It feels as if a weight has been lifted...

Last Monday I stepped on the scales for the first time in a long time, and was distressed at the numbers presented. Let's just say that I'm heavier than anybody who played on either team in the super bowl. Between heart disease and diabetes, I'm a walking time bomb--fortunately the blood numbers have always been very good and I think there's time for a certain amount of lifestyle change. So last week I started dieting in earnest with a simple plan. Consume less than I need to maintain my weight, work out twice a day exercise when I can, and cut alcohol consumption to a bare minimum (alcohol adds a number of empty calories, and also lowers my resistance to shoveling food in my mouth).

I'm tentatively pleased to report that after nearly a week of salads and pho and apples and popcorn and the french onion soup that resembles jus more than gravy, I've dropped nine pounds. Further updates as events warrant, but encouragement is welcome