am back on the road to the "No Junk Zone" after a slight diversion. No matter what your goal or priority, a slight bump in the road does not signify catastrophe. As Ol' Blue Eyes used to sing, "Take a deep breath, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again."

One Priority At A Time

Last night's plan for dinner was fettuccine Alfredo. Knowing that "fettuccine Alfredo" is the Italian phrase for "avalanche of calories," I opted instead to start off with a small salad, then I made a large stir fry of mixed frozen veggies and diced ham steak seasoned the way I like with a very small portion of the pre-Alfredo fettuccine mixed in.

It was actually a very tasty and filling meal. I also had a few small pieces of the garlic bread that was on the table. Then I topped the meal off with two, maybe three, forks full of the Alfredo-drenched pasta.

As I sat there afterwards I reflected on my meal. Yes, I ate more than I intended. I certainly know that I could have done without the garlic bread and the extra pasta. It was then that I decided that I had a very successful day.

Yesterday was a successful day for me because I didn't eat any junk food. Even though I had large dinner that included a few not-so-healthy choices, my priority for the day was to stay in the "No Junk Zone" that I've been in since Monday. Because that was my only priority, I didn't consider my dinnertime choices as setbacks to my attempt to get back on track.

In time I will expand my priorities to once again include portion control and better choices in my food selection. But for now I'm taking it one day and one priority at a time.

Song And Dance

When I started to write this post I was going to talk about what's been going on in my life that contributed to the recent unpleasantness between my bathroom scale and myself. But then I realized that it doesn't really matter. Everyone has things going on in their lives that make maintaining a healthy lifestyle difficult. In spite of that, there are countless men and women out there who have made made it a top priority to take care of their bodies. I had just stopped making it a priority in my life.

That's why you won't find any song and dance here today. No excuses or rationalizations. Just someone trying to reset his priorities so he can get back to where he was.

I declared yesterday a No Junk Zone, meaning that no junk food would pass my lips for the entire day. I made it my top priority for the day. It worked out very well even though my planning left much to be desired. In celebration of that success, I've decided to make it my top priority again today.

While it may only be one small part of living a healthy lifestyle, it is a move in the right direction. And that's all I need right now.