As a true IT pro and geek at heart, I like data. As a true middle aged white dude working in a job that keeps me sedentary for most of the day, I struggle with my weight. And as someone who’s work puts them in front of large crowds in both live settings and on videos, I’m more than a little self-conscious about how I look.
Which brings me to the current state. For the last couple of years, I’ve lost and regained the same 5 pounds every week or so, never being able to crack that lower boundary. So, like an application programmer who is looking obtain the best database performance possible, I’ve engaged the help of a pro. In this case it’s not a DBA, but a coach to help me focus on healthy habits and lifestyles. His name is Jeff. He’s pretty cool, and you can find his info here.
He also coached me not to say “weight loss” which is probably some “eye of the tiger” mumbo jumbo so I don’t focus on how much baklavah I won’t be eating for a little while. You can see it’s working.
While coaching is a piece of the puzzle, we all know that you can’t determine if the situation has improved unless you start monitoring it. That means collecting baselines prior to beginning the project, regular monitoring during, and reporting so that you know when you’ve achieved optimal performance.
So that’s what this ongoing Tuesday column will be. I’m going to try to give the unvarnished data along with anecdotal information about how or why we’re seeing whatever trends come to light.
So here goes. Here in week 0 :
- 5′ 8″ tall (I don’t expect that to change)
- 51 yrs old (I predict very slow progress on this number)
- 188.5 lbs
- 44″ belly
- 43″ waist
I’ll have more details, both about the program, my perceptions of it, and my health history, as things progress. I hope you’ll stick with me on this adventure!
Happiness is sometimes egg shaped. I have recently gone vegetarian, for many reasons including health benefits. I have found it easier getting up in the mornings and I don’t groan so much when I get up from my desk. I do think that changing career is the only real option that would extend our lifespan significantly. There is so much immediate danger in IT, if only people thought about what we go through so they can have nice things.