Healthy Life: It's Time for a Change

Last month, I talked about getting real with myself again. The scale not only hadn't moved in months, but it had started to backslide a bit as well - seven pounds to be exact. So, when my boss asked me to do keto with him for a month, I decided to go for it. All was well...at first. I lost the seven pounds I had gained and I was off to a great start, but, then, the scale stopped moving again.

This went on for a good three weeks and I started feeling frustrated. Why? Why was the scale just not moving in 10 months? I analyzed my diet: 1500 calories per day, check. I analyzed my exercise: average 4.5 miles/day walking or hiking, check. I analyzed the foods I was eating: salads, veggies, and a few low-carb items to curb cravings, check. If my diet, food choices, and level of activity were so great, why was I not losing weight? I mean, I was doing everything right....or was I?

What I started to take a hard look at again, was my alcohol consumption. No, I wasn't drinking during the week, but I have a bad habit of drinking all weekend. I enjoy drinking beer and love nothing better than knocking several back on my days off. But, was it preventing me from losing weight? I decided to find out.

I started reading articles and watching videos about the correlation between drinking and weight-loss and what I found was distressing. My drinking is absolutely preventing me from losing weight. Now, this is something I've talked about before, but this time, I was dutifully careful to maintain my diet, calorie-intake, and level of exercise. Be this as it may, the alcohol is obviously still my problem.

So, I'm swearing off alcohol for a while. I have done this before, for a month, but this time I'm going to go for two months. I think two months is long enough for me to determine if alcohol is actually my real problem. I figure, if I eliminate the booze and finally lose weight, then my theory (something that experts agree on) will be correct. I start today, so wish me luck. I'll report back mid-January with the results.