What are the numbers?

I figure that I can't do a weight loss blog unless I keep track of my weight. I need a starting point. Now I know some people argue against using weight loss as the goal. The theory as I understand it is that weight isn't a strong enough motivator. In order to make real change, you have to alter your behavior and strive for more than just dropping pounds. In other words, you should exercise and eat right to be healthier, live longer, increase the quality of your life, etc. I can go with that. But ultimately, I'm a numbers guy. I need to crunch the data and see where it comes out. Thus, I'll be tracking my weight. Sure, I want to be healthy and all that, but what I want to do right now is get down in weight. Plain and simple. I'll worry about living longer next year. Right now it's all about the numbers.

About a year ago I was at 230 pounds. As far as I can tell, that was the heaviest I've ever been. According to the BMI chart, that puts me in the "Obese" category. That can't be good. My physician confirmed it: that's not good at all. Last November I started on the Weight Watchers points system. It worked. It really worked. I was down to 208 at the end of March. But guess what? I got lazy and stopped paying attention. Since that time I've come back up to 216. That's where I'm at today. My goal is 175ish. I'll figure out the exact weight when I get there, but I'm thinking that 175 should put me where I need to be.

So what's the plan, you say? Simple: eat right and exercise. The exercise part is just a matter of doing it. I've been doing light weightlifting for a couple weeks, and this week I'll start really going at it. It'll all be done at home so I can fully utilize the weight set I have. It's about time I use it for something other than hanging blankets on to dry. The eating right is the hard part. Usually I don't have issues with it, but when I slip it's hard to get back on the wagon. Weekends are the worst, as I have a lot of free time and more temptations than during the week. So, it's going to be a challenge, but I'm fully committed to doing this right.