Quote:
Originally Posted by TomCollins
ytf- you are kicking ass, and the best part is it seems like this hasn't been *that* hard for you. You aren't suffering like you thought you would and are doing a great job.
Just hope you stick with it even if you don't get immediate results, there's a lot of room for variance and water and all that, but you are definitely on the right track.
It's great that you took a step back, looked at things, and realized we weren't trying to be dicks and wanted to help you. And it really looks like you are well on the way to success. Just stay the course!
Thanks, TC. I always like to think I have an open mind about everything, and that my opinion on things can be changed with a persuasive argument (and I find it a constant source of frustration in life that most people can't be that way).
And in response to the part where you said "it seems like this hasn't been *that* hard for you," I'd like to clarify with, "It hasn't been REMOTELY hard for me. But then again, a lot of folks ITT are talking like 2700 cals is a lot of food, so it probably SHOULDN'T be that hard for me at this point.
The only things that approach the word "difficult" come down to changing habits and default thinking. Like when it's mealtime and I'm in a rush, my default thinking was always, "Which fast food drivethrough will I go to?" As you can see in the log, I'm still fighting that thought process, though I've managed to overcome my "default thinking" order of huge fried chicken sandwich, huge double cheeseburger, huge french fries.
I'm also trying to adjust to going down the grocery aisles I used to skip, and skipping the aisles I used to live in.
Maybe I shouldn't label those types of things as "difficult", but rather, "challenging". I'm not afraid of 'em, nor do I consider myself an underdog to overcome such simple things.
While I've got the page open, I'll note here that I just had a banana, my first snack since I started logging. I'm usually not hungry between meals, but I was just now. Maybe it was because I switched in a ham steak instead of the fatty breakfast sausage, or more likely it was because I went under yesterday's calorie target by a huge margin. Either way, if I were at work now instead of sitting at home bored, I probably could have ignored the hunger, it wasn't like "OMG, I'm STARVING, I've GOT to eat something!"
Another thing while I'm here: I don't know if was here or the OOT thread where someone asked if I've started walking yet. The answer is no, I haven't, but hear me out on this one: if I can lose a ton of weight without doing that, then I feel I should. As my weight and calorie targets decrease, and hitting those targets isn't as trivially easy as it is right now, then I can pull that arrow out of my quiver. But if carrying this 380 around the neighborhood is a lot tougher on my knees than carrying 280 around, and if I can get to 280 without the crushing wear and tear, I think that's the prudent way to go.
Again, I keep an open mind on things, so if the plateau shows up before that point, I can always reevaluate down the road. But for now, I'm shielding my knees from that for the time being.
EDIT TO ADD: Since I mention 280, and since it has been suggested that I set a goal, that's it: 280. That's my first goal, a 100-lb loss. I've lost 50, 60, 70, 80 before, but never 100 in a whack, so if it's true that I need a short-range target, that's it. But you guys have got me thinking that the sky's the limit this one, I'm wondering if you're going to get me slimmer than the army ever could.
Another thought that popped in my head today: not only had I convinced myself that I was stuck with this build due to genetics, I've made it a point to drill it into my son's head that he is, too. I didn't want him grinding his own knees away in a lost cause, so I've been telling him for years (he's 12 now) that he's stuck with it the same way I am, the same way (insert list of obese ancestors here) were.
So if you guys are all right and I'm wrong, I can live with that if my mistaken notions had only affected me--but how do I tell my son, "Everything Daddy told you was wrong."? The kid really admires me, the way most sons admire their fathers, I guess. I just keep telling myself that if he finds out at 12 what I found out at 45, then he's still ahead of the game.
Last edited by youtalkfunny; 06-29-2012 at 12:50 AM.