Day 1: August 27th, 315 lbs

Anyone who's tried to lose weight--and keep it off--knows that the hardest part is disipline. In order to lose weight, you need to keep at it day after day, possibly for the rest of your life.

I've always had trouble with my weight. At six feet two inches, my ideal weight is somewhere just shy of 200 lbs. During my freshman year of college, I decided that it was about time to get things under control, and through strict dieting and enforced walking 2+ miles/day (from my off-campus apartment to class), I lost about 100 lbs in six months, and got down to about 200 lbs.

I spent the next summer building a gazebo and landscaping for my parents, and for a while I was actually somewhat buff.

I managed to pretty much keep it off for about ten years, which probably puts me in the 99th percentile of dieters. But now, thanks to three kids, a busy schedule, and the cumulative discouragement of numerous failed attempts to lose weight, I'm back where I was back in 1987.

So it is time for me to get serious about losing weight again.

I'm starting this blog in the hopes that keeping a public journal will help maintain my discipline, especially since I don't like to discuss my weight loss attempts with my (entirely skinny) family and friends.

I'm also trying out some new Palm-based diet tracking software. It has a 14-day free trial: if I'm still on the diet after that time, I'll spend the money to buy the paid-up version.

And, of course, my trusty scales. A number of years ago, I shelled out for a doctor's-office balance type scale. It cost a couple hundred dollars, but it is much more accurate (and durable!) than the $20 Wal-Mart versions.

Yesterday morning, I weighed in at 315 lbs. Yesterday was the first day of the new diet, so this represents my pre-diet weight.

Wish me luck!