I’ve been somewhat negligent as far as my health goes. Obviously, this is more important than the financial side of things. If you don’t have your health, you have nothing.

Ok, now… where to start?

I’m 44, 5’11″ and I weigh in at 260 lbs. According to my doctor, I am 80 lbs. overweight. Actually, I’m in the obese category according to my body mass index. I also have high blood pressure (I’m on pills for this) and stomach ulcers (also on pills for this).

The only exercise I get is a bit of yard work, and whatever walking I do during the work day. I haven’t seriously exercised in years.

I believe I have a drinking problem. I have 2-3 drinks everyday after work. On the weekend it’s much more than that.

I’m a glutton when it comes to food. I eat excessively. I love rich food. When I’m drinking beer, I snack on potato chips, nachos and the like.

I’m never satisfied with one portion. I eat until I’m uncomfortable. All-you-can-eat restaurants are my favorite.

Yeah, I eat vegetables, but not nearly enough. I tend to fill up on the “good” stuff (high fat, high sugar, high salt). Actually, my doctor told me to cut out all salt.

I love outdoor patios in the summer. We meet downtown after work on many nights to enjoy a few pitchers of beer and some wings. That’s really my thing, I love it.

The only thing missing here is smoking. Fortunately, I never picked up that habit.

Now, needless to say, this lifestyle is taking its toll on me. I’m probably a prime candidate for a heart attack. :( I don’t know how it got to this point, except to say that I have always had this impression that I could handle anything. Maybe that works in your 20′s, but it certainly should be a wake-up call once you are middle-aged.

I’ve booked myself in for a complete physical this week. I want to start with a clean bill of health, hopefully.

Now, I know I’m very overweight, but if everything else checks out ok, I’ll ask my doctor about starting a diet and exercise routine. He loves it when people make an effort to help themselves. He’s going to be shocked when I ask his advice on this. He’s been lecturing me for years.

I’m going to wait for the results of my physical before I commit to a serious exercise and diet routine. However, there are things that I can do now to get a little head start. I’m aware of all my bad eating habits so my plan will be to cut down on junk food and start walking a little more, until the test results are back.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that fries and gravy for lunch everyday is unhealthy. There’s a step I can take. Substitute salad or sandwich, for fries. This won’t be easy as I’ve been eating fries for lunch for years; the same restaurant. They even have my order ready at 12:15 everyday. It’s very sad, indeed.

Now I’ll apply the same to my breakfast; substituting oatmeal for bacon and eggs. Dinner will be just dinner. I’ll cut out the pre-dinner drinks and snacks. There will also be no bed-time snack. A glass of water, perhaps. Oh, and speaking of water, I’ll try to drink the recommended 8 glasses a day (minus the scotch).

On the exercise front, I think I will start with walking a bit each day. Actually, I am sure that I will be walking for many months before I can think of *gasp* running. I’m definitely not going to over-do it here. I need to start very, very slowly. Hey, that was a joke. There is no way I could ever see myself running. Eventually, I might start biking. I’m too big for the seat the way I am now. Not to mention, not wanting to give the neighbors a scare.

Moderation is going to be my main theme for the time being. I’ve tried several diets and, while some are quite effective, they don’t result in permanent weight loss. I find that the healthiest way to lose weight is to simply cut down on the garbage food (I’m well aware of what this is) and eat in moderation. Moderation…is the key.

Combining that diet philosophy with exercise (also moderate) is an unbeatable combination.

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