A great thing about keeping a blog is that it will hold you accountable. If you write something in it, unless you want to show thousands of people that your word means nothing, you must follow through.

At the start of 2016, I wrote about how I had let my eating habits spiral a bit out of control. With my fondness for delicious Southern cooking coupled with the holiday food binge I went on in Spokane, I was not looking my best. Frankly, I was looking really chubby!

In December I was looking plump.

With a wedding and a Cancun honeymoon only five months away, I knew I had to make some changes. In order to ensure that I would look respectable for the big events, I wrote my intentions out in that blog post I penned in early January. It helped me reach my goal.

Unfortunately I take too many selfies and not enough full body shots. On the left it is me in December and on the right it is me in March.

Between January and April (I am no longer dieting) I lost 30 pounds. It was a slow process as I only would lose typically 1-2 pounds per week but it certainly added up after a few months. I didn’t go on any special diet. I didn’t count calories. I didn’t consult an expert. In fact, most people would probably say that what I did was backwards and unhealthy. However, I did what made sense to me and what I knew would work.

This contrast shows how fat I really was!

Ready to hear about the Brent Diet?

During the work week I clamped down. Without any modifications, I ate the exact same thing each and every day. For breakfast I would have half of a peanut butter sandwich. For lunch I would enjoy a whole peanut butter sandwich and a banana. For dinner I would have a Celeste personal pizza, a few carrots, and either a cup of applesauce or another banana. I know what you are thinking…he ate pizza Sunday through Thursday and lost weight?! Darn right I did!

I took this photo in March of one of my dinners. I ate this every night for the first three plus months of the year.

When the weekend rolled around, I had my cheat days. Sidney would make me buttered noodles on Friday night and then we would typically go out to eat on Saturday night. I would then usually splurge on the scrumptious Sunday midday meal that the Mathis family usually has. When Sunday night came around it was back to pizza, carrots, and applesauce.

Gee, it kind of sounds like I was eating horribly, huh? Well, most likely I was. But it was a significant cut down from what I was eating before. I also did a couple other things that probably contributed to my weight loss…

First, I increased the intensity of my workout regimen just a bit. Even though I was still working out five times a week during my heavy days, I wasn’t pushing myself as hard as I could. I picked up the pace once January hit.

The photo on the left was me right when I returned to Myrtle Beach after the holidays. The photo on the right is me in April.

Secondly, I completely stopped eating between meals. I also cut out sweets entirely. With desserts, candy, and chips out of the picture I was able to slim down.

I weighed in once a week. Visualizing that date with the scale each Friday after work helped motivate me to stick with the program. Like I said, the process was slow. Some weeks I wouldn’t even lose ONE pound. But I held on and tried to look at the bigger picture.

Like I said, I am no longer dieting. A couple of my loved ones asked that I stop losing weight. I am back to eating ice cream and enjoying balanced dinners. However, I am making sure not to lose complete control. I still weigh myself on a weekly basis and after four weeks of eating normally again, I am still 27 pounds down from January.

It was a long process to slim down but I am now back to eating ice cream!

So until I come close to approaching 200 pounds again, I am not going to eat a personal pan pizza for a while. When our wedding week arrives in a little under two weeks, I will be able to say that I accomplished my goal. Don’t Blink.