Seeing the Edge with NW Marketing Guy - Rod Brooks

Mission accomplished. Goal achieved. Been there, done that! Boy it feels good to say those things. And I'm going to enjoy the moment - even though I know the journey still is less than fifty percent complete.

I'm writing this week's entry from a first class seat in an American Airlines flight that will eventually land the love-of-my-life Cindy and I in Miami, Florida. We'll meet up with our friends from West Virginia, Vonnie and Jeff, and then tomorrow morning we'll all board the Norwegian Cruise Line's "Epic" ship and sail away for seven luxurious and sun-filled days in the Caribbean. It's going to be a great week... and that's what worries me.

So far I've set two intermediate goals for my healthy edge journey. Both have been weight related. The first was to lose at least twenty-five pounds by Christmas and the second was to lose fifty pounds by the time we left for our cruise this morning. The Christmas goal - while not easy with all the treats of Halloween, the feast of Thanksgiving, and the many celebrations of Christmas - was achieved with plenty of room to spare. And this morning, when I stepped on the scale I was down a total of fifty-one pounds overall. To get there took every ounce of will power I could muster over the last two weeks.

But now, after all the weeks I've shared with you, I'm certain to be facing the biggest challenge so far. NCL's "Epic" is the biggest ship that sails from the Miami port. It holds more than 5000 passengers and crew, has twenty-one restaurants, non-stop buffets, and features some of the finest chefs on the sea. What's a guy on vacation to do?

My plan is to stay focused and still enjoy the many flavors our ship has to offer. I'll seek out the fitness centers, the walking decks, and turn away from more than a few bites of anything that isn't one of my healthy choices. My next goal is just two weeks long. I plan to weigh in two weeks from now at least one pound lighter than the weight I posted today. I may not even post a weight a week from today. Why mess up a perfectly good cruise. Wish me luck.

New weight as of February 16th - 274.0 lbs