Planning The Attack

Having been through the weight loss roller coaster, I already know what works for me in the weight loss department.  I've been successful in losing weight a few times in the past.

• Back in the early 90's, when I joined the navy, I lost a significant amount.  Entering bootcamp, I weighed 215 pounds.  Even though bootcamp was a joke, through proper eating and a minor amount of exercise, I left bootcamp after 2.5 months weighing 175 pounds, the lowest of my adult life.

• In the mid 90's, at the end of my first shore command, I ended up at around 230 pounds. Through exercise and a planned meal schedule, I was able to get down to 198 pounds after about 2 months.

• Last year, when I hit my highest weight of my adult life (at 290 pounds), I began the year with a New Years Resolution to get back into better shape.  Through proper eating and working out 3 to 5 times a week, I was able to drop my weight down to 255 pounds over about 3 months.

So what does it take for me to lose weight and get in shape? Well, for me it is a two phase approach.
Phase one is establishing a predictable and nutritious eating schedule. This comes down to portion control (eating a single serving instead of a serving or two or three) and replacement of certain staples (pasta and red meat) with alternatives (vegetables and white meat).

Phase two is exercise.  This one comes down to a combination of aerobic (treadmill and elliptical) and weight training.  Both are a necessary evil for me: the aerobic helps with the overall calorie burn and cardio while the weight training helps build back the muscle that get's scavenged by the body during the diet change.

Phase three, which is a necessity (one that I have a notoriously difficult time trying to maintain) is just that: maintaining the new healthy habits. This is one that I'm going to have to work on once I get to that point again.

So here's the plan: Over the next two weeks, I will be modifying my eating habits and cleansing my body a bit.  Once the eating is under control again, I will be starting my morning workouts again.  Once I flesh out each of these plans more, I will post them here for your general viewing and scrutiny.
Until then... stay strong on your own journeys!