i’ve been consciously trying, for a little while now, to lose weight. between my doctor saying i’m technically “overweight” and a minor scare with rising blood sugar, losing weight became a more immediate goal that kicking my smoking habit.

with one chronic illness already, the idea of adding type 2 diabetes was a chilling one. almost immediately, i gave up soft drinks altogether (ok, maybe one 3 or 4 times a year); it was much easier than i thought it would be. just that one relatively minor change put my blood sugar back in a normal healthy range, but did little to lower my weight.

at 5’7’’ and, as of this morning, 188 pounds, some medical chart somewhere has labeled me as “overweight”. i’ve felt fat for a long time, but didn’t think too much about it until he told me that. for my height i should be somewhere in the 145-160 pound range. i’ve been shooting for 155 and clearly still have a long way to go.

typically, i have to admit, that while i have my little habits and like my routine, creating new (good) habits has proven difficult for me. or, put another way, i don’t seem have a lot of will-power. this isn’t the first time i’ve attempted regularly exercising and eating better. so, rather than saying this is the beginning of a fairly significant (for me anyway) lifestyle change, i’m simply taking note of the fact that i’ve stuck to certain changes… so far.

consciously avoiding processed food, while maybe not a direct factor in weight loss, has been pretty successful so far. this was one of the few hard-fast rules given to me by a nutritionist i met with some time back. in directly, it’s also been good for keeping me conscious of my sugar intake; so many delicious sweets also happen to be chalked full of processed stuffs.

portion control has been something else i’ve been trying to think more about; for lunch, i’ll get the mini plate lunch, rather than the regular. part of this has also been to eat slower. in combination, i’ve found that a mini, which my brain thinks is too small, happens to be quite filling if i don’t scarf it down (attractive, right?). it’s also a mild benefit to my wallet.

more vegetables, less starch. i love pasta. i love rice. and i used to have “healthy” portions of them either when making my own meal, or dinning out. soft drinks were easy to give up, but significantly reducing my starch intake has been more challenging. in the beginning, i try to just eat less of it, but found that to difficult. so, i’ve taken to just not buying any rice or pasta when i go to the grocery store. in exchange, i’ve been buying more fruits and vegetables. when i cook dinner, i do my best to have at least equal parts meat and veggies.

this has gotten a bit easier recently, as i’ve taken to making myself a salad for dinner the last week, or so. for lunch, i still do chinese or indian plate lunch (minis) mostly because i can’t bring myself to pay $12 for a lettuce salad. it’s a bit easier to rationalize when i tell myself lunch is where i get my portion of starch for the day. a little seared fish, canned tuna or sardines thrown in with my local greens and veggies and my salads so far have been quite tasty.

lastly, more movement. i’m not jogging any miles a day, or spending any time in a gym. i’ve tried that with no success; i hate running and find gyms an odd combination of boring and intimidating. trying to make either of these part of a regular routine at this point (maybe someday) is counter productive. so, rather than spend money on a gym that i never go to, or wait for just the right mood, weather, etc. for a run, i’ve simply been walking… briskly, but only because when left to myself, i walk pretty quickly. right now, the idea is just to do enough to reach my misfit steps goal everyday, though eventually, i’ll likely increase that goal to try and improve, however slowly.

in the end, i’m trying not to think about all this as a lifestyle change; that sounds daunting and frustrating. instead, i’m just taking it one day at a time. if i fall off for a meal, or a day…, or weekend, it’s ok. i simply try again tomorrow. this is my way to keep from getting discouraged.

i’m hoping that the next time i see my doctor he’ll be pleased at how much weight i’ve lost.

we’ll see how it goes. i’m taking it one day at a time, but so far i’m pretty pleased with myself.