Month: January 2012

I’ve never skydived.

I always wanted to, but never been under the weight limit to tandem-jump. I am now well under the weight limit. Now, I need to get over my fear of heights. (Actually, it’s not a fear of heights, it is the fear of falling from a great height, and then the fear of that sudden stop at the end!)

But exceeding the weight limits was a great excuse to avoid that challenge. So, I think I want to go skydiving. I know that before anyone jumps from a plane, they pack their own chute as a safety and confidence measure. Many wear back-up chutes as well, in case the first doesn’t deploy.

According to the non-scholarly but always entertaining Wikipedia, the US experiences about 1 jumping fatality for every 80,000 jumps.  In 1987, there were 29 fatalities.  That is compared to 856 bicycling, over 7,000 drowned, 1154 died of bee stings, and 80 by lightning. Looked at in the big picture, it is a safe sport. Everyone carefully prepares, and when they are completely ready, they step from the plane.

By now you are wondering how I will relate this to weight management. (I’ve been wondering that myself.) When you purposely fall from a plane, you train, wear the right gear, plan the jump, check the weather, pack your parachute, put on your auxiliary chute (the “Uh-oh chute!”) and usually you do this with friends and teammates.  Everyone always falls down to the ground and most people never get hurt.

This is in contrast to people trying to change their weight. Some people grab at whatever new plan that Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz talks about, or something that they heard on a TV commercial. Others choose one of hundreds of restrictive diet plans. Some see their physician, some see a surgeon, some see a therapist.  Some people try pills, hypnosis, fasting, or purges. Not all people reach their goal. Some get close to the goal, and then drift back. Some try one plan, don’t see immediate results, and give up. Some people work their plan in secret, so that no one can comment on it.

The problem is that many people know what they want, but not how to get it.

Using LoseIt helps guide people to their goal, but it is not magic. Every person still needs to pack their own chute. Everyone needs to know how far they can fall before needing to pull the rip cord and slow down. And, while there are few fatalities in weight management, there is the very real risk of emotional injury. Friends and family that make unkind comments. People that try–purposely or unconsciously–to sabotage your progress. And, to be honest, the very real concern that after the weight is lost, the weight will return, with the subsequent feeling of shame, anger and frustration.

Pack your own chute. (Pick a plan that you will follow.) Wear a back-up chute (know how to modify your plan when needed.) And jump with a team (have a support group to help you get through the rough patches.)

And, with confidence, step through the doorway and let go!

“My Muse.”
“Cookbook guru.”
“Motivational speaker.”
“My hero.”

Those are a few labels that people have recently applied to me on LoseIt. And while those labels are really nice to read, I’m actually none of those. Or, at least I never planned to be any of those. I thought I was only going to be a nurse. But the path that leads to my current position covered a wide-ranging territory.

At age 14, I was a stock boy at a grocery store, and mowed the baseball diamond at the village park. I’ve been a bartender at three bowling alleys, a supper club, a country dance bar, and a Mexican restaurant. I’ve sold vacuum cleaners, memberships to the US Chamber of Commerce, Amway products, and Pampered Chef kitchen tools. I self-taught enough to pass the state life insurance exam and held the license until it expired (but never sold insurance.) I’ve worked at a dairy bottling plant, a car wash, and an aluminum embossing factory. I’ve worked for a company blowing insulation into homes, as a carpet/upholstery cleaner, a day-care custodian, a security guard, and courier. I’ve run fast food restaurants, and I’ve run a grill at a bar, and run a banquet hall as executive chef.

Then I went to school and became a nurse. Two hospitals and two insurance companies later, I ended up teaching at a local technical college in the nursing department.

So, how does all that lead to the labels that I listed at the beginning if this post?

Well, unless I am about 185 years old, I either held multiple jobs at once or I didn’t stay at place for long.  (Actually, both are true statements.) My entire life has been about trying to find the “right place” or the “right thing”. So I job hop, and with each position, I get closer to “it”.

And anyone that has had a sales job knows about motivational speakers. I’ve listened to hundreds of tapes and CDs. (That’s not an exaggeration.) All the sales jobs have given me an undying optimism that I CAN achieve my goals with the right amount of effort. That I should never assume the door that stands in my way is locked and that I should never avoid trying a new path then one is presented to me.

You need to take that approach to weight management. Never quit. Find a goal, and make it real.  Take ownership of that goal. Write it down and look at it daily. Find an approach that you like and works for you, and stick with it. But–and this is important–if it does not give you the results you expect, try something else!

Don’t settle for where you are at. If the job you have is not the one you want, start looking. (But don’t quit until you find a new position.) If you don’t like your home, find a way to make it better.  If you need to lose weight or gain muscle, take the necessary action. Change is within your control. It may not be easy–heck, it almost certainly will NOT be easy–but it is possible. Anything is possible, with enough effort and time. 

Never stop believing in yourself, your right to be healthy, your right to try for what you want. You deserve it. But no one will give it to you. You have to earn it.

As promised yesterday, I am posting two versions of my breakfast bake.  Enjoy!

I was asked to talk about the obstacles I’ve encountered on this journey, the journey that we are all sharing. This blog is a new creation, but I guess it is time for a little soul-baring.

I remember back to middle school and high school physical education class. Those classes were the bane of my existence. I was never fast enough. Or strong enough. Or knew enough about the sport we were playing. I couldn’t shoot a lay-up if my life depended on it. And then, inevitably, during a co-ed sport, some butthead would pants me.

Yeah.  I freakin LOVED high school phy ed. 

And then spring would bring Track and Field! Throwing heavy shots. Running fast on the track. Trying to jump high. And the dreaded hurdles, which combined running fast and jumping high, and usually resulted in tripping and falling.

I thought I got rid of all that as I aged. And now I am making new choices and taking new actions, which are bringing old obstacles back. See, I have already registered for the 2012 Bellin 10K Run. Last year 18,701 runners participated last year. And in June, I will be one more. I have not run a race since my past phy ed class in high school. I know I can do it. (And I am going to keep telling myself that.)

See, obstacles come in two forms. The obvious ones are external, like the hurdles. These are the easiest to deal with. You can jump them. You can run around them. Or, if you want to be like me, you can just knock them down. And all of us experience external obstacles in our quest for a better weight. Friends offer us donuts when we arrive at the office. We park in a distant spot in the grocery store parking lot (good exercise) but then we walk past the deli with freshly broasted chicken. We have the obstacle of cost (gym memberships, new clothes, healthy foods.) And we have the obstacle of time (food preparation and exercise.) But, if you think about it, all those are fairly easy to resolve. You shop when the deli is closed. You get up a half hour earlier. You clip coupon and shop resale stores.

However, the other obstacles are the ones that are my biggest problem. Internal obstacles, the ones that my mind builds in my path. The little voice that says, “Your knees won’t make 10K” or “You have never been able to maintain a loss in the past, why will this be different?” Or “You are a fool for getting rid of all those clothes! What happens when you gain 15 pounds! And you always have in the past!” Or, perhaps the most deadly thought, “You don’t deserve this.”

These obstacles are the deadly ones, because I am creating and using them against myself. I can’t ignore the sight of the donuts or the smell of the chicken. Getting up early doesn’t help. All I can do is to keep on doing what I am doing. This is where my stubborn attitude will get me through. Intellectually, I know that I have earned and deserve every one of the 73.7 pounds I’ve lost since May 25, but emotionally, I am still coming to grips with it, and what it means.

And I still wonder if these losses are permanent. That’s my other obstacle. I am afraid that when I stop losing, I will start gaining. In all the previous attempts, with many different weight loss plans, that was ALWAYS the end result. Weight loss, followed by regaining everything (and more, usually.)

My only belief–because since I have no evidence, I must act on belief–is that this WILL BE PERMANENT, because this time it is different. I am not doing this alone, I am changing my body and my life with hundreds of supporters. And I am reinforcing my beliefs by blogging daily. And I am using LoseIt now and will continue well into maintenance. The old saying is “Dance with the one that brought ya” and LoseIt has brought me this far. I don’t think it is the right time to try to dance solo.

I’m going to be logging–and blogging–for a long time to come! And I will try to keep the mood a little lighter in the next posts, to compensate for today’s post.

Well, it’s not actually a new closet, but most of the clothes are new. When we embark on this journey, our goal is to find a healthy weight. If you are just trying to lose those pesky 5 holiday pounds, you probably won’t need a new wardrobe. But if you are like many people on LoseIt (and elsewhere) you may have a goal of 25, 50 or 100 pounds. You will need to buy new clothes.

However, as I noted yesterday, we all live in a world of budgets, both calorie and financial. Shopping for new clothes is not one of my hobbies and I am not a fan of spending a lot of money. But that is not much of a problem when you have sources. My wife and I are fans of resale shops. Not consignment shops where prices are only marginally less than the original price tag, but shops that are used to benefit social causes. Saint Vincent de Paul is a national organization, and Green Bay has two resale shops that they run. Another national service is Goodwill.  Both have stores that offer clothing, household good, books, and other items. The only way of finding what they have to to go there on a regular basis because their selections are constantly changing. And there are many smaller stores that are only local. Search them out and you can find treasures.

Some people that I work with refuse to shop at any store which is not name brand. And if that works for them, great! But I would rather spend money at a service organization to help others and still get quality goods at yard sale prices. Yesterday, I managed to find a suit, two tweed blazers, 11 dress shirts, t3 sweaters, 3 casual shirts, and 8 dress pants, for less than $60. Some of the brands were Dockers, Land’s End, and Van Heusen. 

So, step one, get new clothes. Now, step two is even more important. PURGE the old stuff. Get rid of the big things. Don’t “save them, in case I gain my weight back”, because I guarantee if you think like that, you WILL regain the weight. (And then give them back to the stores where you purchased your new outfits, to help them reach their social goals. And it might be a tax deduction for you, too!)

Always look ahead with optimist. Assume you will succeed. Act as though success is already evident. Baseball great Satchel Paige is quoted as saying, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” In this case, he’s right. It’s your butt! (Or gut, or wherever you store the excess fat.) Don’t look back. Look forward to a new you. To a new summer in that swim suit that has been hanging in your closet for years. Or that suit that you need to wear for an upcoming event. Or to the walk on the Caribbean beach resort.

We do not act out of fear of failure but out of confidence of success. That does not mean success is guaranteed, and it certainly does not mean success is easy. But it is within our control.

My next post (a little later today) will have three new recipes, and will also include photos of my first attempt at from-scratch bread from my new cookbook.