On Monday, the 9^th, I started back on diet. Last time, I did Special K for two weeks, then switched to Weight Watchers for months, and was thwarted by holidays and special occasions. That was pretty effective, since I lost just over 30 pounds. Sadly, I’ve since regained all of that weight, and I’m thinking that it would be nice to be rid of it again, hopefully for longer.

First, some affirmations about losing weight. Sure, it’s a pain to do, but it sure feels good not to have to lug around those extra pounds. I’ve noticed that my right knee has started to pop again while going down the stairs. It’s not wholly uncomfortable, but it will be if I don’t take some of this extra weight off of it. I remember distinctly how much better my knees felt when I was lighter. Not just my knees, but the rest of me, too. I mentioned going back on the diet to Berta yesterday, and she asked me, incredulously, “Why?” With the kids standing there, I wasn’t going to say explicitly, “Sex was better.” But it was. Better, better, better.

And it’s not bad. People lament tracking calories and exercise. I actually really, really enjoy it. I’ve been throwing things into my FitBit account for the past three days, and I love it. It’s fun to watch the data accumulate and see it result in something positive that I’m actually looking forward to. To lose one pound I have to burn 3500 more calories than I consume. My current weight goal is to get to 170 pounds, and if I lose 2 pounds per week, I can get there by sometime in April. But to do it, I need to eat 1000 fewer calories per day than my body uses. And to figure that out, I need to track it.

Another thing I’ll pick up again soon, I think, is getting more exercise. It’s not that exercise isn’t important, it’s just not as important a factor for weight loss as diet. I’ve learned that losing weight is all about eating properly. You take calories in, you burn calories during the day. Most calories are burned just sitting around, pumping the heart, moving from place to place, and using your brain. 20% of your energy input is used by your brain. This media-perpetuated idea that you can hop on a treadmill for 20 minutes and burn off enough energy to offset a piece of pie is ludicrous for people who are already not fit.

For example, I’d have to run at 5 miles per hour for 1.5 hours to burn 1000 calories. If I go 10 miles per hour, I can burn about 850 in 30 minutes. Of course, the likelihood of me running 10mph for 30 minutes straight when I am at this current level of fitness is obscenely low. The likelihood of me running for 5mph for even 30 minutes straight at my current level of fitness is about the same, really.

As a result, it’s important for me to get the diet worked out well first, and then add on exercise as I start to see some results. I really do want to be out on my bike this summer, climbing hills and racing down dried ravines. But I do not want to carry my current weight up a hill, which is odd to say, but something you can really feel when you’re going up.

Based on my prior success with it, I feel that the diet will be a lot easier to start and see success that I can continue with and build on.