My weight-loss experience – Part 1: After wiping the egg off my face, trying again

Yesterday, I reached my weight-loss goal (Woo-hoo!) and I’ll be posting about the experience today and the next two days in the hopes of maybe providing a little motivation for someone else.

Way back on May 1, 2017, I announced to the WordPress virtual community with quite a bit of fanfare that I had embarked on a diet and exercise regimen, with the goal of shedding 33 lbs. and dropping from 213 lbs. to 180 lbs. I had already lost 7 lbs. at that point and was quite confident in my final success. After all, I bragged, my “Sal’s Birdland Diet Plan” was absolutely fool-proof (ahem!) and fail-safe!

Two months later, on June 28, 2017, I posted a diet update. At that point, I had dropped a total of 16 pounds in eleven weeks and I acknowledged that I had hit a bit of a plateau, but that I was pressing forward to victory!

[crickets]

Well, there were no more diet updates after that one. Like the vast majority of dieters, I had also fizzled out. I stopped the regimen and eventually put ALL of the weight back on, returning to the 213 lbs. and then some. I felt a bit defeated.

However, my wife and doctor kept nagging me to lose weight. I’m 5’11” tall and the ideal weight-range for a male my height is between 155 and 189 lbs. My family has a history of diabetes and heart trouble and my doctor kept warning me that I was probably headed for problems very soon at the rate I was going. The Lord wants us to be good stewards of all of the things He has gifted us with, and I knew I wasn’t being a good steward of my earthly tent.

This past winter, with my yearly physical approaching, I toyed with the idea of going on a diet and exercise regimen once again to lose weight. I was at a critical juncture. My 38-inch waist-size pants were getting uncomfortably tight. My XL t-shirts were also starting to feel a little snug. I was either going to have to go up to the next size or lose weight. So, on March 10, I began another diet and exercise marathon with a goal of losing 30 lbs., but this time there would be no WordPress posts blustering about my success while I was still twenty-miles from the finish line. I had eaten enough crow last time.

Well, folks, yesterday morning I finally hit my goal of losing 30 lbs. after 16 weeks of some serious dieting and exercise, while even having a little fun with the experience (more about the fun part on Friday). It wasn’t always easy. I had a few (minor) setbacks and plateaus. Of course, it’s essential that I now maintain my new weight by continuing with a good diet and regular exercise. I’ll be submitting additional posts tomorrow and Friday about some of the details of my weight-loss experience for anyone who might be considering a similar program for themselves.