Wait.....Weight!

Weight - what a heavy topic. I am also amazed at how all the marketing people crawl inside of a person who struggles with this issue.

While not obese - I have a few pounds on that I really shouldn't. I know...welcome to the club. Well, actually, I have been a member of the club for some time.

When I was in my mid-twenties - about twenty something years ago, I was weighing in at about 140-145 pounds. Keep in mind, I am 5'7" so that is pretty lean.

I was also running - marathons and doing triathalons and working in construction everyday. I think that may have been a little too lean on the lean side.

Move forward a few years - about 10. It's now 1996 and I am weighing in at 165. My new desk career has been established for a decade. I go through a relationship situation and say, "geez, what a slob I have become." So, I hit the streets. Just walking this time as an injury curtailed my distance running.

Voila - I drop 5 pounds.....and the cycle begins. This was the first time that I ever felt I had to lose weight. I was about 38 at the time.

That lasts for a bit - but somehow I creep all the way up to 185 pounds....no one really says anything. While people could tell, I have the "blessing" of being able to hide weight gain. Some people's weight gain goes right to one place. My body spreads it around......but I know.

I decide to lift weights - so I do some dumb bells around the house and lose about 10 pounds in two months.

One problem - I DESPISE lifting weights. Guess what happens....yep...right back to 185

So, I make a lifestyle change a little over 4 years ago - cut some things out of my life....and start playing a little basketball. I think that I even drank more water. That was about it as far as I can remember.

A mere 8 months later - I am down to 155. I am thinking, "how could I ever let myself get that heavy? Life feels better. I feel better. My clothes fit better."

Then, a year and half ago - I am back to 175. "Geez, I am 10 pounds from the heaviest I was. What lifestyle change am I going to need to make this time?"

So, I do another thing I despise - I hit the gym. I did cardio religiously for a year. 45 minutes to an hour was my minimum workout. I got down to 165 pretty quickly. Then, I bounced around 165. I kept going to that gym. At the end of the year, I was at 172....a loss of three pounds.

The logical thing - I quit going to the gym. "Hey, I am not getting enough sleep because I am getting up too early to go to the gym. Sleep is medicine."

And now - with 6 months of solid "medicine" behind me, I am not at 172...or 175....but back to 180!

Uggggggh - I can't wait to see what I can come up with next as I make yet another run down the scale.

Life is good -but I won't kid you. This area bugs me. I sympathize with people that are struggling with this issue much worse than I am. It's nice to know that I have so much company but it's not quite nice enough.

It was a tough half hour! - but "every journey of 1000 miles starts with a first step" as one of those old Chinese wise guys once said.

"It just gets tougher to take it off as you get older" - is what I hear from just wise guys.

Oh well - the journey begins again!