We Attack At Dawn

Thank You!

Before I do another thing I want to thank all of those on Facebook and who have joined me here for their support and interest. This is exactly what I was hoping for when I made my decision to start the blog. My journey will be beginning here soon and I hope all of you will stick around and offer a kind word or a good idea as the months go by. The ideas and advice I have received so far have been great and I'll need them all as I go forward.

I'd also like to let those of you who are not in my normal circle of friends know that I sometimes curse a little bit. I don't use it for humor or shock value often, and I hope you can see past it if it bothers you.

Now, down to business.

Success in any endeavor is attributable to many factors, but first among these is, I think, a good set of goals and a plan for success. I am a lazy guy by nature, but when I have a plan I don't have to think and I don't have to decide; I can just do. In preparation for this I went out today and got a few tools I think will help me be more active and make better choices. I'm laying the ground work to but my plan in action, so without further ado here is my plan of attack:

I must (in the words of my friend Shanna) stop drinking my calories. This may be the absolute worst thing I do to myself, and what I am sure will be the most difficult change for me. I drink a lot of soda, and when I am out with my friends I have beer or mixed drinks. All of these things add to my calorie intake while giving me absolutely nothing in terms of nutrients. Some folk shave suggested diet sodas, but artificial sweeteners give me headaches and taste terrible, so I'm dropping soft drinks all together. I may still have the occasional adult beverage, but liquid calories are out otherwise until I get where I want to be with my health.

I must cook more. Restaurants don't feel the need to watch the fat and calories for me and packaged foods substitute freshness and quality with preservatives and sodium. I need to take control. The more I know what I am eating the more I can fine tune my intake to support my goals. I like cooking and I don't plan to stop enjoying food and cooking for myself is one way I can enjoy food before even eating it. I think this will help me build a healthier relationship with food and allow me to take back some responsibility for my diet.

I must make the better choice when eating out. To that end I bought a book called "Eat This, Not That". Hopefully when I am not eating my own meals I can make the choices that will give me the best chance for success. It has better choices for restaurants and at the grocery store, so I can avoid even buying food that has a better option out there.

I must get off my ass. After soda, a sedentary lifestyle is probably my biggest health sin. I occasionally go for a walk or hit the elliptical, but never with regularity or much enthusiasm. I have a small gym in my building that I hardly ever use. That will change. I bought the book "The Biggest Loser Fitness Program". Hopefully having a book full of safe, tested exercises will provide me some variety and help me establish a routine. I also got a nice pair of headphones for distraction. Exercise and stretching will help me not only with my weight loss goals, but will help me gain more control over my body, my actor's instrument. That is the other goal of this whole journey. I don't want to be some soap opera idol or a model. I want to be healthy and in full control of all aspects of my performance. I can't do that unless I hone my mechanism.

So that's the plan. I just finished the last Dr. Pepper in the apartment and I don't plan on getting any more. I work late tomorrow so there is no reason I cant hit the treadmill for half and hour. My next post will come when my scale does, but I am laying the ground work as of now. I am not gonna lie; I am both excited and scared. Here goes nothing.