Weight-ing

The Chew-ster and I joined a gym this week, something we've been planning to do for a while now.  And, if you remember, one of my goals for this year (2012-2013) is to work out on a consistent basis.  

Sure, some of my motivation is weight-loss.  I don't think many people are actually at their ideal weight.  And I have a health issue that should be resolved with weight-loss (according to my doctor).  

But mostly, this is about being healthy and fit.  I want to have a heart that's in good condition.  And I want to be more effective in ministry by preserving this temple.  

I decided, though, that I need a way to measure the progress I've made.  And I think the best way to do that is by counting the lost pounds and deciding how many of those lost pounds it will take for me to be at a desirable weight.  

My weight-loss goal is a little lofty, but it would put me at a healthy weight for my height and age.  The magic number is

45 lbs.

I'd like to lose 45 lbs.  I arrived at this number by simply subtracting my ideal weight from what I weigh now (according to the scale at the gym yesterday).  

I don't necessarily have an end date in mind for this - my plan is to work until I reach it and then work to maintain it.  

Fortunately, Chewie and I are working out together because our health is important to the both of us.  And I can already tell that he's going to keep me on my a-game, even when I don't want to be held to it.  

I've also decided to visually track how much weight I've lost for the visual learner inside of me.  My plan is to use something like this: 

Source

And Chewie and I will be supplementing our workouts with healthier eating (despite the fact that I bought Reese's Pumpkins on sale this morning), which means sticking to a stricter low-carb diet for me.  

One of my good friends from high school - Nathan - started blogging his weight-loss journey a couple of years ago and has had remarkable success - you can check out The Fotographing Fat Kid here.  He and his awesome wife, Megan, have been such an inspiration to me as they've shed pounds and reached some previously unattainable goals.  Nathan weighs in weekly and posts to his blog the progress he's made, and I think this is something I'll do regularly.  I might not post it to my blog every week because this isn't necessarily the place for that.  But I'll definitely give updates every once in a while and may even post a sidebar of my weekly progress for those who are interested (similar to how Nathan does on his blog).  

Last thing, before I leave ya, I'd like to give a shout-out to my fantastic mom who has embarked on a weight-loss journey of her own and has hit some awesome goals and is still working on more!  Way to go, mamacita!  

Happy weight-ing!