Something fun happened yesterday (‘yesterday’ was the 17^th of March). It may seem odd to you that I call this ‘fun’, but it’s my blog so I can call it whatever I want.

The fun thing? I realized my pants were too loose. My belt is also too big. This is a first for me. I’m accustomed to having the opposite problem. Pants too small? Yep. I have a familiarity with that particular issue. Pants too big?? Well this is something altogether new.

Over the course of the last few months, I’ve lost more than 15 pounds.

I need new dress pants. I need new jeans. It scares me to buy them. I may wait a while longer. What if I begin going up again?

I’m not participating in a diet plan. I’m not ‘juicing’. I’m eating less. By eating smaller portions, cutting out snacks, drinking more water and generally paying attention to what I’m shoving in my mouth, I’ve been able to slowly lose some weight.

I do have someone helping me. Friends of mine who live in Florida have a passion for helping people become healthy. They helped me start down this path by introducing me to a way to change my eating habits. It is working.

15 pounds sounds good. It makes me sound successful. But I’ve only just begun. My goal is to lose another 25 pounds. I’m not setting a date. I’m not signing up for a 5K. I’m not training for a Triathlon. I’m changing my lifestyle. One small step at a time.

One year ago tomorrow, March 28, 2013, I began this journey.

It was the first day of Spring Break for my sons. We were on our way to a week of vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama. For whatever reason, this day was DAY ONE.

I’m not sure as to why the journey began. Sure, I knew I needed to lose weight. But I began the journey on the 1^st day of a VACATION! Who does that? Most of us use a vacation as a way to excuse ourselves from eating healthy. We drop the idea of trying to “diet”. No salads on vacation. I did something different this time. I stopped drinking pop (or, soda for those of you not living in the Midwest).

How much pop did I typically drink in a day? Did you see the picture at the top of this post? Depending on the day, I might down one can, or two, or quite a bit more. I had a Coke addiction. I used to joke with co-workers about it as I made my way to the machine. Unfortunately, it was an addiction. How bad could it be you say? Bad. Real bad.

Even now, one year later, I would love to have an ice-cold Coke. In a glass with ice. In an ice-cold can. If I’m thirsty and I see an ad for Coke on a billboard, or on TV, I want one. Even as I type these words my mouth is watering and my desire for the sweet delicious liquid is heightened. One year later. Amazing.

No pop on a trip was the start of my weight loss journey. What began as a game in my head to see how long I could hold-out has turned into a lifestyle change. A good one. (Full disclosure: Every so often I have been known to drink a little root beer, and Sprite has shown up too. But, no cola. Not one.)

I’ve also been cutting WAY back on my consumption of fast food. I’m not perfect on this one. I love a Wendy’s hamburger for lunch on Thursday or Friday. Strangely, it never satisfies me. A couple of hours later I’m hungry again. This is where I would have gone for the Coke in the past. Now I need to figure out a different solution. Coffee and water have been the solution for me. Water, water, water and more water. It is amazing to me how this simple liquid can satisfy many of my hunger and thirst needs.

I’ll write more about my journey to a healthy lifestyle. I’m sure it won’t be a frequent topic, but the whole loose pants issue was begging to be written.

In the comments below, I’d love to know your answers to the following questions. Join the conversation!
What small changes have you made to improve your life? What changes could you make?