It’s good to have goals
As I was walking on the treadmill Saturday, my legs were getting really tired, but then I hit my second wind. I don’t think I’ve ever even had a second wind until then.
I’ve done a lot of complaining about my weight over the last year or so, but despite my daily strenuous whining regimen and griping reps, the weight would still not come off. About a month ago that changed; I’ve seriously curtailed extranneous eating, somehow developed the willpower to disregard snacking during the workday, and have been taking advantage of our treadmill. People say things like “it’s easy to lose weight, you just have to decide to do it.” That’s true and false. Yes, making the decision is easy — but you have to get to a point where it’s possible to make that decision, and that’s not so much. I finally did, and now I am.
I was really pushing over the edge of “the heaviest I’ve ever been” and was getting grumpier because of it. And occasionally buying a self-hating bag of mini Reese’s peanut butter cups and finishing them off in three days. (Reese’s are my major junk food weakness. Well really, peanut butter is my weakness, but wrapping it in chocolate makes it a flavor delivery system that my body turns directly into dopamine.) But I kicked that habit through sheer willpower so far and haven’t had a Reese’s since. I had been in the habit of hitting the vending machine for a candy bar after lunch, but I haven’t done that, either.
The interesting part will be to see if I can maintain this down to my target weight. I’m 205 now, and throughout my life I’ve pretty much hovered around 200. I’d like to get down to 180, but the previous pattern has been that I lose weight until I get back down to the mental image I have of myself, and then lose interest. But I haven’t seen 190 for maybe a decade, and even then it was only temporarily. I’d like to try to see 180 once just to see if I can.
This all goes towards my longer-term goal: once I get to that weight, I figure it’ll be good to keep in the exercising habit. So when/if I hit 180, I’ll buy myself a bag of Reese’s mini peanut butter cups and spend the rest of the week working it off.
September 28th, 2009 14:51
Once I ore or less gave up driving and started biking around town, including the 5.5 mile route to work (at least three days a week), I shed about 1/12 of my body weight, which wasn’t much to begin with.
What surprised me was that I didn’t expect to get so used to a simple exercise regimen. It helps that a bicycle is as much transportation as exercise, but it’s now quite distasteful for me to drive a mile to the supermarket.
October 6th, 2009 00:07
Dude, you’re turning into a walking talking hamburger.
October 6th, 2009 18:22
I…what?
October 7th, 2009 17:32
Y’know, like Mayor McCheese. The metaphor is very obvious.
October 7th, 2009 18:53
Wait… I think I need to get high before continuing this comment thread.
October 18th, 2009 13:56
It’s not my business but it saved me from a life on chronic fatigue. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcgXKpXNyvs
This guy is amazing..amazing.
October 20th, 2009 15:52
So, in a moment of squealing about you registering on the SMBC forum, I accidentally deleted your account. I really am awful sorry about that, could you ever forgive me by signing up again?
p.s. Bring Back Schrödinger’s Cat
October 22nd, 2009 08:55
210!?! Bro, the last time I was 210 was when I was in 8th grade! You have it easy, friend.
Now if only the Wii Fit could take over 310 pounds, I’d be set.