Still going...

I'm at about 12 pounds lost. The doctor says my blood pressure and cholesterol are all within normal values. She was pleasantly surprised since I was at 238 lbs. (fully clothed) the previous visit and was 11 lbs. lighter on my last visit.

I hesitate to call this a "diet" because it absolutely doesn't feel like a diet as much as an improvement in my eating habits.

Probably one of the most interesting side effects thus far is the fact I feel full with smaller portions and not eating after 8PM is rather easy today. The body is amazing well at adapting as long as you give it a consistent routine.

I've started measuring my portions to the recommended serving size. For example, if the label says 1/2 cup per serving, I serve myself 1/2 cup. It makes real easy to keep track of how many calories or other food related values I am taking in. A typical dinner might be:

4 oz of meat, 1 cup rice, 1/2 cup beans and a cup of soy milk.

A benefit to this is that I prepare and measure my next days lunch. So my dinner and next day lunch are identical.

There are a few things I've realized about food choices that didn't click with me before.

1) Choices is a powerful thing. It's a level of control that I - as a fat man - didn't feel like I had before. Oh I'm still fat right now, but I feel like I have more willpower because I know it's MY choice to skip that cake or not.

2) Some choices are way better than the previous ones. What I mean by this is that I have stopped drinking milk in favor of flavored (vanilla or chocolate) soy milk. And it's way better tasting!

3) Choices are not as hard to make and stick with. I've switch to black beans instead of pinto beans. No big deal but way better for me. I've bought sugar free jelly (10 cals/serving) instead of regular jelly (50 cals/serving) with hardly a noticeable difference.

Finally because I feel like I'm having some success at this, I'm feeling the urge to exercise. I don't know when I'll start doing it on a regular basis, but part of me is curious what kind of impact an easy 30 minute treadmill session might have on my weight loss.