What A Difference A Month Makes

I started the Middle Age Bulge blog one month ago tonight. Something had shifted in my life, as abruptly and surprisingly as the tectonic plates somewhere below Haiti a few weeks ago. It was an awakening that resulting in a dramatic turnaround in what I was eating, the amount of exercise I was getting and the overall awareness of my health.

When I look at the monstrous pile of empty beer bottles in the garage or think of the big bags of chips I would eat in the evening or the regular lunches at The Pantry with my blackened chicken melt and yam fries, I marvel at the fact that I wasn't heavier!

In 30 days I have dropped 13 pounds, give or take a few ounces, and significantly changed my daily intake of food and liquid. Coffee, sugary juices, beer and wine have been replaced by water and herbal tea. Overflowing plates of restaurant and cafeteria lunches have been replaced by modest portions of leftovers from home. I can't tell you how much money I've saved this month by this lifestyle adjustment. And, I am exercising, almost every day.

Our family has booked our first trip to a tropical destination this April, to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I was chatting on Facebook with Barb, the owner of Casa Mah, a condo we're renting for a week, telling her that I've been kidding my wife about losing enough weight and gaining enough muscle so I can wear a pair of Speedos on the beach down there.

"Yikes!" she said. "We call them banana hammocks or budgie smugglers! But hey.... if ya got it, flaunt it! By the by - the beach is topless. That might affect your decision."

I can't tell you the last time I laughed so hard. But really, even contemplating wearing a Speedo is incredible -- what a difference month makes.

January 26, 2010 - 197.8 pounds, 27.8% body fat

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