First full week, and...

Well, folks, I did it.

I dug in and actually TOOK the advice my wife proffered. No, I didn't just do the "guy thing" and nod my head half-heartedly. I downloaded MyFitnessPal. I bought a Garmin VivoSmart hr+. I STARTED.

We started, together, Dawn and me, by doing a measured mile at the park. Sunday. Sunny, humid. Thought I was gonna DIE!!! I'd pulled up my music and started out with what the Army used to call "Quick-time" pace. I was feeling pretty cocky, because I'd out-stepped my pretty Princess. Then I did extra steps while she played with Aiden. And more steps. I ended up with 8122 steps. At about 30 inches per step. We're talking almost 4 miles, with the day's total.

MEANWHILE, back at home, I'm using that MyFitnessPal tracker and LOOKING at what I'm putting in my mouth. You did know that three plain Twizzlers are 120 calories, right? And I'm a FOOL for Twizzlers. I can easily eat nine of them. Easily. Or...eat what I had for lunch today: Pasta, chick peas, mushrooms, onions, spinach, olive oil, nootch (Nootch: the OTHER food group!)

Nine pieces of candy? Or a bowl full of Italian-influenced food that even my Dad would have loved? I'm pretty sure it was worth not buying the Twizzlers, yesterday. Just as an example.

So, looking at the quantities and qualities of my calories, cramming water, walking (every day, each morning, except yesterday, when Dawn and I lapped Walmart a couple times at a very brisk pace) and not grazing at midnight and beyond, I'm officially (at least this week) a loser.

I'm a loser. Yessir-ee-Bob. I got dressed in the exact same clothes I wore LAST week to the VA (I DID get them washed, TYVM) and weighed myself. Remember last week? I weighed 254 pounds. This week? 247.

In one week of actually DOING the little things I've been hearing Dawn tell me for years,  I lost seven pounds.

I'm a little sore. I ache at night, but, hey! I ache EVERY night. That's the nature of the arthritis I have. The meds make the aching tolerable. Because, to paraphrase St Paul in 2 Corinthians 8-10, "all I need is Jesus; everything is gonna be alright."

And, it  is. Going to be alright, that is. Nothing pithy and insightful, this week; just a little 'share' to say that I'm less of a man than I was last week. Seven pounds less. Have you been thinking of doing something with your health? If I can, you can.

Below, my "game face." Working out won't kill me.

Here? The laziness leaking out.

God bless, encourage and protect you all.