Whoa, I'm halfway there

This week I weighed in at 237 pounds, which means I've lost a total of 37 pounds so far on my 2012 Make It Happen Diet. It also means that I am officially halfway to my goal of getting down to 200 pounds!

I had a moment of panic last week when for the first time not only did I manage not to lose any weight, but I'd actually succeeded in gaining back a half pound. Granted, thanks to my tooth troubles I had a very unusual week, and despite the fact that you'd imagine an inability to chew would translate into even more weight loss I seem to have found a way to get all of the calories I needed and then some. Looking back on what I ate I'm pretty sure the sudden influx of carbs was to blame - Weight Watchers points or no points, I'm now convinced that pasta is more or less the Devil - but I'm sure it didn't exactly help that I was entirely sedentary for the better part of that week as well.

Whatever the reasons, I was genuinely worried that I'd reached some sort of plateau in my diet, so I was rather anxious about weighing in on Sunday. While I know I should be overjoyed that I've even lost as many pounds as I have at this point, I really want to reach my goal (and maybe then some), so needless to say I was quite happy to see that I am squarely back on track.

Now all I have to do is manage not to stuff myself silly during this week's ILLiad International Conference down in Virginia Beach - no easy task, mind you, as the host Atlas Systems is a firm believer in Southern hospitality! Wish me luck...

Make It Happen 2012: January Recap

So the first month of 2012 has already come and gone. What do I have to show for it?

1. I've lost over 20 pounds, thanks to Weight Watchers Online and a renewed commitment to walking in the morning and getting out of the house and into the outdoors on the weekends. Not only do all of my clothes fit better, but I'm no longer plagued by sleep apnea at night, which means that these days I'm actually waking up feeling well-rested. Aside from the other obvious health benefits, a good night's sleep is probably the greatest side-effect of my weight loss thus far. I am also cooking a great deal more than I had been in 2011, not just for myself and my wife but for my daughter, who is becoming increasingly adventurous with her PKU vegetarian diet and is demanding more and more variety at the dinner table.

2. I spent some quality time with the business end of my writing- not only did I enter my novel The Librarian's Tale into the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, but I am also selling a new short story (both online and with a print edition coming soon!) and have recently completed a revised and expanded edition of my first novel Confessions of a Gourmand. More about both of these things soon! Next up on the writing front is editing, polishing, and releasing the Varonian Nights saga on the new platform my best friend and I have set up as a fantasy portal.

3. Speaking of my writing, I have been actively working on a new short story as well as several new blog posts about the Harvard Library reorganization. Before Make It Happen 2012, I'm not sure I would have felt as confident in posting my own thoughts and opinions about what's going on here at the World's Greatest University, but I believe this crisis for all of its challenges has promoted a great deal of introspection throughout our organization as well as the rest of the library world, so I'm glad I was able to contribute meaningfully to the conversation.

Not bad for 31 days. Here's to keeping up the momentum in February and beyond!

20 pounds!

'Nuff said.

Make It Happen: Day 22

As of this morning, I've managed to lose 18.3 pounds since starting my diet earlier this month. This was Week Three using Weight Watchers, and I have to say that my appetite has decreased significantly compared to the first two weeks of dieting. I mentioned this before, but it's almost disconcerting not to be hungry all the time, or to finish a meal and (amazingly enough) feel full, so much so that I was convinced that I was not going to have lot any weight this week when I got on the Wii Balance Board. But lo and behold, the plan appears to be working. I'm looking forward to crossing the 20-pound mark, and perhaps reaching my 10% goal of 27 pounds in the next couple of weeks. As impatient as I am to lose all this weight, I'm mindful of the fact that the goal is not just to shed the pounds but actually keep them off this time.

Slowly but surely, I'll get there...

5%

So today's weigh-in put me just half a pound under 260, which means I've managed to lose almost fifteen pounds on my diet thus far. That's 5% of my starting weight! I know I still have a long way to go, but I'm going to enjoy this milestone nevertheless...

Make It Happen 2012: Day 11

Thoughts on losing weight:

1. I seem to lose weight in my feet first- who knew I had so much foot fat?

2. 10 days on my diet and I haven't had so much as a spark of heartburn.

3. Losing even a token amount of weight (at this point 10+ pounds) means my sleep apnea problems go away as well.

4. Shit, I'm going to need smaller pants... ASAP!

5. I know that the point of a successful diet is not to feel hungry all the time, but whenever I do manage to feel sated on my daily allotment of points bestowed unto me by the Weight Watchers Gods, I immediately become worried that I'm doing it wrong and I won't have lost any weight by the next weekly weigh-in. Does anyone else experience this when dieting as well?

6. The Cabot Creamery seems to have entered into some kind of pact with the Devil to make their 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar taste like real cheese. You guys are a lifesaver!

7. If I can get my weight under 250 pounds, I'm so doing this.