Yesterday I announced my intention to improve my health and lose weight, all while blogging about it. I’ve appreciated the encouragement I’ve received from friends and family since launching the site. However, it’s obvious that blogging about weight loss alone isn’t going to get the job done. The question, “How are you going to do that?‚” keeps coming up.

Pastor Mark Driscoll recently posted a little quote that I found very fitting:

Just so you know, in 2 days nothing changes, unless you make a plan & execute it. The year changes but if you don’t, you can just photocopy this year.

The bottom line is that without a detailed plan, we are extremely unlikely to succeed in any life-changing endeavor. This is true whether you want to join the “New Year’s Resolution crowd” in making a weight loss goal, want to plan for retirement, or desire to make any number of other lifestyle changes.

I’ve given it quite a bit of thought, and here are the major components of my plan and the blueprint of how I intend to lose weight and experience real health.

Prayer.

First and foremost, prayer will be a major part of my approach. I seek to glorify Christ in all that I do, and that includes how I keep my body. To be blunt, I’ve sinned in this area by letting myself get so unhealthy. I’ve repented of gluttony, and am seeking continued help from God to persevere in all the other areas of the plan.

Nutrition Tracking

Lots of people hate counting calories, but for me it’s actually rather fun, and it’s the only way I’ve ever had previous success in losing weight. But I’m going one step further, and will be keeping my eye on the fat, sugar, fiber, and more. I’ll be utilizing The Daily Plate, an excellent program that was bought out by LIVESTRONG. TDP tracks not just nutrition, but weight and exercise too… and it has an iPhone App.

Daily Cardio Exercise

In order to get my heart and lungs into shape, and burn fat, I’ll be working towards daily cardiovascular exercise. What this will look like depends largely on season (we’re in a frozen blizzard in NNY right now!), but for the time being I intend to make use of my stationary recumbent bicycle, heavy punching bag, and vintage Tae-Bo tapes. Oh yeah!

Regular Weight Training

I want to build in a three-to-four day a week weight lifting routine. For now I’ll be using the beginner’s dumb bell set that I already have to work on my arms, back, and abs. However, when my wife and I decide that finances allow, I’d really like to get a gym membership, kill my embarrassment, and become a regular.

Medical Care

I’m pleased to have an incredible relationship with my physician, who is evaluating every aspect of my plan and its progress. He is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (a DO, not an MD), who I worked with in Graduate Medical Education at a local hospital for over three years. He isn’t afraid to tell me to get off my butt and move, and he’s extremely well trained. It’s a great combination!

That said, this is about as straight forward a plan as you can get. Diet, exercise and medical care all under the watchful eye of the one who created me. It’s all about being simple, yet intentional.

As far as the blogging aspect of things, I anticipate doing a weekly weigh-in post that will update you on how I’m doing. I’ll also post health-related news blurbs, book reviews, commentary and other information from time to time.

So, that’s my plan. Do you have suggestions or warnings for me? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!