Joining In The New Year Re-Set

I usually do my utmost NOT to join in with the crowd as I've always disliked the I'm-doing-it-cuz-everyone-is-d
oing-it mentality.

As a result I've never been a fan of New Year's Resolutions.

Well, this year will be an exception as I have backslid too much during the "dark months" and it is time to declare *ENOUGH!*

Some of the thoughts / factors influencing me are:

---Reaching the upper end of tolerance for tight clothes. Thank goodness I gave away all my "fatter" clothes...! :-)

---Feeling the pounds tugging at my cardio performance. Going slower against my will? Not at ALL tolerant of THAT!

---News of upcoming cycling events for 2014 and just not at ALL wanting to beat myself up for dragging along extra pounds that I coulda/shoulda/woulda sent to the curb.

---One of the retail therapy "indulgences" I've allowed myself over the past few months has been to gradually pick up deals on camping gear for some more self-supported cycling trips. I've got my tent/footprint, sleeping bag, super absorbent towel, inflatable pillow, powerpack for cell phone...all that's left is the air mattress and a waterproof stuff sack. All these material investments in my cycling fun has me thinking it's way past time to kick it in the pants for some physical investments into my body!

So my plan? First & foremost: no self-bashing! I've done enough of that! Now *learning* a thing or two about relapse prevention? I'm two thumbs way UP on that!

As always I've gotta keep it simple. Two critical factors will bring results for me as they always have:

1) Dial the processed carb way WAY down. In fact my hope is to only allow for perhaps one serving of fruit per day and at times legumes in soups and hummus. All sugar/flour-based carbs...fuggedaboutem!

and the REAL BIGGIE:

2) Tracking my food intake. Duh...what a shocker, right? Nothing has brought me the results and satisfaction with my efforts like tracking and being highly aware of the types of calories (fat/protein/carbohydrate) I'm consuming.

One thing I like about my past accomplishments is that without tracking, just eating what I *KNOW* and have learned over the years is "good" food for myself I am able to maintain my weight around 240 pounds. Which is no small thing given the heights my weight has reached in the past.

But: I know that is not enough to satisfy me over the long haul. I still think 200 is going to be a weight which will be an acceptable goal for myself. Who knows for sure until one gets down around that range as to whether or not this will be live-able and maintain-able...but I'd like to give it a serious shot. I succeeded once back in March 2010 and I know the critical factor which enabled this success was tracking.

Another accomplishment I feel good about is my rock-solid commitment to being physically active and working out at least 5x a week with maybe one, at most two days off.

Another thing I'm going to try short-term as a way of jump-starting my efforts is to limit my eating to roughly between the hours of noon and 8 pm. This results in a limited "fast" for the other 16 hours. I'm intrigued by this idea as it "keeps it simple:" no thoughts or concerns about eating during a good part of the day! Will it be sustainable? Dunno. I'll maintain awareness of my inner deprivation / resentment barometer...if it kicks up too much of a fuss I'll ditch this pattern. If nothing else, it sorta shakes things up which appeals to me. Let's not just get outta the rut, how about taking some DYNAMITE to the rut?!

So let's get this 2014 thing kicking, shall we? :-)

Don