Getting started is always easy.  Starting to lose weight is like quitting smoking - it's so much fun you do it over and over.  Which is, of course, the whole problem.

When my wife Jennifer and I started dating 19 years ago we started a tradition of observing Lent, which was a big step for a Baptist (me) and a Presbyterian (her). 

Well, maybe the way we did it was more like "Lent light."  Jennifer would always give up chocolate and I'd give up beer.  Yeah, I know that really sounds weird - a Baptist observing Lent and giving up beer.  We're not supposed to do either.  More about that in a later blog.

I'm sure you've heard that if you go fishing with a Baptist you should always bring two with you.  If you only bring one Baptist he'll drink all the beer.  If you bring two they'll never drink in front of each other.

So, just about every year for the past 19 years I'd give up beer for 40 days (actually 46 days, if you count the Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter and then go right back to my old habits once Jesus walked out of the tomb.

In Texas we have an expression for that - bassackwards.  Jesus' resurrection is supposed to be about new beginning and a new life, not  a reason to go back to a slow death.

Which was exactly what I was doing. 

Actually, it was more like a slow stumble to a sudden death.  Because a heart attack or stroke was looming on the horizon.  Not to mention diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, kidney and/or liver failure and whole bunch of other health disasters all related to my morbid obesity.

So this year for Lent I decided, for several reasons, to not just give up alcohol, but to also go on a low-carb diet.  My previous Lents usually meant giving up beer and then rewarding myself with lots of pizza and ice cream. 

Yeah, I know over indulgence as a reward for discipline doesn't make sense.  But being as fat as I was made even less sense.

In order to prepare for my big push I read about Atkins, South Beach, Sugar Busters, The Zone and just about anything else I could find.  I studied up on ketones and how they help your body metabolize fat.  I looked at the strengths and weaknesses of each plan and developed one I felt like I could live with and maybe even enjoy.

Enjoyment. 

Most people completely fail at trying to lose weight or go back to their old bad habits and gain back more than they lost simply because the path they follow is one of denial rather than fulfillment.  My life was slipping away with every pound I gained simply because I bought into that same twisted way of thinking.

I'm here to tell you that you don't have to make yourself miserable in order to lose weight.  There is no corrolation between misery and getting healthy.

Getting my mind off what I would have to give up and embracing what I wanted to gain (my health, my life, my future) is one of the keys that made the difference for me this time around.

I hope you can embrace that as well.  And get well in the process.

More to come.

As of today, I've lost 107 pounds since I started to change my life on March 6.  Where do you want to be in seven months?