Steve v5.0

Posts Tagged ‘Shopping’

OK- so I’ve been at this a while.  I’ve lost a little weight, improved my overall health (lab tests aren’t back yet, though), increased my strength and stamina, and learned to use a blender.  I’d like to think that I’ve learned a lot of things over during this quest, would love to think I know everything there is to know about dropping unwanted pounds and curing obesity.  The thing is, I don’t think (from my shallow, myopic, deer-in-the-headlights perspective) it’s a thinking game.  I believe it’s a DOING game.

A little while back I came up with a list of fifty (50) things I learned during the first year of my weight loss quest.  You know what?  Each one was true… for me.  But 50?  It might as well be 1,000, or a bajillion, or… ONE.  The thing is, if I continuously do the one thing that has made all the difference in my life, I found that I learned all kinds of stuff.  Lots and lots of really important things coupled with a butt-load of minutiae.  What it all comes down to is one big, hairy, pedal-to-the-metal, balls-to-the-wall, EFFORT– day in and day out to do one simple little thing in an effort to CHANGE MY ENTIRE LIFE.

Now, that may sound like a whole lot of jibber-jabber, but so what?  I really don’t have to look very far to find libraries full of jabber proclaiming oodles of weight loss methods and diets sure to shrink my body.  I don’t have to click my mouse or tv remote but a few times to find a gaggle of celebrity experts (celexperts?) who know exactly what I should buy that is 100% guaranteed to reduce this or lengthen that- and advanced light-years ahead of any previous infotainment.  This country is chockfull of choices.  We’ve got strip malls in which a grocery store (with an entire aisle dedicated to cookies) sits next to a vitamin store– next to a Weight Watchers (which is two-doors down from a bakery).  Not to say that choice is a bad thing…

So, here’s the thing; the most important thing I’ve learned over the years I’ve been at this is something I learned long before I ever started.  What I really mean is that it is something that I should have learned a long time ago and something my dad used to chide me for constantly.  I can hear him now, saying those two little words that conjured up all kinds of emotion the instant he said (sometimes at the top of his voice) them, “Pay attention!”

That may sound a little (or a lot) stupid to most people- too simple.  The thing is, for me, it has been the most effective weight loss tool I have ever used.  I discovered that if I just paid attention to what I and others who were trying to achieve the same thing I  was doing all the time, I could make better choices and take more effective action at every opportunity.  Not only that, but I was able to recognize opportunities I ordinarily would have had I just plodded along following some celexpert’s diet plan.  Paying attention has become the foundation of my quest.  Autopilot has been permanently disabled.

Today’s smoothie:

1C Frozen Blueberries
1T Chia Seeds (soaked in water 5 minutes- until freaky)
1S EAS Protein
1S Ground Flax
1C Raw Spinach
Water

Rock on.

The selfish philosopher rages.

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Image by tomsflickrfotos2 via Flickr

‘Tis the season for giving– that’s for sure but I’m thinking that there should be a little getting, too.  Gifting myself a few very important items this year will help ensure that I’m around for a while- and that there will be less of me to squeeze for presents next year.  (I confess that I don’t know what the heck I meant by that.  Nobody “squeezes me for presents- they’re more apt to beat me like a pinata.  I’m ineptly just trying to say that I’m working at losing a little more weight over the next few months.)

So here’s a short list of stuff I’d want under my tree that, if I didn’t already have them, would help me in my battle with my bulge.

1. An Accurate Scale – something like they have at the doctor’s office.
2. A Powerful/Versatile/Quick/Easy Blender – like a Blendtec (POWERFUL/versatile/quick) or a Magic Bullet (versatile/quick/easy).
3. A Food Scale – for QUICK and ACCURATE additions to your blender, bowl, or plate. No more guessing, no more heaping tablespoons.

Tempted to play Santa for yours truly?  I won’t stop you.  The last thing I’d want to do is prevent a warm-fuzzy and hey, this weight loss blog is all about me.  Send me one of each!

Jibber-jabber aside, using these three little things help.  I’ll be demonstrating how I use each and why they’re important in coming entries.  The time I have left between now and my “drop dead weight date” (aka 6/6/2009) is coming faster and faster with each passing day and I’m becoming increasingly aware of my apparent equilibrium.  It’s time to refocus, get serious and shrink some ass.

Read about some people “doing the do” here and here.

 

Image by Laughing Squid via Flickr

I’d like to say that I’m just a regular guy, virtually free of pride and arrogance.  That’s right, hardly full of myself at all.  I recognize and thank all those responsible for whatever minutiae may be construed as positive attributes for this mess of flesh occupying my shoes.  Parental genetics and rearing, environment, and everybody I’ve ever met; I’m a little bit of it all- piled almost six-and-a-half feet high.  Thanks!

It’s the width I’m trying to whittle away.

That’s where humility steps up and again, loads of thanks.  Just as I consider myself a big pile of pieces of everyone I’ve ever met, I also know that a great deal of my weight loss success is due to the influence of others.  Family, friends, the people in my blogroll, everyone who has inspired, offered words of encouragement and advice, looks of disdain, or called me names.  Thanks!

Early on in this process of shrinking myself, the weight came off pretty quick.  I guess that’s what happens when you have a lot of weight to lose and make some pretty significant changes to your lifestyle.  Firing up the old metabolism with exercise and cutting about 4000 calories from your diet is a real kick in the pants- if by “kick in the pants” I mean that exercising daily and eating the appropriate number of nutritional calories is the best way to return to a healthy weight, then yeah, it’s a kick in the pants.

Anyhoo, as I get closer to my goal/proper weight I’m finding that it’s getting a lot tougher and changes aren’t as remarkable.  It’s getting a little frustrating and I’ll tell you why.

The date I set for achieving my ultimate goal-weight is getting closer and I’m close weight-wise but I’m not there, It’s the holiday season, and I like pie.

The real thing is that weight loss plans and “shortcuts” are becoming, well, attractive.  Here I am, I’ve lost a little weight and have more to lose, I’m not seeing results like I used to, and the programs my friends have used to lose lots of weight are looking pretty good to me- like a good way to jump start things again.

So I’m struggling.  Should I jump in, sign up, and fast-track the last load of flab, or stick to what I’ve been doing and ramp up portion control and exercise a little more?  I boggle in quandary– and don’t use words good and whatnot.  Hmm.

I believe I’ll stay the course, do a better job of watching what I eat and continue with the exercise.  I also think I’ll take a look at changing my exercise routine a little and see how it goes for the rest of the month.  Then do a real assessment and adjust if necessary.  I really don’t think I’m ready to give up control to someone else.

 

Image by sisterdimension via FlickrEmotionally, that is. I mean, come on, what else would I mean by “naked“? This site may be a freak show of sorts, but its not that kind of freak show.

It does make me think though. What kind of shape would I have to be in to feel comfortable appearing online in the nude. “Invisible” is my gut response (pun intended). I’m still a ways off od “beach shape” -unless we’re referring to the ball.

I didn’t become self-conscious about my weight until the “Great Camp Chair Collapse of 2007″ or GCC ’07 as I like to call it. I knew I was heavy but I never dwelt on it- I just waddled on through life meal to meal and snack to snack with little thought beyond the banalities of everyday existence. I had grown fat through complacency and set myself up for some serious pride-pain using zero effort. Conversely, it’s taken quite a bit of effort to shrink myself below 1/8th-ton.

I’ve done my best to refrain from making the weight issue an emotional thing but you know what? It’s impossible. Physically there have been noticeable differences beyond what I see on the scale. I’m wearing clothes I haven’t been able to squeeze into for more than ten years. Who would have thought that slipping into some old 501′s from the back of my closet would be an emotional event? It was.

Here’s the thing, my weight increase over the years wasn’t emotional at all. I gained weight, bought bigger clothes, and moved the old ones further back in my closet. Getting new stuff dampened any remorse at the loss of my old stuff. I wish I had felt a little differently about it at the time.

I remember, as a kid, outgrowing things before wearing them out. I wasn’t overweight, I just grew. That’s what kids typically do. I think I may have experienced a second childhood when I started packing on the pounds; only I didn’t grow up, I grew out. My goal now is to never outgrow another piece of clothing. I’m not a kid anymore.

 

Image by Earthwatcher via FlickrThat’s right, I’m a firm believer in keeping the schnoz to the grindstone.

Sticking to a goal and doing everything it takes to get it done, well, gets it done. I have to say though, that if dogged determination and continuous effort is the recipe for success, passion is the icing on the success cake.

Lame and confusing similes aside, kicking ass at losing weight or whatever my ambition happens to be is a lot more kick-ass if I’m passionate about it. Otherwise, it becomes a dull chore. I mean really, eating less and exercising more? Not really something a normal person gets jazzed about. Yet here I am, going on and on about it like it’s the new porn or something. Saner folks in the room might wonder why.

It’s the results, baby! Good and bad (results) are what excites me in this whole process.

I’ve come to know with relative certainty that what I’ve been doing and eating will ultimately move the scale one way or the other- or keep it the same. Five-hundred-plus days of personal change has taught me this. Every time I step on the scale or button my pants I receive confirmation of the effectiveness of what I’ve been doing or a reminder of what I should be doing. When the scale tips down I’m elated that my efforts have been effective; when it tips up, quick analysis and determination to turn things around. It’s invigorating!

I had to become passionate about achieving my goals early- it’s kept the day-to-day effort fresh and less chore-like. Every time I step on the scale that passion is renewed and my cake is getting a little more iced. My just desserts is almost ready (wow- that sounded a lot better in my head).

Other good stuff:

 

Image via WikipediaI’m sure I’ve burdened this blog with my peculiarities in regard to doing things in multiples of three. Reps, sets, laps, servings, anything that’s measured is done in threes. It’s a little quirky, I know, but hey- quirky is my best feature and a major component in what I refer to as my pseudo-charm.

Not everything can be done in threes- but I don’t want to talk about them right now. That would be nuts.

Anyway, back on the 26th of August I set a goal to lose 10 pounds by September 30th. Since then I’ve lost a total of three (3) pounds. That was three (3) weeks and three (3) days to lose three (3) pounds. Triple threes! Yikes! If I were a superstitious guy I might have read something into that, some kind of triple-threat thing. And while I am a little superstitious, the only significance I see in this situation is that I have only eleven (11) days left and seven (7) pounds to lose in order to reach my goal. Seven pounds, in my mind, is a significant quantity of weight that isn’t divisible by three.

Wait a tick. If I take the number eleven and break it down by it’s number of tens and ones I get 1 and 1. Add those together and I get 2 (1 + 1 = 2). Add that to the seven pounds I have left to lose and I get 9 (2 + 7 = 9). Nine is three cubed (3^3 or 3 x 3 x 3). Triple triples again! Add those three triples to the three triples that have already occurred and I have six triples to lose ten pounds. Ho-lee Crap! What does it mean?

It means absolutely nothing. Here’s the thing- I could go on all day every day for the rest of my life attaching nonsensical and mystical non-information to my efforts to return to a healthy weight, and it’s all fun and good until I’ve become so distracted that I’ve forgotten the truly important tenets of healthy weight loss.

People, all to often, get caught up in tricks, fads, and gimmicks that promise quick weight loss. We all see them in spam and on television; we have friends that use them. We live in a world of gimmicks and fads few of which guarantee lasting results. So what do I do?

Stay focused. Eat the right quantity of good, healthy foods. Exercise in some way every day. Live life and enjoy the experience. I believe it’s as simple as that.