Like any Marine, I make plans before I do things. I do my research (reconnaissance), I weigh the merits, and I make a decision and execute the plan. I’ve lost 150 lbs before, and now I find myself in need of losing 17 lbs. Based on my past successes (and setbacks), I’ve come up with the following plan with my wife.

• Strict Paleo. That means no sugar, grains, dairy, soy, legumes, or alcohol.
• Strict serving sizes. While we will not be weighing our food, we will be serving food courses that would fit into the palms of both hands put together to make a bowl.
• Exercise. While this doesn’t technically make me lose weight, I need to get back into better physical condition for my National Guard service. I have an APFT (Annual Physical Fitness Test) coming soon, and I need to make some improvements over my current performance level. Side-effect will be increased calorie burn which may help with losing weight. Current plan is for 3-5 times a week, but definitely no less than 3. I will run three times a week and hopefully add 1-2 days of either mountain biking or maybe some kettlebells.
• A positive mindset. I’m gaming this process. I am keeping track of the food I eat, my weight, the amount of sleep I get, and all the exercise/physical activity I will be doing.

I’m actually pumped for this. I’ve said it before, but this is like a game for me, and I know there will be some fluctuations and possibly even some setbacks, but my mind is 100% into making this happen. To me, it feels like a new beginning all over again, and I’m looking forward to getting back down to the 160’s.