December82011
Hello world of fitness, health and lifestyle tumblrs!
So it’s been a minute since I last updated and I want you all to rest assured that just because I haven’t been as verbose, doesn’t mean I’ve given up on losing weight or common-sense eating. I mean, sure there have been those emotional days of mega calorie intake, which I’ll get into later, but on the whole I’ve been losing those lbs slowly but surely.
I’ve lost 20 pounds!
That’s right! In the last 4 months I’ve shed about 20 pounds taking my weight down to 230. I’m fitting into pants I haven’t worn in at least a year and I don’t feel as gross and blimpy as I used to. I don’t feel like hiding in my room in shame and embarrassment and I don’t mind seeing and meeting new people. I even have a girlfriend so life in that regard is looking up. But I don’t want to get complacent, it’s time to dig deeper and continue onward.
SO, I’ve recently moved away from Salt Lake City and now live in the Washington, DC area (Old Town Alexandria to be exact). I love it out here. It’s historic, and I feel more responsible of my own life. This has led to me being rather sensible about my dieting most of the time. I think the stress of moving, providing for myself, finding myself in an entirely new environment has had its fair share of emotional-eating binges but those are getting fewer and farther between, and the trick is to NOT let it frustrate me into a series of gorge days. Brush it off. We good.
The success in weight loss is definitely encouraging and motivating to me to keep it up. Even though I have weird conversations in my mind about how to measure progress and set goals.
Confession: I say things to myself like ‘when I’m done with this tube of toothpaste I’ll be five pounds lighter.’
Also it’s very exciting to note that I have a smart phone (FINALLY) and it will be much easier to photograph and post what I’m eating, whenever I’m eating it. Feel free to keep up with me and keep me in check on twitter, foursquare or yelp all under the handle @PlanetJoseph.
Cheers and happy eating!
April72011
Anonymous asked: ive been trying to loose weight for a long time, what are some motivational things that can keep you going
Dear Anonymous…
How the hell should I know??! I’ve hovered at the 250 pound mark for what seems like forever! And I’d say that motivation would be the weakest link as far as getting back in shape (and getting healthy) goes for me.
That said, allow me to offer this sound (albeit hypocritical) advice:
1. Set small attainable goals. This one has actually helped me lose 10 pounds in the last couple months. I don’t get overwhelmed and I just chug along gradually. Preventing the feeling of being overwhelmed is the key to staying motivated…for me at least. I’m not trying to do some monumental task so just keep progressing on in my goals.
2. Plan activities and events that sort of force you to stay on track. Sign up for a 5K or plan a wicked hike with friends this summer. Social events can work too. I have a reunion coming up and it’s on the beach and I am way motivated to want to get in shape for that. Having these signposts on your calendar give you something to work toward and they do stimulate motivation. I signed up for a 12K (Bloomsday) in May and while I’m not where I had hoped or planned to be at this point (4 weeks out from the race)…I’m working hard to get better prepared. It’s motivating!
3. Don’t let falling off the motivational bandwagon spiral you to a week of gorging your face and turning your mouth into a black hole for junkfood. We’ve all been there…it’s epically disgusting. And it screws up your bowels if you know what I mean. If you cheat or slip up or whatever…hey, no biggie! Don’t think “well, tomorrow is a new day.” Instead think “right now is a new minute…a new hour. I can restart or hop back on my non-gravy train right now dammit!”
4. I don’t really know. I’m still navigating what motivates me the most. You’ve got to do the same. Experiment! It’s not only desire. I need to trick myself into health until it becomes part of my core. I can see it inching that way and I have to say for the short progress I’ve made so far…it feels pretty damn good.
January252011
So I think I’ve mentioned before that I tried a “boot camp” type gym last year and all it got me was stress factures and added weight. I was just starting out in my attempt at weight loss…or shall we just say getting in shape? Not that boot camp was all bad, or deserves all the blame as to why it didn’t work for me. I didn’t have the discipline to drastically change my eating habits (actually more like soda-drinking habits) but in the end it was just too much too soon. I overdid…wanting to impress my “trainers” and keep up with the other 2 people in the class. There was a lot going on in my life and I am proud that I made it every day to the gym for 6 weeks but I couldn’t even go to the last few days of training because I was injured and my muscles simply wouldn’t let me do one pushup. It was really weird. My muscles at the top of my rib cage still spaz out when I do crunches and stuff. Also, I didn’t know enough and wasn’t confident enough to say no when I hit a barrier or reached my limit. So in the end it was $300 down the drain, or so I saw it. The only benefit I could tell was that I did feel a little stronger, but that’s because their model was so focused on weights…and for a guy whose trying to lose weight, doing that much heavy, maximum lifting was just a matter of misplaced priorities.
Anyway, I’m here to tell you that I’m going back to “Boot Camp.” No, I didn’t join the military, and no it’s not the same gym as before…It was groupon. You know, that deal a day website? I got a month’s worth of boot camp for a whopping $25. But I feel that now I at least know the pros and cons and I won’t let myself get pushed around or too far. I think I can find a good balance of intense daily workout without going overboard and injuring myself. I’ve been radically changing my diet and this blog has helped to stay motivated (even if I’ve slacked in entries lately) and I’m more knowledgable about my personal body and exercise that I know when I’m being pushed too far. I’m gonna call the shots at boot camp and I’m really going to try and get the most out of it.
January182011
Hello folks! Have you missed me? Well, I can’t say I’ve been on a Mediterranean cruise or anything like that…I’ve just been the dreaded L word. LAZY! It was a downward spiral with New Year’s like chutes and ladders. Except it was all chutes and not very many ladders.
Actually that’s not entirely true. I haven’t regressed back to terrible eating (although I’ve gotten a little lax with 5 small meals a day etc.) and I haven’t totally given up on exercise (although I did let my gym membership expire) but I’ve been hanging in there. The worse offense has been not blogging about it since y’all are what keep me honest and motivated.
But I’m back. I don’t know that I’ll do daily food journaling but I may keep that separately then post it at the end of the week or something. But for tonight I wanted to very briefly share a book I’ve been reading.
It’s called, I Can Make You Confident, by Paul McKenna. (picture coming)
Now, is this cheesy? Totally. But, I’ve worked past that. I decided I didn’t want to wait until I had the body I wanted in order to have confidence in myself. I decided that on the way to becoming my best (and most confident) self I need to work on confidence the same way I work out my body. I don’t think confidence will automatically fill the hole my lost weight leaves vacant. Basically, I’m trying to say that I don’t want every other good quality I desire to hinge on that moment in time that I finally get the body I desire. So I’m going to have confidence now. At least I’m going to start building it and working at it. Hence the book. It’s actually quite enjoyable reading, and it has simple visualization techniques and exercises to help build confidence while becoming your most authentic self. Oh, and to top it off with a little new-age cheesy weirdness…it comes with a hypnosis CD to help meditation.
It’s totally awesome! I don’t even care how that makes me sound (like I’m from Sedona or something). I’m open to try anything to help me become the person I want to be. Yet I don’t want to hopelessly fall for gimmicks or look to external factors for internal improvement. It’s work! It’s personal! But if this book can aid me a little to facilitate what I’ve clearly failed to do for myself…than I say, hey, bring on the hypnosis baby. Bring on the confidence.
December292010
Gosh it’s hard to get back on the wagon. I know I keep telling myself it’s a lifestyle change…but changes in lifestyle take time and involve the development of good habits. I guess you could say I’m in the ‘developmental phase’ of a lifestyle change. I do pretty good on most meals. If only holiday eating were only on the actual holiday. What about leftovers people?! And so…I indulge. I’ve been really good continuing vitamins and supplements and staying hydrated (though I admit I can still improve there—it take planning!). The truth—and I think the trick—of it is to just keep on keeping on despite the slipups. Perhaps the lifestyle change is to speed up the recovery time before getting back on the health horse and minimizing damage when I do fall off (like if I cheat, just cheat a little less dramatically). I don’t know if this makes sense with any of you but I’m just spouting off here. “Tomorrow” is a terrible word, and a useful word as well. It’s the double-edged sword that invites procrastination for positive change, but also illuminates the hope that comes with each new day. Now I’m waxing philosophic. And while my thoughts in this instance are within the context of eating and health, I am starting to really learn that such is the case with literally everything in my life. So raise a glass (of water) to life. Tomorrow is a new day, and an hour from now is a new hour, and right now I can determine the fate of both!
December242010
“Dr. Ellis, a 52 year old anesthesiologist, lost 125 lbs over 20 months by altering his diet and adding regular exercise to his regime. He shares his struggles, successes, and medical knowledge here.”
This facebook page is a great inspiration for anyone struggling to lose weight. He’s very focused on a nutritious diet while watching out for the budget. I drop in from time to time cause he always has good tips and stories. Check it out.
December232010
“”The beauty of knowing how to cook is that it makes you resilient, adaptable and resourceful, no matter what ingredients you have in front of you.”
Jaime Oliver. chef. food activist. father. - taken from his article in the Economist. read it!
1PM
Anonymous asked: Hi, I am a boy, and i wass wondering if u had any tips on how to cut down on a big but. like to tone it? how long would that take!"
Dear bigbuttboy,
I can’t really give you a straightforward answer, as I am just starting on my own weight loss adventure. I don’t know much about targeting specific areas of the body. All I can say is I believe that eating right and exercise help to shape the body, uh, the right way? Every body type is different so maybe your extra pounds gravitate toward your “dairy aire.” I’d guess and say that if it’s only a few pounds you’d need to lose, and you’re exercising and eating well, it might not take that long. Otherwise, I’m sure personal trainers have had much weirder questions, so I wouldn’t be afraid to ask one. Also, a simple google search for “getting rid of a big butt” yields a ton of different sites and forums that answer your specific question. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Good luck!
