Weight Loss Challenge

[Archimedes]

aint that the truth. it was "tomorrow" every day when i was trying to quit smoking.

I can relate to this so much. I keep saying "This'll be the last one". Then I keep getting frustrated with life and swear off the next "last one".

[Pyrate81]

It can be bad. My mom smokes and when she doesn't have one for a day or two, she goes through really bad withdrawal. I've never seen a crack addict go through it but I'd akin it to the beginnings of what a crack addict might go through. It's bad and she starts trying to make deals like she's talking to the devil. It's way over the top, IMO.



Anyway. It begins now. Time for my run. I'll report back later. I am also photo journaling this time for references. I"ll post up later.

[Pyrate81]

Today's stats.


Miles: 3.5
Time: 55 minutes
Calories burned: 1200
Time per mile: >15 minutes(What did I do? Walk the whole time? I can do better than that.)


Short term Goal time per mile: 11 minutes



The simplest formula for weight loss is burn more calories than you consume. If your base metabolic rate is 2000 calories and you eat 2000 calories, your weight will stay the same.

[Archimedes]

It can be bad. My mom smokes and when she doesn't have one for a day or two, she goes through really bad withdrawal. I've never seen a crack addict go through it but I'd akin it to the beginnings of what a crack addict might go through. It's bad and she starts trying to make deals like she's talking to the devil. It's way over the top, IMO.

Yeah I mean, I don't get THAT bad. Mostly anxious and frustrated easily. However, I also haven't really truly attempted to quit yet. I can go a day tops, if I'm busy with other things. By midnight though, I'm outside.

[vangarret2000]

Indeed. "Tomorrow" is my kryptonite .

There is actually a reason for that. I don't have enough time to write a thorough explanation but to try and sum it up:

We instinctively live in te present. Goes bak to cave man days, living day To day to survive. No "I'll do my hunting tomorrow." You need to eat today do you hunt today. That instinct is still some what in us. If present you doesn't want I diet you say future me will start dieting tomorrow. But then when tomorrow comes, present you is there and present you still doesn't want to diet so you say future you will start dieting next week. Then next week comes and there is no future you it's still present you and present you still doesn't want to diet. So on and so on. If you want to do something you have to start today to really make it work because future you will always be in the future not the present.
Does that make sense?

[Pyrate81]

^^ makes sense to me. Interesting "spin"(for lack of a better term) on it.

[JLC]

There is actually a reason for that. I don't have enough time to write a thorough explanation but to try and sum it up:

We instinctively live in te present. Goes bak to cave man days, living day To day to survive. No "I'll do my hunting tomorrow." You need to eat today do you hunt today. That instinct is still some what in us. If present you doesn't want I diet you say future me will start dieting tomorrow. But then when tomorrow comes, present you is there and present you still doesn't want to diet so you say future you will start dieting next week. Then next week comes and there is no future you it's still present you and present you still doesn't want to diet. So on and so on. If you want to do something you have to start today to really make it work because future you will always be in the future not the present.
Does that make sense?

It does make sense. And it's something I've been aware of in myself, if not considered in those exact terms.

One of my big challenges is that the "wanting" is inconsistent. There are some days (sometimes many many days in a row) where the thing (in this case, weight loss) is wanted very badly, and worked toward. And then something just switches off and an apathy settles in that brings on the curse of "tomorrow."

That apathy is probably THE BIGGEST enemy of my life. I can fight very hard when I care about something. But how do you fight for something you don't care enough about to fight for? It's insidious and it's the one thing I really haven't figured out how to conquer. I can grit my teeth and push through it, but it's like trying to slog through a tar pit. I can keep it up and come out the other side if it doesn't last too long...but if it does...the fight gets too tiring and I'm stuck dead in the tar until the "caring" finally comes back strong enough to pull myself out yet again.



Sorry....don't mean to hijack the thread or anything! It's just been a long while since I had any sort of public discussion about this, and writing stuff like this really helps me dig into my own thoughts and feelings in a way that doesn't happen when I stay inside my own head all the time.

[Pyrate81]

Sorry....don't mean to hijack the thread or anything! It's just been a long while since I had any sort of public discussion about this, and writing stuff like this really helps me dig into my own thoughts and feelings in a way that doesn't happen when I stay inside my own head all the time.

No worries. I'm fine with discussion so long as you don't mind me throwing up my stats on occasion and maybe pictures of my sexy self.


But I hear what you are saying. I've been like that with weight loss(and a few other things) for a long time. Always wanted to lose weight but never had the consistent drive to keep going with it. Which is why I posted this thread. I knew that if I publicly say I'm going to do something and have "cheerleaders" it will help. I liken it to being a pro athlete or rock star: you don't want to let your fans down or disappoint others. It's easier for me to stay motivated if I know I'm doing something for someone else opposed to doing something for myself. Yeah, I do have hopes and dreams but I'm kind of in a state of if I reach them, that's awesome and if I don't reach them, no big deal. Honestly, all I want to do is sit on the couch and watch Sponge Bob all day while perusing BP.net. But that really isn't a way to live is it?

After some events with my recent relationship, friends, and family. A switch flipped in my head where I don't care about everyone else the way I used to. I'm really focused on myself for the first time and really don't care about other peoples' business or opinion of me(to a degree). I'm emotionally unattached to someone for the first time in my life whether it be family or friend. I've let go of the people around me who I felt wanted me to act and think a certain way and hanging out with people that allow me be me whether it's sit in a corner and be quiet or make a complete ass outta myself.

The weight loss is a first big step for me and the first thing I'm really doing for me. It's not because I feel someone else wants me to do it, I actually WANT to. I'm using this thread/forum as a way to keep me motivated and bring attention to myself cause I want the attention and the "good jobs" and "congratulations" and "keep going, you're doing great". I feed of positive support and dwell/lose myself on negative comments.

I also like talking about weight loss, nutrition, and food. I like giving advice and educating people on my experiences, it makes me feel better about myself that someone else may be able to better their situation from my experience or look at things from a different angle. I like helping people.

One of my old bosses taught me the rules of 2s which I'm a believer in: 2 days to get things started. 2 weeks to get your rhythm down and get it really going. 2 months to have kinks worked out and be proficient. Once I get to the 2 week mark, then next 2 months are a breeze. I'm also big on repetition and don't care for change very much. But slowly I'm learning to deal with change.


hmmmm. That was long-winded.

[djansen]

congrats on deciding to make a change. Do you resistance train at all?

[Pyrate81]

No resistance training. I never got into it although did it when I was in rehab after surgery for a herniated disk.