You Can't Spell "Diet" without "Die!"

Still with me? Good! As I mentioned in my last entry, I’m on a diet. Now, I’m not a nutritionist or a private trainer. I’m just relating what (I hope) works for me. Check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. The tiny lawyer in my head made me say that!

So a diet is what you eat. Technically, everyone is on a diet. It just depends on what you want to accomplish…good or bad. For me, I want to lose some weight. And really the only way that I can do that is to consume fewer calories than I burn…and my body, will hopefully, tap into my fat reserves. At this point I don’t know how much I want to lose. In the past couple of years, I’ve gained a fair amount of muscle….and that extra muscle weight will affect how much I might want to lose. The last time I wanted to drop some significant weight, I was less muscular….and I settled in at around 195. So maybe this time, my ultimate finishing weight will be a little higher. And to be honest, I hate Hate HATE stepping on the scales! Normally, I only get weighed at my doctor’s office…and I usually try not to peek at the amount.

I usually determine whether I need to lose weight based upon the jeans that I’m able to wear. I have a wide selection ranging from a “true size” 34 inches (we’ll discuss sizing in a second) up to about a 38/39 “true size.” What do I mean by “true size?” I mean the actual size in inches of the waist of the jeans. Most jeans list what I call a “vanity size” which can be significantly bigger in inches than the “true size.” So a pair of jeans can be labelled 32, but actually be 34 or 35 inches or even more! It’s a way that clothing manufacturers trick you into believing that you still have the waist you had in high school. Also, the waist size of the jean can depend upon where they ride on your hips. Devious bastards!

Of course, this time…well, I knew I was victim of the COVID-19, extra 19 pounds! I tried putting on my custom leathers (yes…we’ll chat about that soon!) and found that I couldn’t snap, buckle or button some of my prized pieces….my chaps or my breeches (I know….yes…we’ll have I nice long chat about that!). So, I had a choice to either lose the weight or resign myself to the paunch and give away thousands of dollars of leather gear! Like Elphaba in WICKED I could work towards “defying gravity” or like Jennifer North in VALLEY OF THE DOLLS I could say, “The hell with them; let them droop!” I chose to go with the green gal!

And it’s not just my leather (YES! I will chat about that….I promise), but the extra weight is not good for the joints of my legs….and, alright, I vain! I’m an actor after all!

But, what am I specifically doing to lose the weight, and how much have I already lost? Let’s talk about that tomorrow! I will divulge all!