Could This Be a Normal Week?

This is Day 5 without soda. I gave it up Thursday, and I've been successful since then. I still miss it, but I've managed to do without it. I've got a jug of water right next to me, and that will have to sustain me at work. The goal is to go one month without soda before I allow myself to have one a week or so, as a treat.

Other than that, I'm not making any drastic changes to my diet. I am going to try to cook and freeze more, so I can spend less money eating out, but I consider that more of an organizational effort, rather than a healthy one.

This is the first "normal" week I've had in a while. I'm not sick, I don't have the duty pager from work, I don't have any car problems or maintenance requests, and I don't have any extraordinary responsibilities this weekend. I'm hoping to use this week to get into a rhythm and work out a schedule and a plan for a few things.

Tonight, I'm going to finish The Hacker's Diet and considering following its instructions.

The Hacker's Diet

I weigh 338 pounds. That's more than I've ever weighed in my life. I had to buy a more expensive bathroom scale a few years ago, because I weighed more than cheaper scales could measure. I can't travel in airplanes, because I don't fit in the seats. I prefer to wear baggy clothes, but now my XXXL shirts are snug.

I have to face the fact that my weight will kill me one day. It's as simple as that. The human body is not designed to handle this much fat. I have to lose weight, or I will die before my time.

I've always struggled to diet and exercise. I know the answers to my problems, but I've never found a way to consistently apply them to my life. When I lived with my athletic uncle, I lost 30 pounds in two months, because I was living his lifestyle of lean eating and constant exercise. It worked, but I was miserable. I've struggled since then to discover a way in which I can weigh less and enjoy my life.

Today, I was looking for some sort of organization tool to help me keep a food journal. During my search, I found The Hacker's Diet. I've only read the introduction of the book, but I think it might be what I've been looking for. It's written by a man who accomplished a lot in the computer industry, then realized that he could use the skills he'd learned as an engineer to fix and maintain his weight. He lost 50 pounds in 1 year. He says that his book - which is completely free - can help people with a similar mindset achieve the same results.

What I've read so far has been inspirational. I'm going to finish it as soon as possible. I have high hopes that this might be my chance to turn my life around.

I don't want to die. I want to know what it's like to be fit. I've been overweight my entire life. It's about time I did something about it.

The Taxman Cometh

According to H&R Block's website, the IRS considers you divorced for the entire year within which you got divorced. So, when you file your tax return, you only get credit for yourself for the year. I got divorced in November. That means that the exemptions I claimed for Kay and Misty do not apply, starting in January. Without those exemptions, I paid too little in taxes for 10 months. I now over $7000 in back taxes.

On top of taking a $500 monthly pay cut (because of the fewer exemptions), I now will have to pay the IRS back taxes. My initial research shows that the IRS may allow me to pay it back over as long as three years. That's about $200 a month, not including whatever interest and penalties they charge me. I have no idea what those could be.

Assuming the best case scenario, I'm now going to be taking home $700 less a month. That's a lot. I'm going to talk to an H&R Block tax specialist today, to see what my options are. I don't think I'll get away with paying less, but I want to make sure that I cover every eventuality and know all my options.

Goooooooooooooooooooooaaaaal! Or not.

Well, things haven't been going very well for my new goals. Monday went well, but Tuesday was tough and today was no picnic either. I'm not giving up, though. I just have to find the right path.

One of my biggest hurdles is getting up on time in the morning. For some reason, I can't seem to get on a solid schedule. Sometimes I wake up at 7 and get right up (although, admittedly, this is rare). Sometimes, I reset the alarm for 8 and go back to bed. Sometimes, after either alarm sounds, I just sit in bed, drowsing for half an hour or more. Sometimes, I even roll out of bed as late as 9:30. The later I get up, the less time I have for preparing a proper breakfast and lunch. I'm lucky enough to work somewhere that doesn't mind when I come in, but I'm expected to stay late to make it up. So, sleeping late means staying at work late, which means getting home late, which means I have less time for all my other goals. Also, the later my day starts and ends, the more likely I am to eat poorly.

Is it just a matter of willpower? Do I have to just summon the strength to force myself out of bed, even when I'm tired? This lack of willpower is hurting my sleep, my weight, and my career. I have to find it in myself.

Summary of Recent Events (and a Return to Form)

I haven't done one of these in a while. I'm in yet another organizational mood, so I'm going to try starting them up again. This time, I'm using Joe's Goals to remind myself of what I need to do on which days. Between that and Tasks in GMail, I have all the tools I need. I just have to make myself check them every day. If I can watch them as obsessively as I read Google Reader, it should all work out.

Here's a quick summary of recent events. It looks like getting divorced is going to cost me over $7000 in back taxes, as well as removing $500 or so from my take-home pay. My biggest concern is being able to make trips to Louisiana to visit Kay while my car (van, really) is in very questionable condition. Also, I saw Watchmen and absolutely loved it. I have a high tolerance for long movies. I'll be picking up the extended version on DVD, for sure. I'm playing Street Fighter IV on the 360, Team Fortress 2 on the PC, and Advance Wars: Dual Strike on the DS. That's not a complete list, but it will do for now.

My weight has gotten worse. I now weight about 340, and 3X shirts are starting to get snug. To combat this, I'm focusing again on cooking for myself, eating leftovers (many provided by my girlfriend's family), and cutting down on soda. I didn't weigh in today, but I'll get back into that routine next Monday.

My next post is scheduled for Wednesday. See you then.

Visiting with Kay

I recently went to Louisiana to visit my daughter, Kay. These are the pictures I took while I was there.

We both had a really good time. She was a little angel, never fussing and always obedient. When we went to restaurants, she amazed all our waiters by being so polite and well-mannered. When she went to the playground in the Mall of Louisiana, she learned how to play on the slide and did that for about a half hour nonstop.

She's a precious, beautiful little girl, and I can't wait to see her again.

(More pictures will show up here as I add them to the album. Check back later.)

5 Friends Uncensored

An entertaining, moving video with a message. Watch it.