Gym'll fix it ... ?

Yes! I'm just about to start going to a gym again, after a break of about a year. Long-time readers of my little blog may know of my long-standing (lifelong, really) struggles with efforts to keep my weight under some modicum of control and my pretty successful efforts with the Atkins diet a few years back to reduce my weight significantly on a long-term basis, and (unlike with previous different diets I have tried) to keep it there.

Atkins has been fairly successful for me, but there is no getting away from the fact that my weight has, over the last 6 months or so, begun to creep up again because I have been ignoring some of the 'rules' which make this diet work; that's largely a self-discipline and will-power problem I have to solve on my own and I know myself well enough to avoid making rash promises - I am trying, but the facts about my progress, and success (or not), will speak for themsleves in coming months. External issues do have an effect however - I no longer have my pet doggie Tara so have less incentive to at least go out for regular walks several times a day. I also like good food and I like nice wine. The weight gain so far is not in any way dramatic, but I know where this trend is leading and I desperately wish to avoid continuing down this self-destructive, if comforting, route.

However, all these so-called external factors are really just excuses - if I really wanted to do it, I would be doing it; as the slang has it "simple as ..."!

In about an hour's time I go for my initial 'orientation' visit to the new gym I joined last Saturday and I'm looking forward to it. As for the rest - getting back to controlling my food-intake better and taking regular exercise (not just of the gym-variety), well that will be a work in progress as it has been for most of my life, quite apart from getting a few more hours sleep at night (television and internet addiction to be curbed!). I'll report back in due course on how I'm getting on, warts and all.