Nobody's perfect. And no one knows that more than each one of us. Whether or not we're found attractive has little to do with it. We all have things that bother us about our bodies. Maybe it's the shape. (I, for example, am a pear.) Maybe it's the weight. Maybe it's a lack of muscle, or definition, or tone. Maybe when we try to grow our hair long it acts like a spoiled child and will do nothing you ask of it. (Maybe I need a haircut.) It's also possible I'm just projecting onto you, my loving and adoring audience. Either way, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of not being at the weight I want. I'm tired of shirts fitting just a bit too tight around my stomach/waist. I'm tired of the accentuation of my ass in a pair of jeans. Most of all, though, I'm tired of saying I'm tired of it. Tired of my usual excuses and cop-outs.
There's a good deal of reason I've put on 50+ lbs. since 2004/2005. My junior year, I wrestled at 154 lbs. Nothing about that was healthy. Salads and water composed my diet. Every day. I could shed 4 lbs. from the start of practice to the end. But then I got into a car accident and unceremoniously quit wrestling. To say my metabolism went crazy would be an understatement. By senior year, I'd put on 25+ lbs. By my freshman year of college, I was 190 lbs. It's climbed, with brief moments of respite, until I peaked at 218 lbs. a month or so ago. Now it fluctuates between 213 and 216. That's too much for me. I'm not happy about the way my body wears the weight.
I've been passing up opportunity after opportunity since I started to put on weight my senior year. Why? Because I'm lazy. I have problems with motivation. I'm not sure when this set it, but I think it was right around my sophomore year of high school. It's carried itself into college and failing classes I wasn't interested in. It's kept me from running regularly. Although I'd argue I've always hated running, even when I was in shape and running track. Sometimes I'll use my knees as an excuse. A lot of time that's valid, but a lot of times it isn't. Right now I'm fed up with myself and that mentality. This general laziness has gone too far. A friend of mine, Bobby S. we'll call him, lost 40 lbs. in 7 months. That's astonishing. For years, I've been telling myself I could lose that kind of weight. My diet didn't change, and either did my exercise really, so I was never surprised that the weight didn't come off. But here's a friend, someone my own age, who's done the damn thing. I called him and we talked for nearly an hour, with a good chunk of that dedicated to what he did for those 7 months. Not a bit of it sounds impossible. It sounds hard, definitely. But I bitch out far too often when difficulty's involved. Maybe you do, too. No better time than right now to start making changes.
I'm going to do it. My motivation? Remember months ago when I congratulated my buddies Matt and Kathryn on their engagement? Matt asked me to be in the wedding party. Their wedding is 7 months away, at the end of May. For the most part, I haven't seen Matt, Jim, Bobby (I think I have more friends named Bobby than most people), Kathryn, their families, etc. since I moved to Wilmington. I'd love to get back there and be thinner and healthier. But it's going to be tough. It's going to take a structure and discipline I haven't exhibited in years. It's going to take time to figure out what works for my body. But if I don't start taking care of myself now, when will I?
I'm going to try to dedicate a post a week about all of this. I'm not going to keep track of weight loss. I won't be setting a weight loss goal. That mentality won't help. It'll add stress to meet the marks and I'm not doing this to add stress. Not with a new job starting in early November. So here's where I turn to you, my loving and adoring audience. What are your favorite healthy meals? What are your healthy snacks, besides fruit? Suggestions will be embraced and I will try anything (I hated pickles at the start of the year, and now I'm all about them. Who knows what other foods that happened to).
Next week or the week after is the start date. I need to do some analyzing of some behaviors and patterns before jumping into this thing. And I'd love for you to help me along with it. Ask me how the diet's going every now and then. I hate that I need it, but those little reminders every once in a while will make a huge difference. In turn, I hope we see a huge difference in the upcoming months.
Editor's Note: I reserve the right to change things, like watching my weight, as I please/as I get advice from people who know things.
http://deadspin.com/5545674/the-public-humiliation-diet-a-how+to
ReplyDeleteHey man, my hat's off to you. I just recently started back up with my health kick, after a 2 year break. I'll let you know, I've tried to get back into the past couple years, and would get sick of it after about 2-3 weeks. I've found it much easier now, with just easing into over a span of a week or two. It sounds lame, but my real goal is not only to look better, but really man, it should start with feeling better about myself. That type of mentality will get you far. Just start simple, and start breaking your 3 main meals into 4-5 smaller meals throughout the day. It will definitely boost your metabolism, and keep your system alert throughout the day. I like starting with a Slimfast in the morning, lame I know. Maybe a cup of soup 11-noon, or something simple...Do you like salads? Maybe around 2-3pm something light, protein bar, trail mix, granola bars. Have a lighter dinner/supper, whatever people call it these days, followed by a light snack/dessert. A critical component, make sure not to eat anything after 8-9pm. Anything after that stays in the digestive system all night and is most likely converted to fat. I don't know if you've ever tried protein shakes, but there are some great reasonably priced brands with delicious flavors. The great thing is the protein content really fills you up, and really can be used as meal replacement, still allowing you the proper nutrition. Drinking a lot of water throughout the day also is a great way to keep off weight. Like eating smaller meals, it keeps you full and boosts your metabolism. As for exercising, find something you enjoy doing. Doesn't have to be strenuous right away. They recommend the best exercise for losing weight would be lower intensities for a longer amount of time. So a great example would be walking around the neighborhood with your ipod for 45-60 mins. Sounds like a long time, but it's gives you chance to get outside, and it won't kill you the next day like those crazy bootcamps. Hopefully some of this info will help you out. I guess I found a way to use my degree lately, haha. What's better than helping friends? Let me know if you need anything. I've got a library of this all kinds of stuff. Ignore the bad use of grammar if it pops up.
ReplyDeleteTake care and good luck man.
-Zac
Good for you--I'd recommend some piece of equipment (elliptical, recumbent bike) that doesn't put stress on your knees. Check Craigslist for cheap deals. Fairly consistent workouts mixing both--I've slacked off this week, post-MFA exam & birthday--has netted me a 7 lb. weigh loss over the last two months or so. I'd recommend going slow to start--too much, too fast and you'll hurt yourself.
ReplyDeleteportion control, so you don't have to give up things you love - this totally helps with motivation. there's nothing wrong with mac n'cheese (or baked ziti, or any of the other things assuredly filling that fridge), just cut portion sizes of bad things to a fist-sized amount. if you like hummus, or can get into liking hummus, it goes great with carrots/bell peppers, and you can find exciting flavors to help out. hard when you don't have your own kitchen, but beans (i prefer black beans) are super helpful (despite the fact that we went out whole childhood without even seeing them??) - they fill you with a small amount, and you can throw in some rice to round out a meal. (plus, add salsa and avocado and you can trick yourself into thinking it's a taco.) couscous is good too, and you can really thicken it with easy veggies - cucumber, tomatoes, squash - and chick peas, if you want to keep the beans up.
ReplyDeleteyogurt/smoothies is a good way to mask fruit, too.
oh and water water water. water. water! especially since beer counts as carbs AND it's not water.
or just get diagnosed with add, start the meds, and watch those pounds melt!
good luck!!