konadad

Maybe the Summer weather has all my buddies wrapped up having fun.

Maybe the heat has thrown everyone off the healthy living wagon, either temporarily or (gasp!) for good.

Maybe some have achieved their goals and have moved on in life.

I really don’t know.  But I DO know that the names and faces appearing on the “Blogs” page are looking less and less familiar to me.  Some of those I had grown accustomed to seeing blog (anywhere from once a week to several times per day)  seem to have vanished.  That’s sad.

I disappeared too.  I was cooking right along on a very rigid program that had the weight coming off easily.  I ate smart and I worked out.  I drank water like a fiend and made lots of sacrifices.  Starting around the beginning of July I became too distracted with life and simply didn’t WANT to focus all my energies into my Program anymore.  I didn’t fall off the wagon entirely; I still ate better than I had been and tried to stay active.  But I shaved the corners off my entire regimen…. I ate some junk food, I drank less water, and I ceased exercising for the sake of exercising.

The bad news is that I killed the pounds-shedding momentum I had early on.

The good news is that I still managed my weight… I’ve still lost 15 pounds since the start of July.  There have been no periods where I gained…  at each weigh-in I either held steady or lost a bit.   More good news is that I managed to do this while dealing with the crises of life.  Still more good news is that I am starting to feel motivated again.  Two days ago, I started eating and drinking like a champion again.  I’m slowly getting back on the horse.  In two days I’m starting to lose weight again.  Down about 1.5 pounds since Wednesday.  I’m starting to feel the fire.  I’m ready to rock again.

Here’s my goal, stated aloud, in print, for everyone else to see.

“I will lose 23 pounds (making a total of 100 pounds since I started in March) in the next 30 days.”

Any buddies, old or new, that want to go with me?  I want others to take this ride.  It’s commitment time.  It’s time to kick some ass.

What are YOU willing to commit to?  Make a commitment.  ANY commitment.  Commit to work out 30 minutes minimum each and every day for 30 days.  Commit to drinking 8 BIG glasses of water each and every day for a month.  Commit to NOT eating ANY empty junk-food calories for that entire 4 weeks.  Commit to eating no single meal larger than an apple.  Commit to never eating anything within 3 hours of bedtime.  I’m going to do ALL of those things and a few more. 

C’mon, do it.  Just commit.

(Now, please excuse me while I go apologize to the folks I promised to join in a walking challenge then dropped out.  I also have some buddies I need to check in on.)

Someone wrote me and asked me how I’ve accomplished what I have so far and it dawned on me that there are a lot of new people here who haven’t read all of we veterans :) olde blogs that have all this information…. so I thought I’d post as today’s blog my answer to the person who wrote me.

If you’re new and feel overwhelmed by the daunting task of losing weight, don’t be.  Everyone here has the same first 5 pounds to lose.  Some of just have to keep doing it for longer than others that’s all.  Don’t feel like you have to lose 50 pounds, remember that you have to lose one pound… the first pound.

Here’s my reply….

Thanks so much for writing and I hope that in some way I can help you… I have been blessed in that I seem to be able to shed weight pretty easily when I apply myself.
Go back and read my blogs (especially the earlier ones) and you’ll see I added a lot of info about what/how I was doing.  The simple system for me has been the following:

1.  During times when you’re trying to aggressively lose weight (whether it’s a week straight or a month straight) do not bend the rules!  Save those times for AFTER you’ve completed your weight loss cycle.

2.  Drink LOTS of water.  Drink until you pee clear all the time (1X per hour).

3. NO sodas (any kind), no empty calories (cakes, cookies, candies, chips, etc)

4. VERY FEW simple carbs (pastas, white breads, etc)

5.  LOTS of veggies and fibers (I eat stir fry, soups, brown rice, nuts, etc)

6.  Lean proteins (meat, tofu, etc) are fine, but can slow your digestion, so be cautious)

7. ALWAYS start eating within an hour of waking.

8. NEVER eat after about 6-7 pm.

9. NEVER eat until you feel STUFFED.  Eat only until you feel mildly full, then drink a glass of water and get away from the food.

10. Forget about the Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner routine.  Imagine eating all day long every day… eat small portions (about the size of an orange or a small grapefruit) 4-5 times per day.  As time goes by, your stomach will shrink and this will make it seem like you’re eating too much, but you’re OK.

11.  Whatever you eat in a day, simple carbs and larger meals should always be earliest in the day, while veggies and fibers should be the last eaten.  It improves your ability to digest and not turn the calories to fat.

12.  Get some form of exercise as early in the day as you can.  It jumpstarts the metabolism and aids digestion.  Walking, swimming, biking, elliptical (slowly at first) are all great forms of exercise.  Try to exercise 3-5 times per week.

13.  Find some healthy foods you like and rotate those in and out of your meal lineup… try to avoid eating the same thing day in and day out because you get bored and want to cheat.

14.  Stay away from salty foods!  Salts slows my digestion down and makes me retain lots of water weight.

15.  If you eat too much salt one day, drink water hard until your pee clears again and your weight stabilizes.

16.  When I am clicking right along, I am “regular”.  I use the bathroom each and every day at around the same time.

17.  Not to be gross, but if you’re eating, drinking and exercising, your poop should be fairly soft and should come easily.  It should NOT be dense and hard to go.  If it is, look at your food quality and water consumption.

18.  Forgive and forget.  EVERYONE slips up occasionally.  Don’t implode and eat a Wendy’s franchise as punishment.  Get up, dust yourself off, tell yourself you’re OK, and start again.  It really is normal and OK to slip occasionally.

19.  Remember that even if you do everything right, your body will at times resist.  Change your expectations from “IF I do this and this I WILL lose weight” to “I MUST do this and this IF I want to lose weight.”

Thats about everything I’ve done.  I hope it helps.  All I can say is that I had my best success when I did ALL of thses thing each and every day but saw a dropoff on those days where I missed even one or two of them.  You have to try hard and be consistent.  Don’t focus on the end goal of losing 50 pounds or 200 pounds, focus on eating right, drinking right and exercising right for a short term… like one week or 3 days or one month… whatever you feel like you can manage.  Set yourself up for mini successes; don’t set yourself up for failure by thinking you have to be perfect between now and the time you eventually lose all the weight.  You will succeed if you set yourself up the right way.

Good luck!  Let me know if anything here has helped you.  Oh, and if you need a buddy, feel free to add me.

OK, I’ve been on the fried twinky diet and have lost weight.

These past few weeks I’ve been less focused on diet and exercised and more focused on not giving away too much of what I’ve worked so hard for…. I have had to focus on life and let all this other stuff take a seat on the back burner… I still drink lots of water, still hit the elliptical occasionally, still try to eat smaller meals and still try to avoid the chips and cookies… most of the time.   I weighed in every couple of days just to make sure I wasn’t gaining huge amounts of weight.

The results?  Well I’ve been holding pretty steady, which I have been surprised and happy with.  I hadn’t gained anything at all, in fact.  This past week I had a few beers with my wife (haven’t done that in a few months) and went to the county fair, where I proceeded to partake in chili-cheese fries, a funnel cake and a fried twinky.  My kids *laughed* when they saw that I had actually bought a fried twinky for us all to share!  We shared all the junk that day.

I weighed in today for the first time in 3 days and lo-and-behold I’m down.  Not much, of course, but I am down.  My tracker has rewarded me with a Silver Star for having lost 75 pounds now.  75 pounds.  Holy cow.

That’s a bushel of apples… no, it turns out it’s almost TWO bushels of apples!

It’s the weight of 13 laptop computers just like mine

or 750 golf balls

Half a Dozen Bowling Balls

or, finally, 100 bags of Doritos

So what’s the lesson I’ve learned?  Nothing really, other than life is good.  Enjoy it each and every day.  Sometimes it’s important to get on the treadmill or elliptical and crank out that extra 2 miles.  Sometimes you have to eat a warm, decadent, disgusting deep fried twinky with your kids.  Just live a little.

I have some great buddies here.  Period.

When it comes to reading blogs, writing blogs, checking in on my buddies, sending boosters and the like, I’ve been only spotty (at best) these last few weeks.  I won’t lie.  Part of the reason is pretty typical; I’ve been less focused in diet and exercise, so therefore I’ve been less interested in writing about it.  But i’ve also been absent because I’ve simply been distracted by life.  It’s hard for me to come into a place like this, a place that exists only in a bunch of servers, wires, satellites and computers, and find solace.  But then there are the people.  This “place” may exist only in the artificial world of the internet, but the people are real.  The people have real lives and go through the same kinds of highs and lows as I do.  I have been amazed and comforted by many people here; those who have been genuinely happy with me during the good times, and occasionally even shed a tear or consoled me during the lows. 

In the past few weeks, especially in the last few days since I last blogged, I’ve received several messages and boosters from friends and even strangers here.  I haven’t responded to many of them… maybe all of them, I’m not sure.  You see I’ve been a little too selfishly focused on myself and my family and haven’t even said “thank you” to too many friends here.

So, Thank You!  Your caring words and attention have been noted and truly appreciated.  I mean that.

I hope I’ll be back in full swing soon, blogging, boostering and commenting as I always have.  Maybe I’ll even do another photo essay on things that weigh as much as I’ve lost so far or bore you with another screenshot of my spreadsheet.  In the meantime, I wanted you to know that I am here, I am reading occasionally and if I see you in trouble I will come a knockin’.  That’s what buddies do, right?

It hurt like nothing has before it.

But in the face of adversity I stood strong and didn’t crumble.  I am stronger than I believed possible.  Maybe it’s time to stop poo-pooing people when they say something complimentary about me and start accepting their words at face value.  Maybe those things they’ve said for all these years are true; maybe I am a good man.

I didn’t eat well.  I was nauseus for much of the day.  I still am.  I did lose weight.  I have dropped below 370.  That makes a 4 pound drop and a total loss of 58 lbs.  Well, it’ time to fess up… I started my weight here on buddyslim after I had already dropped 12 pounds.  I was 440 lbs in February.  I am 369 and change today.  Giving myself true credit where credit is due… I am down 71 pounds.

I am stronger today than yesterday.  Knowledge has a way of empowering a person that way.  Tomorrow will be better again.

Good luck to you all and I hope your days are bright and full of good news.

OK, so maybe it’s not a complete return to my old winning ways on the weight loss front, but I have had two successful days in a row.  Two days ago I blogged about where I was and what I wanted to do differently starting right then… eat well, drink water well, and exercise at least a little.

 I did it.  For those two days, I have stayed away from the one or two bad snacks or meals that by themselves can ruin a whole day’s worth of hard work. 

I’ve mentioned before that the weight-loss game, for me, is like walking a tightrope.  It takes careful balance and immense amount of concentration… one misstep and it’s a long way to the ground.  The past 2-3 weeks have been frought with poor concentration and fat guys bouncing on my tightrope.  It’s been a struggle, although I have managed to maintain my weight during that time; but the weight loss train had come to a halt.

Well, for two days I’ve been on point.  I’ve been drinking water, eating well, exercising each day, and avoiding the bobbles that recently have been sending me headlong off the tightrope; no late-night snacks of garbage, no excesses of simple carbs, plenty of water.  Quite simply, I’ve been feeling better as a result.  I’m also down a couple pounds.  I’m in virgin territory now; my weight is at it’s lowest since I began this process on April 21st.  I’m down 55 pounds today.  I now have a white star to accompany my blue star.

My goal for today is just like yesterday’s and the day before that.  Eat well, drink water, and exercise.  Anything better than that is a bonus.

OK, so this blog is emerging as I write it.  I’m writing only because I’m hoping it will help me regain my mojo.

I have been only barely on track with my living plan for the last 2+ weeks.  I averaged losing .65 pounds a day for 10 weeks, losy fifty pounds, then hit a wall.  The 4th of July was around then, family events were around then, and I was tired of doing everything right to achieve any gains around that same time.  I needed a break.  I have gone periods as long as 3-4 days without weighing in, after weighing in daily like my life depended on it before that.  I exercised only sporadically.  I ate OK during this time, but ate just enough junk to kill any progress I might have been making.  My weight is about the same as two weeks ago… down maybe a couple pounds.

I have been semi-OK with this stoppage.  Really.  I have a long way to go, so I have to accept that I will likely need to stop occasionally to get my wind, so to speak.

But I’m ready to restart.  Today.  Wish me luck.  My new goal is this:

Eat well, drink well, and exercise today.  Saturday.  Not forever.  Not for a month.  Just today.

No junk.  Nothing dumb, like forgetting to drink water.  Hit the elliptical for at least 3 miles.  No eating too late.  No meals too big. 

I will do this today. 

The definition of the word Regimen is as follows:

1. Governmental rule or control.
2. The systematic procedure of a natural phenomenon or process.
3. A regulated system, as of diet, therapy, or exercise, intended to promote health or achieve another beneficial effect.
4. A course of intense physical training.

Lately I’ve read a few blogs from folks struggling with their old eating habits… those habits that, in time, led them here to BuddySlim.  Like all of us, they struggle with eating the wrong foods, eating at the wrong times, eating too much, eating to assuage emotional burdens, eating as a means of control, eating to fight back at something or someone, eating as an avoidance technique, etc.  These are NOT foreign ideas to me… been there, done that, in many cases.

Generally, since I started this new regimen I’ve been pretty successful avoiding most of these pitfalls.  How?

Look at definitions numbered 2 & 3 above.  Hey, the first thing I did to give myself some chance of being successful with my “new lifestyle” was admit that I have terrible eating and exercise habits.  I eat poorly using several of those reasons I just listed… it really doesn’t matter which ones, all that matters is that I can’t trust my native habits… they led me to my current weight!  The 2nd thing I did was create a regimen for eating.  I don’t plan every meal like some do, although I happen to think it’s a GREAT idea. 

My regimen says things like Eat Slowly, Drink Water between bites, No Junk Calories, Eat Early in the day, Don’t Eat Late in the day, etc.  I’m not going to bore you with the details of what I eat or how I eat (I’ve done that before); the point I wanted to make is that most of us cannot resort to our old eating habits…most of those habits are wrong and are what led us to where we are.

Create a regimen that works for you.  It’s a Plan.  A detailed Method of getting from where you are to where you want to be… a Map, if you will.  Don’t eat without thinking, eat according to your plan.  Make a good, liveable plan, follow it, and it will lead you toward success.

OK, I need a shot in the arm.  I need to find a new way of looking at what I’m trying to accomplish.

Since I started this new lifestyle, I’ve been measuring my success NOT in terms of how many pounds I’ve lost or how many inches I’ve lost , but instead in terms of how close to my goal am I? 

I’ve lost 50 pounds.  Do you know what thought runs through my head? “It’s not near enough, Don.”

I work out on the elliptical almost daily.  Do you know what thought I have about that? “Why did you skip last Tuesday, Don?”

I spent the past couple of weeks engaged in activities with my family that I likely wouldn’t have done a few months back.  All I can focus on is how incredibly fat I look still, when I see the pictures.

So I’m blogging today about the good that has come from losing 50 pounds in 11 weeks….  the differences that I’ve noticed.  Some of these things may seem minor or trivial to others, but they’re important to me.  Here goes…

• I’m wearing shirts 1X smaller than 6 weeks ago.
• I’m wearing shorts that are 2X smaller and they still fall off (my butt has disappeared from the elliptical workouts).
• My left leg, which before I started was starting to swell from retained water, has returned to a much smaller state and is now the same size as my right leg.
• My right knee is strong and healthy, despite the fact that I tore my Medial Collateral Ligament two months before I started this.  I can now cross my right leg over my left knee, which was impossible before.
• Despite days where I stray in my eating, I still eat better consistently.  My meals are smaller, my food is healthier, and I snack less.  I also drink water every day (some days better than others) which is a HUGE change from before.  I’ve learned to say “no” most of the time.
• I exercise more or less everyday.  Even if it’s just a short one.  I’ve learned it’s a win on some days to simply DO something… anything…. that brings up your heart rate.
• I can hit the elliptical for sessions that are 10x more difficult and longer than I could two months ago.
• I am going in the right direction.  I am closer to my goal everyday.
• I have the energy to do things with my kids, that were simply unattainable two months ago.  I’ve begun taking the kids on bike rides, walks, playing catch, swimming… it’s a huge change from standing on the outside and looking in at them.
• I’ve learned that not everyday has to be perfect.  I’ve learned to forgive, forget and restart.  A bad day is NOT a failed day.
• There are some great people here on this website that inspire me all the time… not always because they are dropping weight quickly, but because they are genuinely good people.  There are times I wish they could have half the success I have had losing pounds, because they are twice the human being.
• I am motivated by people who say they are inspired by me.  That’s because I don’t feel worthy of it, so I therefore feel the need to qualify their praise by doing better…. backwards, I know.
• My sleep is better.  It’s earned, I think.  I only sleep six hours at most, but it’s a sound sleep!

There.  I feel a little better.  It is NOT all about pounds, or inches, or exercise, or food. It’s the right thing to do.  Everything seems just a little bit better after a day of successful healthy living.  I’m going to start taking pleasure in that - a good day. 

Even if my scale tells me otherwise. 

OK, so maybe this is a misleading title… what it should say is:

Binged Lately? Well, Never Quit!

I blogged yesterday about having eaten poorly for a few days.  In fact, I ate a bad bag of Jalapeno Cheetos, Fried Clam Strips and Fries on one day, then followed it the next day with a family trip to the local Native American casino to imdulge in their massive new dinner buffet.  I ate prime rib, stuffed peppers, fried scallops, etc.  It was great!  It was awful!

I gained 6 lbs in two days.

SIX pounds.

I was bummed.  I was angry.  I was feeling lost.  I was also quietly, secretly satisfied for having fed a craving for the first time in 10 weeks.  That made me feel guilty.

Then, some friends here in BuddySlim land chimed in and gave me what I needed.  Insight. Clarity. Perspective.

They pointed out things like:

• I was still down in weight, so I should be focusing on that.
• Others here would LOVE to be able to fall down and gain weight, but still have an overall loss to motivate them.
• It’s normal to fall.  The goal is NOT to avoid falling;  it’s to do your best to avoid those times, but expect they will happen and start moving again immediately after it’s over.
• Forgive yourself for being human.

Yesterday, I got back on the system… my better living plan.  I drank gallons of water.  I ate reasonably sized, healthy meals.  I exercised enough to get my heart rate up and my metabolism going.  I stopped being my enemy.

Today I weighed in and I’m once again back down to where I was before the Lost Weekend.  I am actually down another pound.  It was mostly water weight, it seems. 

Maybe it is unreasonable to expect myself to be perfect at this.

Maybe a failure really isn’t falling off the wagon, but giving up. 

Maybe I was too hard on myself.