It’s that time of year again! Time to reflect back on what you have accomplished over the past year and set your goals for the New year.

First off, yes I know it has been a looooong time since I put up a post here, and guess what? One of my resolutions for 2010 is to post at least once per week (even if they are short but direct to the point posts)

Why You Need to Make Resolutions

In the past week I have received 8 emails from various sites (Prevention etc…) all saying not to make a resolution for 2010. I think that is total BS.

I make resolutions every year and while most don’t stick I do benefit from everyone of them. Sometimes failing at something is the best thing for you.

Not resolving to change or improve on something in your life to me is the same thing as not having a dream or goals (resolutions are really just broad goals for the year). What is the point of living if aren’t working towards a better life for you and your family/friends?

Resolutions For 2010

Weight Loss

Weight loss, improving my overall health and fitness is always at the top of my list. This year I am mixing things up a bit though. I have followed a lot of commercialized diets and weight loss programs in the past. While I did see results with most of them, nothing really stuck. The weight came back.

I have enough knowledge and experience in losing weight that I have come up with my own eating plan. I have it all ready to go and starting on Jan 1st I will be following it strictly which should be fairly simple since it is tailored around my 9 to 5 lifestyle. I am still following the big workout plans, starting with Tony Horton’s 10 minute trainer as a fitness kick start which will be followed by the restart of P90X. (stopped early due to injury earlier this year)

I plan on turning the eating plan into a downloadable ebook, but only after I see the results for myself.

My goal for 2010 is to get under 180lbs and 17% bodyfat. Very achievable I think.

Run a Half Marathon

It has always been a dream of mine to run a full marathon. I have no idea why I hold that as my fitness holy grail, as I don’t always enjoy running. I’ve ran a bunch of 5k races and a few 10k’s over the past few years. But for some reason I have never committed to taking the next step and training for or running a half marathon. September 2010 I will complete my first ever half marathon. (either the Toronto half marathon or the Scotia waterfront half marathon)

Those are my 2 weight loss and fitness resolutions.

Just a couple of quick non health/fitness/weightloss related resolutions for 2010:

1. Increase my online income to $2000 a month (shouldn’t be too difficult)

2. Become consumer debt free (again). 2008 and 2009 were bad year’s employment wise for my wife and we had to stay a float with credit. The end of 2009 has been great and things are back on track 2010 will be even better financially.

I actually have a great system for dealing with debt and without it things could have been much worse than they were.

3. Increasing my online presence. Over the past few months I have fallen right off the map. Few posts if any, no commenting on my favourite blogs and I haven’t responded to comments on this blog for a while. I haven’t created any new sites/projects in a looooooong time either. 2010 that all changes.

What About You?

What are your resolutions for 2010? Are you even going to make a resolution?

Let me know what you think, I will be responding to all comments.

Steve

Living in Canada I get the full effects of the 4 seasons. From the bitter chill of winter to the hot and humid summers. Since I’m not a huge fan of spending all my time in the gym, I need to get outdoors and that means I have to deal with the elements.

Reviewing the past few years of my weight loss journey I wanted to see which season has been the most effective for losing weight and why? Here are my thoughts on Winter weight loss vs Summer weight loss.

Summer Weight Loss

These are some of the positive activities that I can do during the summer time (May – August, Yes I know summer starts in June)

Running

I’m an avid runner, 5k’s and local runs around the neighborhood are what I enjoy and in the summer time it’s fairly easy to get 5 runs a week in. The nights are comfortable and with the sun setting after 9pm I’m able to finish my runs before the sun sets. This is a huge psychological boost for me plus I’m able to burn a ton of calories and I’m not sitting in front of the TV.

Team Sports

Softball and Basketball are 2 team sports that I love to participate in (despite injuring my knee playing basketball that sidelined me for 3 months). Basketball in particular really gets your heart pumping and utilizes muscles you forgot you even had. Outdoors courts are everywhere and you can even get a great workout playing alone.

Softball is not considered a big calorie burner as half the game you’re sitting on your butt. But I like to play in Tournaments that go all day. I end up playing 4-5 games in a day and that eats up a lot of calories.

Yard Work

I don’t have a huge yard but it is big enough to keep me busy all summer long. Cutting the grass, gardening, trimming, pruning and pulling the damn weeds (Canada has a ban on pesticides for use on lawns and it’s killing me).

Golf and Mountain Biking

Golf is expensive but a great workout, as long as you are walking the course and carrying your clubs you’re burning a ton of calories. (I skip the carts, including the beer cart….most times )

I’ve recently gotten back into mountain biking and wow did I miss it. Trail riding is a huge calorie burner, especially if you have a crappie Walmart brand bike like mine (seriously it only has half the gears it used to have and the remaining ones slip, Hint hint @TrekBikes please send a new one my way ) Trek Bikes are the Nike of mountain bikes.

Outdoor Time With The Kids

My kids are at the age where they want to spend all their time outside riding bikes, playing at the park, going for walks, playing soccer, frisbee etc.. my point is we are always out side during the summer. Weight loss and burning calories aside spending time with my kids is the most important part of my day.

Winter Weight Loss

These are the positive things about trying to lose weight during the winter months (November to March)

Clearing The Snow

We get a lot of snow (the last 2 years almost broke the all-time records) and clearing it is no easy task. Shoveling 6-10 inches every few days is great for burning calories if you’re doing it properly. Plus on my street once you’re done your driveway you help your neighbors finish theirs.

Playing in the Snow

Once you’ve piled the snow it’s time to play in it, with the kids of course. Building snowmen, snowball fights and tobogganing are what make winter and all that snow worth having. Packed snow is heavy and toboggan hills are steep and all that lifting and incline walking help to burn off the excess calories.

Skating

While I’m not a great skater, in fact I can’t even stop, I do like to get out on the outdoor rinks and ponds for a few hours of skating and shinny with friends and family. Plus holding the kids up while teaching them to skate really works the back.

So Which Season is the Best for Weight Loss?

Now while I have to admit I am way more active in the summer time outdoors than the winter time, looking over my weight charts it looks as though Winter is when my weight. BMI and body fat% drop to their lowest points of the year.

There could only be 1 reason for this: FOOD.

Our summers are filled with barbeques, steaks, burgers and hotdogs and drinking with the neighbors. We tend to eat out more often (patio season) and with all the activities I do I tend to eat a lot more than I normally would.

One of my vices has always been nighttime eating, in fact I still struggle with this today and in the summer time it is so easy to hop in the car and hit the drive through or the convenience store for a bag of chips.

I hate the cold I mean sometimes it gets so bad that I feel like moving to Florida or California. The cold is a huge deterrent for my nighttime eating habits and the snow gets in the way of that as well. Unless I’m going outside with a strong purpose and I’m properly dressed for the cold, I stay inside. This gives me time to prepare better meals and plan ahead for the next few days, plus I have an excuse to use the treadmill in the basement.

What season do you lose most of your weight in? Let me know what you think.

I have been doing this for the past week or so and it has done wonders for me. 5 straight days of running or weight training.

You know when it comes to losing weight, eating healthy or doing exercise sometimes it feels like I am 2 different people. There is morning Steve, always tired but very motivated and hopeful for having a good healthy day, no junk foods, lots of walking breaks at work, drinking lots of water and looking forward to working out at night/evening etc.. I like this Steve.

Then there is night Steve or more specifically after the kids are in bed Steve. He craves the junk food and does whatever he can to get it. Night Steve is also tired but only when it comes to exercise or meal planning or making lunches/snacks for the next day. For all other activities like working on the computer until 1am, watching movies or driving to the store to get junk food he has boundless energy.

Obviously these 2 personalities clash and for some reason at night after the kids are in bed and it’s Mommy and Daddy time I forget about all the good intentions I had started the day with.

So Simple it Seems Stupid

What I do is this, in the morning before I leave for work is I write myself a note, nothing too elaborate usually just a sentence or a word.

For example yesterday’s note said this “Before turning on the computer run for 30 minutes on the treadmill, you’ll feel great” . I left this on my computer monitor, sure enough last night I came down stairs ready to hop on the computer as usual. I saw the note and immediately it brought me back to when I wrote it that morning.

45 minutes later I had run for 35 minutes and burnt 365 calories. Best of all I did feel great afterwards and I was able to work on the computer guilt free.

The key for me was not to think too much about what else I had to do that night or what else I could have done. Basically not talking myself out of it. I was listening to my motivated self and did what I knew I really wanted to do.

I Don’t Have Short Term Memory Loss

Maybe “forgetting” is the wrong word for my not following through with my good intentions, as I do not have short term memory loss. It’s more like wilful ignorance and I know I’m not alone on this.

My wife thinks it’s funny that I do this and has posted notes around the house with things like “unload the dishwasher” and “change the laundry” mocking me it seems. (Doesn’t work like that honey )

Before you just blow this off as silly or stupid, give it a try first. When you’re motivated in the morning (or anytime you’re feeling motivated) write to yourself and leave the notes somewhere you’ll be most likely to read it or need to read it. (on your fridge,TV, bathroom mirror, in your car etc…). Hopefully this will help you stay motivated or at least remind you of what you really want to do, when your motivated that is.

Just a quick post as I wanted to get this off my chest.

I have been dealing with my weight for 10 years now and I have tried a lot of different diet programs, read books and taken advice from trainers and other successful weight loss experts on and off line. So I think I have some pretty good knowledge when it comes to dieting and weight loss.

Right now there are 4 people in my life that are, what I consider to be fitness or dieting newbies and they are driving me crazy!!!

2 of them are having a lot of really great success 6 weeks into it as a result of a new years resolution. They are following a limited diet and working out 4-5 days a week. I am very proud of them and the effort they have put in. But….. I could do without the advice.

I guess they now consider themselves experts and are offering advice to me on what I am eating and how I’m exercising. I really do enjoy discussing stuff like that as I am passionate about it. But for me anyway it’s hard to take that advice because I have been there. I have been in that position where you are having a ton of success and feel like you are unstoppable. From my experience though it doesn’t last.

As much as I don’t want to see it happen I know they will plateau, they will get sick of eating the same foods everyday and spending 2 hours a day in the gym. Life will get in the way and they will have to adapt. Even though I’m struggling with my weight as well, I will be there to help however I can when it happens.

For now all I can do is nod my head and humor them, But if I hear “Do you know how many carbs are it that” one more time I might just lose it.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this blog and what I want to achieve with it. I’ve been offered $2700 to sell this site. That’s decent money but somehow I know with a name like Weight Loss Weapons it will get turned into a diet pill site. Something that I am strongly against.

To date this has been a place where I get my ideas out about weight loss and weight related issues. But its been more of me talking at you instead of with you. As you can tell with the lack of comments I’ve been posting.

I’m going to make this blog a more personal space to interact with me and blog about my personal weight loss successes and struggles plus other health and fitness stuff too. As Jason from Run4change put it, this blog is going to have more heart. Although the post frequency will be nowhere close to his. (seriously he has more posts in January than I have on this whole site

3 guys with blogs that have heart are Andrew from Andrew is getting fit, Israel from Fat Man Unleashed and John from John is Fit. I aspire to be like them.

This past Fall and Winter have been rough personally for me. I have gained weight quickly and no it’s not muscle. I have a ton of reasons why I’ve gained but they honestly amount to nothing more than lame excuses.

Getting To Know Who Am I?

You know it’s funny, I get about 10,000 to 12,000 visitors a month and only a handful of them really know who I am. My “About Me” page is really nothing special and doesn’t let you know what I am all about.

This is the picture from my about page. (The sun was in my eyes, not trying to look cool) and I would love to post more except I don’t have that many. I am the guy taking the pictures, not in them.

It’s pretty close to what I look like right now and somewhere in between my heaviest and my peak.

My peak being my wedding day about 7 years ago. I worked really hard to get into shape and hit the 175lbs mark the day before. This is what I looked like, not bad eh?

Over the last 7 years I’ve gained and lost more than 40Lbs. In that time I’ve had 2 children (well my wife did) and settled into a nice cushy desk job. A very common lifestyle pattern that has contributed to the gains.

Here is a picture of me at my heaviest or pretty damn close to it.

Vital Stats

Here are some quick “stats” about me:

Age:31
Marital Status: Married
Weight: 198lbs depending on the Scale
Height: 5′9
Hobbies: Spending Time With the Family, Sports, Reading, Making Money Online.

Who I am Online

I am pretty active online and frequent a lot of other blogs and social networking sites. Here are some of my “Ids”

Twitter: Steve_WLW
Stumbleupon: mclintst
Digg: mclintst
Blogcatalog: mclintst

When I comment on other blogs I use the name Steve@weightlossweapons.com most of the time. Feel free to add me as a contact.

Sites I own

I am fairly new at building websites but I’m enjoying what I am learning and it provides some extra income, with the economy the way it is every little bit helps. One of my goals is to eventually earn a full-time income online. Here are some of the sites I own at the moment:

Weightlossweapons.com and Weightlossweapons.com/blog

These are my first self hosted sites that I created almost 2 years ago. They have come along way from the when I started them.

Debtslaying.com

I started this site about 8 months ago when I became debt free and have changed the focus so many times since then it is ridiculous. I’ve settled on it being a place where I can post about deals and discounts that I find online as well as hot topics, financial issues and other related things that I find interesting. I also make money with this site through the adsense ads and my affiliation with Amazon.com (basically if you follow the link and buy items from Amazon I get a commission).

The current Debtslaying theme was inspired by Garry Conn, for anyone looking to make an honest dollar online blogging Garry is definately someone you should be taking advice from. The guy knows his stuff and will even help you set up a free wordpress blog if you open a new hostgator account.

Sealingyourdriveway.com

This is a site I started to post about all things related to your driveway. I was a driveway sealer for a few years and did a lot of sealing, rebuilding and driveway repairing.

Bissell-Carpet-Cleaner.com

I actually bought this from a friend of mine. Since I own a few Bissell products I thought it would be fun to see what I can do with it. So more changes are coming soon.

Contacting Me

If you want to get in touch with me about any of my sites, questions about general stuff or even if you want to send me products to review (which I do from time to time) you can email me steve@weightlossweapons.com.

Now that you know more about me, who I am and what I do. Let me know who you are? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to reply, going forward that will be my new comment policy.

Take Care,
Steve