TWO. . . . .FIFTEEN!

Or so my bathroom scale said this fine morning!

I haven't been that 'light' since before my marriage. I think all of us have heard people on diets start droning endlessly about their new routine, and this just shows you how much it affects the mindset of those who are on them, and how much under that circumstance ingestion comes to dominate our consciousness.

It is a sobering reminder in the midst of Western plenty (and, in fact, excess) that we are animals, and animals in a struggle for existence.

Having said that, I do want to talk about my program. Basically, in the past, when I dieted, the objective was an improvement in appearance. And this is very difficult to maintain, because, as soon as you experience a modest improvement in that department, ego kicks in and the incentive to maintain or refine the program may not be there. This time, it's different. Being in the pre-hypertensive stage, at my age, my main motivation was health. I became convinced that, if I didn't lose weight and modify my nutrition and exercise, that I was placing myself at risk. And so, another imperative other than hunger or maintaining a public display of fitness for the opposite sex comes into play: survival, plain and simple.

With that in mind, about eight weeks ago I spent a Saturday afternoon critically assessing my habits where diet and exercise was concerned. I was stunned to realize that there were twelve, count 'em, twelve specific areas of concern. The situation wasn't that I had to make a little tweak here and there, or simply practice a little more restraint overall. I had twelve things that were likely to limit my span of days. The word 'epiphany' is overused, but this certainly qualifies. My approach has been to first address the poor dietary habits while gradually adding low-impact aerobic exercise, and to set modest (and thus reachable goals). My first goal was to be below 230 pounds by the end of February. That was easily met. My next goal was to be below 220 by the end of March. That was harder, and I didn't make my goal. I was hovering around 221-2 at month's end, and I even saw a modest increase in April, hitting as high as 224. When I finally hit 219, though, it was a terrific feeling.

So, what's my goal now? Well, when I set up my program I realized that the second 10 pounds would be harder than the first 10. And the third harder still. So I really only gave myself two weeks to get to 230, a month to get to 220, and two months to get to 210. And that's my goal: that by May 31st, I'll be 210 or less.

This morning, I was halfway there, and April isn't over yet. Hallelujah!