Jeff Blogs

Buoyed by the results of yesterday’s weigh-in I am beginning to look forward to the end of the fat-burning phase of my weight loss journey. I am now within two pounds of my goal and it feels great.

I have to believe that the size I am at this point will be the same size I will be when I hit that elusive 170-pound mark. I have already gone through my closet once but it is time to do a little more weeding of old clothes. The first pass was going through T-shirts and polo shirts, which have been a fashion staple for most of my adult life.

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It’s Friday and for the past 11 weeks it has been the one-day of the week that I both looked forward to and dreaded in equal amounts. It’s kind of like that Rebecca Black song. On the one hand you absolutely detest hearing that thing yet once you hear it you can’t get it out of your head for hours.

Friday is official weigh-in day for me. It is that time when I have to face my worst fears. I have to step onto the scale and see that number that represents my current weight. It’s funny, I shouldn’t really care but I do. After all, I am following the plan and doing everything in my power to stay true to the weight loss program.

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Before I started this diet my favorite vegetable was whatever I could up melted cheese on to mask the taste. To me vegetables were a necessary evil and if I had my way I would use them just as garnishes to add color to my plate.

Our dining room plates consist of white 12 inch Corningware with a black and white checker pattern around the edge. The pattern is important since it acts as a visual aid of where the plate boundaries are. I thought of these as the guardrails to the plate similar to those found on the Interstate. They helped to contain all the food that I would load on my plate every meal.

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Less than three weeks ago I celebrated my birthday. When my wife and kids asked what I wanted as a gift I did not respond with my desire to get some electronic gadget or something baseball related. No, what I really wanted was a new pair of pants.

Yeah you read that right. I wasn’t asking for the new Apple iPad or a new lens for my Nikon camera. I didn’t ask for a gold leaf All-Star baseball or an autographed bat from the Arizona Diamondbacks. I just wanted a pair of jeans that didn’t fall off my waist or hips.

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When I began my weight loss journey using the Take Shape for Life program I secretly worried that I would not be successful. I had never been on a diet before and I wondered whether I would have the self-discipline to stay on track. I had heard horror stories of other people trying to lose weight only to see all of their hard work go for naught and they came away discouraged, disappointed, and still heavy.

What if despite all of my hard work I didn’t lose any weight? I’m a very results oriented person and I wasn’t exactly sure how I would react if my body just didn’t want to go into fat burning state or stay there. I was investing a lot of time and money into this program and I didn’t want to look back at this experience and say I failed.

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