Viraj's Weight Loss Journal

In the past 5 months, I have been keeping this weight loss journal and in those 5 months I managed to lose 44 pounds. My starting weight was recorded at 267 lbs. Today, I am down to 223 lbs. I have decided that even though weight loss is still a goal, it is not as high as a priority as some other things. For example, every day for the past 5 months, I focused on lots of cardio to the point of ignoring muscle toning and building. At this point, I believe that working in the muscle toning is an important change to my workout schedule. I will not be giving up the cardio that I do, but instead of getting on that stairmaster every day and pounding out 200+ stories, I may start switching it up a bit. Also, I am not going to be following the diet as strictly as before, however that does not mean I will be going off it completely. In fact, I may stick to it for another month just to get me down to 210, the upper limit of what I think my ideal range should be.

This journal will also keep track of what I do to be a healthy person mentally as well. I used to be an avid reader, putting away books as fast as I could check them out of the library. In the past several years, this has gone downhill. I know my reading choices used to be on the science fiction/fantasy side, and I feel like it is time I should start reading the classics, the books that are always refferenced in our culture.

This journal will keep track time I give to myself, time where I get away from work and stress and just relax under the trees, or hike in the woods. Healthy living isn't about spending an hour at the gym every day. Its about balancing all aspects of life, taking pleasure where one can, finding calm in this hectic world, and living the life we want to.

Anyway, enough of the introduction. (I know I am starting this off with a lot of goals, but I feel like the beginning is going to be very similar to the last 5 months of this journal. Bear with me while I actually get my life moving in the direction I want it to.)