Some 2009 photos since losing 60 lbs

All of these photos were taken in 2009. You can Click to ENLARGE.

I've lost 60 lbs

Last year, in 2008, I lost 60 lbs. Now, I'm working toward discovering that six pack of abs hidden dormant for all these years. I've tried to have a six pack many times in my younger years, and I just never could do it. I'm almost there. If nothing else, the quest of this goal will help keep me from becoming obese again.

The fat chart

5 Tips for losing belly fat

I keep seeing advertisements that lure me to click by promising 5 tips for losing belly fat. Their number one tip always turns out to be: "Buy my what-cha-ma-thing."

Here's 5 tips:

1. Stop eating pasta.
2. Stop eating bread.
3. Stop eating rice.
4. If it's made with a bunch of flour, don't eat it.
5. Exercise every day if you can.

It's easy to say those things, but harder to do. However, if you follow those rules, I bet you lose a lot of weight like me.

Here's a tip for pizza lovers. If you can't survive without eating pizza from time to time, just eat the tops of the pizza and give the crust to your dog (or throw them out to the squirrels). You get all of the wonderful flavor without the haunting carbs.

-------------------

Plans for this blog

Over the span of my short life, I've battled weight problems repeatedly. I once lost over 60 lbs. This year, I've lost over 40 lbs. So, I'm pretty good at knowing how to take it off, but keeping it off has been a problem.

• Don't over eat for special occasions
  
• Weigh at least once per week and record the weight in a journal
  
• Exercise must take priority in your life
  
• Ban certain foods forever
  

However, I believe I have developed some strategies for keeping it off. First, I recognize that over eating for special occasions is a bad idea. Frankly, I can find special occasions every Friday night.

Second, I need record my weight every week in a journal. I have a spreadsheet I've made that tracks how much weight I've lost or gained. I'll post a copy soon. With it, I just plug in my weight, and it calculates my weight change.

I keep a copy of the spreadsheet printed out and taped to my bedroom mirror. If my weight starts to drift up, I must take remedial action. My life depends on it. Seriously, it does. Yours does too.

Third, exorcise must take priority in your life. You must get at least 30 minutes of quality aerobic exercise 5 times per week. How do you know if it's quality exercise? You must exercise to the point that- when you talk during exercise, you can only get out one or two short sentences at a time. If you can walk along talking on your cell phone, having a normal conversation, you are not getting aerobic exercise. You're not wasting your time, but you're not going to make the progress you want to make that way.

Fourth, I feel I must ban certain "foods" forever. Never stock potato chips in the house. Never buy high-calorie ice cream and keep it in the freezer. Never eat those donuts your co-workers bring to work. You know the list. Ban them.

More to come...

I've lost 40 lbs!

In this section of my blog, I'm going to tell you how I did it by making just a few changes in the way I eat.