Well, the goal for Sunday was 202. And I didn’t make it. Came in at 204. Why? Well, it’s a diet, not rocket science. The problem is that I eat too much junk food. And I eat portions that are too large. I eat until I feel full, and too often that means eating more than I should. Am I pissed? Yep, especially since I’ve been working my ass off at the gym. I’ve increased my cardio form 30 minutes 3 times a week to 45 minutes 3-4 times a week. I go to the gym on a very regular basis. And I do make some effort to eat less.

I have decided that after this week’s exercise routine, I am going to try to push myself to do 60 minutes of cardio with each visit to the gym starting next week. It’s a marathon not a sprint, right? I should be physically capable of doing it, I’ll just have to slow down a little bit, pace myself. My main concern is that I’m working on a limited “time budget”. With two kids, it’s not all about me doing whatever I want until whatever time I finish; I need to get the kids home at a decent time to get them fed, bathed, and put to sleep. So here’s the compromise- I’ll have to do less weight lifting at the gym to get the extra 15 minutes I need for more cardio. My goal is to lose weight until the end of 2007, then start working on gaining strength. The weight lifting shouldn’t be my primary focus at this stage in the game, but it should remain part of the whole process.

So the ‘old’ regiment was like this: 3 exercises per muscle group. Each exercise came in 3 sets of 8 reps, and I would work two main muscle groups per visit. To squeeze in my extra cardio, I’m going to have to cut something out. I was doing back and chest one day, biceps and triceps one day,and legs one day. Here’s the new plan: chest one day, back one day, and legs one day. For legs I was doing 4-5 exercises, I’ll cut that back to just three. Indeed, this program removes specific arm exercises altogether, but the thought here is that working my back and chest works major muscles in my arms at the same time. Hopefully this new plan will give me the time I need to focus on my weight loss.

And, Gabe, do you think you could stop eating so much? Yes. I am drinking much more water now, so the full feeling comes faster. I am going to limit my sugar intake to 2-3 treats a week rather than 1 to 2 a day. No more carbs at lunch (I had been eating carbs at lunch but not dinner.) That’s the plan. Now instead of needing to lose 6 pounds in October to be on pace for 185 by January, I have to lose 8. That’s two pounds a week. I can do it. I’m not scurred.