Got to start somewhere

This is going to be a long first blog and I swear not all entries will be like this. I set this blog up around the 15th Feb, but did not know where to start. On that day, I weighed myself and came in at a "svelte" 105.1kg- a bit over 230lbs in the old imperial measures. Clearly something needed to be done. My ideal weight both statistically and anecdotally is between 76-82kgs.
Its not like I am a particularly sedentary guy . Between 1993-2007, I swam to my goal of 1000 km a year, which works out at 2.73km a day - if you did it every day. In the real world it is simply not practical to get wet every day - so I would aim for 4km every time I got in the pool and let the events of your life decide your rest days - but it is still pretty obsessive compulsive. During the 14 years, I only missed the target one year and that was because I had a broken leg followed quickly after by a broken wrist - which I feel is a pretty good excuse for failure.
Sadly, the exercise program had gone a little AWOL. Since 2007 my workload and travel has been pretty brutal - more of that later. Even though I was still swimming pretty regularly - it was nothing like the previous tough schedule. And the pounds have piled on.
So I am starting this thing on the 1st May. I have gone back onto my swim program. Since the 15th Feb, I have swum nearly 235km which puts me nearly 10 days ahead of the 1000pa/ 2.73km a day schedule. I am weighing in at 99kg which means I have dropped 6.1kg (13lb)
I have looked at some weight loss blogs and feel that I am easily obsessive compulsive enough to join that crew - I particularly like www.gregstransformation.com - because that guy takes obsession to a new level. I congratulate him - the combination of bloody mindedness and techi-ness (is that a word) makes for strangely compelling reading. There are charts and weekly pictures and extensive diet reckoning.The good news is that Greg looks like he will hit his goal.
Nevertheless all the bloggers eventually complain about the boredom - the diet, the slogging etc etc. Everyone seems to eventually meet the same point - and that is understandable.
I also have a pretty low boredom threshold. So what I am going to do differently to keep myself interested in the process of weight loss and blogging about it.
Firstly, the standard stuff. I have equipped myself with all the tools that good obsessive weigh loss bloggers have. I have always had an Excel spreadsheet which has monitored my swim progress since 1993 formatted resplendently in swimming pool colors of blue and green. I have a POLAR RSD400 heart rate monitor which allows you to download every details of your exercise into a computer program and analyze it. And thanks to the weight loss bloggers I have all these cool calorie monitoring tools from the web.
I note that a lot of the bloggers have locked themselves into padded cells for the duration of their weight loss mission and agonize about having to spend a weekend away from home for work because of the temptation of the road. Sadly that can make for pretty boring reading. They may look great but they never go out and appear to have limited social lives - what's the point of that. Tree falls in the forest stuff! No wonder they blog
I have some challenges of my own. I think I said I travel a lot- the reality is that I spend less that 20 days a year at my home in Hong Kong! I am frequently on a plane, alternating between parts of Asia, Australia, Europe and Eastern Europe. I am exposed to multiple cultures and I am generally staying in a hotel or serviced apartment. I am also an incredibly social animal. My big challenge is that diet becomes a tough issue. I can't always cook - and don't want to. Anyone who has ever tasted Som Tum in the streets of Bangkok or cevap in Sarajevo knows the challenges.
So there we have it. The pluses are obsessive compulsiveness, and the fact I generally have easy access to swimming pools, gyms etc. The downsides are I am constantly traveling and I have to frequently be at functions - and I have a low boredom threshold.
So my program has to address these externalities. How are we to do it? The goal is 79.5kg (175lb) in 8months- I want to be at my goal weight by my birthday in January 2011. I have some ideas how to do it but suggestion are welcome.