Just a few days ago, I was sitting in the most charming little restaurant in Des Moines. It's called Skip's and it's located on Fleur Drive by the airport. They have a delicious Balsamic Vinegar Chicken Salad. It really was incredible. I had that salad and a cup of their vegetable soup. I simply cannot wait to go back to Des Moines just to eat there again.

Believe it or not, this is not a restaurant review about Skip's on Fleur Drive in Des Moines by the airport (eat there). This is actually about the thought that I had when i had sat down in the restaurant.

If you've been paying attention, you'd know that I have been working hard to loose a bunch of weight. In fact, since December 1st I have lost twenty-five pounds. How? Well it's a combination of vigorous exercise and a rabbit food diet. Basically, I am restricted to fewer than two-thousand calories a day, while being mindful of the carbohydrates that I consume (I don't eat bread...ever). I rarely drink juice, and I try my best to not eat after seven o'clock. That's not a hard rule though. I eat a lot of protein bars too. I friggen hate those. Generally speaking, I eat fruit, vegetables, chicken, salad, beef jerky, and yogurt. That's my life.

The other aspect is the exercise. I do a lot of that too. I have been running a lot. I try to run three miles every other day. I have been able to keep my time down to 28 minutes at the lower altitudes, and just a little better than 30 minutes when I'm in Colorado. After running, I try to lift weights if they are available. If not, I carry tension bands with me in my suitcase, and use those to work on my arms, back and shoulders. After weights, I try to do resistance exercises I still really suck at those. You know the type though, they are thePilate's/yoga type exercises that make use of wall sits and exercise balls. There really aren't reps in these kinds of exercises so much as time to hold a position. Those are hard.

Anyway, this losing weight thing is not for the faint of heart. It's some really hard crap. Besides that, it's hard for a guy to find accountability; though, right now, I have been so fed up with the weight that I don't need much encouragement from others. There have been a few blogs that make me feel guilty from time to time, and have pushed me out of my hotel room down to beat the streets of Memphis, Birmingham, Wichita or wherever I may be that day. This one, and this one, are on a pedometer challenge. Heidi has recently posted a pseudo book report on the book Skinny Bitch. She received more feedback on that one post than I think I have on my whole blog altogether. Everyone is trying to shed some pounds. In fact, Heidi saw an opportunity with all these women who are trying to lose weight that she started a new project called "Healthy Chicks R Us." It's a support group focused on encouraging women to keep up with diet and exercise. Membership in her skinny bitch group is free, but you may not like the right of passage. Members must post a "before" photo of themselves in their skivvies. No guys, we're not invited. I already checked.

Regardless, we're all trying to loose weight. I have twenty-five more pounds to go. My goal is to have them gone by July 1 of this year. I am pretty confident that I can do it. Then comes the trick of keeping it off. I'm looking at buying a bike, but it's hard to justify buying a $500 piece of equipment that I won't ever be home to use.

So back to Skip's on Fleur Drive in Des Moines near the airport (eat there). They had a bottle of Heinz Ketchup sitting on the table. I love ketchup. That was when it occured to me, 'I haven't eaten ketchup in months!' Seriously, I don't eat anything anymore that requires ketchup. It made me want to order a plate of French fries, but I didn't the salad was really good. I didn't realize that losing weight meant giving up my favourite condiments too. Oh well, at least there is still Salsa. Just eat it with a spoon.