The Hollando Diet

There is something about software engineering that is simply not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Of, certainly, there are plenty of counterexamples, but I should face facts: we are not, as a group, a particularly healthy lot. I’m sure it has something to do with sitting around at desks all day, staring at screens and tapping away at keyboards. If I hadn’t switched to Diet Coke several years ago I highly doubt that I would be able to squeeze myself into my chair at this point. Allow me to introduce myself: William Crawford, out of shape software developer, author and technology strategist, as well as college buddy of these other three.

At 5 feet and eleven inches, I fall between Matthew and Holland on the height scale. Mr. Hughes is somewhat taller, but as his post below amply indicates, his role in this blog is primarily to mock the rest of us, at least until he turns 30 at which point he has promised that genetics will kick in and add fifty more pounds. This morning I topped 182 pounds in stocking feet, which has been about average over the last few years, although the proportion of muscle to blubber has varied a bit. Since I think Holland and I are about equal in volume, I can only suspect that I’m either guilty of wishful thinking in that observation, or, alternately, am substantially denser than he is.

Like Matthew, I felt much better when I weighed in at 165. And that’s a reasonable goal, although I’ve decided to shoot for 162 to make it an even twenty pounds off, as I certainly have it to spare. My strategy is fairly simple: eating in as sensible and balanced a manner as possible, and doing at least fifty minutes of intense cardiovascular exercise at leave five days a week. To this end, I’ve acquired my very own elliptical training machine, which is now located equidistant from my bed and my shower, with the dresser on one leg of the triangle and the clothes hamper on the other. No possible excuses remain.

And we’re off.