Will she go the distance?

What’s a girl to do when her diet and exercise plan hits a wall?

When she’s eating more and trikking less?

What does she do when her dream of losing weight by her birthday seems out of reach?

She blogs about it!

Join Jeri Thompson as she tries to carve her way into the body of her dreams, all in time for birthday number 55 on September 17, 2011.

Can she eat less while trikking more?

Can she breakthrough to a thinner, healthier version of herself?

Will her dream of losing 55 pounds by her 55th birthday come true?

Find out in Trikker Jeri’s Six Month Fitness Challenge on TrikkeWorld Magazine, the chronicle of the carving revolution.

And now, Episode One:

55 by 55

by Jeri Thompson

A few years ago, I had a dream: lose 100 pounds by my 55th birthday. I started at a good clip. Last year alone I lost 30 pounds, mostly from trikking. Then I hit the dreaded plateau, which is where I am now.

I’ve read a plateau can last months, and I must admit, I’ve been stalled for a long time. I got sloppy, lost focus and got out of the diet habit as well. I was making better choices, yet I would eat my way through each evening.

Recently I looked at the calendar. Only six months left before turning 55 on September 17, 2011. The target date was coming on fast and my goal was still a long way off. And lap band surgery is out of the question.

That’s when an idea was born: I’ll go on a six-month fitness regimen to (safely) lose as many pounds as I can, and write about in my Trikker Jeri column on TrikkeWorld Magazine! Crazy, isn’t it?

I decided to go for it because of my competitive nature. And now that I’ve gone public, I’ve no choice but to get with the program, right?

The next time I stick my face in the refrigerator, you’ll be looking over my shoulder with gentle support. Or maybe a nudge. Or a black eye. Whatever it takes, right?

So it’s time to reign in my eating habits, including my yogurt addiction. Time to focus on more whole grains and less hydrogenated oils. Time to cut out the high fructose corn syrup. Time to cut it all.

Weight loss is usually a private thing, but sometimes one must really shake things up. It’s time for some accountability for what I shove in my mouth.

Thankfully, exercising is the easiest part. That’s where Black Birdie, my Trikke, comes in. Trikking is such a good weight loss tool. It’s kind of funny: burning calories is the easiest part of this fitness challenge. The thing many people dread is the thing I have down. But then again, I have never done anything the way most people do.

So here’s the plan, lose 55 more pounds by age 55 (55 by 55). The clock begins NOW!

Follow Jeri’s quest to be the best she can be in time for her birthday, only in Trikker Jeri’s Six Month Fitness Challenge, a new weekly column, every Thursday on TrikkeWorld Magazine, the chronicle of the carving revolution.