A departure from the usual...

Alright, I'm doing the weight loss thing again, but this time I'm getting help. I've decided to go to the Quick Weight Loss Centers of Atlanta and do their program. I'll be documenting my progress here at Snark from the Edge. Since I've let this blog lie dormant for so long not even Russian spam-bots are reading it any more I don't think I'll be disappointing anyone.

At my initial meeting I was walked through the basics and signed up, then they took my measurements. I have to say I was a little shocked at how heavy I was, I didn't realize it had gotten that far out of hand. Also, I'm a rectangle: there is zero difference between my chest measurement and my waist. Maybe at the end of this I'll have the coveted "ten-inch drop" back, but almost any change at all will make my clothes fit better and keep my pistol from printing when I turn just my upper body. At the end of the first session I was scheduled for a nutritional seminar (also included) and and told to start the "prep menu" on Sunday.

I have to tell you, the first day has been a bit rough. The first three days on the program there is a very specific menu you have to follow to get your body ready for the upcoming changes. Lots of protein, salad-type greens, and an orange. They were very specific that it had to be an orange, and I had to eat half of it at each of my two snacks, and no other fruits or fruit juices were allowed in the first three days. Oh, and half a teaspoon of Morton's lite salt at some point during the day. Alrighty then. There are some protein drinks and energy drinks mixed in there too, but it's all included in the cost. Speaking of which, you have to pay up front; I had room on a card (and I got points, lol) and I've heard good things about this program so I don't mind that so much.

I'll be supervised on this journey for a little more than a year, and at the end of the fifty-five weeks I'll be at my target weight and able to maintain if I just behave. They actually will have me at my target weight in about forty weeks, the last bit of it is to teach me how to feed myself and not blow up again as well as slowly re-introducing foods I haven't been eating (mostly fats) to see how I react. Of course through it all they'll be available for counseling, also included in the price. They recommend three check-ins a week, and since I drive right past the center on my way home that shouldn't be an issue.

I have a nutrition seminar on Tuesday afternoon right after work when I find out exactly why I've had to eat what I'm eating for the first three days and then I get my individually tailored plan at the end. There's no exercise requirement, but it isn't forbidden. Once I lose the first fifteen pounds or so I'll probably start walking again.