I step on. The scale screams "STEP OFF!"

You don't hear the phrase "in the can" very often these days. I love it. Not because it only denotes "trash," but also a completed project or part of a project.*

I can happily say my first week of dieting is in the can. So what am I doing to lose weight and how do I feel so far? I realized last week, to lose this massive bulk, I was going to have to WANT it. And I want it plenty. That's not the problem. The problem is I'm weak. I've attempted this a couple of times in the past complete with dieting and exercise. None of them lasted very long. I would start eating again and put-off a workout until I spiraled back into my old ways. Quite simply, I was not invested in the "adventure." The funny thing is, up until last week, I thought I had plenty of reasons to drop the "extra cargo." I have a B-E-A-Utiful wife and daughter. I am also well aware of the health issues related to obesity and my family's medical history is fraught with obesity-related problems.** I have been on blood pressure and cholesterol medicine since the age of 18. In the last few years, my dosage of each drug has increased. It was my wife who changed my perspective on this whole thing. She said, "Mason, you can't do it for Astryd and me. You have to want it for yourself first." And so, here I am. I have enrolled myself in WeightWatchers for Men. Basically, a specific number of daily points are given to me. My goal is to use all of them each day. That means I must keep track of what I eat and when I eat it, because every food has a point value.*** The program's design should help me lose weight in a healthy fashion and at a safe pace. It also teaches me how to change my food habits and what to choose when eating. That's the key to it. It's forcing me to change my mindset. I am already making healthier decisions. Firstly, I've cut way back on pop. Before the diet, it was not uncommon for me to kick back four or five Mountain Dews a day. Now, I limit myself to one per day. Once I have finished the few remaining cans I have left, I am going to drop canned drinks for good. Mostly, my liquid consumption consists of water. I have at least six 8 fluid ounce servings a day as required by my diet. On occasion, I allow myself a glass of unsweetened tea. It's point value is 0. I've stopped eating fast food. I will go out to eat from time to time but I always check point values and make sure the foods I'm choosing have "superhero" quality. I also exercise. Right now, hit the treadmill for 30 minutes every other day. I also avoid fried foods, except for a fried egg in the morning. I use canola oil because it helps me get a "healthy oil" serving. Oh, and I don't snack. If I do, it's always a serving of fruit and/or veggies. There are other changes which I'm sure will come out down the line. That leads me to this question: how do I feel? I have to say, I feel pretty good. I've had a few cravings and, so far, have not strayed from the program. I've had a little difficulty with reaching my target point goal every day. In fact, I've not reached it at all but I've gotten close. Regardless, I've already lost some weight. I'll share the number with you but first a couple of explainers. My start weight of 394 was taken at the doctor's office while I was sick. I know I lost a few pounds during my "sick" time and before I started my diet. So, not all of the weight I have lost is diet-related. The majority of it is, however. Also, I am going to drop weight rapidly at first, mostly because I am losing water weight. Once I am through that, my rate of loss will slow. Ideally, WeightWatchers says I should lose about two pounds a week. As of 8:46 this morning (Sunday), I weighed 373.8 pounds. I took it twice to make sure. The "screaming" scale didn't seem to mind.

For now, I leave you with this quote: "If you don't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?" ~RuPaul~

COMING UP NEXT WEEK:  Another check of my progress and I'll detail what my days are like "food-wise."  I'll also share any other issues.

*  I love phrases with dual meanings, especially when the two are opposite one another.  It's all about context.  I work in television.  Back in the days of film, photographers would throw a roll of film into an metal canister when it was full.

**  To put it simply, for the last five or six generations, every male Stevenson (with one exception) has not lived to see the age of 50.  My late father is among them.  He died of a massive heart attack at the age of 44.  That heart attack, by the way, was not his first.  He survived several others.

***  A food's point value is based on the total fat, carbs, fiber and protein it has.  For instance, a medium banana is 0 points where as a large order of McDonalds' french fries come in at 13 points.