On Day 2 of Operation 25, I weighed-in at 204 – a loss of 1 pound!

As my intern, Andrea, so helpfully reminded me, “it’s just water weight.”  Thanks, kid.  Big encouragement there.

Anyway, in the Operation 25 “story” there are Heroes and Villains.

We’ll talk about Heroes later…I want to talk Villains today.

For these purposes, Villains are anything that gets in your way of healthy living (AKA – weight loss!).  I figured I would list some of my Villains and hopefully help rid myself of them and their evil influence.

So…here we go:

10. My Couch – I love it, it loves me.  I lay down and instantly fall asleep.  I sit down and never want to get up.

9. Five Guys – Damn, you are so frickin’ tasty and affordable.  I hate you.  I love you.  Blah.

8. Victory’s Golden Monkey – By far, my favorite beer.  From calories to carbs to alcohol content, there is absolutely nothing light about it.

7. DVR – Times used to be, you’d come home, watch a show or two and go to bed.  With DVR technology, I can easily watch a Law & Order: SVU from 2002.  And then another.  And another.  WHY MUST I RECORD THE SERIES???

6. Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream – Since birth, my favorite ice cream brand and flavor.

5. iPhone Alarm Clock Function – Who needs a snooze button when you can set multiple alarms so easily?  Not ready to get up at 6am?  You can easily set one for 7:30am!  And…BAM…there goes your morning workout.

4. Air Conditioning – Yes, the gym is a block away.  Less, actually.  But that’s several minutes in the summer heat…and I just can’t handle that this time of year.

3. Muscle Soreness – Once you start working out, your muscles are all “WTF?  We’re being used!!  YAY!!  YAY!!!  SLOW DOWN, JACKHOLE!”  Then you take a few days off and the workout mojo is lost.

2. Chinese Takeout – My #1 lunch indulgence is the Honey Sesame Chicken from the Chinese stand two blocks from the office.  At least I walk there and back.  Right?

1. Elevators and escalators – Seriously.  What other invention stops you from walking up and down a single flight of stairs?

You’ll notice I didn’t link to any brands.  On purpose.

What gets in your way of fitness and healthy living?

Last year, I introduced the Social Media Slim-Down, a weight-loss support group that, over the course of several months, totaled hundreds and hundreds of pounds gone forever.  It was a tremendous success for everyone who participated – except for me.  I failed at listening to my own advice.

This morning, I stepped on the scale and saw bad, bad, bad numbers.  Worse numbers than I’m used to seeing on a scale.

I weighed in at 205, which, for a 5 foot, 8 inch guy like myself, is not too good.  There are other factors why this isn’t good for me, specifically, but we won’t go into those today.

So, while the Social Media Slim-Down was about a group effort, my new initiative is about getting myself where I need to be.

With that being said, today is the official launch of Operation 25!

What is Operation 25? Operation 25 is my personal life/health/fitness program that will help me get from 205 lbs. to 180 lbs.

How long will it last? As long as it needs to.  I am not racing a clock – I am going to make sustainable, long-term life changes that will facilitate a 25 lb. weight loss.  It could take a few weeks…it could take a few months.

Who’s involved? I have a two-person support team:

My beautiful wife, Marisa

My first-born child, poop machine and walking buddy, Balki Bartokomous Levy Schaffer

Can I (meaning you) be involved, too? Sure!  I’ll post and tweet updates and tips that I find helpful or comforting or alarming.  I have no training or certification (outside of being a Men’s Health subscriber for 4 years), but I’m trying to change my life before it gets too late.

Feel free to chime in with hints and advice – I sure need it!

Coming soon, I’ll discuss the tools I’m using, including the coolest sneakers on the planet, an iPhone app and more!