For Mike, life is all about finding that perfect mix of fun and hard work.  Tune in on Fridays when he gives you a weekly rundown.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned so far in this ordeal on this journey, it’s that you can’t give up at the first sight of an obstacle.  The obstacle in my case is gaining a pound over the past week.  It goes against everything I’ve ever done in the past.  I’ve never had trouble starting something; it’s the finishing that often proves difficult.  But this time, it’s going to be different…

I now recognize that there will be stumbles along the way.  The key is how you respond to those times when you’re tripped up.  I choose to correct the course and move forward.  This time of year is especially tough, but that’s what this column is all about, finding balance.

I won’t sit here and lie to you and say I won’t indulge at Thanksgiving, because I know I will.  What I will tell you is that I plan to eat that day, just not until I gorge myself to the point where I can’t move.  I also plan on exercising, whether it be playing football in the yard with my kids, or just getting up and walking for a little while.  As long as I do something, I know I’ll feel better than in years past.

This little experiment is also about being honest with myself.  Keeping a food journal over the last 1.5 months has really helped me to pinpoint where I’m practicing good and bad judgment.  For instance, over this past week where I’ve gained a pound, I see that I had one night where I ate pizza (made at home with the kids, so I don’t feel too bad about that) and another where I had a burger and some nachos at the softball park.  That definitely was dumb.  I felt like Carlos Lee afterwards, trying to track down a ball was not fun.

So, I’ll keep plugging along.  I know I’m not in this alone because I’m getting to share my struggles with random strangers, yeah!  Just kidding…

Knowing that there are people who can identify and may be going through the same things definitely helps me to not give up.  At this point, I don’t have any alternative but to persevere.