Merry Christmas....uh....Happy New Year...uh....

Merry Christmas.....uh....Happy New Year....uh....well, I can pretend!!!!

Pretend that I started this blog right after January 1. Just because it is January 26....but who's counting?

Anyway, I guess it's time to get started again. So.....

WELCOME TO THE GRAND RE-OPENING OF MICHAEL'S "NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT" BLOG!!!

I know...it's been a while and there are multitudes out there waiting to hear how I've lost umfphteen pounds while you were eating all you could over Christmas. ACTUALLY, I was the one eating all I could over Christmas. At least it seemed that way.

But each day is a new one and I am claiming TODAY as my new day and here-by proclaiming 2010 as the "Year of the Skinny-Ones-To-Be".

In case you didn't follow that...that means all of us that are eating everything on our plate because it would spoil before it got to the starving children in India are going to do our best to mentally package some of that food and (at least in our mind) do some good by "sending" it to THEM rather than eating it!!!

Ok....enough of the introductions. Back to the grindstone!

Today is Tuesday, January 26, 2010. Here is were I am:

5' 8" tall

252.5 pounds (that's around 52.5 pounds OVER my MOST realistic goal!)

I bought 46 inch jeans over Christmas but I can easily fit into 44's

I am shooting for 200 pounds by December 1. That's 5 pounds per month.

I have a Hershey's bar and a Mr. Goodbar in my desk drawer. If I am able to avoid them....I will have the Hershey's bar when I have lost 20 pounds and the Mr. Goodbar when I have lost 40 pounds.

I have cleaned out all of the things I could find that I have a hard time avoiding. How did I get rid of them? I ATE THEM!!

Well, not everything. Jimmy, the box of Reece's Peanut Butter Cups that were supposed to go into your stocking at Christmas are now in plastic bags in a plastic container filled with water and stuck away in the freezer. I KNOW where they are but it will take me some time to get them thawed and maybe I can get myself distracted before they thaw!!!

I am working on eating less and being more active. Gee, that's such an easy idea I'm surprised someone else hasn't come up with it before now!!!

Before on this blog, I listed EVERYTHING I ate. As my son Stephen said, that was probably TOO MUCH information. So now I am going to list my total calories for the day and my comments on that.

I am encouraging YOU to join in. I know several of you who need to join me. I'm not judging you, but YOU have commented to ME about how you need to get in better shape. YOU know who YOU are! What you do is up to you. But I could use your help and encouragement and if we do this together, we can all be healthier and live longer. In the next few days, I am going to announce a contest and we will see if we can get some participants. Please check back.

As for right now.....it's time to get started.

For breakfast.....Old Man's Oatmeal and an egg for protein. Together let's see how the day goes.

Thanks for joining me. I hope your in for the long haul and will help me enjoy the ride.

Michael