Day 155: 269 lbs

I gained a pound yesterday. I had a little trouble with portion sizes around lunch, and I broke one of my Diet Commandments: no dip when I eat veggies (that's important because it's really hard to measure portion sizes for dip, you wind up eating a lot of it, and it has a lot of calories). I logged just under 1,500 calories, but that could be a bit low.

As I wrote yesterday, I feel like I'm in a bit of a diet rut. Not gaining weight (thank goodness), but not losing much of it either, and not feeling very focused on the diet. So it may be time to think about my motivations.

First, a recap of the successes so far: when I started the diet, I was 315 pounds and none of my clothes fit. Today I am almost 50 pounds lighter, and I'm actually buying pants a size smaller than the ones which didn't fit before. That's a huge success.

But I'd really like to be about 75 pounds lighter yet, which would put me close to average for my height (I'm 6'2"). So I'm not even halfway to my goal.

There's lots of reasons why this is important to me, but perhaps the overriding one is that we live in a world built around thin people. It isn't just the fact that all the media images show exclusively trim and healthy (and young, but no matter what I do I'll still get a year older every year) people. Everyday things like getting in and out of a car, riding on an airplane, sitting in most chairs for any length of time, etc., are easier and/or more comfortable if you're thin. Especially the riding on an airplane part.

So big reason #1: Being thin makes daily activities easier and more comfortable.

I also want to be more attractive. Like it or not, being physically appealing helps in many social situations, including such things as negotiating business deals, public speaking, and making a sales pitch (all of which I do regularly). Plus my wife deserves to be married to someone who looks more like Brad Pitt than Jabba the Hutt.

So big reason #2: I want to be better looking.

Finally, I've been thin before, so I know I'm not destined to be overweight by some overwhelming karmic force. When I was in college I got my weight below 210 and kept it there for almost a decade. And it didn't take any miracle diet, just paying lots of attention to my weight and getting a modest amount of exercise.

So big reason #3: I know I can.