Yesterday, the missus and I went down to Ocean City, and for the first time all summer, we didn't go to simply "walk the boardwalk." Normally, we go down to power walk the 5 miles (23rd street to the end and back) and just enjoy the ocean view, the ridiculous humans that populate it, and find new and inventive ways to not eat the crap that they peddle as food. Yesterday we succumbed...sort of.
My friends know I dig me a good cheesesteak. Probably my all time fave food is a great cheesy cheesesteak- no onions, lettuce or other crap. I believe the sandwich should stand up on the merits of the cheese and meat flavor. I had a chicken cheesesteak yesterday. With mozzarella sticks, my all time fave side order. I ate them, and enjoyed it immensely. I didn't feel guilty, because I had a healthy breakfast, and a light dinner. That lunch was my main meal of the day, and I still fell into my caloric and fat range for the day.
Balance. Compromise. I will scream it from the bloody rooftops if I could.
If you want the naughty food, fine. Have it, satisfy your desire to have it, then move on. Do this and you will see results, without sabotaging yourself in the long run. That's what I've done.
And you know what? I'm now within just 4-5 pounds from hitting my goal weight. I've lost nearly 60 pounds.
You can too.
Cheers!
Monday, August 5, 2013
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Mentality
One of the things I hear the most from people that comment on my weight (how much I've lost, how good I look, etc..) is that they ask me what diet I'm on. This is an important question, because the implication is that I'm doing some kind of special "super-duper diet," the secrets of which can only be bought with 3 easy installments of $39.95. This is not the case, and really never has been. To wit, I really have to laugh at abominations like the Atkins diet. Holy God, what hath we wrought unleashing this monstrosity on an unsuspecting public? The idea that your body doesn't need/shouldn't have carbohydrates seems ludicrous to me. I'm no nutritionist, but even I know that a healthy diet (and "healthy" is the key word here) must include an adequate supply of carbs. Furthermore, everyone I've met that has tried it took off like 20 pounds in the first fortnight, and then immediately put it back on. Therefore, that tells me that there is something seriously wrong here.
Back to my point: I don't use fad diets, I never have and never will.
So what do I tell people that ask me what my so-called secret is?
Wait for it...
Answer: Mentality.
That's it. Like everything in life, your health is (largely) a choice that you make. Do you eat the cheeseburger or get the salad? It's really that simple. But if you're anything like me, you enjoy a cheesesteak from time to time, or a pizza on occasion. Yes I enjoy these from time to time, but I find modifications to make them more palatable to a healthy lifestyle (which is really what we should be aiming for). Instead of a straight-up cheesesteak, I found a place that makes a killer cheesesteak salad. It is delicious, and it helps me control how much crap goes into my body. In the same vein, instead of eating an entire large, hand-tossed pizza with pepperoni and sausage, instead I opt for a thin crust, with light cheese, and throw on veggies and chicken. Boom. Compromise achieved! Not only does it jive with my goal of healthier eating, but it helps satiate my desire to eat this crap.
Reason: lifestyle change.
If it was a diet, I would hate it. When was the last time you loved being on a diet? Even the word "diet" is spelled with the word "die" in it. That's why diets in my opinion rarely work: because most folks go into them dreading them, because they expect to hate it. Most do. The real question is what happens after the diet? You get off of it and put the weight back on? You have to do it again after blowing up like a lard-filled balloon? That is so counter-intuitive as far as I'm concerned.
Theme emerging.
My friend (or friends. I'm humble about the number of people who actually read this), the point is that there is no special trick. No magic pill, word, or spell that will get you healthy for the long haul. It is all in your mind. If you change the way you look at your body and its health, and approach both with a long-term (lifetime) view of how to make it better, then you will succeed for the rest of your life.
And have the occasional cheesesteak.
Cheers!
Back to my point: I don't use fad diets, I never have and never will.
So what do I tell people that ask me what my so-called secret is?
Wait for it...
Answer: Mentality.
That's it. Like everything in life, your health is (largely) a choice that you make. Do you eat the cheeseburger or get the salad? It's really that simple. But if you're anything like me, you enjoy a cheesesteak from time to time, or a pizza on occasion. Yes I enjoy these from time to time, but I find modifications to make them more palatable to a healthy lifestyle (which is really what we should be aiming for). Instead of a straight-up cheesesteak, I found a place that makes a killer cheesesteak salad. It is delicious, and it helps me control how much crap goes into my body. In the same vein, instead of eating an entire large, hand-tossed pizza with pepperoni and sausage, instead I opt for a thin crust, with light cheese, and throw on veggies and chicken. Boom. Compromise achieved! Not only does it jive with my goal of healthier eating, but it helps satiate my desire to eat this crap.
Reason: lifestyle change.
If it was a diet, I would hate it. When was the last time you loved being on a diet? Even the word "diet" is spelled with the word "die" in it. That's why diets in my opinion rarely work: because most folks go into them dreading them, because they expect to hate it. Most do. The real question is what happens after the diet? You get off of it and put the weight back on? You have to do it again after blowing up like a lard-filled balloon? That is so counter-intuitive as far as I'm concerned.
Theme emerging.
My friend (or friends. I'm humble about the number of people who actually read this), the point is that there is no special trick. No magic pill, word, or spell that will get you healthy for the long haul. It is all in your mind. If you change the way you look at your body and its health, and approach both with a long-term (lifetime) view of how to make it better, then you will succeed for the rest of your life.
And have the occasional cheesesteak.
Cheers!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Better Late than Never
There are so many blogs and online journals, and with social media- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like- that it begs the question: why should you read this particular one?
What makes me special? What am I all about? What is this particular plot of real estate in cyberspace focused on?
The answer to these questions is pretty straightforward: Living well.
Being better than yesterday.
Health. Strength. Desire.
The need to improve.
To sharpen the focus, indulge me in some background, if you will.
I am 31 years old. To me, that sounds astonishingly old. I never imagined what 31 would feel like, and I still feel like a man who lives in his youth. I am 31 years old, and, I believe, in the best shape of my life. Considering where I've come from, that astounds me- even now, and I've been at this living thing for a little bit now. (By the way, if you're older than me and reading this, congratulations. It's a lot harder than it looked growing up!)
Why should you care that I'm in the best shape of my life? Because I wasn't always where I am at today. Indeed, it wasn't too long ago that I was overweight, unenergetic, lethargic (yes, redundant, I know) and just in a sad state of affairs. I had always been under the delusion that I was somehow exempt from the laws of nature; that is, if you eat more than your body burns, than the excess becomes fat deposits. And these deposits do some really bad things to your body if not eliminated. In 2009, I had amassed 230 pounds onto a 5'11" frame. I can't even claim that I was just really muscular. Indeed, I was just a sad sack of lethargic lipids.
Then I changed the course of my life. I exercised. Slowly, badly at first. But I took steps in the right direction. Those steps became bigger, stronger, more pronounced. And now, nearly 60 pounds lighter, and more athletic than I have ever been, I choose to share what I can, from what I have learned over the course of years of trying to be better than I was yesterday. Consider yourselves lucky. Indeed, if this helps anyone with their own health issues be better, than I say "Mission accomplished." But also, I think the point of this particular collection of words will be to remind me of where I have been, where I am, and where I can go.
Cheers!
What makes me special? What am I all about? What is this particular plot of real estate in cyberspace focused on?
The answer to these questions is pretty straightforward: Living well.
Being better than yesterday.
Health. Strength. Desire.
The need to improve.
To sharpen the focus, indulge me in some background, if you will.
I am 31 years old. To me, that sounds astonishingly old. I never imagined what 31 would feel like, and I still feel like a man who lives in his youth. I am 31 years old, and, I believe, in the best shape of my life. Considering where I've come from, that astounds me- even now, and I've been at this living thing for a little bit now. (By the way, if you're older than me and reading this, congratulations. It's a lot harder than it looked growing up!)
Why should you care that I'm in the best shape of my life? Because I wasn't always where I am at today. Indeed, it wasn't too long ago that I was overweight, unenergetic, lethargic (yes, redundant, I know) and just in a sad state of affairs. I had always been under the delusion that I was somehow exempt from the laws of nature; that is, if you eat more than your body burns, than the excess becomes fat deposits. And these deposits do some really bad things to your body if not eliminated. In 2009, I had amassed 230 pounds onto a 5'11" frame. I can't even claim that I was just really muscular. Indeed, I was just a sad sack of lethargic lipids.
Then I changed the course of my life. I exercised. Slowly, badly at first. But I took steps in the right direction. Those steps became bigger, stronger, more pronounced. And now, nearly 60 pounds lighter, and more athletic than I have ever been, I choose to share what I can, from what I have learned over the course of years of trying to be better than I was yesterday. Consider yourselves lucky. Indeed, if this helps anyone with their own health issues be better, than I say "Mission accomplished." But also, I think the point of this particular collection of words will be to remind me of where I have been, where I am, and where I can go.
Cheers!
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