Skink Day

Stone Mountain has become like a gigantic gym for me with a $35 a year membership fee (parking pass). Once a week (twice if my schedule is free), I like to go to Stone Mountain and tromp around. There are two different kinds of hikes that I enjoy. The main attraction for hikers seems to be the Walk Up Trail, which is a one mile hike straight up Stone Mountain. There are also plenty of trails that go around Stone Mountain. Sometimes I enjoy the physical challenge of the Walk Up Trail, and sometimes I enjoy a longer hike through the woods.

Today I took a longer hike. I walked five miles around Stone Mountain, mostly sticking to the Cherokee Trail. After one circumnavigation, I turned around and retraced my steps for a total of 10 miles. It was an eventful walk, with plenty of nature moments.

It began to rain during the first section of the hike. It was so steamy that my glasses soon fogged up. I'm extremely nearsighted, but I was better off carrying my glasses. I'm glad I was familiar with this trail, because it a blurry two miles before the sun came out and evaporated the moisture from my glasses. Oddly enough, it didn't appear to have rained at all on the north side of the mountain. That ground was bone dry.

After the sun came out, the rocks were steaming, and I started to see five-lined skinks all over the place. I think there must have been a skink convention, because they were everywhere! I'm sure those skinks have been there all along, but this was the first time I started to notice them. After I became aware of them, I saw them wherever I looked. I've only been walking the trails at Stone Mountain for a couple weeks now. I'm looking forward to seeing more wildlife as my city eyes get used to looking for critters on the trail.

On the return trip, I came across a rather large deer. We stared at each other for a few seconds before she bounded away. After reaching the south side of the mountain, I got rained on again…twice. At least it wasn't enough to fog up my glasses again. Aside from the annoyance of foggy glasses, I didn't mind the rain. In face, it felt wonderful, like I was walking through a lawn sprinkler on a hot day.

Aside from my nature moments, I'm also thrilled that I appear to be able to run again. For now, I'm sticking mainly with walking the trails, with an occasional stretch of running (well, trotting). The trail is much easier on my knees than the hard road, and the tricky footing helps keep me from over striding. I've read that running on tricky terrain is also a good way to strengthen the ankles and all the other joints that support running and walking. I'll eventually increase the percentage of time I spend running versus walking, but, to play it smart, I plan to mix running with walking from now on.

Stone Mountain Walk

It's been a while since I've written about any of my workouts. There was almost always something interesting to write about when I was running. I've been spending a lot of time on a stationary bike, watching movies and Star Trek episodes to pass the time, which makes it a little difficult to find anything interesting to report.

This morning, I took a long walk at Stone Mountain Park. It's hard to believe I've lived in Atlanta for nearly 10 years and haven't visited the park. Shame on me! There are several paid attractions that don't hold any interest for me. You can visit the website for that. I was just there for the trails. My new neighborhood isn't the best place for walking. I figured that if I'm going to have to drive to a good walking area, it might as well be a place with bathrooms. My friend, Greg Luffey, is an ultra-runner living in New Mexico. He loves to run in wild places. I'm not sure you could pay him enough to live in a city. Still, if you forced him to live in Atlanta, I suspect he would enjoy running up, down, and all around Stone Mountain Park.

What a great place to walk! According to the website, Stone Mountain Park has 15 miles of trails, so I guess I walked about 1/3 of the trails that were available. Also, the bike path I used to walk from downtown Decatur connects with Stone Mountain. If I ever feel like going for an extremely long walk, I can add a detour to Decatur…8 miles to downtown Decatur and 8 miles back!

My 4.7 mile trek was enough for today. I just recovered from a cold, so I'm not at full strength, and the trail I chose would have challenged me even if I was at 100%. I began walking the sidewalk around the perimeter. I walked about a mile before I found the Cherokee Trail. It started off easy enough, but the next thing I knew, I was climbing over Stone Mountain, scrambling over granite. What was originally a clearly marked path was now a mountain goat trail. The only thing that kept me pointed in the right direction was a series of white hashmarks that highlighted the trail. My walking pace was a respectable 15:30 per mile while I was walking the easy trails. I sometimes slowed to 25:00 per mile as I was picking my way across the granite. The pace was slow, but my heart sure was pumping. I've read that trail runners are wise to ignore their pace and just keep track of the total time spent running. Now I see why. When I looked at my Garmin and saw that my 25:00 pace, I could only laugh.

Stone Mountain as I saw it this morning.

What goes up must come down. My pace quickened once I was heading downhill, but my quads were shaky. I'm used to walking up and down steep hills, but scrambling is a different story. Eventually, I came off the granite face and was back onto a more traditional trail. Ah! I passed through the main feature of Stone Mountain, a gigantic, mountain sized carving of Confederate generals that is the central part of what as billed as the world's longest running laser light show. I'll have to come back some time and catch the show out of morbid curiosity.

Stone Mountain, all lit up.

After passing the South's answer to Mount Rushmore, I was back on the Cherokee Trail, and it wasn't long before I found myself back on the perimeter sidewalk. I didn't realize how much cooler it was under the trees until I was back on the sunny sidewalk. My original plan was to follow the Cherokee Trail and then take the Walk Up Trail – one mile straight up and back down. My legs were still wobbly from scrambling over the granite face, so I decided to pack it in. I could have hiked up the mountain fairly easily at the start of my walk, but not at the end. My challenge will be to build up enough strength to take the same walk I took today, and then add the Walk Up Trail at the end. Another masochistic challenge would be to climb up and down multiple times…probably start with two summits, and then add more as I get stronger.

I bought an annual parking pass. It was a no brainer. It costs $10 to park for a single day, and $35 for the entire year. I plan on hitting Stone Mountain Park at least once a week. It'll give me a break from the stationary bike and give me something to look forward to. I'm already planning my next route.

To Run or Not to Run

Around this time last year, I ran my first half marathon. About a month after the race, I developed an overuse knee injury. It was a classic case of too much, too soon. I had to stop running for a while. I walked for a couple months, tried running again, found that my knee still hurt, and then had to stop walking, too. I stopped exercising and starting bingeing again. By the time the holidays were over, I had gained 58 pounds. I've currently lost 33 of those 58 pounds, and I'm well on my way to reaching a healthy weight again. I've been pedaling a stationary bike, and lately I've been walking 2-3 times per week.

The main thing that triggered my weight gain (or my main excuse, at least) was being unable to run. I had become obsessed with running, and no other exercise would do. When I had to stop, it felt like the bottom dropped out. Rather than turn to another exercise, something flipped in my brain. Throughout most of my life, I've turned to food when stressed or depressed, and that's exactly what I did after I injured myself.

I still plan to run again, but I'm going to wait until I've reached my target weight before giving it another shot. This will allow extra time for my knee to recover, and running at a healthy weight will reduce stress on my joints. Rather than run 4-5 times a week like before, I plan on running 3 times a week, cycling 3 times a week, and resting one day. When I run, I'll mix walking and running.

There's a social website called Daily Mile, which was created for fitness buffs. It provides useful tools for keeping track of your workouts, and just like other social websites, you can find friends for mutual support. Unlike most of my Facebook friends, my friends on Daily Mile are actually interested in my workouts.

I'm a little disturbed by the number of runners on Daily Mile who are pushing through injuries. I see myself in them…amateur runners who are doing too much, too soon. While I understand their desire to run, I wish some of them would take it easy, build their distance more gradually, avoid obsessing about their pace, and cross train. I want to stress that there's nothing wrong with running, but if you overdo it, you're going to pay the price. I still have aspirations to run a marathon one day, and possibly even an ultramarathon. I'm one of those oddballs who loves propelling himself for long distances, but I have finally accepted the fact that this is something that I have to build up gradually.

If, despite all my precautions, I continue to have difficulty with my knee, then I'm prepared to discontinue running. I'll bike, walk, and work out with weights. Although I truly love running, my main goal is to be as healthy as I can be. If that means never running another step, I'll be okay with that…as long as I can fit into my skinny jeans!

Test Run

For nearly three months, I've been out of action with an overuse injury. While I've remained active by working on a stationary bike, I've really missed running. I took a test run this morning. I didn't set any speed records, and I probably won't make the 2012 Olympic team. I ran 1.3 miles in 19 minutes. I didn't run the entire way. I alternated running and walking at 1 minute intervals. Overall, my leg didn't feel too bad. I began to feel a little twinge in my knee toward the end, which worries me a little. Still, to travel over a mile is a big improvement over not being able to last even a quarter mile.

Plan A assumes I am able to continue running. The plan is to go out three times a week and run one mile. I'll continue to workout long and hard on the stationary bike to keep up my fitness. If my leg feels okay, I'll VERY gradually add distance – probably a half mile at a time. I'll also use the run/walk approach. The macho side of me wants to gut it out and run the entire time. The practical side of me knows that a run/walk approach will allow me to travel longer distances, and it'll also allow me to continuing running longer as I get older. Also, I have it in my head that I would like to run an ultramarathon one day. Even the top ultra runners use a run/walk approach, so I may as well get used to it now.

If I'm unable to continue running, I'll reluctantly move to Plan B, where I'll stop running for a year, continue my long stationary bike workouts, and step up my strength training. Back in the day, I was very much into weight training and even had some manly muscles to show for it. I enjoy weight training, but I've been training lightly these days. If I'm unable to run, I'll very likely start hitting the weights a little harder. I have no plans to throw around a lot of weight like I did before. Instead, I would use light to medium weights and do a lot of circuit training.

So I have a plan, and I have a backup plan. If I have to, I'll switch to Plan B, but I love running, so I'm hoping I can stick with Plan A.

Reassessing

Often my blogs and Facebook posts celebrate victories and achievements large and small. Not this time. I've come to realize that my new running "career" may be finished. Last month I experienced sciatica pain while running and ended up limping home. I took the month off running and focused on walking, cycling, and yoga. This morning I took a very brief test run. After walking a mile as a warm-up, I alternated running and walking 50 yards at a time. It didn't take long before I began to feel the beginning of the sciatica flaring up again.

I suspect my leg problem is a combination of factors. I most certainly overtrained, running too much too soon. There's also the fact that I spent much of my adult life weighing 300+ pounds, which really messed with my knees. Even after losing the weight, I've had to be very careful with my knees. While I am certainly healthier overall than I was a year ago, years of unhealthy living have taken a toll on my body, and there's a limit to how much I can reverse the aging process.

If I could afford it, I would see a sports therapist to help sort out the problem, but I don't have the money. The good news is that my leg feels fine when I'm walking. I really love running, but I also enjoy walking. There's just something that feels good about moving forward on my own two feet. Maybe in another year, I'll give running another try, but not today.

It's not like I'm giving up a career as a professional runner. That was certainly never going to happen! Whatever my choice of exercise, the ultimate goal is health. I like walking, but I also like workouts that really get my heart pumping. My plan is to practice yoga and walk in the mornings, and then mix in some faster cycling 3-4 times a week to satisfy my urge to push the pace.

Transition

I've accomplished my weight loss goal. Last April, I weighed 323 pounds. Today I weigh 199. Now it's time to switch gears. I've had a weight loss mentality for so long that I'm finding it hard to believe that I don't need to diet to lose weight anymore. I'll most certainly lose a few more as a result of my distance running addiction, but I don't have to be as strict.

While I have to change gears, I don't want to throw it into reverse, thinking I can just eat whatever the hell I want. Fortunately, my weight loss diet wasn't too crazy. I ate normal, healthy foods as I was losing weight. I just didn't stuff myself silly. Now I'll be comfortable eating the same foods, except I'll be able to eat larger portions. I'll be able to indulge now and then if I go out, and holidays won't be such torture.

I still plan on weighing in once a week to keep tabs on myself. If my weight drifts above 200, I'll know to cut back a bit. Since I'll be training for half marathons and eventually marathons, I suspect the weight will no longer be an issue.

The weight loss was enjoyable in a weird sort of way, but I'm glad that chapter of my life is over. I'm ready to move on.

Losing It #13: Steady On

I've lost over 80 pounds so far. I started at 323. This morning I weighed 242, and I'm getting closer and closer to my goal of 200 pounds. This is a time that I have to be steady and stick with the plan. In the past, when I've reached this weight, for some reason I've often let it slide and started packing on the pounds again.

The last time I went on a weight loss campaign, I made it down to 235 before I gave it up. I didn't give up right away. It started slowly. I had started running again, and I told myself that I could handle a pint of Ben and Jerry's once a week. I justified the weekly indulgence by figuring that running would magically melt the extra calories. I stopped losing weight, but at least with the running, I wasn't gaining any weight. Then I caught a nasty cold and was too weak to run for about a week. Of course, I wasn't too weak to eat ice cream! After a week of non-exercise, I had lost momentum. Soon I stopped exercising altogether and started eating more junk: ice cream, chips, and fast food. A year later, I was even heavier than before.

I also experienced some frustration with my running a couple years ago. I could feel myself getting faster. I began to think that I could recapture my glory days and maybe even come out of nowhere in local races to place in my age group. One morning, as I was feeling particularly fast, two chatting high school girls blew by me like I was standing still. Talk about a reality check! Instead of dealing with the fact that I wasn't nearly as fast as I use to be, I started to lose the motivation to run.

This time around, I don't plan on making the same mistakes.

• I know that ice cream is my Achilles heel. As much as I love the stuff, not a bit of ice cream has passed my lips for nearly half a year. So I'm running again and sticking to good eating habits.
• I've gotten over the fact that I don't run fast anymore. I'm content to enjoy the exercise, and I'm focused on running lightly and easily. If a flock of gossiping high school girls passes me on the road, good for them.
• If I get sick and can't run for a while, that's okay. I can walk. If it turns out that years of obesity have left my knees in a sorry state, I can walk. I enjoy walking almost as much as running.

The biggest mistake I made the last time I tried to lose weight was trying to do it all by myself. Aside from gigs and rehearsals, I'm a hermit. I live alone, and I prefer to do most of my activities alone. I exercise alone, too. Although I spend a lot of time by myself, that doesn't mean I have to be alone in my weight loss campaign. This time I have a lot of people behind me. I've posted fitness updates regularly on Facebook and in this blog, and in return I've received lots of support. Not only that, but many of my friends have started losing weight, too. Even though we're not dieting and exercising together in person, I feel like we're together in spirit.

This is the point where I typically hit the wall, but I'm determined not to let that happen again. I just need to be aware of my tendencies and to know that, recluse that I am, I get by a little help from my friends.

Losing It #12: Running Man

I'm officially hooked on running again. After walking off the weight for five months, I began running again. I'm not running a lot: just Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and I'm combining walking and running. For now, it's about half and half: a combined total of two miles running and two miles walking.

The first week I began running was painful, but it was a good kind of painful, if you can believe such a thing. I've developed a certain amount of strength though taking long walks (4-8 miles), but running is more intense. By the end of the week, I felt myself getting a bit stronger.

Today, after two weeks of running, something magical happened. Running felt easy. My legs felt great, and I wasn't breathing much harder than I breathe when I walk fast. Even the hills didn't feel so bad. My footsteps were light, and I felt like I was just gliding along. There were times I didn't want to stop. I did make myself stop, though, from time to time. I've dropped 80 pounds, but I still have 43 to go, so I'm still heavy for a runner. Running is stressful enough without the excess weight. I'm very careful to take walking breaks to prevent injury. Eventually, I'll be able to run three miles at a stretch, and then we'll see how it goes from there.

The best part about running is that I enjoy it. When I first step out the door, my reason for running is to continue to lose weight. Once I'm warmed up, I'm running because it's fun. I was a fairly fast runner in my glory days. I may never be fast again, but I don't care. I lope along at a happy glide, and it feels great.

Losing It #10: Running Man (sort of)

I ran a quarter mile today. I realize that I haven't set any endurance records, but considering that I weighed 323 pounds only four months ago, I can be proud of this. I've lost over 70 pounds from walking, but lately I've had the itch to start running again. I wave to the runners on my daily walk, and part my heart runs with them.

My body has gone through a remarkable change over the past few months. The most noticeable change is on the outside, as I continue to shrink, but I also feel a big change on the inside as my body adjusts to my increasing physical demands. When I began walking, I was weary and footsore after a 30-minute walk. My body soon adjusted, and I was able to increase the length of my daily walk. Today I walk 4 miles on weekdays and 8 miles on weekends.

The next logical step after walking is running. I'd like to dive right into running, but because I'm still heavy, I have to be careful. My legs and heart have been strengthened by taking long walks, but my joints and tendons aren't quite ready for long runs. Last week I began introducing a very short run into my daily walk. When I say a very short run, I'm talking about a whopping 100 feet. This is to prepare my joints for the added stress of running. The plan is to very, very gradually increase the length of my run. I'm not in a hurry. I'm not preparing for a race. There's no deadline. I'm feeling my way through this. I'm gradually increasing distance as my body adjusts.

Today I ran a quarter mile without discomfort. As a matter of fact, I wasn't breathing much harder than when I walk. I'll stick with a quarter mile for the next couple weeks, let my body adjust, and then add a little more. Assuming all goes well, I should be running regularly by November or December.

Back in my Air Force days, I was quite the runner…not world class by any means, but pretty fast. I trained for speed over medium distances and clocked some pretty decent times at local 5K and 10K runs. This time around, I'm not planning to train for speed. Those days are past. When I'm running again, it'll be purely for health and pleasure.

Losing It #9: Strength and Stretching

In my blogs about losing weight (70 pounds so far!), I often write about walking, but walking isn't my only exercise. I also stretch and strengthen.

What I'm about to write isn't exactly top secret. You can read about it just about anywhere, but since you're here now, you might as well hear it from me.

There are three basic types of exercises: aerobic, strengthening, and stretching. Aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, can improve your overall stamina and heart health. My choice of aerobic exercise, walking, is what I write about most often, and it's the key exercise in my weight loss routine.

Aerobic exercise is great for burning fat, but strengthening exercises are also a great help. When you perform strength exercises on a regular basis, you add muscle. The coolest thing about this, for weight loss, is that increasing your muscle muscle mass increases your metabolism. In other words, simply by having more muscle, you burn more fat, even if you're just, say, blogging at your computer. Back in my glory days, I was into bodybuilding, but there's no need to spend hours at the gym. Today, my strength routine is very basic: crunches, push-ups, and dumbbell curls. I don't need a gym, and the only equipment I require is a light set of dumbbells.

Women, if you're afraid of bulking up, don't be. For the average woman, you have to do a lot of heavy lifting before you even begin to look bulky. Also, for both men and women, if you're looking to build big muscles, you'll want to lift heavy weights with fewer repetitions. If you're looking to tone your muscles, you'll want to lift lighter weights with more repetitions. Me? I'm not looking to recapture my bodybuilder physique. I'm using lighter weights and high repetitions so that I'll have some muscle tone when I reach my target weight.

Stretching doesn't increase fat burning, but it helps prevent injury. I have a bad back, and stretching exercises my hamstrings and butt helps to keep my back loose. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I keep meaning to take up yoga. Many, many people have recommended yoga to me. I haven't started it yet, but my stretching routine is largely based on some yoga exercises my ex-wife used to perform.

There's a really good book on stretching titled, oddly enough, Stretching. I highly recommend it.

If you want to lose weight, focus on aerobic exercise. Get out there and run, hike, walk, swim, cycle, and dance. For overall fitness, don't forget to strengthen and stretch.

Losing It #5: Walking Man

It's official. I'm hooked on walking. I started walking a few months ago to lose weight, but walking has become more than just exercise. This morning I played a Sunday morning service. I set the alarm an hour early simply because I feel better once I've had my morning walk. I've experience many benefits since I've begun walking regularly.

• My knees don't bother me as much. Over the past year I've developed a problem with my knees. It's painful to kneel down, or to be more accurate, it's painful to stand up after I've been kneeling. While sitting, if I keep my legs in a bent position, they'll begin to ache if I keep them in one position for a long time. While this is still a problem, the pain has lessened since I've begun walking. The improvement is probably due to a combination of exercising the joints and having less weight to bear as I shed my pounds. The pain may never totally go away, but it's encouraging to feel my knees improving.
• Walking doesn't trigger my competitive instincts. In my physical prime, I tried both bodybuilding and long distance running…not at the same time. These two physical activities are mutually exclusive! They were both a great way to stay in shape, but I tend to become competitive, not with others, but with myself. As a weightlifter, I would always try to lift more and more, and as a runner, I would always strive to run faster and longer. These healthy activities became obsessions. I would start spending too much time at the gym, or I would do crazy stuff like try to lose an extra five pounds just to be lighter and run faster (back at a time in my life when I didn't have five pounds to lose). It's hard to get into a competitive mindset while walking, especially when you're waving to the neighbors and stopping to pet friendly cats. Walking is something I can do for the long haul without putting extra pressure on myself to perform, and it should be simple to maintain my target weight once I've lost the excess pounds. I'll simply be able to keep walking as I'm doing now, only I'll be able to eat more to maintain an equilibrium.
• Walking makes me feel connected. For me, there's something about getting outside and putting my feet on the ground that makes me feel more connected with the world around me. There are other walkers and runners that say hello, and there are the neighborhood cats that greet me and let me pet them. Lately I've felt more open to new experiences. There's more to this change than just taking a daily stroll, but walking is certainly a factor.

Whatever you do, whether it's walking, running, rowing, or riding a bike, I hope that you can find an exercise that fulfills you and becomes more than just exercise.

Losing It #4: Easy Does It

As I continue to lose weight, I am meeting little milestones that keep me motivated. There's the Sunday weigh-in, of course. The scale doesn't lie, and it's satisfying to watch the numbers decrease every week. I'm a chronic list maker and recorder of things, and so I keep track of my weekly progress on a piece of paper that is stuck to my refrigerator door. My belt is another motivator. I've tightened my belt by two notches. In another two or three weeks, I'll need a smaller belt. I have several pants that almost fit. These are pants that I outgrew, but I'll be able to fit into them in a few weeks. I also have pants from when I was much, much lighter. I won't have to shop for pants for a while. I'll just take the pants I already own and wear them in descending order. I can wear all my suit coats again without worrying that I'll pop a button.

Lately I've found that I'm not embarrassed by pictures of myself anymore. I'm gradually beginning to look like the me I want to be. In pictures from the past few years, I look round…tummy, face, everything. Round. To be honest, one of the reasons I grew a goatee was to help hide my double chin. I don't want to look like a collection of spheres anymore. I'd like to have some angles again. (Even after I lose the weight, I'll keep the goatee. I kind of like it.)

My approach to this weight loss adventure has been different from years past. As I explained in Losing It #1, I've lost significant weight three times before, but I've always gained it back. In the past, I've gone into my weight loss phases with guns blazing. Whatever I choose to do, I tend to go all out. I'm not competitive with others, but I'm very demanding of myself. The first time I lost a lot of weight, I started lifting weights, but I couldn't just go work out for the health of it. I had to become a bodybuilder, and I approached each workout as if I were going into battle. After I lost weight for the Air Force, I started running, but I couldn't just run for fun and fitness. I had to start entering races, always trying to run faster and faster. It's no wonder I couldn't stick with the program when I was pushing myself so hard.

Now I'm no longer pressuring myself. This time my philosophy is to take it easy and approach it as a gentle lifestyle change. Several years ago, I was proud to be able to throw heavy weights around or run a fast 10K race. Now I'm taking long walks in the morning, happy to be interrupted when a cat runs out into the road looking for attention. I'm even thinking about taking up yoga to help improve my flexibility and alleviate back pain. While I couldn't push myself forever in the weight room or in road races, I will definitely be able to continue my daily walks even after I've shed my extra pounds. In fact, I'll want to take a daily walk.

That's the key right there, at least for me. Find an exercise you enjoy, and build it into your schedule. Don't think of it as extra or special. Just do it for fun and make it part of your life.

Losing It #3: Weight Loss Tips

Since I started losing weight for (hopefully) the last time, I've been surprised at how many other people have told me that my efforts have inspired them to get off the couch to take a walk or ride a bike. Maybe I inspire them, but these comments also motivate me. When I receive comments from other people about how I've helped them to start losing some extra pounds, it makes it easier for me to head out the door for a walk on the days when I feel less motivated. I post regular walk or weight loss updates on Facebook. Sometimes it'll be something like "added another half mile to my walk" or "will need a smaller belt soon." The last thing I want to do now is post a status update that reads "bought a pint of Ben and Jerry's and stopped exercising today."

I've even had a few people asking for tips and motivation, and that's what this blog entry is all about. Please, please, please don't take this as a blueprint for your own weight loss plan. This is a random list of what is working for me. What works for me may not necessarily work for you. I am NOT a dietician, and I'm not recommending any particular diet program. Again, I'm just telling you what is working for me. If you want to create your own diet plan, you should consult an expert. If you have a tip of your own to add, please do so!

• Diet AND exercise, not one or the other.
• Remember that you're in it for the long haul. The first week, you may lose 5-10 pounds of mostly water. Don't think that this will always be the case! I lost 10 pounds my first week, but after that, I've dropped a steadier, more natural 1-2 pounds a week. Although I'd like to be ready for a fitness photo shoot next week, realistically, I'm looking to be at or near my target weight in about a year. I didn't gain this weight overnight, and I'm not going to lose it overnight.
• Pick an exercise that you enjoy. If an exercise feels like torture or is mind numbingly boring, you'll probably stop after a week or two. Walking is what works for me. You don't need fancy equipment, and walking is such a natural activity for the human body that even a very overweight person like me can do it.
• Another reason to pick an exercise you enjoy is that you'll want to keep it up AFTER you've lost the weight.
• If you get bored easily with one type of exercise, mix it up. Although I enjoy walking, I don't walk exclusively. I also have a stationary bike at home. I prefer walking, but sometimes I just feel like playing a DVD and pedaling at home. It's also my back-up plan if it's raining too hard to walk.
• Exercise regularly. I walk or pedal 5-6 days a week.
• For weight loss, go long and slow, not fast and hard. My walk is a little over 4 miles and takes an hour and ten minutes. On the stationary bike, I pedal 30 minutes at a moderately fast pace…enough to keep me breathing hard, but not so fast that my legs really start to burn.
• Find a regular time to exercise and build it into your schedule. Make it a regular part of your day, not something extra. I prefer exercising at night, but I'm often rehearsing or gigging at night, which gives me a perfect excuse to skip. I adjusted my schedule so that I exercise first thing in the morning, and now I rarely miss a workout.
• Create a support network. I'm single and live alone, and I prefer to spend time by myself. Although I don't spend much time with other people, I've created a support system for myself on Facebook. I didn't intend for this to happen. All I did was start posting status updates about my progress. Friends immediately started responding with encouraging comments, and so they support me and I support them.
• Forgive yourself if you slip. If you couldn't resist the cookies today, don't worry about it. Move on, and try to make a better choice tomorrow. If you skipped your exercise today, don't worry about it. Move on, and make sure you exercise tomorrow. It's all about developing a generally healthy way of life. A bump in the road here and there won't affect your overall lifestyle.
• I try to keep my meals as simple as possible, and I avoid processed foods as much as I can. I stick to basics: meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, beans, and rice. Basically, I want everything on the plate to look pretty much like it does coming out of the ground.
• I've cut out most sugar from my diet. Sugar is not your friend.
• Keep junk food out of the house. This is one of the best decisions I've made. I'm a compulsive eater and a junk food junkie. If there's junk food in the house, it won't even last a day. Buy a pint of Ben and Jerry's and it'll be gone in no time. Buy two pints of Ben and Jerry's? It doesn't matter; it'll still be gone. A bag of chips? Gone. Since I know my own habits and weaknesses, it's best to not even give myself the opportunity.
• It's okay to eat out, but just be smart about your choices. I used to order a bacon cheeseburger and fries at my favorite lunch spot. Now I order a chicken wrap and a side salad. Unfortunately it's usually a little more expensive, but I always order a side salad instead of fries.
• Although I still eat out, there are some places I have to avoid for now. I just love the unhealthy goodness of a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder, and so I avoid McDonald's like the plague. If I'm looking for a quick meal out, I'll head to Subway.
• Don't put yourself on some sort of exotic diet. If it's a pain to prepare or find the necessary foods, you won't stick to your diet. Keep it simple.
• Don't try to eat a whole bunch of food you don't like. I've cut out my favorite treats, like ice cream and chips, so why punish myself by eating foods I don't enjoy? If I try to constantly eat foods I don't like, I guarantee I'll fall off the wagon.
• If you're like me and have trouble avoiding the bucket o' popcorn at the movies, be a rebel and smuggle in some "outside" food.
• Don't starve yourself. You're trying to establish habits for life, and starvation diets don't work anyway.

My overall strategy is to keep it as simple as possible. In a nutshell: move more and eat less.

I hope this helps someone, and if you have any advice, please post a comment. We're all in this together.

Losing It #2

It's been three weeks since I decided to do something about my weight for once and for all. So far I've lost 19 pounds. That's a lot of weight to lose in three weeks, and I don't expect to lose as many in the next three. The first week I lost a lot of water weight, which is typical. After that watershed week (pardon the pun), my weight loss will be more gradual. I didn't put this weight on overnight, and I won't lose it overnight. I'll be close to my ideal weight in about a year.

Here are some observations from dieting and walking during the past three weeks.

• Social media can be much more than Vampire Wars and funny videos. On Facebook, I post near daily updates on my walk, and I've been pleasantly surprised at my online support system. People often add encouraging comments to my posts. Every single comment helps me stay motivated.
• I didn't expect that other people would be motivated by my struggles. Many people have told me that I've motivated them to start or renew an exercise program. I can't even begin to tell you how good it feels to know I've had a positive effect on people I've never even met.
• Even though I haven't lost enough weight to make a difference in my appearance, I look better to myself in the mirror.
• I really enjoy walking. It feels good. Well, the hills don't always feel good, but those climbs are a great workout. Walking makes me feel more connected to the neighborhood. Driving through the streets, I'm isolated from my own surroundings, but putting my feet on the ground helps me feel more a part of the world around me.
• I do not enjoy my stationary bike. It numbs my bum. I'll reluctantly pedal 30 minutes on my stationary bike if it's too rainy to walk.
• For me, exercising is easy, but dieting is hard. I'm not on a counterproductive starvation diet. Instead of "dieting," I'm making an important lifestyle adjustment. For the most part, I try to eat unprocessed foods, especially meats, fish, vegetables, rice, and beans, and I'm cutting out a lot of processed sugar. Basically, I want everything on my plate to look like it does when it comes off the plant.
• I can eat out and still lose weight. Being single and a lousy cook, I enjoy eating out. I eat out less these days, but I'll still eat out two or three times a week. The big difference is that I'm careful about what I order. One of my favorite lunch spots is the Corner Pub in Decatur. I eat lunch there once a week, but I'll order a chicken wrap and a side salad instead of a bacon cheeseburger and fries.
• My knees aren't bothering me as much. They're still creaky though, and I suspect my running days are over, even after I've lost all my excess weight.
• People on the street are more likely to say hello from 6-7 than 7-8. The 6-7 folks are out there because they want to be. The 7-8 people are out there because they're going to work, and they seem grumpier and unwilling to even look at me. Everyone says hello on the weekends.
• I find that I have more time in the day, even though I'm taking an hour of that time to walk. I used to turn on the computer first thing in the morning and get sucked into Facebook or a game. A good chunk of the morning would be gone before I realized it. I also have more energy. The mornings that I spend music engraving have become much more productive.
• I am a cat magnet. I've met several cats during my morning walk. One cat greets me nearly every morning, charging down the driveway to say hello and have her ears scratched. This morning I almost missed her, but she spotted me and chased me down the street.

For the many of you who are too far away to walk with me, I've videotaped a portion of my morning walk. I invite you to click here to take a virtual walk with me.