Day 179 - All The Weigh

Kenz, over on All The Weigh posted a questionnaire last week. I've seen it answered on a few blogs, have enjoyed the Q&A and am giving it my attention here and now. If you enjoy this, take the time to answer these questions too in a comment on her fantastic blog, or in your own blog post. If you do, let Kenz know so she can enjoy your answers too.

Here are my answers...

1. What was your highest weight, what do you weigh right now and what is your goal weight?
320 pounds, my last weigh-in on 10/3 was 261.5 pounds; my goal wight is 199 pounds. Whew, 320, i can't imagine how I tolerated lugging that load around for as long as I did.

2. What is your #1 motivation for losing weight?
I probably answer this question a bit different each time when asked, there simply just is not one reason. But if I treat '#1' as if it is the most important reason possible, then that reason would be to do all I can not to die at a young age as a result of my own poor choices. And to a lessor extent because I want to wear with confidence swim trunks without also having to wear a tarp of a shirt to cover up the moobage.

3. Have you always been overweight?
No, although I have most of my adult life. I was 'puffy' in high school. I was fit in my early adult years. That gave way to weight gain in my later 20's and eventually obesity by my mid-30's.

4. When you want to give up what inspires you to keep going?
The fear of posting on my blog that I gave up, that I quit something. One of the greatest benefits of blogging is the accountability factor. The thought of having to say to all who read that I gave up; not a pleasant one in my head.

5. What is the #1 thing you look forward to when you hit your goal weight?
Writing that blog post. I have it scripted out in my head, it will be epic! As well I look forward to strapping on 121 pounds of weight (not sure how) and feeling once again - one last time - how that used to feel as a celebratory remembrance of what I used to be and how far I have come.

6. Do you have support on your weight loss journey?
Yes, oh my yes. My wife is there for me. My kids are too. Our cats benefit too as I give them more nibbles off my plate; yes our cats beg like dogs. And of course, the weight loss / fitness blogging community is in my corner in a big way too.

7. What is your favorite exercise?
Weights, free weights over machines. I love feeling strong and acting strong.

8. What is the most important thing you have learned on your weight loss journey?
Choices, it all comes down to choices. You have the power to choose, nobody forces you to eat crap and lay around like a pile of it. The program, the diet, the exercise, the secret to succeeding is not in any of them. It is within you. CHOOSE one that you feel good about, CHOOSE to make up your own, but just CHOOSE to get up and move more and eat smarter.

9. What is one thing you have given up that you miss the most?
Ordering at the drive thru and getting your feast within 38 seconds. That instant gratification stimulus of the fast food world is as addictive as the food itself. Eating healthy takes more effort, time; and it should. Being healthy, being happy, being alive is an amazing reward and the best rewards come from passionate & determined effort.

10. What is your strategy for losing weight?
I follow no plan because I find them to be boring and not very fun. If I can't have fun doing this then take me back to 320 please. Let me tell you something, I am having allot of fun. What fuels the fun is myself, I believe in myself. I simply believe in myself to make the choices necessary to get healthier each day. Think about that for a second... believing in yourself, how simple is that? Simply I choose each day to eat less, or burn more, or both. Keeping it that simple removes allot of stress from the mission.

The hardest part was realizing that this is what I want. You have to want to be healthy more than you want to just eat food to eat food.... Until a person can say that then he/she hasn't made the commitment needed to succeed; I myself have made that commitment. I've said it before, many have, getting healthy starts mentally; realizing why you want to get healthy and what it is going to require from you. If a person doesn't know how much, or how little, work this will be... how do they know they are ready for it?

Healthy weight loss does not happen by accident. We have to get ready for it, do a little homework. Know why you want it, what is involved is, and how you will achieve what you want. If you've done that, you've done the hard part. Now, if you believe in what you have come up with, you've set yourself up for success. All that is left is the simple part, commit to your belief in yourself and go gett'em.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 107 - Stress Triggers Chow

Yesterday I made that smoothie you see there. It had been a while since I made one, we had a bunch of fresh ingredients on hand, so I went for it. Yes, I served it in a beer glass; I am a guy. What is it, well lets see if I can remember. I don't always measure ingredients, actually I seldom do, for this smoothie, I was just throwing stuff in the blender that looked good before giving it a whirl. The ingredients; greek yogurt, milk, strawberries, a banana, a wedge of watermelon, almond butter, sugar free cherry preserves (I admit I am addicted to cherries), crushed ice, uncooked steel cut oats. Probably sounds weird when written out, but if you tasted it without knowing the ingredients I bet you would have enjoyed it. I sure did, very yummy.

STRESS - stress is pinging me today like sonar ruins a submariners day - My wife enters the hospital tomorrow morning for surgery and will spend a few days there before returning home to recover for a month. We've both done well to put that reality aside while we vacationed, but with the vacation over, back to work today; we can't keep it put aside for much longer. Stress is something I usually keep at bay very well, actually I thrive in it. But this stress is different than every day stress, I think. It feels, smells and tastes differently, therefore I likely need to deal with it differently, or do I?

I've seen a number of bloggers chat about stress and how they succumb to eating poorly when stressed. I am no different, I can probably attribute a good half of my obese-ness to eating because I was stressed, bored, pissed, whatever emotional state I looked to sooth through food.

Today, I am stronger in the head than I used to be and thus at less risk to stress eating. But, being committed to getting healthy and being healthy for the rest of our lives we know that this is a daily effort. Each day we must make a mental commitment to good choices before we can then succeed at actually executing them. No matter what the day brings as it wears on, stress, joy, misery, amazement, smiles, jeers, whatever; we have to leverage our mental strength to not eat because of emotion.

Sounds so easy doesn't it? Ha! If only it were.

The fastest way to set back those weight-loss goals is to give into emotions and eat to calm them. So how do we not do that which we know will harm us? First we must learn what triggers us down that dark path, the path of the stressful chow down.

What triggers your stressful chow down?

For me idiots stress me to a bad place. I know, idiots is a bit strong. When working with others who refuse to learn their craft to be able to contribute at a high level, they drive me to eat burritos. Nothing wrong with ignorance, we are all ignorant at times. If you work hard to learn hard and deliver hard at what you do, no stress on me working beside you there. But if you are careless about your work, then get outta my way and pass me that burrito!

Another is complete lack of organization that causes lost time, money, effort; whether at home or work. That said lets understand I am not uber-organized, but, I am organized enough in all things to be productive. In the past I have been super organized about eating, so organized that I had the cookies right next to the candy bars which were right next to the twinkies, etc... so being organized has a bad side too I suppose.

When spinning my wheels because I am in an unorganized mess, I look for king size snicker bars. If all are working to improve the situation and its organization, no stress on me working alongside the effort to get better. But when the complete mess around us is accepted and ignored, then get outta my way and pass me that candy!

So, lesson objective; know what triggers you and watch out for them. Then, have a page in your mental playbook ready to go to when stress triggers you. Everyone's playbook may look different. Here is mine...

Each day as I start I have a mental plan of when & what I am going to eat across the three meals and two snacks. When stress pushes me, I pull out that playbook and am reminded to stick to my healthy eating plan. Just having that playbook reminds me I am committed & dedicated to Responsibility 199.

If I must eat, in my desk at work, truck glove box (who has real gloves in there) & pantry at home I keep these places ready with healthy snacks. At hands reach I have a healthy choice awaiting, makes it easier to succeed and suppress the trigger to chow down.

An alternate to eating during stress is even better than grabbing healthy choices. Hobbies are great alternatives, if you have any that is. Myself, I guess blogging is a new hobby of sorts. When tempted to get into the chow down line, jumping on the blogs is a great way to avoid doing so.

I know some who say reading a book does it for them. Reading reduces their stress and gets their mind focused else where. Reading, not-blog reading, but books I can do it for a while but if I am really stressed it isn't a quick enough relief. Writing on the other hand, that does calm me. Whether it be an email, a draft of tomorrow's blog, whatever; writing allows me some escape from the source of the stress.

When a work spending time on hobbies may not be ideal, nor may reading for leisure. Getting up and taking a walk to the opposite end of the building, or the other building, works for me. I work at a large corporate complex so this is an option for me sometimes. Otherwise at work if I can't wander, I change to another project. I manage a half-dozen projects at a time on average and when one is driving me to burritos, I put it aside and grab hold of another for a while. The point, do something different.

And of course, work out to relieve stress. Exercise leads to fitness, duh... which leads to increased energy, yep - duh... which leads to increased confidence, uh-huh it does... which leads to better ability to deal with stress, true? For me it is.

 What do you do to put the stress chow down back in it's box?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!