The judge said it didn't exactly fit under the category of murder.

I'm starting to become healthy(-y +ier), and I wanted to share my plans with the interwebs because, well, some argue telling others about your plans helps you stick to 'em.

I weigh 172 pounds as of this morning. This is fine -- I mean, I'm six feet tall and have an average build. I don't have a slow metabolism, and I'm not classified as obese on the (horribly outdated and unscientific) BMI scale. I'm just... well... normal.

Ever since I can remember, I've always had this cushion around my abs. I have abs, I swear! I swam for three years, danced for three years after that, and have always had some kind of hobby that would fall under the 'active' category, but I've never been satisfied with my own body image.

Go ahead, blame society, but here's what I'm going to do about it for the next thirty days:

• Keep a comprehensive journal of what I eat. And no, vegetables don't count. 
• Stick to a caloric intake of 1770 Kcal (Calories, for you non-nerdies).
• Limit myself to a maximum of 60 oz of 'diet' soda (and no other kinds) per day.
• Drink at least 20 oz of pure water each day.

That's it. Those four things. In case you're interested in reading more, I'll detail my plan a bit down hurr.

1. Writing down (or, in this day in age, using an app (MyFitnessPal)) everything that I eat (again, 'cept them there veggies) helps you actually realize how much you're eating. Too, it gives me an accurate calorie count -- I can even SCAN things (ya know, that barcode thing?) as I eat them. Boom. Headshot.
2. MyFitnessPal also tells me that to lose five pounds over a month, I should intake 1770 net Kcal. They say net because I think it's easier to understand; it's also the way I'm going to count them. If I eat 1800 Kcal worth of food, I need to do at least 30 Kcal of exercise. Luckily, the app knows a bunch of statistics on exercise, too! It also shows me that the Chipotle that I had today for dinner is really horrible for my 'get healthier' plan.
3. I drink waaaay too much diet pop, and I'm well aware of it. Not only is it expensive, the aspartame is rumored (like all other things...) to cause cancer. So, I'm going to cut down. I usually drink around 100 oz a day, so bopping down to 60 will be a challenge, but I will replace it with
4. water! Drinking water is supposed to help you lose weight and cleanse your body, so I'm going to give that good ol' liquid a try. Should be pretty dandy.

So, there you have it my dear interwebbers. My 'get healthy' plan. I'll appreciate any positive reinforcements.

Your mileage may vary. See store for details. -j