I guess I can start telling my story now

I've been at it for a month, so I guess it's safe to tell you.

The chart says I'm obese.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) charts I see around the Internet. I would have said "overweight," but since there's a technical definition obesity (BMI > 30), I'll reluctantly go with that label.

Today, I'm less obese than I was, but I still meet the definition. I don't feel obese at the moment. In fact, I'm wearing older, smaller clothes. And I'm tucking-in my shirt.And when I interlace my fingers, my hands don't feel puffy. I guess those measures are part of my personal standard for obesity. But I understand the value of objective measurements, having worked in manufacturing process improvement where measurements are king.

I'm currently losing weight with a program called Take Shape For Life (TSFL). My health coach, David, works for them and is a terrific resource. I heard about TSFL from my physician and he hooked me up with David. I buy the 'food' from a website that has his name in the URL.

In a word: Effective. That's how I'd describe the program. It's been 31 days and I've lost 27.5 lbs.

Results to date:

Date	Weight (lbs.)	BMI*
07/22/2012	236.0	36.1
08/21/2012	208.5	31.9

* BMI calculated by http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bminojs.htm

My target BMI is 163 lbs or 24.9 (that's just inside the healthy weight band). I'd like to be there by November or December.

Wish me luck!