Fat Tuesday

Note to Chris Pirillo: you're not the only one who has gained weight. I usually keep myself fairly fit, but I used last year's surgery as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted (and boy, did I ever eat what I wanted).

Sooo...I sit here with twenty pounds (!) of extra blubber, and today is the day I start making it disappear. This isn't the first time I've lost that much weight, but I plan to make it my last. Truth is, as much as I enjoy bad food, life is simply better when I take care of myself - I feel better, I think better, I sleep better, and yes, sex is better. Trading all that for the short-term pleasure of pizza and beer (mmmm...pizza and beer) just isn't worth it.

So do I plan to do it by following some trendy diet? Nope. I'm just going to eat less, eat better and exercise more (that plan may not sell many books or videos, but it does have the benefit of actually working).

I'll blog about my progress along the way, but for now, I just wanted to publicly state my goal to force myself to stick to it - after all, I've just told a whole bunch of people that I'm going to lose weight, so it would be embarrassing to fail.

Comments

[Jason J. Thomas]

I have to agree with you on this one, Nick. Fad diets do not work. Exercise and good eating, however, will go far in getting rid of that extra weight. It takes a little longer, but I think the long-term effect is worth it.

A few years ago, I started my journey. I dropped about 80-90 pounds over a 2 year span. I would not mind dropping another 10-20, but I seem to have plateaued of late. I think I am going to go on a stricter diet, though, and workout like a mad man to do it.

Good luck! I will be watching your progress as you drop the pounds. (Nice pic in this post, btw! I could not stop laughing.

[Andy Clarke]

Good luck with the weight-loss regime, Nick.
My weight cyclically fluctuates by about 15-20lbs, gaining over the long Canadian winter/ Christmas etc., and then losing it during the much more active summer.
For me, an effective reminder to kick start the weight-loss part of the cycle, is always to physically hold at arms length something approximating 20lbs (very tiring!) and imagine what that extra poundage does to my heart if carried around permanently.

[Sterling Camden]

Exercise is the most important factor by far. I found that a long walk every day was the kind of exercise I could stick to. Taking the dog along makes it even more interesting. I lost 50 pounds about two years ago and have kept it off. I have also remained on the Blood Type Diet, which for me is a lifestyle rather than a fad. I eat a lot, I just know what to avoid. Good luck!

[Chris Pirillo]

I'll be here for immoral support. :)

[Kim Greenlee]

Good luck with this Nick. I’m at a similar place. Last week I decided that I should dress-up for the stirr.net event and the only “nice” clothing I could fit in was a stretchy dress. It was a nice stretchy dress...but I would have preferred to wear slacks. All the nice slacks I’d bought when I was a consultant didn’t fit and neither did the non-stretchy skirts and dresses. Uggh! So I’m also attempting to drop a few pounds. I think I can, I think I can, ..... :-)

[Steven Klassen]

Funny we just started a podcast about that very thing. ;)

[Dee Kreidel]

Nick, I just started a series on this over on my blog. I've gained almost 30 pounds in the past 2 years - basically the same way - just loving the flavor of food. But, enough is enough! I actually started a work out program and modified my eating almost a week ago and already see results! I am here for support, if you need it. : )

[Geoff]

I found the Eatwatch programme really useful at www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/ as it will tell you how many calories a day you are losing/gaining without actually calorie counting!