One of my goals for the new year was to get back down to the weight I want. It’s never easy to lose weight, no matter how successful you’ve been in the past. It doesn’t matter that I lost 40 lbs. back in 2010. When you gain 15-20 of it back, it’s just as hard to remove it again.

So the wife and I have been trying to get back on track, counting our calories and being more active. I’ve never been one for strict calorie counting, but I’m trying to use it occasionally to keep track of things. I’m happy to report that in the first couple weeks I’m down close to 5 lbs., which always makes you feel better about your efforts. Those first 5 are often the easiest to go though, and the next part will be the more difficult one.

One of the things that we’ve found, as a couple, is that when we’re trying to lose weight we have very different needs. What helps keep one of us on track, just doesn’t work for the other. What this means, is that even if we eat dinner at the same time, we have to eat different things. What works for me for a light dinner, doesn’t work for Lisa, and vice versa. Therefore, we’ve been finding a lot of success in just doing our own thing and supporting each other in that.

One thing that hasn’t helped me is my inability to get a lot of exercise while I’m recovering from being sick. It feels like a carbon copy of last year in February when I got sick and then ended up with days and days of breathing issues. I’m on my final day of my prednisone dose, and we’ll see if I need to get another one. Thankfully, things seem to be heading in the right direction, but things like running (especially in -15 F temps) just aren’t in the cards. I’ve been trying to walk more, which has been good, but it’s obviously not quite the same.

I’ve got a trip to Vegas next week, and I’m looking forward to getting in a lot of exercise. If things keep progressing well, that shouldn’t be a problem. I’m ready to get this year back in gear and get my fitness goals back on track!

In the meantime, here’s a couple of pics of cats enjoying a lap.