313.6

And we're back....

313.6

That number represents my weight.

That's right, I weigh 313.6 pounds and I have 49.3% body fat.  Go ahead, let that sink in.  I know it took me a second to process that when I was at the gym.  (More on gyms in a minute.)

Ok, ready?  Great.

So then, minus 70, that means that my goal weight is 243.6 which would leave my body fat at a healthy 19%.  Now that we know what the numbers are and have some goals set, the trick is how to get there.  

The Plan
Its a very simple three step plan:

1. Workout 3 to 5 days a week
2. Eat Right
3. Repeat

1.  Working out is critical.  Eating right is good for maintaining a healthy weight but if I am going to lose weight, I must work out -- at least three days a week, but I am going to shoot for 5.  The work outs are simple,  work out a different set of muscle groups everyday -- to build lean muscle, and then get on a cardio machine (bike, stair master, treadmill) for at least 30 minutes to burn fat.  Its easy, I just have to do it.

For this week, because I wanted to start right away, and I couldn't afford a gym membership til this weekend, I am using a free one week trial to XSport Gym in Lakeview.  You have to sit thru a sales pitch and do a tour of the gym, but if you want to start again, right away, its the only way to go (this was worth it too, because this is how I found out what my exact weight is, what my percentage of body fat is, and what my target heart rate for burning fat is - 138).  This weekend, I will probably go to the Chicago Park District Gym at Welles Park.  ($60.00 for 3 months, no contract, 2 blocks from my house, perfect.)

2.  Eating Right will probably be the hardest part of all of this.  I eat like crap.  I never eat breakfast.  I usually only eat one big meal a day, and supplement the rest of the hunger with 2 Cokes, and a brownie.  Well, I did anyway.  No more soft drinks.  Bye, bye Coke.  No more brrrr.... brrrooowww..... BROWNIES. No. More. Brownies.  (At least not for a while...)  

Over and above that, I am not going to go on some sort of crazy diet.  Its gonna be simple here too -- water, tea, natural juices, healthy meals, fruits, veggies, breakfast everyday.  You know, a sensible well balanced diet.  No more Red Barron Pizza's for dinner at 2am.  (I work nights, so this will be hard to adjust to, but Ill figure it out.) Shit that reminds me, no more Red Bull.  

Bah, it'll be worth it.  It will.

3.  Repeat.  A workout and diet plan mean fuck all if you don't stick to them, EVERY. DAY.  Everyday I need to remind myself that I have a goal to meet.  Everyday, I need to be disciplined and patient.  There is no magic bullet.  I took 29 years getting myself here, I can hardly expect to get out in 3 months.  Even a year is a lofty goal, but its doable.  If I stick to it.  

Which reminds me:

The Blog & Inter-webs 

This blog will now serve the purpose of keeping me on task.  I will blog three days a week.  M - W - F.  There will be a weekly weigh in, just to keep myself on track, and to keep myself accountable.  (Its gonna be harder to sneak a brownie if I know I have a weigh in coming at weeks end.)  There will be lists of goals, stories about how its going, and how I am feeling, and a whole set of other posts that I can't know about yet, because I have no idea how this thing is gonna go. 

I'd also like to hear from you.  In the comments or by email, or Facebook, twitter, or my phone.  If you have any advice, or words of encouragement, or exercise tips, anything you can think of that would help, lemme know. 

I am going to do the heavy lifting, but I know I am not going to do this alone. 

Independent from the Blog, I will also be using DailyBurn.com.  I have a few friends that showed me the website.  Its like Facebook for weight loss.  It helps you keep track of food intake, exercise plans, and connects you with others that are going through the same thing.  I have just started playing around with it so I am sure that I am not using it right, but I will.

Thats It

Thats the plan.  So far, I have stuck to it.  Two days in a row at the gym.  I've been eating great.  Everything seems to be on track.  I just have to keep it up.

243.6, Here I Come!!!