Oh boy. I can’t believe I’m admitting this.

Since moving to Seattle, I’ve gained a whopping 30 pounds. It’s not time to go on a diet – it’s time to remember the lifestyle that put me at 142 well over a year ago. I’ve dropped weight (significantly) twice in my life: the first time (to 123), by low carbing it; the second time (to 142), by watching calorie intake and working out. Third time’s the charm?

I knew something wasn’t right when I accused Wicket of shrinking my pants. Like, half of my closet doesn’t “fit” anymore. Fat sure sneaks up on you quickly, eh? It’s my own fault – my own laziness and ignorance has brought me to this bloated state. I’m not quite Stay-puft Marshmallow Man size, thankfully (no offense to those who are). However, it’s time to nip my fat butt in the bud.

Each time I’ve set out to conquer my weight issues, I’ve learned something new – lessons which (for the most part) have stayed with me throughout the years. When I started low carbing, I stopped drinking sugary drinks outright (not even diet colas pass my lips). I also stopped eating partially hydrogenated foods (those evil trans fats I’ve been warning you about). Been that way ever since the late ’90s. The last weight loss happened through the skilled hands of Ponzi, who helped prepare calorie-conscious meals while I hit the Gazelle / Ab Lounge and quit coffee. Truthfully, I really don’t drink coffee anymore. Mostly. So where did I go “wrong?”

I stopped watching the scale. I had one too many snacks throughout the day. I didn’t watch my meal portions. I picked up a few sweet drinks for brief periods of time (thanks, Starbucks). I stopped working out every day. I stopped thinking about what I was doing, and what “not thinking” was doing to my body. That’s my takeaway this time – that *MUST* be my takeaway.

I’m Captain 173 today, heading down the same path that put me at 142. Gnomedex 4 was my target point (starting somewhere in the low 160s as I recall). I’m shooting for -30lbs by Gnomedex 6 at the end of June 2006. Egads. This is going to be an uphill battle, as I’m not taking any diet supplements or doing anything wacky. “Eat right and exercise” is always the safest, best bet for anybody.

I’ve printed out a simple chart that I’ve taped in front of our bathroom scale upstairs. I’ll be weighing myself in every morning (at roughly the same time every day), recording the weight in the line next to the date. I’ve got a 40-minute routine on the Gazelle every day, followed immediately thereafter by a 5+ minute stint on the Ab Lounge. Meals will be monitored, snacks will be measured. I’ll post my progress here every week.

30 pounds. It’s doable.

Captain 173