337 Pounds

Today’s weigh-in showed no change from last week’s.

I’ll take it, though. Considering the circumstances, it’s still probably a net loss of a couple of pounds.

When I weigh in, I try to use the same scale, at roughly the same time of day and wearing the same clothing. When I weighed in at the highway rest stop in Connecticut, I was wearing jeans, running shoes and a light shirt. All my other weigh-ins have been on the same scale at a local ED, while wearing my uniform, Magnum boots and my pockets encumbered with all the detritus of a typical ambulance shift.

That stuff weighs at least a couple pounds more than casual clothing.

Anyhoo, it’s progress, however small. Tomorrow begins the exercise in earnest. I’ll walk 3 miles, and once my weight drops a bit more and the inevitable arthritis in my left knee fades, I’ll start riding a bike.

If anyone is interested in how I’m doing it, there’s no big secret to it. I eat six meals a day; the three main meals are 350 calories each, and the in-between meals are 150 calories each. If I get hungry despite that, I munch celery.

I cut out junk food, avoid fried stuff like it’s Kryptonite, and if I eat bread, I make sure it’s whole wheat. I drink water, and lots and lots of Coke Zero.

And yeah, I know I should drink less Coke Zero and more water. You’ll get my Coke Zero when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

My body has already stopped sending me the hungry signals, and a decent salad can fill me up now, whereas a month ago I could inhale that same salad and 10 pounds of crawfish without breaking a sweat.

I’m still trending steadily downward, and the increased exercise should only kick the weight loss into high gear. I’m feeling good, and these eating habits are easily sustainable for me – something that can be become a lifestyle and not a diet.

It’s working!