As anyone who acutally sees me on a regular basis already knows, I’ve been doing a lot of work to get healthy since the beginning of the year.  I signed up to participate in a study through The University of Pittsburgh, and that’s been a big help.  

And no, I’m not taking anything.  

What I am doing is eating less and exercising more.  Simple, right?  Sure it is.  But it’s not easy.  

I’m counting calories and keeping myself to about 1200 per day.  That’s not a lot of food.  And I’m trying to get an average of an hour of exercise a day, at least five days a week.  I have a ski machine, a kinect, and various workout videos.  I started going back to kung fu class every couple of weeks.  And I’ve taken up hiking.  

The exercise is a help, and in the long run it’ll be key to me keeping the weight off and staying physically fit, but the big thing has been the calorie control.  Honestly, it’s been the hard thing, too.  I love food.  It’s hard to limit myself to a single piece of chocolate or a piece of cake a quarter of the size of everyone else’s.  But it’s been worth it.  

I hit my original (and I thought ambitious) goal weight this morning.  I’ve lost somewhere around 45 pounds since I was at my heaviest.  I’ve decided to lose another 10 before I’m done.  I feel pretty good about myself, overall.