New Year's Resolutions

When it comes to New Year's resolutions, I was like most other people. I had no ability to stick to them, and to pull through, for a whole year, with a promise to myself. Somehow, that changed last year. I made some new goals, and I kept them. Here's how.

1. Set specific goals
   My goal was to get to 250 (lean) pounds. Why that big? I don't know, sounds like a good number. It gave me a topic to talk about.
   Buddy: "So Pete, why are you going to the gym so much now?"
   Pete: "I want to get up to 250 pounds."
   Buddy: "Dude, you'll be fat!"
   Pete: "No, no, a lean 250."
2. Overcome your fears
   While part of my fears was the fact that my Hawaiian shirt collection wouldn't fit me after such a large increase in mass, I realized that wasn't such a big problem. I'd just have to NOT button them up, and I could strut my gut (a real man should have a gut).
3. Don't quit because of a setback
   In August, I tried a new diet ... all protein/fat, zero carbs. I lost 6 kilograms (~12 lbs) in just 2 weeks. Although that set me back quite a bit, I realized, yeah, I do have a six pack under all that fat ... I should have taken more pictures ... oh well, I'll do it again next year. Oh, and if you ever try this diet, I must warn you, going to the crapper after nine days of not crapping is a crappy experience.
4. Reward yourself
   Every five pounds I gained, I let myself indulge in a salad. I love salad so much, but it doesn't have enough calories, so it was a nice treat.
5. Surround yourself with supporters
   Like Andrew: he was a role model type fellow, he's a much stockier guy, and could easily bench press more than me (about 50 lbs more). He even has a silly rule, "I'll only date a girl if I can bench press twice her weight." He's proud to say that he can now bench twice my girlfriend's weight ... I'm worried.

Pete Love