Going on a diet

I always admire fit, lean writers. By that I don’t mean their prose, I mean their physical appearance. I’ve always been plump. Plump is a polite word for “verging on obese.” It’s a softer description than “husky,” which wasn’t the nicest thing to be called as a child. I was plump until I was 7; around 10, I started to be called husky. Around 20, I transitioned to “fat ass.” Hurtful but accurate.

I think the most I ever weighed was around 270. That was in grad school in the mid-90s, when I’d spend hours a day writing with a couple of two-liters of Pepsi in a chilled bucket of ice like they were celebratory champaign bottles. Soft drinks—regular or diet—have always been a weakness of mine.

Anyway, while I’d gotten down to about 210 a couple of years ago, the scale has creeped back up to 230. So, I’m trying something new: a low carb diet combined with an 18/6 intermittent fasting window. Which means I’ll be eating three meals a day between 8AM and 2PM, and nothing but water, coffee or tea outside of that window.

Summer is a great time to start this lifestyle change. I’m by far the most active in the middle of the year, walking the golf course as much as possible and doing a lot of other things outside. I need to start incorporating some strength training into the mix. It all starts on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Why a Tuesday? Well, I’m following the basic protocol outlined here.

Let’s see how I do!