Getting Functionally Fit

Hey Coach, if you like stats, I heard one today that simply blew me away...for every child who reaches his/her 18th birthday at a "morbidly obese" weight, only 1 in 30 will be able to achieve an "average weight" in his/her lifetime. I think it's great you work with kids, because I'm sure that when the school year starts there will be more than a few of them who will notice you dropping the weight and even if you never know it, just seeing you succeed in this may be the inspiration/motivation that changes a kid's life.
 
Thanks for kind words people, and that is a very sad fact cym. I do hope that the things I do are showing younger people good example. and i mean that in more than just being healthy and fit.

Weighed in at new low again today: 406.6. getting closer and closer to progress mark number 1. I guess maybe it is time to start planning for progress mark number 2. Do you guys think I should keep each goal in the same increments? I know that time periods will have to change since weight will start coming off more slowly in the coming months, but I was thinking about changing the increments. Not sure if I should keep it the same, make it smaller, or make it larger. Im not really in a position where I need really short and small goals to keep myself motivated or anything.

I think maybe I will base it the next progress mark on an average weekly goal of sorts. Ill plan to lose approximately 0.75% of my body weight each week, and set my next progress mark as 350 pounds. Thats 3 pounds lost per week, and means I should take approximately 17 weeks to reach number 2. So assuming that I make number 1 on August 1, 2007, number 2 will be set for November 28, 2007. And since I like to keep things "even", Im just going to say progress mark number 2 is set for December 1, 2007. Which is pretty cool, because even after taking into account a slowdown in weight loss, I will still be ahead of my originally planned positions. I could be back down to where I was in high school by the New Year! lol! and that would be sweet because that means I could be under 300 by the time next track season rolls around. and if that happens, right about this time next year I could possibly be back into competition and competing at the empire state games...
 
That sounds like a perfect plan Coach! I know you can do it. Big congrats on the new low :jump:. The kids at school will be absolutely shocked when you walk in there so much lighter. You will be the weight loss guru go-to guy, that'is really needed for some younger folks to head off the problem.
 
405.2

10 days to go. not going to do anything drastic to fudge my way to my goal, just going to use the countdown as a motivator to stay on track. though im not sure thats even really neccesary, since its been 2 full months now and I havent lost control yet.

At this point in time, i think i have come up with my own personal top 3 factors for weight loss success. Though I realize that in the grand scheme of things, i still have a very long ways to go (not only 1 year or 2 to get to goal weight, but another 60 years to maintain it), these factors have allowed me to take control of my will so far.

1. Sorting out the physiological causes for psychological issues. For me personally, getting onto some decent medication, and even more importantly, taking it consistantly and properly, has made a world of difference for the way I view the world in general. Staying focused on your goals in life is a heck of a lot easier when you arent distracted 4 or 5 days a week by severe bout of depression. The physiological inability to be happy/content/pleased/satisfied/motivated/etc can really screw with your life, no matter how things are in the rest of your world. Though not quite so many people have a physiological reason for a psychological imbalance, many severely overweight people do suffer from psychological issues. Some help in this regard may be the starting key to success in change. And held doesn't neccesarily mean a psychiatrist or medication. A simple and honest reflection on the way you view the world may help to change your own perspectives for the better.

2. An understanding of the importance of knowledge. My mother always encouraged education from as young as I can remember. My desire to know and understand has lead me to educate myself as best I can on all topics that I find influence my life. That very much includes nutrition and exercise. Rather than sitting on my butt waiting for others to tell me what to do, I am out learning it for myself. Having a good understanding of whats going on in my body and how to make it work properly gives me a neverending world of flexibility, opportunity, and creativity. I can change my own routines and programs to fit my life on the fly because i have an innate understanding of whats going on. I know how to make proper substitutions when neccesary. All of this gives me a much greater chance of success. I would say that for the average person this is probably the single most important factor of success in weight loss. I would be willing to bet that nearly every person who is in that 5% of people who maintain their weight loss took the time to learn about nutrition and exercise, rather than just letting someone else tell them what to do and when. They gave themselves the tools to succeed for a lifetime, rather than just one summer.

3. Acceptance. Plain and simple. Understanding that some things are the way they are, and that in order to overcome them, its going to take some work. I think this really falls in line well with what Steve has said about Pain vs. Pleasure. I've mentioned before that I sometimes raise myself on a bit of a pedestal (in my mind only, not in my actions) when I realize how difficult my journey might be in comparison to others. Instead of letting that difficulty get to me, I have accepted it for what its worth. It now fuels me rather than defeating me. Cardio! I hated it... but I know what it can do for me. I have accepted it as a neccesary part of my life forever, and am currently implementing a plan to make it as such. It only gets easier and easier as I realize what its doing and start to accept it as a joy rather than a pain. And then there is the most difficult thing to accept of all (for me at least): Food. In the past I simply could not get over why others could eat what they wanted and not gain weight. The unfairness of it would literally drive me insane. Even though they may have been eating less of those tasty and fattening foods than I was, whatever it was, they were satisfied and did not have to make limitations on what they were doing. They didnt need to fight temptation, or test their will power. and I hated both them and myself for that difference. Now... it is not the same. I am happy for people who never have to go through what I do. Perhaps they have other more difficult things in their life anyways. I have accepted that my path is my path. I must overcome my own personal difficulties in my own methods without relating to those who dont share my same situation. After all, it is comparing apples to oranges. Being where/who/what I am is no longer a pain. I have instead done my best through my own personal thoughts and thinking to realize that it is more like an adventure. Someone somewhere along the way is going to recognize me as the hero I am for what I must do.

There is another factor, that while it doesn't get its own numbered spotlight, it is important because it is the concept of unifying the 3 main factors. Our human ideals and notions of perfection can often be the single most deterrent enemy. For all that I have said in this writing, there is still going to be times when things become painful, when my willpower slips, when I encounter something I do not know and understand. When it comes to metabolism and the human body in general, there isnt much in terms of exact science. Formulas and the likes are educated guesses, and though well educated some may be, they are still approximations and estimates. Even things like nutrition info on the side of the box are rounded approximations of the average. The margins are wide in this segment of our world, and thus the three factors become even more important to stick to it in the long run. Things do not always match whats written on paper in the real world, and will not always go as planned. But we cannot let this lack of perfection defeat us. Give out more punches than we receive, and at the end of the match the judges will declare us the clear victors.

I dont know how many people will read this, or how many people will use this to their advantage, but I do know it has affected one person in a very positive manner: myself.

Hope this post helps to make up for my relative absence around here this past week, lol
 
It took me some time to read this...had to read it twice in fact...cause it was worth thinking about as I read. What can I say...you are dead spot on...and number two above all rings true in my own head....I can count three specific times in the past six months that the only reason I did not give in to seemingly overpowering urges to just cram massive amounts of food down my throat was a basic knowledge of what was going on with my body and what to do about it.
 
DANG :eek2: Are you working it hard or WHAT?? Your doing a fantastic job, keep going!! Are you still eating normal calories?? It seems to be melting off of you these days. I hope your getting plenty of rest and good food to eat!
Kim
 
i have actually increased my calories a little bit since i started working out. I've learned the joy of taste all over again. Rather than the obsession with satiety, i simply enjoy the small things here and there, all well within my calorie needs. For instance, I had a tablespoon of butter on my corn tonight. Rather than just slathering on as much as my eyes thought neccesary (which was always more than really needed), i measured it out and made it last. It tasted great, and because I know how to manipulate my calories properly, my fat content is still in my goal range. Also, because I choose the right type of butter, it was mostly healthy fats anyways.

I gotta be honest. I dont even really feel like im working hard at this. My gym workouts are not at the intensity I am known for as I am still progressing back into it. I'm not forcing myself through some insane diet. I'm just playing it smart, and keeping attention to detail. I know eventually it gets harder to lose further, but by the time i get to that point, i should be back at full physical intensity, and I probably wont even notice it.

I cant help but feeling just plain old lucky at times. Something clicked. Ive done lots of hard work, but somehow I caught onto what I personally needed to find my motivation. Now im like a freight train and nothing but myself can stop me.

I see other people unable to say no to food. and really, not such much unable to say no to food, as unable to make healthy choices in appropriate moderation. and it saddens me, because I was there too once. and there really isnt anything you can say to them to get them to do it right. you can give them the information they need, you can bolster their confidence and self-esteem, but you cannot force them to want it enough to do it. Everyone has some secret reason why they fail at this consistantly, and most people cannot even identify that reason. I think alot of people dont really want to identify. It can be downright scary to take an honest evaluation of the person you are, and the reasons why you do what you do. Let's face it, physically making change is F'ing hard. We get into our ruts, we are comfortable with what we do, and trying to break out of those ruts is scary and hard. We are not set up to succeed at this. The majority of people havent got the will and determination to change who they are permanently, and besides that, too many of them are too ignorant to even know they could benefit from a change. I fear our culture will suffer from this pandemic of obesity for a long time, until science creates a miracle, or the culture itself changes significantly. or a severe natural disaster on a global scale, lol. though that really isnt a funny thing...

prolly seems so contradictory to hear such negativity from a person who is currently successful. i guess its a function of realizing that i really am lucky that I can choose to change myself permanently. and that anyone else who does that as well, is also pretty darn lucky. after all, anyone of us could be just like the millions of others who will forever remain too ignorant, scared, unmotivated, etc to change their lives for the better. Lots of work to do, but at the same time, like a little bit of magic that prods us to begin the change in earnest. Just a touch of luck to really get serious. But hey, then again, maybe it never was luck. Maybe its just something I dont understand yet.


quite a bit of rambling in this one. may come back and edit it up, or delete entirely. just felt like talking out into thin air, lol
 
Hey Coach,

personally I hope you end up opting to just let your post stand as it is...it's just reality and reality isn't "positive" or "negative"...it just is what it is...right now something like 66% of Americans are overweight, and I recently saw (I think it was on CNN) that it's projected to be 75% by 2015.

BTW, I don't think you are particularily "lucky"...barring some rather uncommon medical causes, pretty much every one of us has the potential to do exactly what you are doing, you've simply made the choice to actually do it - part of that speaks to your character.

I have more than a few overweight (in a few cases significantly so) co-workers who have been on and off so many "weight loss plans" through the last few years that I no longer pay attention when they corner me to talk about their latest and greatest...simply because everytime the rubber meets the road and it comes down to facing the fact that some permanant changes have to be made rather than drop a few pound quick fixes - they just don't want to. Not "can't" but "don't want to". You want to...therefore you are.
 
That is so true, you can bring a horse to water but you cant make it drink. The key to sticking with this is allowing yourself enough food and occasional treats (or maybe you find healthy substitutes for your treats that you start to prefer) to be able to stick with it for the long term. Its no wonder those who are too restrictive with their calories for a short term don't end up slim. No one can keep that up for long, especially if you tend toward a large appetite and love of food (like me :)).

My heart goes out to heavy people who will live their lives like that. Life is just too short and its truly a hard life carrying all that extra weight around, both physically and emotionally. I couldn't believe how much slower I walked with just an added 30 pounds. It makes you just want to help the person so badly, but its true, it really must first come from within.

I'm so excited for you Coach!
 
Hey guys, been a few days since i've been able to get on here and do some posting. Thanks for leaving kind words. Friday night was a planned night "off". Far in advance, I had been planning to go see The Simpsons Movie the first night it came out (i am a big fan, lol). So I made an evening out of it, we went out to dinner and to the movies. I didn't worry about what i was eating or about logging it and keeping track. I just kind of lived life, and it was a nice getaway. Also, the 2 or 3 days before that I was eating around maintenance instead of a large deficit. Maybe not so much for physiological reasons as for psychological ones. I did find myself still making better choices though. And on friday, I still thought about what things would log as, and how much they would be, even though I didnt actually keep track. I hope thats a good sign that its becoming habit. Anyways, even after 3 or 4 days at (and 1 day above most likely) maintenance, I am right back into it, logging my foods and making good choices. I seem to prefer this method now too. Feels comforting to know what is going into me, and that what I am doing is not wrong and evil, lol.

Needless to say, scale has not gone down any further. though it also hasnt really gone up either, so also a good thing there. making the new goal of sub-400 by August 1st might be a little difficult now, but heck, i am still way ahead of the original goal of sub-400 by september 1st.

An interesting turn of event that is not quite completely health related (though will aid i believe): I have been hired by the high school as an assistant modified football coach. Our AD is leaving august first, but i have top recommendation to head coach the indoor track team from the outdoor head coach, the current AD, the superintendant, and the principal. And then of course, I get to keep my position as assistant varsity coach of the track and field program (in reality, head throws coach, lol). Plus, I have also been welcomed back as a substitute again. I think this is good news not only for the added income, but that being around athletics for so much of the year helps keep me active and thinking about health and nutrition. Plus, I am getting paid to do something i enjoy, which is always a nice benefit.

Well, I hope everyone else is doing well. Its been awhile since i got around to other journals, hopefully ill get a chance to catch up soon. in fact, feel free to leave me a little update right in here if you guys want, lol. Thanks again for stopping by.
 
Hi Coach. Your last two posts were great. It sounds like you're doing very well.

I think it's great that you point out how hard it is. We have a culture that continuously infantalizes us in order to make us better consumers. And part of that infantilization is making us desirous of instant change and better yet, easy instant change.

This is a mentality that is almost guaranteed to fail in the weight loss battle, although it will sell a lot more product for the diet and food industries. What these industries don't want to see is the slow, steady, determined approach -- the one that yields a true change in your life. Because if you do that, you won't be a good consumer of junk food and diet products. You'll kick the habit.

Some people don't like to read this stuff. Tough. This is a rough struggle, but the interesting thing is, almost anyone can win it if they have the right approach and they are determined.
 
as of august 2nd, i did not make my advanced goal. plateauing a pound or two above it. Though i did get a little freaked out becayse my scale started playing games with me the morning of august 1st. Stepped on and i weighed 383, lol. obviously finding that too good to be true, i tried again, and then got subsequent readings somewhere along the lines of 394, 398, 390, 408, and a couple other oddball ones, lol. turns out, something had gotten lodged under one of the feet, and the scale was reading wrong each time because it was at enough of an angle to get different readings depending on slight re-distributions of weight. anyways, got it fixed, and i was 401 or 402, something like that. i am wondering if i am holding extra water right now, i know my intake has been lower and i have been sweating more, and a few other signs have suggested this possibility. boosted my water intake up today to try and compensate a little, so maybe things will be different tomorrow.

well, it was a little depressing at first to not have reached my goal. but then i remembered that the real goal was september first. so instead of missing my goal by a few days, i am instead still 27 days or so ahead of it, lol. Hopefully my next post will contain good news...
 
Hey coach,

I just read the last couple posts...Don't let that messed up scale get you down...you were soaring high until the thing went nuts on you.

Ignore the scale for a couple days, and do what you've been doing...It's been working, and you seemed like the pinnacle of determination man.

Keep it up!

Chef Solon
 
Coach, I totally agree. I think we debated this in my diary about a month ago. I totally agree with the everything in moderation approach and I'm thrilled to see you doing so well.
 
Great job Coach! In my eyes you did reach your goal because you've kept at it for this long and you've lost nearly 40 pounds. I remember when you first posted and I'm so glad to see you're still at it (as many who started here are not)! That is incredible..but you also can't expect it to keep up that fast every single week so dont get discouraged when reality sets in on your body sometimes and it tries to hold onto the weight a bit longer for a spell.
 
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