One Little Index Card

One little index card.

The last time I seriously tried to lose weight, I brought an index card with me to the gym and carried it around as I worked out.

On the index card, I wrote 210. That’s the weight I wanted to get to. That was my end goal. That also was about seven years ago.

I’m happy to report I have recently got down to the number on the card. I weighed in at 209 on Sunday.

But now I want more. I still have about 15 pounds to go to get to my end goal of 100 pounds of weight loss.

So I decided to break out another index card. On this one, I will write 194. That’s the end goal. That’s where I want to be and my target date is December 3, also known in my circle as my daughter’s birthday.

Having kids can be motivating. You have to be on your toes. You have to be ready to move at moment’s notice. I felt like I needed to make changes in my life to be a better dad and husband.

One of my friends at Anytime Fitness, the manager actually, told me choosing my daughter’s birthday was a great idea.

In her words, and I am paraphrasing, she said your daughter has been your biggest cheerleader during the entire process so it makes sense to make the big day her big day.

Now, can I get there? That’s 15 more pounds in about seven weeks.

It won’t be easy. And if I don’t hit the date, it won’t be the end of the world. But having that index card with me while I work out will help motivate me to do another set or two on days I just don’t feel like being there.

I will get to 100 pounds at some point. But getting it done before that date would make it special for me and her.

Update: I did not reach the 100 pound mark by December 3. We are still trying to hit that mark but will get there at some point.