The Beginning...

STARTING WEIGHT: 226 lbs.

Every journey has a beginning.

This is my beginning...It's not pretty! No, not by any means. But it is my journey, nonetheless. I have determined to lose weight in 2008 - it's my mantra.

LOSE WEIGHT IN 2008!

Is there a definitive amount, maybe...I have made a personal goal of 5 lbs a month. That doesn't seem all that difficult. I have always believed in setting tangible, reachable goals.

How do I do it?

First, I am making myself publicly accountable. Yeah - like putting up this profile picture of me is something I do all the time. Here I am - it doesn't get any better than this. I had my roommate take this picture right after I ran 2 miles. (OH yeah - I'm a runner).

Second, I have made some slight changes in my diet. I am cutting out all sodas. I am a coke junkie. To be more realistic, I am allowing myself to drink one Coke per week. That's doable. I am making better food choices. Instead of french fries, baked potato or rice. Instead of 2 helpings, only one. I'm drinking more water. I'm eating smaller portions, more often (you know the whole keep the motor running thingy...). My roommate and I have already changed our diet to mostly vegetarian, cutting out most meat. We eat a lot of raw foods and organic, natural products. I will continue to adjust the diet as necessary.

Third, I have registered for my second half-marathon (I told you I'm a runner). I registered tonight. My unofficial training has just begun. The official training starts the end of February. You'll see me blog about that. I'm looking for a more consistent time of exercise (running, snowboarding, strength-training, walking). I'm up and down stairs all day at work - that's a start. I have been considering using part of my lunchtime for walks or jogs. I'm open for other suggestions. I'm in the market for a treadmill, especially since it's still dark at 5 p.m.!

I'm looking forward to this journey. There's a lot of opportunity for me to grow (hmmm???) in discipline. Discipline never hurt anyone.

Here's a freebie: When I set my mind to something, I'm determined and will go after it. The fact that I'm blogging about the journey - that's a pretty determined step for me.

So, won't you join me on my journey. Maybe you just cheer for me as I pass by or you can jump in and join the adventure. I'd love to hear where you're at!