So I’m off to see my dietician again this morning.  It’s my fourth visit since the beginning of the year and things are looking good so far in 2012.  I’m down 9.6lbs since January 1st, which I’m quite happy with.  I mean, it’s no “Biggest Loser” number or anything.

Ahhh…but that’s the kicker, isn’t it?  For as inspirational as that show may be, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that these folks aren’t working any real jobs during their time on the show. All they do is work out…all day every day. So if a 400lb man loses ten pounds in one week, that’s kind of to be expected.

Any other time I’ve tried to lose weight, I’ve gone down a few pounds in the first week or two then have given up.  Whether it’s because I told myself that I was done trying or if it was because I told myself I had done enough, I never seemed to stick with things for more than a few weeks.

I’m about to start my second month of this new living experience. At this point, it hasn’t been nearly as tough as I thought it would be. Sure, the first couple of weeks were bad…but that was more about me trying to break some REALLY unhealthy habits.  Sunshine told me that I’d be doing healthy things out of habit after a few weeks and y’know what? I am.

As I enter my 40th year of life, I almost feel like I’m learning how to live all over again.  Here are some of the changes I’ve made thus far in 2012:

• My after-hours snacking is at a minimum. And when I do snack, the worst I’m having is some popcorn.  
• I’m walking at least 30 minutes every single day, whether the weather co-operates or not. I’ve been outside in some crazy sub-zero temperatures, too…so I’m definitely dedicated to increasing my walking and exercise habits as the weather gets better.
• I’m eating more vegetables. Am I eating Sunshine-levels of veggies?  Heck no. But I’m having 3 to 5 servings of veggies most days, and that’s a HUGE change for me.
• I’m eating breakfast regularly. One of the things I’ve learned is that I absolutely NEED to eat breakfast early because it kick-starts my metabolism.  If I skip breakfast, like I’ve been doing for the past 20+ years, my body doesn’t know that it needs to get going so it’s a major reason why my metabolism is so bloody slow and I’m the size that I am.
• I’m counting calories. I’m not on a diet…I’m just making better choices.  I can still squeeze in a chocolate bar every now and then, but only if my daily calorie count says I can. I’m trying to stay at 2,000 calories or less per day, and by eating more healthy choices it’s actually leaving a bit more room to have the occasional 300-calorie treat.

I’m not saying I’m an expert or anything. I’m not claiming to have found all of the answers.  But at this stage in the game, I’ve already gone farther into making permanent life changes than I ever have before…and it’s all a bit exciting.

Both my personal dietician and my healthy eating class dietician have said that if I lose 1 – 2 pounds per week, that’s the healthiest way to go.  Pretty much anything more than that you are probably going to gain back when all is said and done.

So 30 days, 10 pounds. That’s just over two pounds per week on average. If I continue this for just another couple of months and stay on track, I’ll have hit my goal by April.

So with February popping up tomorrow, I know that I’ve got two pretty difficult months in front of me. I’ve got twenty more pounds to lose and a lot of mental obstacles to overcome.

But with the way I’ve been feeling lately, I honestly think that I’m going to make it this time. I’m not only going to lose the weight that I’ve been wanting to lose for the past five or six years, but I’m going to do it in a way that helps me continue to maintain a healthy weight going forward.

It’s not a marathon, it’s a sprint…and I’m doing whatever I can to ensure that regardless of WHEN I finish, all that matters is the end result.

And if I can do it, ANYBODY can do it.