Terry & Erica Farrell
Record staff
Our friends will attest to the fact that nearly everything my wife and I do, we do as a team.
This summer, as a team, we broke the bathroom scale.
Erica and I have embraced the Island lifestyle… particularly the menus.
Well, the party, as it is, is over.
It’s not that Erica and I are inactive. Quite the contrary, in fact.
With two dogs, we have no choice but to be active. We have a daily walking routine, and I get out golfing at least once a week (which, contrary to the belief that golf is not exercise, constitutes a 15-20 km walk in itself).
It’s not a lack of exercise that is hurting us; it’s a lack of discipline.
For me, it’s sweets.
My coworkers can attest to that. Rarely will you find my desk devoid of chocolate, jelly beans, or doughnuts.
Erica confesses that her weakness is the late-night snack; more out of boredom than anything.
Her workdays start later than mine, so I am usually first to bed.
When left alone, just she and the food channel, there’s usually a plate of cheese and crackers that finds its way to the TV room.
Soda is another weakness, for both of us. There is always Pepsi in the house, and a look at the empties in the garage tells us that there is always a lot of Pepsi in the house.
Which brings me to my third weakness: beer.
I’ve acquired quite a palate for craft beers. It’s not that I drink a lot at once, but even one with a meal accounts for a six-pack a week.
(There are a lot of weeks being stored in our garage.)
So we have decided to take a journey together. A journey to the back of our walk-in closet - to the clothes we haven’t worn since our arrival to the Comox Valley.
I’ve tried a couple of those pairs of pants. I am still trying to find out who is responsible for shrinking them.
Alas, the pants don’t lie.
It wasn’t long ago that I fit into everything in my closet.
I can’t speak for Erica in this regard, but I purged my closet before we moved, so I know those pants were still relevant, 18 months ago.
At any rate, Erica and I have made a commitment. We plan on losing 60 pounds (combined) in the next 60 weeks (concurrent). And, we figure, it will be harder to stray if we are accountable to you, the readers.
So we invite you to take the journey with us.
Throughout the winter, we will be giving monthly updates in a special “60 in 60” column.
We will also set up a blog on The Record website (comoxvalleyrecord.com), where we will post more regularly, if you care for a weekly update.
We will tell you our accomplishments, confess our cheating, and give regular updates regarding the weight being lost.
We also urge anyone else who has considered doing something about their weight but needs that first push to join us on the journey.
We even have an email address, farrell60in60@gmail.com, if you are a couple looking to do the same and you want some added motivation. Maybe the four of us can get together for a glass of water and an unsalted cracker sometime.
For Erica and me, the formula will be simple.
Our diets won’t change, inasmuch as our daily meals are concerned. It will be simply removing the stagnant sugars and the late-night snacks.
No more jelly beans. No more midnight brownies and ice cream. And we will switch to calorie-free soda. Oh, and no alcohol during the week.
From an exercise standpoint, we will increase our daily calorie burn. I will start running again.
We will find a gym we are comfortable going to, and get winter memberships.
With a lot of hard work, we will both be back to our “pre-Island” forms by the beginning of summer 2016.
Just in time for the beach season.
Next year, I won’t be embarrassed to take off my shirt.
Terry Farrell is the editor of the Comox Valley Record. At last report, Erica Farrell was his wife. She hasn’t seen this column yet.