In 1985, I decided to get into shape for the first time in my adult life.

I was working in St. Louis at the time, and I was 35 years old. I had been letting my weight get out of control for a few years and I weighed 243 pounds. I decided that it was time to do something about it, and on May 1, I started a program of diet -- eating no more than about 1,000 calories a day -- and exercise that lasted six months. I lost 84 pounds, and actually found myself weighing less than I did when I was 16 years old.

I didn't keep the weight off, and I had to do it all over again four years later when I was living in Reno. I think I lost 82 pounds that time.

[caption id="attachment_598" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Down 85 pounds in four months"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Miscellaneous-004.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-598" title="Miscellaneous 004" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Miscellaneous-004-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>[/caption]

The problem both times, and later times when I lost lesser amounts of weight in shorter diets, was that I always saw a diet as depriving myself and I always looked at my goal as a sort of finish line.

I've written before about what I've been doing this year, so I'm not going to go into a lot of detail in this post. I'm writing today to celebrate the fact that as of today, less than four months into my lifestyle change of 2010, I surpassed the 1985 total today. As of this morning, I have dropped 85 pounds.

Since I started at a much higher number, I'm only down to 195 this time.

There's no way in the world I'll get anywhere near 159 this time. I'm 60 years old and I would be totally happy to get down to 180 and stay there.

It's staying there that matters.

I have changed some of my lifelong habits permanently. No more candy bars, a lot less dairy and grain products. I have walked five or six miles a day every day since I returned home from Texas, and I plan to continue that.

The way I see it, I got another chance.

I'm smart enough not to waste it this time.