I’m very committed to doing this the healthy way, and maybe hanging onto a new “diet” for life.

I’m about 20 lbs off my fighting weight, and I’ve said for months that I’d pull an effort together and drop those lbs… simply lip service, so far, except for a brief six pound dip early summer.

Problem started when I began eating meat again and going out for regular (read: nightly) beers with the guys last winter; it continued even after I gave up my burgers and budwisers.

Sad truth might be somewhere around here: I’m older, lazier, and more sluggish of both metabolism and disposition than I was when I cleaned up my act ~2 1/2 years ago, so now simply dropping the bad habits and walking to work ain’t cutting it like it used to. Probably doesn’t help that I no longer smoke (avidly), so I’m not getting that little jump start on my metabolism.

Pity party for me.

But I run cold at the thought of flash dieting or avid dieting, because I have a couple friends who’ve gone semi to full-on anorexic, which seems so scary, unhealthy, imbalanced, batshit, and tacky to me. I also have a lot of friends who trend diet, and they are just as fat as I am, no matter how trendy their inevitably ignored restrictions. I want something that I can live with; that won’t kill me; that will work.

Heh, I could use a smoke (but won’t).

So, I’m doing the Abs Diet. Trendy? Maybe a little. Healthy? Totally. That’s the whole point. It’s one of those “Look, this can be a lifestyle, if you let it” programs advocating healthy, humane, balanced meals and simple, effective exercize.

Sigh. So, here I am at 149. If I don’t hit this goal in 10 weeks (that’s a healthy 2-a-week), I’ll crack down on myself by not allowing myself fun unless I’ve done my requisite 25 minutes of exercising that day, I’ll not allow myself any meat whatsoever, and I’ll take out that one free-for-all meal allowed each week by the diet plan.