Great thread. I'll jump in as well, although I started about two months ago.
Background
I played a lot of sports in high school, college, and beyond, and have generally been in good shape throughtout my school years and the earlier years after graduation. I've done a few long distance events (marathons, long triathlons, long cross-country ski races). At one point, I exercised at least 20 minutes/day every day for over four and a half years. Ideal weight when in good shape is about 187-191 pounds, on a 6'1" frame.
However, over the past ten years I've slowly gained about a pound or two per year. Thanks to the no-soda dynasty, last year was the first year in the past ten years that I was able to not gain weight. The biggest problem, however, has been that the past five years I've cut back significantly on exercise. The last year or two, I've been simply awful. I'm pretty sure I've lost a lot of muscle weight and gained a lot of body fat to replace it. So although I'm ten pounds over ideal weight, I bet I'm more like twenty pounds overweight. I'm in crappy shape as well.
The Goal
I'd like to be in good shape again and consistently be able to weigh in at 187-191 pounds.
The Plan
Reduce weight and increase muscle mass through consistent exercise and better dietary habits.
Exercise
My plan is to exercise Monday through Saturday for at least twenty minutes, and stretch on Sundays for 20 minutes. Also, I want to try to do little sets of situps and pushups during the day, with the aim of getting in 30+ situps and pushups a day. I'd also like to try and add in some "active tasks" like lawn mowing, walking, etc. to burn off more calories during the day. At some point, I'll like to add weightlifting, but I'll see how things go before adding this.
Diet
For the most part, I'm not really going to modify much here. I want to:
- Eat better food
- Reduce the post-dinner/late-night eating
- Limit soda consumption to one/week
- Eliminate alcohol
Starting Weight: 201 pounds.