It's interesting the way things creep in

I have been weighing myself very frequently lately and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of progress, so I decided to just give up.  I cancelled my membership to the gym and I don't care what I eat anymore.

Just kidding.  That was actually a hard statement to type even as a joke yet I've actually done that a million times.  My weight really hasn't shifted much and although it's a bit discouraging I know it's not a very smart tool for tracking my progress.  It seems that when trying to lose weight, WEIGHT would be the measurement of choice, but it is not.  I actually have no good answer for this, I know some people measure waist size and I've tried that but I never know if I'm pulling the tape tighter or if it's in a slightly different spot on my not so easy to measure belly.  So I will continue to weigh myself as an act of discipline and because I know that eventually things will change.  The tool I am going to use in my endeavor is going to be "Faith".  I have faith that if I keep doing what I'm doing I will get what I should be getting.

I feel this whole struggle with "Plateau's" of weight loss that even plague that hardest of Biggest Loser contestants is sort of symbolic.  We live in a culture that has become dependent on instant gratification, we need results and cures and solutions and we need them now.  We need a million dollars and we need it now.  We need to borrow money on everything because we need it now.  What a test of patience that losing weight really is?  In fact, it's more of an emotional battle than a physical one, everyone knows the secret to losing weight, we just don't want to admit it.  When you admit that...

 CALORIES BURNED > CALORIES EATEN = WEIGHT LOSS

You have realized that the only way to lose weight or the only way to achieve anything is through hard work.  Would you like to know the secret of millionaires?  The sure-fire, 100 % guarantee to have 1,000,000 dollars.....

GO TO WORK AND EARN ONE MILLION DOLLARS!

It's so simple yet this country is so full of whining babies complaining about their given lot in this life.  I'm sorry you were dealt a foul hand, shut up and do something about it.  

I love getting a new book or website about losing weight and reading articles about "6-pack abs in minutes", or "Get that summer body back", what summer body?  I never had one of those.

Why do I love these, well, not only are they encouraging but I can sit on my couch and read them.  These kinds of things make you feel like you're working towards weight loss without actually having to work.  Reading about losing weight will make you smarter, not thinner.  So stop reading this blog.

I make this point to take what the weight loss "Industry", if that's a real thing, has done to weight loss and fix it.  Everyone is trying to sell a cure or a faster method or an easier method to a problem that has only one solution.  There should be only one book about "HOW to lose weight" and the first and last page should say this

 "Burn more calories than you consume for as long of a period of time as it takes"  

There are a lot of key words in this one sentence that we can take a closer look at.

Burn - - - Burn is a good word for weight loss because getting burned hurts.  So does burning lots of calories.  So get used to feeling the burn.

Calories - - - This word has become as common as "the" in our culture.  Don't take this word so lightly, here is how I visualize calories.  $$$    If you were ten years old and you agreed to haul bricks from the bottom of a hill to the top of the hill for eight hours and you were given 8 dollars, every single one of those dollars would mean a lot to you.  Spend your calories wisely, the easiest way to do this is to get on a treadmill or whatever machine you choose and earn 1000 calories.  I almost always burn between 800 - 900 calories when I do cardio and it's amazing how much harder it is just to get to 1000.  When you "Earn" these kinds of calories it's a lot easier to make good eating decisions; if you could waste your whole workout on one bad snack you'll be surprised at how unappealing that snack becomes.

Time - - - Time is another important word.  Most plans and diets are based on some sort of time frame.  Time is good for short term goals and tracking progress but telling your progress how much time it has to become is a mistake.  If someone has a weight loss plan that says you'll lose 20 pounds in 3 months; what happens if you only lose 12 pounds.  "Well, it's been 3 months, I guess I'm done"  NO!  You are done when you lose 20 pounds, even if it takes 30 months or you are done when you give up.  No weight loss plan fails unless you give up.  The problem is how sneaky "Giving up" can be

It's interesting the way things creep in.  When I started eating healthier I gave up soda almost completely.  I allow myself one or two cokes at work on Friday and Saturday and that's about it.  The problem is the "about it" part of that sentence.  I don't like strict regulations about things but I need to realize when my leniency is getting worse.  Yesterday after school I was kind of tired and had to go to work and I felt like I deserved a Dr. Pepper.  Why did I deserve a Dr Pepper?  Did I win a "You deserve a Dr. Pepper contest?"  I don't like how easily and undetected my soda habit was trying to sneak back into my life.  Soda is almost entirely worthless in every way and I love it.  I just remember how hard that last 200 calories at the gym is and suddenly that Dr. Pepper looks like a 2/3 cup of sugar.  Which it basically is.

SAD FACT....

What is the one single item that Americans get more calories from than any other item?  

POP.  That's not in the junk food category either, that's in the FOOD category.  That is sick.

We fuel our bodies with a substance that has no nutritional value whatsoever.

If you are what you eat and you feel like $hit, what are you eating?

So we now have the only book we need on how to lose weight.  Now go ahead America, write books on how to have discipline, how to find time, how to care, how to deal with eating disorders, how to stop being lazy, how to make priorities your priorities.  We do have a lot of these kinds of books and I suggest reading as many as you can.

Let me sum up all of what's been on my mind

1.) Be aware.  What's in your food?  How often do you "Deserve" a treat and why?  Has your workout plan gone from 5 days a week to 3, why?  Maybe your cardio time has gone from 30 to 60.  Good.  Lot's of people out there are saying you only need 30 minutes of activity "most" days a week.  What's "Activity" mean?  What's "Most" days a week?  4?  If you don't need to take a shower after you work out, then you didn't work out.  I'm serious.  I see a lot of people at the gym who sit on those bike things and read magazines while their legs sort of pedal.  Not a drop of sweat, then they get up and put their 300 dollar coat on.  When I'm done working out, it's hard to get my shirt off and I wouldn't dream of putting a coat on unless I wanted to throw it away later.  Don't consider it working out if you're not "Working".  I admire people who walk their dogs and spend time with their spouse but let me ask you this.  Do you desperately need a shower when you get home?  You know who you are.

2.)  There are a lot of techniques and new plans.  I tried the super popular "Interval training".  You are basically walking one minute, sprinting 30 seconds back and forth and back and forth.  There is all this science behind how it affects your heat rate and you can burn more calories in less time.  That's fine if you don't have time, truly don't have time.  I can't get behind a plan that has you working out 20 minutes, 3 days a week.  The numbers don't lie.  I can't burn 1000 calories in 20 minutes, it's impossible in my current shape and probably impossible for anybody.  I may never lose weight and maybe my plan will be a total failure but I doubt it.  I'm placing my money down on the "Work really hard, be realistic, if it doesn't hurt it didn't work" workout plan.

3.)  I want only the best for people, I hope to inspire you with my story and I hope to lose weight for all the same reasons as everyone else AND to gain credibility for all that I say.  I don't believe there is room for "Feelings" in this department.  If I hurt your feelings or you're not helping someone else lose weight because you don't want to hurt their feelings then you might be killing them.  It's not your fault but don't be an enabler.  Tough love is the only way to help people lose weight.  If you're loved one was shooting heroin or playing in traffic or taking naps on railroads you wouldn't say "Well, whatever makes you happy".  Happy feelings and sympathy are for babies and people dealing with tragedy.  I will have sympathy for your loved ones at your funeral when you die of heart disease, not until then.  Same goes for me.  I'm 26 and I desperately don't want diabetes, I want to keep up with my kids someday, I want to get to know my grandchildren.  It's not worth it.  If you can't do this on your own, go get counseling, hire a trainer, do whatever it takes.  You owe it to everybody who loves you.  "BEING FAT" KILLS MORE PEOPLE THAN CIGARETTES!  It's a big deal!

I am here for anyone who needs help anyway that I can.