You may need to lose a pound or ten if the disappearance of a fast food place in your neighborhood makes you mildly depressed.
Last month, I saw the Arby's that's a couple miles away disappear from our town. No, I didn't leave a bouquet of roses next to the building or pour a 40 ouncer on the ground for my dead homie, but I was disappointed that I didn't get to have one last Giant beef sandwich there with the delicious Arby's sauce.
Thinking about this set of events more in-depth made me realize, subconsciously more than anything, that I definitely need to lose some weight.
I think I mentioned this back in August or September on how I wanted to do this. The major difference between then and now is the attitude and dedication: I didn't have it then, I definitely have it now.
I started thinking about a lot of different things:
My upcoming trip to Costa Rica in a month. My brother's wedding in July. My recent back problems that crippled me for a portion of 2011 - which I'm convinced had a little something to do with being overweight again.
How I Ate Your Brother (or: How I Lost My Good Habits)
It's quite easy to pinpoint exactly where I went wrong in my dietary & exercise regimen. After having about three months off of work in 2010 on what I'll call a "vacation", I got hired at my current job that has me working from home. At the very same time, I started a night school program at the Illinois Center for Broadcasting, which had me at the school from 6:30pm-10:30pm three days a week, with me often going there early to get the necessary studio hours that are required to graduate. Often, I spent a 4-5 hour period on the weekends at the school as well, some of that time that in the previous years would have been spent at the gym.
I was able to fit in some workouts at the gym, but definitely not at the 4-5 days/week frequency that I was doing for much of my time since becoming a member (Nov 2008 thru July 2010).
Five times a week devolved into 2-3 times a week, which then became a once a week event after a while.
Before you know it, I stopped going to the gym for months at a time. All 45 pounds I lost during my intense workout period got put back on. Pants started to lose their comfort level as I struggled to put some of them on once again.
To start this year, I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to go back to the gym. But I knew I'd have to be in the right mindset to do it. Working out and getting into shape is something that has to be done right or you might as well not do it.
As many of you know, I try not making New Year's Resolutions like "Losing Weight", as I believe change should happen at any point of the year, not just the first day.
So Here I Am....
Now that I'm back in the mindset that I was back in November 2008 when I joined the gym, I know that getting back into shape will come in time. I've already started eating better - no Diet Cokes or fountain pops of any kind in the past week & only one fast food appearance on the resume in that same time.
I've been away from my gym for so long that it changed its ownership while I was MIA. I had to get a new card for the gym, which is now Charter Fitness. Today was my 4th time in the gym in the past week.
I'm looking to lose 1-3 pounds a week - my first week I lost exactly 1.2 lbs. For narrative purposes, I started at 220.8 (now at 219.6, for those of you who are math-impaired) and will be weighing myself once a week hoping to reach my goal. Perhaps I'll give an update every now and then
With the better weather coming around, I'll look to take walks on my lunch breaks from working at home. Maybe I'll start walking the chunky dog around the block a little more.
No more will I mourn the loss of a fast food joint. I'm back to embracing Subway and grocery shopping more so I don't have to eat out as much on my lunch breaks.
Rest in peace to the Arbys. Your death, much like the sandwiches of yours I used to eat, will not go to waste.
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