Introducing Operation 40, my weight loss quest

There's a lot in the word we can't control. We can't control other people. We can't control how life will place obstacles ahead of us and we can't control the weather.

But, one thing we can control is ourselves. To this point, I give you Operation 40, my journey to lose 40 pounds over the next six months.

This is awful ambitious you may say. I say, yes it is, but then again when you are out to change yourself you have to be ambitious. There are no baby steps here.

Forty pounds is well within the recommended parameters of two pounds per week given to me by my doctor. This is feasible, even after i hit the expected wall soon.

Operation 40 is not just a simple diet plan. In fact, it's less of a diet than a change in the way I am.

This won't be crazy. I am diabetic, so I have that to consider, so there won't be any low carb meal plans or anything like that.

The biggest change for me in Operation 40 is "'Cise and Size" Or, in other words, exercise and portion size. I don't do much of the former and have trouble with the latter.

The plan? At least 30 minutes of exercise a day. And, following the meal plan size and calorie guide my doctor gave me.

There are other changes I will make, such as choosing better foods to eat and cutting out unnecessary items in the diet. There will be more on that in a later update.

I believe this is possible due in large part because I have been steady in weight for the past two years. I'm actually seven pounds lighter (245) than I was 16 months ago. With more exercise and eating better I have no reason to not believe this won't happen.

Of course, if I don't lose 40 pounds this will in no way be a failure. I have a strong support group with several Twitter followers who will help me along the way and I'm confident I will lose weight.

Operation 40 begins on Sunday and ends April 30, 2010. The official weigh-in is on Sunday.

I will update with that as well as my progress. Hopefully I can serve as inspiration for some people.

Follow me on Twitter here. Look for the #Op40 hashtags, too.