A belt-busting trip to Nashville

Finally, I get to report some success in my fitness world, as I've stuck to my guns this week and done everything I've set out to do.

As I wrote last week, I had hit a plateau after losing 30 pounds, and it had become time for me to step up my fitness program.

I decided to join a local gym, and to set a more rigorous workout routine. Since last Friday, I've been a workout maniac! Well, not really, but compared to my prior level of commitment, it's the dawning of a new era for me and my improved physique.

After taking Saturday off, I started with a three-mile walk Sunday, then hit the gym for a 2-mile run on the treadmill Monday.

Tuesday morning I was at the gym at 6 a.m. For a 15-minute run, followed by a 30-minute upper body workout on the machines. Tuesday afternoon I ran another two miles and walked nearly a third, and I got my pace up to a 10-minute mile for part of the run.

I followed that up with a Wednesday afternoon circuit class, which mixes strength training and cardio, and Thursday morning I was at the gym again for a meeting with Shelby, my new personal trainer, who gave me a 30-minute upper-body workout.

Aren't you getting exhausted just reading about it?

I drove to Nashville after that for a Tennessee Press Association convention, and began working on this column in the early afternoon. I'm staying at the DoubleTree Hotel, and am happy to report they have an exercise room available to guests, so I was planning a short workout sometime Thursday night, and a run for this morning. My hopes were that I would be able to make it back to Shelbyville in time for my Friday evening aerobics class.

Saturday is for lower body workout with a trainer, and then Sunday, I'm planning on running again.

The best part of it all is that I feel great! I'm beginning to enjoy exercise more and more.

I look back at how far I've come, and it's really been such a journey over the past 12 months or so. A year or so ago, I weighed 256 pounds, and now I'm 30 pounds lighter.

Of course, I've added a lot of muscle since then, so I'm sure I've lost quite a bit more than 30 pounds of flab, and replaced a bit of it with tone.

For some reason, when I was looking at myself in the hotel mirror this morning - maybe it was just the lighting - I realized for the first time how much better I look now than I did last year.

People have made comments to me, but sometimes it's just harder for us to notice changes in ourselves. But there it was.

Ironically, just as I noticed how thin I looked, I blew out my belt! Talk about instant karma!

It was one of those cheap, yet practical, reversible belts - brown on one side and black on the other. The mechanism that allows the buckle to reverse broke, and alas, it was irreparably damaged.

Luckily, I had my trusty Kavu hippie belt in the back seat of the car, and one of the valet guys went out to the parking garage and got it for me. So I was stuck wearing a woven hippie belt with my gray slacks, blue tie and black blazer when I had dinner with the governor and a room full of other journalists last night.

Which brings me to the food. My favorite part!

For lunch we had a spinach salad with walnuts, bleu cheese crumbles, and raspberry vinaigrette dressing, followed by chicken marsala served on a bed of wild rice with baby carrots and broccoli. And a piece of carrot cake, of course!

For the governor's banquet, we had filet mignon wrapped in prosciutto and topped with steamed shrimp and served on a bed of corn cooked in beef broth with asparagus and more baby carrots on the side. Dessert was a very tasty pecan pie.

Despite all the good eating I did Thursday, I'm so glad to be able to pass on some progress to all my loyal readers. I want to give a shout out to Sen. Jim Tracy and Tommy Anderton, who have become my de facto morning workout buddies, as they also frequent the gym in the early morning hours. I'll see you guys next week!

Tommy asked me Thursday how my smoking was coming along, and of course, I'm still smoking. He quit years ago.

Thursday was a big day in that department as well, though, as my co-worker Jamie Ovick has not smoked now in a month. I told her a few weeks ago that if she could quit for a month, I would quit by April 20.

So the date now looms, and I am prepared to go through with my end of the bargain.

I didn't weigh myself this morning, but a few days ago I was at 224, a tie for my lowest weight since beginning this column.

Make sure to check out Sunday's Times-Gazette, as Sadie Fowler has an interview with a special person who has been extremely victorious in her own personal battle with her body. My success is paltry compared to the story you'll read Sunday!

-- John Philleo is editor of the Times-Gazette. He can be reached by e-mail at editor@t-g.com.