My Plan

-- Start with exercising 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Slowly increase aerobic exercise and add weights.

-- Eat a nutritious, filling breakfast.

-- Make lunch count; not just junk to fill a void.

-- Dinner needs to be light, healthy, and easy.

-- Increase my vocabulary of foods. I often avoid fruits and foreign veggies, but in order to max out my food-based vitamins and minerals, I'll try to add one new item to my menu each week.

-- Weigh everyday but post only weekly weigh-in totals. I've read a good bit of science saying people who weigh every day have a better success rate. Might have something to do with having that number (good or bad) on your mind.

-- Up my water consumption from about 2 glasses a day to at least 5 (for a start).

-- When dining out, push half to one side and save it for later. (This saves money too!) I'll also ask if a friend would like to split something.

-- Salad dressings will be served on the side. This way I can lightly dip the lettuce into the dressing and put it in my mouth first. I get an immediate taste of dressing without having leaves coated in fat and calories.

-- Dessert is a luxury, not a necessity.

-- Fruit can be a dessert too.

-- Give up Mountain Dew. I've had at least one Mountain Dew a week for the last 8 years. It's a ridiculous waste of calories, and I get no nutrition from it.

-- Find fun things to do on weekends and down times. Looking forward to doing something will keep me from watching TV and loading up on snack foods.

-- Use this web site and the community I join (hopefully) through this web site to stay accountable.

(Will be updated and revised as I progress. Will also have beginning pictures and progression pictures added as soon as I can remove faces.)