And it begins anew ... meet Operation 15

Losing weight is tough business. Keeping it off is tougher.

Life has a way of beating you down and most times it comes when you least expect it. Stress at work, stress in life and just general bad mojo led to me being a little lazy. Ok, a lot lazy.

I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and weigh 200 pounds. I am most unhappy about this. Mostly I am because I feel I've failed in a way, but then again I know we're all human and we can't always maintain things easily.

This is why I will be doing an Operation 15 starting on Wednesday, Dec. 1 and ending January 31. That's two months to shed 15 pounds and I have no doubts I can do it, just like I did with Operation 40, which I lost 62 pounds on from Nov. 2009-April 2010. For that I am still proud because I'm in a better place despite going up to 200 from 185.

A lot of the weight came when I added friend foods again. I also was lax on portion sizes. The list goes on, but I'm going to get more control.

I do think eating a good, fattening meal now and then can be good for you, if only to let your brain know you aren't neglecting yourself too much :) Seriously, I know I can gain control again and hopefully this time keep it off.

So here I go. Time to exercise and watch what I eat. And all of you are along for the ride.

Jumped on the scale and what did I see? .....

It has been more than two months since I officially "ended" Operation 40 and started the new phase.

My eating habits haven't changed a great deal, mainly due to my lack of funds in the old budget to buy the "real good" stuff. I have had french fries here and there and have upped my portion sizes on occasion, but I figured it wasn't a big deal and recent results have proved the point. But, what I haven't done since April 30 is jump on the scale.

So on Thursday, July 8 I did just that. And much to my surprise I had lost another 6.6 pounds. My current weight is 183.

Since my last visit to the doctor (and another one is coming soon) I have lost 62 pounds (53 since Nov. 1). I'm becoming a new man and this newer, sleeker Milner body model is growing on me.

This calls for a celebratory milkshake!

It's been long enough - welcome to Operation 40 Phase 2.0

Phase 2 will commence on May 20.

What's Phase 2 you ask? Well, it's the next step in my evolution. Plus I need to work off some excess energy that has been building up so why the heck not, ya know?

This phase is the toning and muscle building stage. I've notice places on my body that once were quite in shape that have since gone, well, a little astray. It's not major, but I know I can tone up and strengthen my legs, butt, shoulders and tummy, just to name a few.

This plan is going to be fairly haphazard. It will be what works into my schedule. It will be dependent on what exercises I can do at a given time.

I'll do some Wii Fit strength exercises. I also have a condensed 15 to 20-minute routine where I do a variety of simple exercises such as wall pushups, stretching, leg lifts, knee lifts and hip thrusts.

There also will be plenty of shadow boxing. There's nothing like getting the blood flowing with a little boxing.

Again, there will be more as I go. I will weigh-in to see where I'm at and make a "goal" based on that information.

This isn't about losing weight. I expect to gain some in muscle, which will be good. I'll detail more soon, just wanted to get this out there as a starting point.

The "final" tally

I started this with a simple goal of losing 40 pounds six months ago and here I am at the "end" of Operation 40.

The tale of the scale on Friday, April 30 was I gained two pounds. My "final" weight is 189.

The total in the Operation 40 program was 47 pounds. The total since I last saw my doc in about late-September was 56 whopping pounds :)

I look at the last few weeks of Operation 40 as a positive. I had two weeks of gaining, one negligible week and a four-pound loss. The easier way to look at it is I am two pounds lighter now than I was 17 days ago.

This is a good thing and was kind of what I was going for, as I wanted to try and maintain my weight. Also, 189 is a good starting point for Phase 2, which I will start in about two weeks. This way I can work hard to tone and shape muscles while losing some more weight.

The muscle mass will bring me back up a bit and I figure I can be around 180-185 when it's all done.

I am more than pleased with how this turned out. I'd like to thank all those who supported me and all those who will continue to support me. It's been a fun journey, but it's not over yet!

Nearing "completion"

I weighed in a few days ago. Work has been busy and hasn't allowed to post, but what can ya do?

Anyways, the result was negligent. I didn't gain or lose any measurable weight. This leaves me at losing 49 for Operation 40 and now sitting at 187.

I have one day left until the next phase begins. I have a business trip next week so i think I may start it in a few weeks.

In any case, I'll keep you updated.

10 days to go

Six months doesn't seem like a long time, but when you embark on a quest such as mine it can seem like an eternity.

There are 10 days remaining in Operation 40. It's been a fun journey, has taught me many lessons and was a success. And, of course, it's not over yet.

I will go deeper into all that I felt, did and accomplished when this is officially over. However, I use the word "over" loosely, as this change in lifestyle will continue on in various forms. Plus, the toning aspect of the plan will be detailed on this blog as well.

But, the best part about Operation 40 has been the compliments. I get them all the time, from men and women. It's nice and I get to tell the story of how much I've lost and how I have accomplished my goal.

All of them have been positive. I've received only one "are you sick?" To that, I replied "No, I'm doing it on purpose."

Here's to a good 10 days.

Back on track

Last week's little setback (though the pizza = OMG) was followed by a successful weigh-in on Sunday, April 18.

I lost four pounds and am now at 187 with less than two weeks to go in Operation 40. For those keeping score, that's 49 since I started in November.

My new goal weight of 185 should be no problem. Then it is on to the task of toning and figuring out the balance to maintain my weight.

That, my friends, will be difficult. I know I can do it, but it will take some hard work. But it will be nice to eat larger portions again, while not going overboard, of course.