I commit to losing weight and getting healthy so that my wife and my three (soon five, expecting twins) can have me healthy and strong for a very, very long time.

I’m 34 years old and I don’t even know what I weigh. I think it’s 320 pounds now, but I fear it is more. (Edit: I’ve since learned I weighed 337 pounds.) I’ve always been a big guy, in fact I weighed as much as 350 pounds back in 2004, at the height of my stress while getting my PhD. I lost a lot of it in 2006, got down to about 270 pounds, but then I stopped eating right and exercising and, slowly but surely, six years later, I’m back to… like I said, I don’t know. But I recently spent $300 on new clothes just so that I can have something nice to wear to work that fits. And I want to get back into my old wardrobe! (I have some nice clothes.)

OK, so I commit. That’s what this post is about. But what am I committing to, exactly? In order to keep it maintainable and a life-changing event, I’m going to keep it simple:

• Regain my spiritual strengths;
• Exercise regularly; and
• Eat balanced.

By spiritual strengths, I mean being one with my self again. Being happy in who I am, what I’m doing, and making sure I understand what’s important in life. For me it will including reading the bible, praying, being thankful, and just trying to enjoy the days I have on earth. I think this area of my life is completely out of whack and is partly to blame for my weight gain.

Exercise is also very important. Physical activity keeps us fit and healthy. I am someone who enjoys physical activity. When I was in high school, I was part of my marching band, I ran in track and played lots of basketball and tennis. This made me happy, and I want to get back to this. To make this happen, I need to join a gym that offers childcare so I can bring my family again part of the time, if not all of the time. The kids can play while my wife has a swim or reads a magazine and I can do my workouts. Unlike before, I want to mix in weight training into my routine (not just cardio) and also have a free day where I do any activity I want without structure. This might be more cardio, more weights, or maybe a spin class or some time on the basketball court. Something fun and active.

Finally, I need to address the food side of this triad. My diet habits are terrible. I eat a lot. And my food choices are poor. So, I need to reign this back in by making simple choices. Balance is key. I want to eat a little meat, starch, fruit and vegetables every day. Every single day. I need to keep the meat and starch limited, but I will eat plenty of fruits and veggies as a way to keep my on point with my nutrition. This isn’t the healthiest way to go, but it’s better than where I was and it’s a start. Eat balanced and reasonable portions.

I commit to these things.