Back On the Horse

It's been a while since I've tried to lose weight, and since I've written in this blog. However, in the past week, I've exercised every day and have been counting calories for the past few days. I've been under my calorie max, and my carb max every day, and I've only gone over on my fat maximum once.

There are a couple of things that have gotten me back into trying to lose weight:

1. I don't like the way I look.

2. I don't like the way I feel.

Actually, the way this came up was that in our Bible study, someone suggested a "Biggest Loser" type contest, using the Wii Fit, with a $5 entry fee, with the pot going to the person who loses the highest percentage of BMI. Nothing entices me more than the thought of free money, so I decided to sign up.

I then tried to figure out exactly how I was going to do this. I started thinking about the most successful I've ever been at losing weight, which was the summer of 2006. Over about 3-4 months, I lost about 25 pounds, and looked and felt great. So...what did I do back then? Well, there were three things that I could point to as being elemental in losing weight then.

1. I didn't drink soda. I didn't drink soda for most of 2006, which was really good for me. Unfortunately, in 2007 I started drinking it again, and while I wasn't drinking much, it slowly escalated to the point where I was drinking a great deal of soda, a great deal of the time. As I write this, I'm wearing my XXL "I'm a Pepper" shirt...which probably says a lot.

2. I counted my calories religiously.

3. I exercised. Specifically, I played Dance Dance Revolution. Everyday. I've discovered that I just don't have the attention span for "regular" exercise (running, stair machine, etc) . I have to be doing something that stimulates me mentally in addition to physically. My favorite form of exercise is basketball...but only if I'm playing a game. When I play a game, I'm compelled to keep going no matter how winded/tired I am. Whereas with running, I don't have the will power to make myself keep going. Dance Dance Revolution stimulates me in the same way that basketball does. I'm compelled to keep going until at least the end of the set of songs...and usually I'm compelled to keep going until I meet my calorie target on workout mode.

So, this week I decided to give up soda, start counting calories again, and I bought a copy of Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the Wii. I've played DDR every day this week, and done a bunch of the Wii Fit games as well. I feel confident, and I'm really excited for what the future holds.