With my health insurance premium jumping $35 due to my weight (I’m not really terribly obese, although my BMI of 32.2 puts me in the “obese” category – and that’s apparently what the insurance company used, given that their only factors for determining my “build” (which is what they cited as the reason for the hike) were my height and my weight), I’ve decided that now is the time to lose weight.

So as of yesterday, I’ve added a new New Year’s Resolution: To begin losing weight toward the ultimate goal of dropping to 165 lbs (I’m currently 217.8) and shrinking down to a 34-inch waist (currently 42 inches). As recently as 8 years ago I weighed 160 and had a 32-inch waist, so I do believe these goals are attainable. When will I reach them? That remains to be seen – I’m not going to set target dates, at least not yet, so long as I can track progress toward my eventual goals.

To achieve my goals, I’ve created an Excel spreadsheet for now that will track my progress toward both goals, and includes calculations of my BMI and my WHR (which is currently 0.95 and should be 0.80 or lower). I’ve also begun work to start up a new website who’s focus will be to create a community of like-minded people set on losing weight or improving/maintaining their fitness levels, complete with the standard community tools (forums, messaging, profiles, etc.) as well as tools for tracking and sharing (if you wish) progress. I’ll announce the site here when it launches.