D7

John Wishart
City Views

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In households across Metro Moncton, men and women are waking up this morning to healthy bowls of cereal, whole wheat toast and fruit.

They might follow that up with a bowl of soup (no crackers) and a glass of skim milk for lunch, and finish off the day with a small portion of meat or fish, some rice and vegetables.

There won't be a bag of chips, a beer or can of pop, or a leftover Christmas chocolate in sight.

Welcome to Diet Season.

I've always found it odd that we pick the time right after the holidays to launch our annual diet frenzy. Shouldn't the new year start with promise and merriment and some over-indulging? Instead, we start each new year with shame and guilt; we struggle through the time of year when we get the least amount of sunlight and the days are bleakest by withholding one of life's little pleasures -- food.

For once in my life, I am ahead of the game. My "New Year's Diet" actually started on Labour Day. After a summer of eating and drinking too much, I knew my tired and flabby middle-age body couldn't wait another four months.

So the meal my wife and I ate at a restaurant in Antigonish that Labour Day weekend, just after dropping our eldest daughter off for another university year, was my last pre-diet treat. I can't even remember now what I ordered, but I'm sure I savoured every last morsel.

The last four months have been at times torturous, other times tempting, but in the end, transformational.

When I started this latest diet -- I've lost count how many times I have resolved to lose weight, get fit and change my lifestyle -- I was the heaviest I have ever been. They say the late 40s is a crucial time in a man's life. If you don't shape up by the time you are 50, your chances of having an early heart attack rise dramatically.

My old college roommate had blazed the trail for me, shedding at least 50 pounds a few years ago -- and keeping it off since. He is now driven to remain fit, exercising more than an hour each day at home before he begins his work day.

A former neighbour just a few years older than me was an inspiration; he successfully completed an Ironman Triathlon last year.

Another friend has faced an even greater weight challenge but is winning his battle of the bulge. He started out at more than 400 pounds but has lost more than 115 in over a year. I admire this guy's willpower. I'm not sure faced with that large a goal, I would have the power to stick with it.

My own goal is less onerous and -- I think -- attainable. I want to lose 50 pounds by the time next summer rolls around. I set an mid-term goal of 30 pounds by Christmas. If I hit my 50-pound goal, I will be within striking distance of my wedding day weight.

The first few weeks are the easiest in any dieting regimen. Most guys shed seven to 10 pounds in the first couple of weeks. Your body goes into some kind of metabolism shock. You are on a natural high, your body begins to feel better and those pants that you had to stuff your ballooning belly into now hang just a little better.

The next two months are also exhilarating, with an average of a pound a week keeping you going and keeping you focused. I've found the last month to be the toughest, fighting for every ounce and trying not to have even one setback.

Every diet is only as good as the amount of physical activity you put into it.

This is where I usually fall down, not exercising enough to keep burning those calories.

My wife helped here; she had already started a brisk morning walk and she encouraged me to join her. Every morning in September through mid-November, we would head out before the dawn's early light.

Although it was an activity we shared, there was no time for talk. We both discovered early on we enjoyed the muscle-pumping volume of iPods as much as we did any early morning conversation.

Besides, her pace is much quicker than mine. We would still be within sight of our house and she would start to break away, leaving me huffing and puffing trying to keep up.

Any neighbours watching this morning ritual would probably think we had just had a big fight and I was trying to catch up to her as she ran from her red-faced husband.

Since the roads have become slick and the early morning hours bitterly cold, I've left my iPod and sneakers in the closet and hopped on a stationary bike in the family room. You'll find me there every morning, legs pumping as I watch last night's highlights on Sportsdesk.

I'm actually writing this column a few days before Christmas, which is probably a good thing because I know I will be cheating over the holidays. It's impossible not to have a few more drinks, a few more samplings of holiday baking, a couple of delicious turkey dinners.

And besides, I feel I owe myself.

After nearly four months of discipline and hard work, I hit my 30-pound mid-term goal a few days before Christmas. I know the last 20 pounds will be even tougher but I am determined to be in the best shape of my adult life by the time I turn 50 a year from now.

Some guys mark their mid-life crisis by buying a flashy sports car; others decide to climb a mountain or take a solitary roadtrip; still others stray and have an affair.

I've decided to celebrate middle age by becoming a leaner, fitter version of my former self.

It may not mark the sexiest transformation into middle age, but I think it could be the best long-term investment in my personal and family's health.

Besides, as the old saying goes: "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."

n City Views appears daily, written by various members of our staff. John Wishart is assistant managing editor of the Times & Transcript. His column appears every Saturday.