I’ve been running lately in an effort to be a healthier person. I’ve also been really watching my portion sizes of food to keep things a little more realistic. My soda intake is basically zero since I don’t drink regular sodas anymore and I can’t stand the taste of diet. So in effect I’ve been able to drastically change my behavior in a short period of time to achieve some pretty radical results.
I’ve lost over 40 pounds since starting back up on this routine, and now I feel it is time to take it a step further to tighten up the engine that is my body. I’ve also decided to post it here in my blog to help get me some accountability from my peers as I struggle to remain on track and reach my goals. I mean, look at the before and after pictures of my current progress:
Note that I’m not looking for a diet. I’m not looking for a “get thin quick” scheme. Those only lead to failure as I have encountered many times before in the past. If I spend my days eating nothing but energy bars or shakes and spending all my free time at the gym, I *will* get burned out and will eventually balloon up to the scary morbidly obese weight I was at my worst.
Instead I’m looking to affect positive change by changing my lifestyle to gradually become healthier. I’m doing this for health reasons and losing weight will be a great side effect of this–but not the rubric or the goal. The goal is to be happier and healthier.
So what I’m deciding to do is to cut out a few things that are my trouble spots: temptations that lead to overindulgence and hurt my health instead of helping it.
To start with, I’m cutting out 90% of my alcohol intake. For the most part, alcohol is one of the worst things you can ingest. There’s always the threat of alcoholism, liver damage, and other really bad things, but the reason I want to cut it out is due to calories and fat. And it’s damn expensive. Also, I really hate being drunk as I feel like it is a waste of time. I could be spending my time doing something productive such as programming, writing my book, or even composing music. It’s hard to do that when you’re wasted. Believe me, I’ve tried. Plus when I’m tipsy I tend to buy more stuff online so it’ll help me cut down on clutter and save me some money, too! Besides, drinking leads to playing stupid games like Wisest Wizard:

The only alcohol I will allow myself will be the occasional glass of wine, as studies have shown that a glass of wine a day can actually help. I don’t think I can stomach having wine that often, but the occasional glass of wine or even champagne won’t be a big deal.
The next change is going to be really, really tough for me: Fried food. I grew up in a house where fried food was served with nearly every meal (which probably explains my size now) but the amount of fat in the oil and the carbohydrates in the batter is starting to get to me. I feel giddy every time I bite into a delicious, savory morsel of sauce-covered chicken at Buffalo Wild Wings. It’s so wonderful how the texture of the meat is complemented by the crunchiness of the fried coating… nom nom nom!
But I have to seriously limit my intake of fried food if I want to be healthier. That means not so many trips to OKC’s finest secret chicken trailer, Bobo’s Chicken:
Wow this is already hard!
Seriously, this will be harder for me than any of my other mid-year resolutions. I will be tempted at every turn to eat something fried. But 9 times out of 10 there is a grilled alternative just waiting for me to ingest, so I’ll gravitate toward that, with the help of my loved ones.
Another change will be seriously limiting red meat intake. I won’t go into all the pros and cons of red meat, but with poultry, fish, and soy being better alternatives I don’t need to have red meat and the fattiness that usually accompanies it. So instead of slabs of pork in my Thai dish, I’ll opt for chicken, fish, or tofu.
I’m already kicking tail on soda and sweets, so I just need to focus on the above things and I’ll be doing fine. With all this plus my running, it’ll just be a matter of time before I look and feel like a completely different person.