2011 Goal Check (September) and Dr. Esselstyn

Well, it's now September and another year draws closer to an end. The nights will be arriving earlier and the days taking a little longer to get established. So I thought it would be a good time to look at all the goals I set myself this year and see how I'm doing.

#1 : Read 10 Books - I'm glad to say I have achieved this one already and also met my kicker. Good job
#2 : Write 2 Novels - Also done and dusted and exceeded
#3 : Earnings Goal - On track to hit my goal
#4 : Weight Target - Was well on track earlier in the year, but then fell off the wagon and am back to my beginning of year weight. A lot of effort is needed during the last four months of the year.

There we have it. It looks like my weight is letting me down (or weighing me down). Still, I've made a great decision over the last couple of weeks and yesterday my wife and I started on our new eating lifestyle. Over the past couple of years, like a lot of people, my weight has see-sawed between good and not so good. I've tried to find a way of eating that I could maintain and also control my weight. You name the diet and I've probably tried it. So this time around I've decided it's time for a complete overhaul.

I came across a book recently by Dr. Esselstyn that advocates a heart healthy diet that almost guarantees you'll never have a heart attack. Sounds too good to be true? I was a little skeptical too. But I read all the testimonials and studies and it all seems pretty convincing. The diet is pretty strict though, so I didn't know if I would be able to stick to it or not. But, what the heck, I thought I'd give it a try. After all, nothing else has really worked. Dr. Esselstyn's diet restricts food intake to Vegetables, Fruit, Grains, Pulses, Seeds and Legumes (Beans). That means no dairy, no eggs, no meat, no nuts and NO OIL. Tough.

Yesterday, after putting the kids back on a plane to England, my wife and I cleaned out our cupboards of everything that was not allowed on our diet (There was a lot of things that made it to the trash!). Then we went to the store and stocked up on the 'good stuff.' Yesterday was a little weird at mealtimes, working out exactly what to eat, but I'm sure it will get easier over the next couple of weeks. I'll let you know.

Back to my 2011 goals. I have 22lbs to lose in 16 weeks. I'm optimistic I can do it. And if I do, this will be a major achievement for me - hitting all my yearly goals. The possibility of reward is spurring me on. And if I get the added benefit of a healthier heart, lower cholesterol and lower triglycerides, well that can't be a bad thing either. Here's to living healthier...