Happy New Year!

Last summer I went to a doctors appointment, and he said because of my age it was time to start monitoring my cholesterol. I was kind of annoyed, but I did the blood work and went back later to get the results. Basically my good cholesterol was very low, and my bad cholesterol was very high. I wasn't happy about the news, but it didn't really cause any change. Then, a little while later my dad had a heart attack, and that woke me up a little. I was doing a show at the time with a guy who was on The South Beach Diet. He knew I was trying to lose weight (independently of the health reasons), and he was always eager to suggest this diet. I wasn't interested. However, after hearing about my dad, he suggested this diet for the health benefits as well as the weight loss (now I understand they go hand-in-hand). So, I took his book (South Beach Diet Book) with the intention that I would keep it for a few days and then give it back pretending to have looked it over. Well, I did look it over, and it sounded doable and healthy unlike other diets I have tried. So I thought I'd give it a try, and Chrislynn got really excited about it.

Anyway, to make a long story even longer, I lost 10 pounds the first week, 10 pounds the second week, and then a couple pounds a week once I moved onto phase 2 of the diet. I went from a pant size of 38 to a loose fitting 34. I felt great, and my back pain (which is something that I live with constantly) was significantly reduced. My total weight loss was 35 pounds from July to about October. I started at 230, and got down to 195. That was the first time I had been below 200 since before me mission. Then... during my second year of graduate school, we had our second child. School was really tough, and we now had two babies. My mom and my in-laws came to help us (and they saved our lives), and part of that help was a lot of comfort food. Then came Thanksgiving, then the Holidays, then the toughest semester of an already tough program. And all of the sudden I was back up to 215. I made a couple of feeble attempts to start phase 1 again, but I never really committed. After a busy summer, in which we were living out of suitcases, I put on even more weight. I never got all the way back to 230, but I've been bouncing between 215 and 225 for a while now.

So... the time has come to take this seriously again. I want to lose weight because it's been on my "list of things to do" since I was a senior in high school. I want to lose weight so I can play more easily with my babies. I want to lose weight so I can be more attractive for my wife. I want to lose weight to improve my confidence and castability as an actor. But most importantly, I want to lose weight because I want to be healthy. As if the heart attack, the epilepsy, and the diabetes weren't enough, my dad's recent cancer scare has once again made me question my own indestructibility. It's time to do better, and I figure if I do this out in the public (or on a blog) I may feel more incentive to be diligent. So here we go! Brace yourself. This wont be pretty.





Start Date: January 3, 2009
Starting Weight: 225
Pant Size: 36
Belly (at belly button): 46

I will weigh in every Saturday, and only on Saturday. Then on the first Saturday of every month I will measure my belly and pant size. I invite anyone to do this with me. Start your own blog and I'll put a link to the side of mine, or you're welcome to send me your info and I'll put it on this one. Let's do it!