Day 30 of 103in365: 10/103

Hey There!

It is day 30 of 365 and I stayed the same weight this week. No lb loss, no lb gain.

I find this to be pretty good news considering that we went on a 5 day road trip (two of those driving for 12 or more hours) and I ate In and Out Burger twice as well as little physical activity.

As I wrote in an earlier entry, I believe that it is what we do 95% of the time and much less about what we do 5% of the time. When you are on vacation, be on vacation. Don’t drink bacon all day, but enjoy your 5% as long as it really stays at 5%.

I have been thinking about a lot this week, but perhaps the most prevalent thought I have had is about how I think about food.

I love food, and maybe, as least for the duration of this journey I am on here, I need to spend more time (like 95% of the time) thinking of food as fuel. In the 5%, I can think about food as whatever I want.

I tend to think of food, as many overweight people do, as comfort, a stress reducer and mood elevator. There is not anything inherently wrong with food being those things for most people, but for me, that kind of thinking is on the list of reasons why I am big. Maybe that is the same for you too.

I have had a lot of success in my life when I have treated food as fuel that I need to keep going and to give me the energy I need to make it through the day and exercise too. This is not a new concept of course, but one that I think some of us forget sometimes. Our kids, specifically the one that eats real food and not just food you can drink but the one that chews food, eats almost entirely healthy foods. Lots of vegetables and fruits and a appropriate amount of proteins. We are teaching him, the other one will get it soon, to eat healthy foods and portions.

We put similar effort into what and how much our dog eats too, for crying out loud! I ask myself often why I do not spend the effort consistently to make sure that I am eating the right foods and the right portions. Why am I not practicing what I am preaching to the little Scubas and to the Scuba-pooch?

I mentioned last week that in the past 6 months I went back to doing what I have done in much of my adult life, and that is too take care of whatever I needed to, but to put myself and specifically my own eating and exercise habits last or almost last. This is a losing paradigm and I am smart enough to know that, yet I still do it for crying off a cliff!

I have said it before and I will say it again. I am too smart to be this fat! I am not even trying to say that I am some kind of genius. (not overtly at least) I am just saying that like most heavy folk, I know how to not be heavy, I just have not been good or consistent at doing what I need to do.

This is all changing folks! For starters, today I walked for at least 2 hours. Tomorrow has more walking in store and maybe some weights for the first time in months.

Wait what is that I see? Oh that’s right. It is the other side of a leaf and I like what I see!!

Take away for this week. This week, know that you are too smart to not be working towards your goals and having crazy amounts of success! Do whatever you need to do to convince yourself of this FACT and start, restart or continue on your way to a better you!

Scuba

Day 19 of 103in365: 10/103

Hey There!

I’m back!

Its day 19 of 365. (allow me to explain)

Things don’t always go the way we planned. (News Flash) One of the big differences between success and failure, is what we do when things don’t go the way we planned.

It has been several months since we have last met in the blogosphere. Much has happened.

To start things off, I lost one of my very best friends of 25 years to cancer in March. I have not had an easy go at working with that, and I did not have an easy go while it was happening.

I have been struggling with how to write about his death, and last months leading up to his death. I got back into some bad eating habits and infrequent workouts while traveling to see him frequently in the last few months of his life. Staying up on my progress with my weight-loss and this blog ended up being more than I was ready for.

My friend was amazing! He accomplished an astounding amount in his 39 years. He lived more in 39 years than many live in 100 years. He was very supportive of my weight-loss and was a reader of this blog. He gave me positive encouragement and support, not just for 103in365 but for the entire 25 years we were friends! I miss him terribly and also remember the conversations we had earlier this year about how proud he was of me and how much happier and healthier he knew I was going to be because of my journey.

Next, I injured my back and was not able to work out in the ways I was working out earlier this year. For the most part, I was in a lot of pain and I could only go on walks and do my physical therapy exercises for a few months. The timing of this injury was not appreciated, but really, there is never a good time for a big injury so we just have to roll with the punches.

Next and on a very positive note, since we last spoke my amazing wife and I were blessed with a new addition! (in boy form) He was born at the end of May and is simply amazing, just like his big brother! He is even more of a motivation for me to get back on track! He and momma are healthy and happy and we are very thankful. Although this was very much a welcomed and planned life change, as any parent knows, adding a kid to the family team brings with it many changes that have to be sorted out and dialed in. Any big change that requires this can take a lot out of you, in the short run at least.

So with those three big changes, not to mention all the normal life stuff, I have struggled a lot with emotions, motivation and inability to workout the way I was working out since the last time I blogged. I ended up doing what many overweight people do, and that is to put my health on the back burner and deal with everything else that is going on. This was not a good strategy, but it was the one I went with and I take accountability for that and blame only myself. 

I could have decided to let this whole “journey” thing go and to find excuses to almost be ok with that, but that is not what I am about! That is not what 103in365 is about!

This month I knew it was time and that I was ready to get back on it! In the roughly 6 months since my last blog, I had gained back all but 3 lbs of the weight that I had lost. (sad face) But wait, (happy face) today is a new day and opportunity is ripe for the picking.

I have decided to start my journey anew. I began again on August 1, and have since lost 10 LBS! My weight on 8-1-13 was (gulp) 315 lbs. So with some simple math, my new goal after I have lost 103 lbs is 212 lbs and my new target date is August 1, 2014.

I am re-committing to this blog and to Monday weigh-ins. I am re-committing to all the goals and strategies that I was doing before. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it!” Those things were working, I just stopped doing them. Now I am doing them again and feeling energized, hopeful and confident (just like last time around). There are so many real psychological and physiological benefits we get from setting and working towards healthy goals. It amazes me!

Here is a new commitment for 103in365 Round 2! I will blog every week, starting today through August 1, 2014. This means that even if (when) life gets crazy or the unexpected or expected big changes happen even if they are catastrophic and devastating, I will blog anyway and I will not backslide and I WILL reach my goal!! You are stuck with me, valued reader, and this time I am not going anywhere!

So there you have it! I’m back and more motivated than ever!

Take away for this week. Life, and death, will knock you down sometimes. You can count on it. When it does, you can stay down or you can get back up, dust yourself off, reevaluate and get back working on your goals. I choose the getting back up plan!

Smaller Scuba, here I come!

Scuba