Reduction

Since last November, I started going back to the gym.  And until the first week of April, I worked out and didn't lose more than three pounds.  Nor did I get any fitter, with the exception of being able to climb stairs without getting overly winded.  I just enjoyed my cheese curds, bacon cheeseburgers and cheese sprinkled liberally on all of my salads.

Starting the second week of April, and after several discussions with a friend, I decided I wanted to see if I could lose more than just three pounds.  So I started counting calories and watching what I eat (which is not to be confused with watching myself eat the food I was putting in my mouth).

Today, I am down 13 pounds since November.  Not my ultimate goal (I still have 5 more pounds to go for that), but it's been nice to see I could do something like this.

Most of the changes came from sticking to a set number of calories I consume each day, combined with exercise most days.  For example, my daily sandwich omits items that carry a lot of calories in a single serving - like mayo (which I love).  A very thin layer conceals the top of the bread.  Replaced the majority of the mayo with mustard (which has little to no calories, depending on the brand and type).

While it's a nice change, I still splurge every so often (mostly booze) and then add an extra 10 minutes to my workout and drink more water.

I've got many more goals, projects and personal tasks I want to get done, and I will use this experience to show I can actually make it work.

Now to go find that 150 calorie snack I brought to work today.