Jump Start January Into Fitness February

Hey gang!  I apologize for the incredible lapse in time between posts, but I've been busy.  Really busy.  Between the holidays, the ending and beginning of semesters at work, the ending and beginning of semesters as a student, wedding planning, and everything else life could throw at me, blogging fell to second priority.  You'll all be happy to know that the weight loss trend, however, did not.  I'll post my official end of January numbers on Friday, but after gaining a couple of pounds back over the holidays (a man can only be so strong), I managed to shed them pretty quickly using my old trusty 17-Day Diet.  I'm about half-way through Phase 2, and it has been much easier this go round.  I'm attributing that to the fact that I've got a pretty clear end game this time around (the wedding is already less than six months away!).  I even went so far as to throw away about half of my closet (don't worry, I donated it to Goodwill so other large men can be fashion forward).  I can't go into this thing expecting to need size 42 pants and XXL shirts again.  I'm starting to buy size Large shirts (only in American would I be high-fiving myself for being so trim that I slide into a Large).  I've got a really fun announcement about my pants, but I'll wait until I have an accompanying photograph. That's right ladies, there's a butt shot in your near future.  I had to go buy another new belt.  This weight loss is getting expensive, but it is so totally worth it.  People are commenting every day about how great I look and each compliment makes me stand up a little straighter and work a little bit harder.  Add to that the pride that I have in Molly and her quest for wedding glory (folks, I'm telling you, she busts her ass with Jillian Michaels every morning and has been nailing a diet that is not always the easiest to follow).  We are currently T.C.B. (that's "taking care of business" for all of my jive honky readers).

So, January turned into "Jump Start January" due to my need to shed 10 pounds from Christmas and still lose enough to hit my end of January goal.  For those scoring at home, that would mean I would need a 20 lb loss in January (cliffhanger alert!).  Now that January has come and gone, I've decided that February is officially going to be Fitness February.  Here's the really neat thing: It is going to be starring you!  I know how quickly New Year's resolutions bite the dust, and I remember how much the Lighten Up Sheldon competition that they do in Iowa every spring helped fire people back up to make it through February and March.  I'm not looking for a two month commitment, and I even did everyone a huge favor by selecting the shortest month of the year!  You're all quite welcome.  I'm hoping to provide some motivation to all of the great people who motivate me every day.  I will be creating a Facebook group called Fitness February because I'm not creative enough to come up with better alliteration.  If you would like to join the craze that is sweeping the nation, send me a Facebook message (public or private) and I'll add you to the group.  I don't want you to share information you aren't comfortable with putting out into the world like your weight or social security number.  All I ask from you is that you do what Molly, Shelbi, and I are already doing, which is to log into the group and just say "Day X: Check!"   I see so many of my family and friends struggle with this and fork out major dough to different companies to keep yourself accountable and receive group support.  I read your posts about your efforts on Facebook and think, "Man, imagine if each of those posts was digested, commented on, or liked by other people that are in the same boat?" It would be fantastic to see everyone have a Day 28 check at the end of the month, but that probably isn't realistic.  Still, push yourself and be aware of any and all small changes you can make to earn that day's gold star.  Maybe you passed on the Valentine's Day cookies...check!  Maybe you walked during your lunch that day...check!  Maybe you decided to skip the Coke and drink some water to wash down your bag of carrots...check!  Heck, maybe you even decided to run a bath and take a half hour away from all the hustle and bustle and just decompress and destress...check!  You don't need to work out for an hour a day to earn your check mark and feel proud that you've committed to bettering your health and well-being.  The biggest thing that I have learned over my 31-year struggle is that even the smallest changes make some of the biggest differences.  Little changes eventually become habits, and habits eventually become behaviors.  If I hadn't developed some healthy behaviors and mindsets over the years, even my worst weight gains could have been 1000% worse.  Consider it your own personal mini-blog that you only need to come up with three words for each day (unless you'd like to share more, which I would always encourage).  I can vouch for all of the people that will join my crusade.  If someone is cool enough to be my Facebook friend, I swear that they are cool enough to not be too creepy.  My promise to you is to keep the words of encouragement coming back your direction and to foster an environment where we can all pat each other on the back.  My commitment to you is that I will post a blog a day, every single day, within the Facebook group.  Okay, so that isn't really a gold medal or a piece of celebratory chocolate cake, but if you've read this far and come this far with me, why not join in on the fun?

The group is set up and ready to roll.  All it is missing is you.  The next blog post featuring the dramatic conclusion of the January quest for 20 lbs will be waiting for you on Friday inside the group.  See you then!

Jeff