The Scale

THE NUMBER = 259.0 (+1.3 from last week)

STARTING MEASUREMENTS
Waist = 43.5"
Chest = 47"
Calves = 18.25"
Neck = 17"
Upper Arms = 15"
Thighs = 25"

Every Saturday, I will be weighing-in to track how I am doing toward my weight loss goals. Once a month I will be submitting body measurements and every two months I will be submitting a complete body analysis that is done by Coach Cyndee to show actual physiological changes that are occuring to my body.

The ultimate goal that I am pursuing is an increase in health and fitness with an eye to living long enough to see grandchildren and bounce them on my knee. I am currently 42 and my daughter is 4 (I got a late start with pretty much everything in my life). Assuming my daughter marries later, as the numbers seem to indicate is the current trend and waits to bear children (also the trend), I figure I need to get to 85 to achieve my goals. I also need to be mobile at an increased age. In short, I need to get healthy.

This requires a complete overhaul of most lifestyle habits that I currently carry with me:

1. Diet. Food is the biggest passion and problem for me in one package. Candidly, I have psychological issues with food and work in the Food and Beverage industry at the same time. If someone out there is looking for a subject for their Doctoral Thesis in Psychology, I guarantee you a PhD if you can figure out how to fix me. I am a mess between the ears. I believe the stall in my weight loss can be directly laid at the doorstep of my failure to correct my diet. I need to eat less and eat at a higher quality level. Calories are NOT created equal. With a family, full-time job that requires me to be on my feet 9-11 hours a day and an exercise load of roughly 10-14+ hours a week in preparation for Arizona, I need to eat smart.

2. Exercise. To be fair, I started this process over the last two years, including racing. During 2010, I have been working actively with Coach Cyndee and have built a base. During 2011, I plan to run an aggressive training and race schedule in an effort to achieve my physical goals.

3. Sleep. This is probably the hardest issue for me (even more so than food). I don't sleep enough. As a Sommelier, I work evenings and usually get home around midnight. Schedule issues force me to get up early (a struggle) and get moving. I also suffer from sleep apnea and insommnia, which has been getting better with the increase in exercise.

4. Mental Stability & Endurance. I'm not really sure where I am here, but reading other peoples stories about their participation in endurance sports, it is obvious that you need to work through the pain. As Ray Zahab, endurance runner and athlete, says in the movie Running the Sahara, "[it's] 90% mental and the other 10% is mental". Mental Stability is going to get the diet fixed, mental endurance is going to get me through the exercise and both are going to help with the sleep issue.