218 and Falling

In the two weeks since my last fitness post I’ve started to see some improvement as measured by the gym scale: I now weigh 218 lbs., down from 224 on August 30. I’m approaching the eagerly anticipated “36 Waist” threshold.

This isn’t quite the monster milestone it may seem; my 38 jeans were always a little loose, but the 36s were always a little too tight. Six pounds doesn’t seem like a huge amount, but it’s been enough that I’ve had to go to a new notch on my belt, and I think that if I lose another 4-5 pounds I’ll be able to easily fit into the 36s.

I think the loss is mostly attributable to dropping the soda from my diet and my almost daily exercise. I’ve also been making an effort to eat smaller portions, and I think that’s helped, but given the amount of soda I used to drink, well, it’s not surprising that eliminating it would have a considerable impact.

Gaming nights have been difficult, but I’ve managed to hold myself to the equivalent of two cans of soda (usually Mountain Dew) and a handful of chips (though last week I gave myself an energy boost by having some peanuts and M&Ms.

On the downside, I got back the results of a blood test I took as part of increasing my life insurance coverage. It confirmed what I already suspected (based on a blood test from a few years back): that I have high cholesterol. That’s yet another challenge to add to my geek fitness lineup, but honestly I’m not sure I’m ready to tackle that just yet.

Yes, I need to get it down, but I’m still struggling to get my exercise routine into an actual, well, “routine”. It’s challenge enough when you’ve got two kids; throwing in major (or even moderate) diet changes just feels like asking for a huge headache. I’d like to wait 2-4 weeks, get my gym/swimming schedule down pat, and then talk to the doctor about it. This approach has the added advantage of allowing me to assess the impact of exercise on my cholesterol levels (as exercise is one of the things that can bring it down).

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