Day 27

I'm still doing good on my diet. I need to lose two tenths of a pound to crack the 300 mark. I'm focusing on 295 now. I've decided just to chip away 5 to 10 pound goals at a time. 295 by the end of February is my current focus.
I've picked out a ring style. I'm going to search around and talk to a friend that sells them but the hard part is over.
I've decided to buy tickets to a local Valentine's dance. We haven't been to a dance in a long time and Mrs. Surf loves to dance; should be a great time.
I've got tickets to War of the Worlds boxing matches Friday. I'm taking both my sons and my daughter's boyfriend. We have front row seats. Some of you may remember Shea (bthecloser69) from the Mookie. He is the promoter and got me the seats.
Hopefully next time you hear from me I will be able to say I weigh less than 300. Yaaaaaa!!!

Day 21

I've lost 7 pounds so only 2 more and I'm under 300 for the first time in a long while. I have momentum now and the diet is easy. It's so easy to resist the things you shouldn't have when you have goals to keep you focused. When I have tried to diet before, I never truly had the focus to do it.
I'm off work today, so I plan to surprise my sweety and have the house all cleaned up when she gets home so she can relax and enjoy her evening. I'm taking her on a surprise trip in a few weeks. I won't mention where on the slim chance that she may read this. I don't think she does but I won't risk it. I'll tell you all about it when we get back.

Day 17

It's been a few days since I last posted so I'll try to catch you up a little. Mrs. Surf and I went to dinner last night with my oldest son, his girlfriend, and her daughter. Her daughter is 18 months old and just beginning to talk. She is learning quickly and it's a lot of fun to help her learn new words.
The diet is still going great. I've lost four pounds so far so I still have a long way to go but progress is progress. I'm working tomorrow until 4 pm so I should be home by 5 or so. I'm starting my walking tomorrow. I intended to start sooner but I haven't and I won't lose weight quickly if I'm not exercising so tomorrow is the day. I don't want to overdo it right off the bat so I won't push it too much. I'm going to walk a comfortable amount and focus on improving my workout weekly for a while.
Sunday is going to be the first day I have had off in a couple of weeks. I'm going to work on some projects in the house and get the grocery shopping done early so I can relax and enjoy the playoff games with Mrs. Surf that evening. Mrs. Surf and I share a lot of the same interests which is nice. We both love sports, casinos, and traveling.
Work is going well. I work with some really great folks and we have a lot of fun. I am very fortunate to have a job doing something I am good at and really enjoy doing. If you aren't in that situation I highly encourage you to do something about it. If you are trapped in a high paying job that you hate and can't leave for financial reasons, try working on a way to supplement your income. Even if you only have a small amount of spare time to dedicate to this, over time you can do it. Persistence and determination can get you there. If you aren't sure what to do, try setting some goals of things you want to achieve. Once you establish some goals, you will have a reason to be motivated to figure it out. A job can be made more fun if you can put tangible things in front of you that you can get from the pay you earn. I know a lot of you have a lot of debt and it is hard to see over the pile of bills to the dreams on the other side of that stack, but remember to pay yourself first a little each week. Enjoying the journey is very important. Practicing delayed gratification is OK as long as it doesn't become anti-gratification.
I'm so excited about the goals I have set this year. I have never had such a crystal vision of the things I want to accomplish as I have right now. I hope you take the time to establish some concrete goals for yourself if you haven't already. Put them in writing and don't forget to put a target date to reach them. Keep them in front of you all the time and don't let life get in your way too much.
I hope everyone is having a great 2007 so far!

Day 14

I had a meeting at work tonight and ordered a grilled chicken caesar salad. I got the salad, but no chicken. I told Mrs. Surf I ate even better than I meant to today...lol.
I'm going in late in the morning so I am going to go get my hair cut before I go in.

Day 13

I took my daughter out for her 20th birthday tonight. It was wonderful. Everything went just right and she said it was the best birthday she has ever had; mission accomplished.
We went to an Italian restaurant. I love Italian food but I avoided all the pasta and bread and stuck to the salad and the leanest meat I could find on the menu. I was very careful not to eat too much beforehand because I knew I would eat well tonight. I can already feel a difference in my pants not being as tight as they were but I have a long ways to go. It helps that the guys I eat lunch with are all on a salad kick right now so I don't feel uncomfortable at all ordering one with them.
I'm going in to work very early in the morning and I'm working very late. The cool thing is I'm taking a three hour lunch. I'm going to go get my hair cut at lunch and maybe go by the bookstore and pick up a book or two.
My mind has been just bursting with ideas for the novel and I have to find some time to hammer out a lot of it and get it on paper. I'm going to try to spend a lot of time this week working on it.

Day 12

I'm back from working out of town. I'm a little exhausted from working all weekend but I'm glad to have the extra cash.
I kept focused on not eating the wrong foods when we went out to eat and I'm very proud of myself for that. I made the comment before we ordered today that it was no big deal if I cheated a little, but I didn't. I couldn't. I have a road map and it doesn't involve cheating on my diet.
I've cut almost all caffeine intake and I can tell. I keep getting a twitchy feeling above my eyes; I guess that's my body wanting caffeine. I'm also getting sleepy at weird times of the day. I don't get enough sleep and I guess without the caffeine my body is telling me to rest more. I'll try to address that this week with a little more sleep hopefully.

Day 11

My daughter's birthday is Monday. I'm planning on taking her out for dinner.
I'm basically working all weekend so not much else going on. All clothing has been removed from the handrails of the treadmill and I'm ready to start using it on the rainy days or days that are just miserably cold; otherwise it's a walk outside every day. I made it through the week without messing up the diet.
I'm working on a novel in my spare time. I'm taking a unique approach to writing it enlisting the help of several bloggers for help on different aspects of it. It's about two characters that don't interact with each other; rather they have similar experiences and almost meet several times. So far Kat has helped me a little in some character development ideas as has this guy with a great questionaire to fill out about each character, giving you insight as to how they would react in different situations and bringing them to life. Thanks to you two. Hoyazo and Joanne have also offered their help. It's a slow go because I just don't have a lot of spare time to work on it but progress is being made.

Day 10

I'm working all this weekend so I won't be posting much until probably Monday. I hope everone has a great weekend.

Day 9

I got scheduled to attend a 3 day training seminar near DC in March today; looks like I'll get a chance to meet some online friends in person. Mrs. Surf is taking the week off and going with me. I think we're going to drive up and do some sightseeing on the way. If anyone has any ideas of a good place to stop between Atlanta and DC let me know.

Day 8

I have a cool idea. May 1st will be my 21st wedding anniversary and I thought...hmm...21st anniversary....21....21...21....BLACKJACK!!! If that's not the perfect time to go to Vegas I don't know what is!!! It's on! I'm looking for some ideas for a romantic place to stay and things to do while we're there. It's not a poker trip for the most part so keep it ideas for dates and such.
The diet is still going well. I'm adding the exercise program now.
Back on Day 5 I mentioned that I had a strange dream about joining up with a famous band that a friend from high school plays in. Well guess what?? He e-mailed me today!!! We'll see what happens but I think it has a lot to do with a convenience store and some change I am due....hehe.

Day 7

I had a great day today! It's early on in my diet but my energy seems to be increasing already. It's probably just the excitement of doing something so positive about my weight. I can't imagine how great I'm going to feel in a few weeks.
I'm not struggling at all so far and have no temptation to cheat or stray from the diet at all. I love it!!
My daughter's birthday is coming up in a week and I want to do something really special for her. I'm thinking of taking the family somewhere really nice for dinner and giving her something she won't expect. I just have to figure out what that is. I won't say on here until after the fact in case she may read this before then.
I hope you are all having a great day!!!

Day 6

I'm off to a great start with the diet. I love the morning fruit drink. It really kept me feeling full all day. Mrs. Surf thought I was all talk about losing weight, but I followed through yesterday and came home with a few hundred dollars worth of healthy foods including whey. Whey!! I'm eating whey. I must be serious.
I played a little joke on Tripjax today. He is the one that turned me on to the diet I am starting so I couldn't resist. I called him (while he was in a meeting) and in my most serious voice I said "Hey man, it's me. I'm at the hospital. They said the whey was a really bad idea. I should have never eaten it without curds." It took him a second to realize I was joking around with him (probably the meeting and all slowing his reaction) and then we had a quick laugh. Thanx bud...good times.

Day 5 Continued

I just got home from the grocery store and have everything I need to start my diet in the morning. I weighed in today and here is the result: 308. Sigh.... I topped 300. I am 6 feet 3 inches tall but that's still a lot of weight. My initial goal weight is 225. I'll get there before I decide if I want to lose more. I'm thinking I can drop at least 6-8 pounds a month at the least so my goal for reaching 225 is December 31st. If I get there sooner than that I won't complain.
I'm going to get the diet going for one week before I start a serious workout plan, but I plan on some walking and basic exercise this week.
I'm so happy to be doing something about my weight. I feel more energetic already!! Thanks so much to everyone that has helped me get going with your words of encouragement.

Day 5

A day off from work. Yaaaaaaaa!!!!!!! It's been a long week even with the holiday and it's nice to have a day not to have to travel. I put in a lot of drive time going to and from work. I basically live north of Atlanta and work south of Atlanta so a day off is a nice break.
I had a very strange dream last night. I have a friend that plays in a very famous country artist's band and I dreamed that he called and invited me to a private show at the artist's house in California. When I got there, they were playing and insisted I get on stage with them. After we finished playing, they tried to talk me in to going on the road with them. I told them I needed to at least talk to my wife first but they wanted an answer right then. I woke up so I don't know what I was going to do, but I know if that really happened I would tell them thanks but no thanks. While playing on stage with them would be a dream come true, travelling and being gone on the road from my family would not be. I am at a point in my life where being close to home is important and time spent with family carries a lot of value. My teens are fast approaching adulthood and my oldest son is about to make me a grandpa so I definitely want to be around for all this excitement.

Day 4

The job in Warner Robbins, Georgia went well this morning. Mrs. Surf and I work together on the weekends with a friend of mine. It's fun to work together. We could easily enjoy working together on a full time basis but I'm afraid it would drive others around us nuts with all the inside jokes and banter.
I talked with Tripjax a little more via e-mail and he gave me a little more info on the diet I am starting. I really appreciate the help he has offered and I'm looking forward to some great success with his support and advice.
I'm going tomorrow to buy these. It's not the best time of the year weather-wise to try to start walking every day but hopefully the weather will cooperate and I do have a treadmill for the rainy days.

Day 2 Continued

I just finished reading Trip's diet plan and it sounds great! I'm going to the store this weekend to buy everything I need to start it. I mentioned to Mrs. Surf that I was starting a new meal plan to cut out some of the bad foods and replace it with things that are good for me. I thought she would be happy but I don't think she believes I will really follow through with it. I can't blame her for feeling that way. I have "announced" grand plans to lose weight before only to not do them so I guess I should have expected it.

Day 3

The more I read the diet plan that Trip shared with me, the more excited I am getting about it. I live in Georgia and I admit sticking to it will be tough with all the fried food and fast food readily available and it will take a real effort to stick to it but I am determined to do it.
I'm going to start a planned exercise program as well. I will probably just start out with some basic walking and exercising.
I may have sounded a little negative about how Mrs. Surf reacted to my undertaking of a "new Me" but I must stress I really can't blame her for not being overly excited. I've made several lackluster efforts to get in shape before only to slide back in to my old bad habits of bad eating and little exercise.
I'm going to buy some new tennis shoes this weekend and will start a regular exercise program on Monday. I'll post the plan and the results on here for everyone to experience with me.
I'm going to get some good before pictures so I can post some before, during, and after pics of my progress.
Mrs. Surf and I are working out of town Saturday so I won't get a chance to do much around the house tomorrow.

Day 2

Thanks to Love_Elf for the great idea left in comments in the last post. I'm going to pick up some catalogs today to leave around the house.
I am only working a half-day today so this is a good day to get some work done at the house. My plan is to get all the washing completed before Mrs. Surf gets home; that should really make her wonder what has gotten in to me.
I'm open to some suggestions on where to take her for the weekend get-away. We have been to Maui and loved it so that's a definite possibility. Vegas is a good option as well; we both love Vegas.
I'm going to start a workout program within the next week or so along with some changes in my eating habits. I'm not planning to go on what you would call a diet. I think it's more important just to cut out some of the junk food and replace it with healthier options. I'm still waiting to hear back from Trip before I do anything because I want to hear his plan.
I'm thinking of running some sort of contest for Valentine's Day for my readers. I'm open for suggestions if anyone has a good idea. There will definitely be a nice prize for the winner, so help me think of a great contest!!!

Day 1

I have started this journey with determination and posting my progress as often as possible will help keep me focused so look forward to plenty of updates.
Tripjax has offered some help on the weight loss and I plan to talk to him today.
I am open to suggestions on selecting a ring. How do I find out what she wants without giving away the surprise?
I plan to increase the amount of time I spend working on cleaning the house in the evenings starting tonight. We'll see how it goes.
Thank you very much for the encouraging comments I have received so far. I really appreciate it.

The Challenge

The purpose of this blog is to keep a record of my personal quest to overcome my weaknesses of laziness and procrastination and be the romantic knight my wife deserves. I will be chronicling my efforts of self improvement and plans to treat my wife to a more romantic lifestyle.
Here is a list of new habits and short term goals:

1) Plan a weekend getaway for just the two of us.
2) Pick out a new ring for her.
3) Give it to her in a romantic unexpected way.
4) Devote more time to helping with household chores.
5) Lose weight and get in better shape.

That should be plenty of good goals to get started working on. I don't want to make a list that is overwhelming so I will start with these five. I'll spend the next few days laying out the plans to achieve these goals. I'll be back to let you know how it's going soon.