Tom Petty was wrong

He said, "The waiting is the hardest part."  I have to disagree--the starting is the hardest part.  About two weeks ago, I started this process of losing a LARGE amount of weight.  Seventy pounds or so, in fact.  Now, I didn't just suddenly wake up one morning, look in the mirror and say, "Holy cow--I'm fat!"  I've seen this developing over many years, but I didn't do anything about it. Because (sorry, Tom), the starting is the hardest part.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've started.   It wasn't easy--breaking bad habits (laziness) and starting new ones (exercising) is tough.  But I've made it through two weeks.  And that's a start...

So--what am I doing so far?  I start out with 35 mins on the stationary bike, followed by 20 mins on the track.  Initially I was only able to run about 7 minutes, but I've increased that by about a minute each time, and now I'm up to 15 minutes running, and walking the last five.  Once I get to 20 minutes running, I'll increase the track time.

Two or three times a week (depending on my schedule), I end up with a workout from the Ultimate Dumbbell Guide (no jokes, please).  This is a full body workout, and it's my first experience with weights since college (and we were only passing acquaintances then).  That takes about 30 minutes. 

Now, for those of you keeping score, that's about an hour and a half of a workout.  I have the luxury of being able to carve that much time out of my schedule fairly often--you might not.  There's nothing magical  about the times--it's just what I could spare for now.  On busy days, I do less.  On quiet days, I do more.  The key is to do something, do it consistently, and if possible, do it willingly--seems like you lose weight easier when you ENJOY what you're doing.

So get out there and start!

Not the most accurate title...

I created this blog "From 270 to 200" to chronicle my attempt to lose, well, about a third of my body weight.  Unfortunately, between the time I set it up and the time I actually started a) writing, and b) losing weight, I actually gained a few pounds.  "From 274 to 200" didn't have quite as much of a ring to it, so I left it as it was.  Deal with it.   :)

About me--I'm a retired Air Force pilot who now flies for a major US airline.  When I graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1987, I weighed 185 pounds.  I spent the next 24 years yo-yoing my weight, finally reaching 2010 at a less-than-impressive 270 (OK, 274) pounds.  Since I consider 200 to be my "ideal" weight, that puts me at about 30% above my desired weight--quite a way to go, I know.  But it's doable...

Why do this blog?  Partly to keep me focused, but also to share what works, what doesn't work, and what I learn along the way.  So I hope you find this informative, interesting, and worth your time.

I have a long way to go, but it's not hopeless.  As recently as 10 years ago, I weighed only 200.  That was after I had trained for several months for a week long, cross-state bicycle ride, and I was in about the best shape of my adult life.  When I started getting in shape for THAT, I weighed 238.  That was 38 pounds, and I did it in 4 months.  If  I were to be just as successful now, I would expect it to take at least 8 months to get back to 200 pounds again.  So I hope you're ready for a long ride...