"My zippers bust, my buckles break
I'm too much man for you to take"
-- "Weird Al" Yankovic
Somewhere in the second half of last year, I finally hit 50 pounds of surplus weight (as compared to when I was in the best shape of my life, courtesy of the United States Marine Corps).
I had been creeping on it for a while. Since I play volleyball a lot, my knees were really hurting from jumping around with an extra bag of dog food strapped on. All sorts of problems.
Most of it is the unfortunate result of pure laziness. I cook at home five or six times a year. I cook at some friends' house far more often, but still no more than once or twice a week. I don't eat breakfast, eat lunch from about 10:30 to 4:00, and then have a huge dinner (invariably fast-food) in front of the TV. And let's not forget the four, five, seven, ten!!! cans of soda I drink a day.
So for New Year's, I watched "Super Size Me". While I don't think it was a real eye-opener - I've known what junk I've been putting in my body for years - it was a catalyst for me to actually make some lifestyle changes. They say that you can't change a behavior until you are really ready to, and I guess 50 pounds finally made me ready.
Losing weight wasn't a New Years Resolution. I didn't realize until later that I had even watched the movie on New Years. But I've lost twelve pounds and three inches so far this year, so I'll take it.
My dietary strategy is fundamentally "quit eating so damn much". (I'll spare you the legends of my eating habits.) I'm not counting fats, carbs, or calories, but I am making smarter choices about the food I eat. I'm eating breakfast, I'm snacking on fruit, and I've added these strange things called "vegetables" to my diet. I'm eating at home much more often. I've also been soda free the entire time.
The longest I've ever been able to go without soda since boot camp (where I didn't have a choice, and, quite frankly, had greater miseries in my life to worry about) was four days. After four days, the cravings and the headaches became too unbearable. Thirteen days, no headaches, no cravings.
I used to eat mostly because I was bored. Now that I'm eating better, I find that I'm not bored nearly as much (probably because I have much more energy for actually doing things). And my knees don't hurt nearly as much when I play volleyball.
