A few months ago, I committed myself to losing weight. Like many, I’d put on the COVID 20 (probably a few more). I’d been working from home. Rarely leaving. Eating full meals every day as if I was leading an active lifestyle.

Well, I wasn’t. Not even close. I needed to do something.

So I started losing some weight, then we took a bunch of vacations and I was right back where I started.

Nothing fit correctly. I wasn’t happy with how I felt or looked. Sure, I’d bought a bikes, one recumbent stationary, and one regular bike. But I hadn’t used them with any frequency.

If there’s one thing you take away from all my blogging I’ve been doing since the start of this year, take away this.

Stay consistent.

Once all the vacations were over, I had the time to get on that recumbent bike. No excuses. 1 hour, every day. I tried for the morning, but getting up super early with the Mrs doesn’t work for me. I’m a morning person, but not a 4am person. So I do my workouts as soon as I’m done with work.

It’s working for me. I’m enjoying that hour and watch some videos, TV shows, or movies (I’m about halfway through The Matrix right now). It’s a good hour. I work up a sweat. Take a shower, spend some time with the Mrs watching a little TV, and start the cycle over again.

I’ve also been more diligent about what I’m eating. I want to lose weight. So I put less food in my mouth. What I’m trying to do and getting better at it, is have fruit for breakfast, a good lunch, a snack, and a smoothie and popcorn for dinner. I’m not weighed down by all the food I eat any longer. I feel so much better. Yes, I’m still doing my best to stay full vegan, but every once in a while, Taco Bell calls my name and I need me some bean burritos and a black bean crunch wrap supreme.

For the most part, I’m sticking to my diet. It’s not always easy. I want to go buy donuts. I’d like to grab a snickers at the checkout stand. Oh! I need some Ben and Jerrys!

Just not yet. I’m using all my willpower to not do that. Knowing that I’m doing the best with my weight loss than I’ve done in a very long time. Honestly, I’d almost given up even trying and sticking to what I was doing. I didn’t break.

When I started this journey, my goal was to get back down to 200 pounds. That’s a doable target. Except when I weighed 248 pounds, it looked like it was forever away. I would never get there. Losing 1 or 2 pounds a week? I didn’t want to spend a year working hard and taking forever to get to that far, distant goal. I didn’t This is why it was far too easy to put the weight back on once I’d started losing it.

I’d dropped 10 pounds before all the vacations and fell pretty good, but it all came back so fast. I was over 250 when all was said and done. I felt defeated. I’d lost. I didn’t want to start all over again. I really didn’t. I just wanted to eat and throw up my hands and say, “This is me. I’m fat.”

I did get back on the bike.

I did get back on my diet.

I’ve worked very hard to stay on this diet. Yes, I’ll have a meal out now and again. I’ll have a vegan shake from Plant Power (OMFG! They’ve got Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie shakes!). I’m not going to stop enjoying sweets. Once in a while. I won’t go back to having two or three pints of ice cream a week. I won’t eat cookies just because they’re there. I won’t pick up a treat at the grocery story just because I went to the store and it’s my treat and they sit there at the counter calling to me.

I won’t.

Right now, I’m down to 224. This is the first time in a VERY long time I’ve been under 225. I’m half way to my goal. Yes, it’s taking longer than expected. Yes, it’s hard at times. Nothing worth having is easy to obtain. Now that I’ve crossed the halfway point, I don’t see myself stopping until I’ve achieved my goal. It’s nearing time for me to stop with 100% cardio and mix in some weight training as well. That’s the next step in my journey.

Until Next Time!

Stay Awesome!