If you’re wondering why I haven’t updated you on my weight loss progress, it’s because there hasn’t been any. The good news is that I’ve lost a bit more than twenty pounds since May. The bad news is that I’ve not lost an ounce for the last three weigh-ins. At least I haven’t gained.

The large bowl of ice cream I have every night at bedtime has absolutely nothing to do with my inability to lose weight. I swear, it’s true. Pity the fool who comes between me and my nightly ice cream treat. Just ask my partner.

The major reason for the lack of progress, or so I tell myself, is that I haven’t been able to ride my bike much since before Labor Day. Travel is partially responsible. Then I just wasn’t in the mood. I’ve ridden more than a thousand miles this summer–isn’t that enough?

The Zumba classes I started going to twice a week are fun, but not the kind of work-out I really need. At least it’s something. And moving around for an hour beats the hell out of sitting on my ass watching television.

I’m happy to have lost weight, but am frustrated that my progress hasn’t been as rapid or steady as I’d hoped when I started Weight Watcher’s back in June.  It doesn’t help that my partner has lost twice as much, mostly because of his younger metabolism. That he exercises a lot more than I do, snacks on vegetables rather than the fruit I prefer, and skips the nightly dish of ice cream might make a small difference.

Now when I go out in public, I’m extremely aware of the overweight and obese people around me. I’m not judging–they have my profound sympathy. I know how hard it is to shed unwanted pounds. But the truth of the matter is, I absolutely do not under any circumstances want to go back to being obese. I long for the day when I’m no longer overweight. I’m jealous of my partner’s tiny little waist and how good he looks in all his new clothes.

Back in June, I resigned myself to the fact that my eating habits were going to have to change forever. Weight Watcher’s is an excellent tool for staying on top of that change. There are times when I go over my daily point allowance, but I never use up the 49 extra points I get each week–much less the additional 50 to 100 points I earn for exercising. Even with my ice cream habit, I never touch my exercise points.

But eating right is only part of the equation. I’ve been sticking to the diet but don’t see any change. Clearly, there’s more to this than just watching what I eat.

Over the last few days, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that regular exercise has to be a part of my daily routine. Riding my bike three or four times a week doesn’t cut it. I need to do something above and beyond just walking back and forth to my car every day. Frankly, this pains me far more than the idea of never eating pizza again.

This morning I started Couch to 5K (C25K), an exercise regimen that is designed to help a couch potato like myself run three miles in thirty minutes or less in about nine weeks. I’m trying to remember the last time I ran for anything other than an elected office to one of our professional associations. Best I can recall, it was sometime back in the 1970s.

Today’s C25K program involved a brisk walk for five minutes followed by a minute of jogging alternated with ninety seconds of walking for a total of  twenty minutes. My shins were killing me, but I pushed through the pain. I have to admit, however, that the biggest difference between my jog and my walk is my arms. I keep them straight when I walk and bend them at the elbows when I jog.

My jog/walk was the hardest thing I’ve tried to do with my body for decades. My shirt, shorts, and socks were soaked with perspiration when I finished. Then I sat down to enter the activity on Weight Watcher’s only to discover this torture earned me three measly activity points. WTF?

For the first time in my life, I’m seriously thinking about joining a gym. The Ramsey Center at UGA is the most affordable option, but I don’t see that working for me. Parking can be a hassle and with all the students, faculty, and staff that use it, crowds can be an issue.

I think I’ll join a private gym. It will cost more, but being the cheapskate that I am, the idea that I’m wasting money if I don’t go might be enough to keep me going. Having never gone to a gym before, I have no idea how to use the equipment and will need to pay a personal trainer for a while, too. Looks like I can get both for about $200 a month from a private gym located less than three miles from…

My Glass House