The start of something new

It seems that I have started this post so many times in my head. This is the first time I am doing it on a forum and I have to admit, it feels a bit strange. I don't post things on Facebook, Twitter and sometimes a bit out of touch in terms of social media for my generation. However, losing weight and getting healthy requires support, and this is something that lacked my previous attempts.

In short, 15 years ago, I left school and went straight to study, getting married, building a practice and starting a family. The cost was hard work and long hours and one area I let slip was my health. I left school at 115 Kg and was in ok shape. Today, I weigh 165 Kg and while still healthy, I cannot call myself fit and have high blood pressure. My right knee is bad, so running is not an option.

I have had successful attempts at losing weight, losing 15 - 20 kg, but picking it up again when crisis strike in work. I hope by starting this post and using myfitnesspal daily, I could slowly change things back. I only want to lose 0.5kg on average per week over the next 2 years. That is 104 weeks, that is 52 kg, bringing me down to 113 Kg.

I plan things to be simple, 4 x gym session a week for 1 hour a week. 30 min cardio and 30 min weights. Light and starting small. My problem in past is overdoing things and being in pain. I will take this slow.

Eating is crucial and should be easy, as I don't have too bad habits here, other than overeating due to stress. My rules will be simple: log my food as I eat, focus on unprocessed foods, eat between 7am and 7pm and portion control (measure what I eat). I am not going to follow a specific diet for now, as I would like to focus on getting my activity level up first. Once I have this habit down, I will move to a more targeted diet. I will also focus on water intake, which is currently at 2l a day, aiming to increase this with the exercise to 3l a day at least. I will also cut out alcohol completely as well as bread, butter and sugar, which is already quite limited in my normal diet.

The last part I will work on is habits and getting a clear routine in place. I want a clear simple morning and evening routine for the family, where we can focus on getting the kids up, ready to school and in the evening in bed. This will give me more time to focus on me and sorting out my health.

Any support is welcome. I am a realist and understand that now plan is perfect, but my goal is clear, lose weight. My reason for this is to ensure I am there for my kids one day and that I can do things with them and have more energy.