Unrelated to Anything Else

One year ago today I read a couple of entries in Boing Boing and had a bolt from the blue: I needed to lose weight, and I had to start NOW. Not next week, not next month, not once I've finished all the garbage in my pantry. I had to start immediately. I spent the rest of the day gathering information and tools that would help me to lose weight, and on June 10th 2006 I started tracking my eating.

Today's morning weigh-in shows that I've lost 83 pounds in this first year.

Here's the links that started it: How Zawodny lost 50 lbs with a spreadsheet's help and Weight loss tips from a geek along with Mark Evanier's Gastric Bypass Surgery. The entries aren't from the ninth, and the reason is that Frankenhaus was in the middle of a major repair, which kept me behind in my blog reading. So I didn't really read and think about those entries until a year ago today.

Where have I gone since then? Well, I'm now in the habit of tracking what I eat, and paying close attention to food labels. I now exercise regularly, if not nearly as much as I ought to. There's that weight loss, which for the first time yesterday put me BELOW hubby-Eric's weight. We now weigh about the same... the first time since we met. I have high hopes that the habits I've formed will stick with me, and that the weight will stay off for good. Let's talk about that again in another five years. My actual weight reduction should end next year, probably next autumn, if I'm counting right. Again, only time will tell.

In addition, my efforts have directly helped at least two other people to lose weight, and inspired at least a couple of others. That makes me feel pretty good, too. All-in-all, a very nice first anniversary.

Mark Evanier recently posted about his One Year Anniversary, as well.

Does anyone want details? Here's the secret: I started counting calories, and kept my calorie level under 2000 calories a day. I lowered my portions on my meals, and never go back for seconds. I snack regularly and sensibly between meals. I exercise for a few minutes at least three times a week. And that's it. Really. After a year, I get sick if I eat more than my normal amounts. Food tastes better. More intense. Desserts are sweeter. And while I still have bad health problems, those that were caused by my weight have gone almost entirely away.