If this post is any indication, today marks one year since I started my workout regimen. And it was Labor Day weekend last year when I discovered my scale had been lying to me. Thus sufficiently motivated, I vowed to get myself as close to my college weight as possible.

This morning, I weighed in at 167 pounds. A year ago, I was 215 pounds. I've shed 48 pounds in a year.

(Thank you, thank you. Hold your applause.)

According to some metrics, I still have about 13 pounds more to shed before I'm square in the middle of my suggested BMI. The fact I'm back to a reasonably healthy weight (if still a bit high) gives me a bit more room to relax. When I started, I went to the workout room — it's too small to be called a gym — every day for 40-45 minutes. Now I workout three times a week for 50 minutes. Lately, it's been 40 because one of the machines is broken.

For cardio, I used to walk on the treadmill for 30-40 minutes. Now I've thrown in a bit of running into the mix and cut back to 20 minutes. My shins and knees are still pretty novice to running, so they're not yet ready to do more than that. I'm also using the stationary bicycle once a week to preserve said shins and knees.

When I hit my first real plateau in December 2007, I started weight training. It's weird feeling some definition in my arms. And sometimes after I come out of a shower, my blurry eyesight fools me into thinking my abs are trying to exert their presence.

Perhaps the strangest result of all this work is the fact I sometimes develop a restlessness on my non-workout days, and I end up walking around the neighborhood. From December 2007 to June 2008, I had a four-day workout schedule. I've traded one of those days for those neighborhood strolls.

My diet now still mostly consists of Central Market Chef's Corner, but it revolves around turkey, salmon, chicken breast, tofu and various cooked vegetables, including spinach, broccoli and string beans. My breakfast during the weekdays is the sludge that is a SlimFast milkshake, but on the weekends, I treat myself to an Einstein Bros. bagel. I bring my lunch to work in a two-cup Pyrex bowl. My coworkers are amazed I can eat just that much.

I do have my high-calorie weeks, particularly these past two weeks. But that's part of the plan. I can't entirely lead an aescetic life.

Last week, I bought The Abs Diet, mostly out of curiosity. I've been concentrating on getting the weight down, now I want to focus on getting rid of some body fat. I thumbed through a few pages, but the motivational tone of the book really turned me off. That's what appeals to me about The Hacker's Diet — it's all observation and science. I'll get back to The Abs Diet eventually, but for now, I've got a routine that's been working for me.

I may still try to reach 155, or I may try to trade body fat for more muscle. Haven't decided yet. (I'm concentrating on Eponymous 4 stuff at the moment.)

I've always had this notion that I'd be my hottest when I'm 40. Now it doesn't seem so abstract.