Why I Post About My Weight

So most of the posts thus far have been on Facebook, but I've decided to push back more into the blogging realm.

The short summary for those who aren't on my Facebook is the following:

In November (2014) I weighed 227.5 lbs and entered into "Weight Loss Bet 2.0" with my friend Dani.  We had previously done this bet back in 2010 (March - July) and I went from 213 to 188.5 for a loss of 24.5 lbs.   I "lost" the bet because Dani hit her goal, but my goal was 185.  I said then that it was worth the $100 I had on the line as I was happy to "lose" when it meant losing almost 25 lbs.

For the new bet, we set our goals for mid-March, again giving ourselves about 20 weeks.  My goal was 200.  As we neared our goal, I knew I wasn't going to make it and Dani wanted to keep going past her goal, so we revised it and set our new date for August 5 with new goals.  My new goal was 185, which you may note is my original goal from the first bet in 2010.

Additionally, my friend Sam and I had a side bet that we put together.  As of January (2015) I was struggling and had lost much of my early progress between Thanksgiving to New Year's.  To help us both keep active and fit, we committed to a daily exercise minimum, and if we didn't hit that minimum we'd owe $5 into a "penalty jar" and at the end of the bet, which was until March, we'd tally it up and donate it to a charity of our choosing.  Well, we both ended up with $0 in penalties by March.  My minimum daily routine was a 20-30 push ups or 1-2 miles.  By March is became a habit, and as of today (Day 163) I've only missed 3 days (I don't count the days I missed because I was sick - important not to over exert yourself when you're health is not up to the task).

My recent mini-goal has been to get to 200 (which I just realized was my original mid-March goal) by Pride (June 13, 2015), and as of this morning, I'm 198.6 which, while not an "official" Wednesday weigh in, is a legit pre-workout weight.  I was 199.8 yesterday, but I wanted to get two full days in under 200 before I said anything.

The encouragement, kind words, tips, and feedback I've received over the last 7.5 months been very helpful, and greatly appreciated.

What I want to do is take a moment, though, and explain what my motivation is for posting about my weight loss journey.  I have a couple of reasons that drive why I do this.

1. It keeps me honest.  Many of you watch and comment on my progress and having to report both the good and the bad helps when I'm eyeing that piece of cake or that cocktail.  My friend and I that are losing weight together have been brutally honest with each other about what is going right, what isn't, and when we've cheated and we know it.  That kind of communication and honesty helps during the bumps and plateaus.
2. You've told me it's helpful to you.  I have a number of friends who are on their own health initiatives (staying active, losing weight, gaining muscle, etc) who've publicly and privately said that my posts have been good at helping them stay motivated.  They've also stated that they appreciate the posts when I'm not doing as well, when I don't hit my goals and when I'm backtracking.  The main thing there is I try to show that this is not a short term "always successful" endeavor.  There WILL be failures.  There WILL be set backs.  There WILL be times to say "screw this" for a few days.  The important thing is to understand that in the long term process there will be short term disappointments, so it is important to keep an eye on the bigger picture.  So in that vein, I'm going to be honest and put it out there when I go weeks without a loss, when I gain for seemingly no reason, when I gain for reasons I absolutely know (like saying "screw it" and having that slice of cake or have that tasty cocktail), when I'm tired of the work and effort, as well as the times I lose the weight, have a great workout, and days that I feel much much better.

The key thing with all of this is that everyone's body is different.  My successes can't be compared to your successes.  What I consider a bad day, might be someone else's amazing step forward.

So bottom line, I do this to be supportive as well as get support.

Good luck to everyone on keeping up healthy, satisfying, and productive lives, however that may play out in your world. :)

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Back to Blogging?

So leaving Facebook for a time didn't really push me back to blogging at all.  Mostly it just allowed me to relax and reconnect with myself a bit.  I recommend a Facebook sabbatical from time to time.   I came back to FB again after those 3 months and haven't left since, but I wouldn't rule out another break at some point.

I've found my posts on FB to be longer and longer these days, so I'm thinking of moving back to a blogging format and just linking to FB, especially since many of the larger posts that I am doing are already on the public side of things anyway.

We'll see how it goes.

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On Leaving Facebook

So on Friday I left Facebook.  Not for good, just a for about two and a half months to get some time and perspective on service I’d become quite an avid user of.

On Wednesday, January 2nd I announced that I’d be leaving as of the following Friday and I immediately disconnected Facebook integration from various systems and turned off Facebook messenger.  For the next few days it was kind of nice.  I felt less compelled to check Facebook every 5 minutes and distracted myself with reading, communicating with friends through email and other IM services and a few other things. 

I didn’t really feel the weight of the decision until Friday when I said the final good-bye and signed off until March.  I think having the opportunity to log back in over the course of the week made deciding not to log in a lot easier.  Since Friday, the number of times I’ve found myself wanting to check on my news feed, or look something up, or just log in for no reason has been a lot.

The other thing is that I found myself wanting an outlet to say something.  I’ve always thought that my blog stopped because it just wasn’t something I was good at.  I think I actually do like the writing, it’s just that I had a medium that I could post smaller, more regular updates with Facebook.  Facebook is nice because it provides greater access to your friends and it’s easier to interact with commenters.  Additionally, everyone’s already subscribing to you in Facebook.  It’s harder to know who actually reads your posts in the blogger world because people have to go to your blog to see what you have to say, rather than have it there in front of you.

I do plan to return to Facebook as I’ve found it to be a useful tool that has reconnected me with old friends, helped build and sustain new friendships, and just is useful for communication and planning events.  I just think it needs to be on my terms and it needs to be useful to me, not just something I find I have to check for fear of what I might be missing.

I also have no idea if this post presages a return to blogging, but I think I may find I need at least some outlet to put my thoughts down on and this works for the moment.

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My Thoughts on the Election

I know it's been quite a while since I have posted here, and maybe I'll start back up again more regularly, but for now I have to say my piece on the upcoming election.  The results of this election mean a lot to me.  This election has made me much more strident in my poltical viewpoints and much more likely to raise my voice politically. It's not because I like to cause a stir, or that I like getting into it with people in politics. It's because I'm scared. I've literally had nights where I couldn't sleep due to worrying about the outcome of this election.

For me, this election is about more than just the economy or what is left, right or center. For me this about my rights and about being treated as a basic human being. It’s about being a first class citizen. It is about being able to someday marry the man I fall in love with, to adopt a child, to have a family, to have the right to visit him if he’s sick and in the hospital, to be lucky enough to have what so many of my friends and family have found over the years. I’m lucky to live in a state that is a bit ahead of the curve and provides that, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll always live in this state.

I can’t trust Romney. He ran for governor as a centrist on many issues. He courted the gay vote and told us that he would support us in our fight for greater civil rights. He’s since qualified that by saying he meant that, but he never meant that civil marriage rights were civil rights. He made gay marriage and his former constituents punch lines to get laughs and support from the rest of the country as he ran for President. He’s become more and more avowed about preventing expansion or curbing/repealing existing rights for gay people.

Romney has committed to keeping DOMA on the books, which would among many things make me and my spouse have to file taxes as a single person. DOMA prevents same-sex spouses from receiving federal benefits such as social security, military pensions, etc. He also will put forth an amendment to the constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

From MittRomney.com:
“As president, Mitt will not only appoint an Attorney General who will defend the Defense of Marriage Act – a bipartisan law passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton – but he will also champion a Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman.”

Paul Ryan has given assurances to “Focus on the Family” (a longstanding anti-gay group) that a Romney-Ryan administration would push for the Federal Marriage Amendment. Both of the top Republicans in the Senate and House support the FMA. The party platform also supports the FMA. This is not just a few fringe elements spouting off, this is the core leadership of the party.

In the end, I cannot support a candidate or a party that systematically seeks to curb or remove my rights.

I will be voting Obama to another 4 years in office.  He has stopped defending DOMA, he has come around to finally supporting full marriage equality, and he worked to get DADT repealed.  For this and more, he has earned my vote.

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Kickboxing and weight

So I noted in my last post that I'm not kickboxing any more.  While that is true it doesn't entirely explain the situation.  Last November, I switched from the kickboxing class to the Wing Chun martial arts class at the dojo and have beeen taking that for almost a year now.  This past may I successfully tested for my yellow sash and I'm working towards my orange sash. 

I've really enjoyed the classes and the process of learning the various forms and techniques within Wing Chun.  I feel since I've been taking it, I'm strong, more balanced and more confident. 

The only downside is that it is nowhere near as aerobic as kickboxing was (at least not at such a beginner level; we don't do sparring at this point) so a major workout that I had 2-3 times a week is gone and replaced with something I love, but not as much of a workout.

Add to this the fact that in the spring I broke my foot and have been trying to stay off of it enough to let it heal, which takes running out of the equation for the moment.  I'm awaiting results from my doctor to know that it's fully healed.

Really the hardest part with the weight loss is motivation and I just have not had it lately.  Life is good, but I am in a bit of a rut I think when it comes to motiviation.  I'm hoping to work on that over the fall/winter.  We'll see how it goes.

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I'm a bad blogger...

So yeah... I'm a bad blogger.  I'm also bad at my resolutions this year.

Let's review:

• [Fail] - I resolve to (schedule permitting) run a 5k this spring with my friend Di.
• [Fail] - I resolve to get to 185 lbs and maintain it.
• [Completed] - I resolve to finally upgrade my entertainment center with a 55” HD TV [Hey aren’t all resolutions self-serving to some degree :) ]
• [Not Done] - I resolve to take the GMAT and apply for my MBA.
• [Ongoing] - I resolve to take time to visit friends I don’t see often enough.
• [Fail] - I resolve to post more often to my blog.

So I think the one completed item may have contributed to some of the failures. :)  The TV is gorgeous though.  I'm very happy with the purchase.

The running I've tried to get back into but I've had some foot injuries and I found out that as of a week ago I still have a stress fracture of my left foot (third metatarsal for those curious).  Once I get clearance from the doctor I am going to try to make time to run again.

For the weight, I have officially gained every pound I lost last summer.  It's been a combination of not being able to run, not doing kickboxing anymore (I'll explain that in a bit), and just not making time to work out.  I'm trying to figure out a routine that allows me to use the winter, with it's multiple layers of bulky clothing, to try for a sort of caterpillar-like transformation, so when spring comes and the layers are pealed back, I'll be in good shape.

While I haven't yet taken the GMAT, it's still on the plan.  I've just been a bit overstressed with some changes at the office (I'll explain that in another post) that have ramped up the use of my time and stress at the office.  It's made me much less motivated to do anything but relax once I do get home.  Yes, it's a bit of a cop-out, but I'm gonna go with it. :)

I have made an attempt to visit friends.  The hard part is coordinating both sides of that equation.  I was able to find some time to spend with Max before he moved to San Diego and now I need to find a time to visit him, now that he's found a job and is out there for real now.  I tried to make time to hang out with Ron before he moved to South Korea to teach English for a year.  With everything he had to do to prep, it didn't end up happening.  I was able to spend two weeks in London with Delory and several WPI students.  I was able to make time with Dani after she moved about 20 minutes away, but then she moved to Nashua and I haven't been able to visit yet.  I'll be going up a week from Sunday to see her, Anthony and little Zoe.  I am also working on plans to go to LA to visit Colin and Kristin.  Also I saw Judd for the first time in over a year the other day.  Overall I'd say this item is both ongoing and relatively successful.  It could be better, but the effort is there.

As for the blog, I'm going to try to make this be the start of more posts.


PS - I updated my template for the season.

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Ugh–what a day

The original message for this post (which was going to be posted yesterday) was “What a difference a day makes”.

 

Here’s the post as I wrote it.

 

Well, even though it’s colder and everything that melted has frozen over, I’m having SUCH a better day today!

 

The good day partly started last night after a successful run through of Laramie Project.  Even though I was in a funky mood yesterday, it never ceases to amaze me how much a show and it’s rehearsals actually end up energizing me, instead of exhausting me.  I got a reasonably good night’s sleep as well.  So that’s gotta count for something. :)

 

Today I got a call from my accountant that my tax return was ready to submit, and I just needed to sign.  It turns out I’m getting back a good bit more than I had planned on.  Added to that I forgot I’m getting a stipend for a conference session I organized.

 

I also managed to resolve a server problem that has been causing me issues since early January.

 

So overall, it’s been a good day.  Let’s hope things continue moving up!

Almost as I finished typing this, I was eating my meatball sandwich and I ended up biting off more than I could chew, as it were.  I have had some times in my life when eating things that I have difficulty swallowing it.  It’s typically when eating meat (steak, chicken, scallops, hot dog), but I’ve had the issue with soft foods too (like pancakes).  At the risk of too much information, the issue is that I will swallow something and it’ll go part way down my esophagus, but won’t drop into my stomach.  It’ll sit there halfway down.  One thing to note is that this doesn’t affect my ability to breath, so I wasn’t in any immediate danger, just in pain.  Sometimes a glass of water will push it down, other times it’s just too painful to do that.  This was one of those times.  I then tried to move it “up” and out (you can figure out what I mean) and that wasn’t working either.   I managed to expel some of it, but was still having issues and I noticed I now had blood mixed in with the bile that I was throwing up.  I ended up having some of the WPI EMTs in the production I’m in drive me up to the ER down the street.  By the time I got there, the last bit of food passed, but I wanted to make sure there wasn’t an issue with the blood.  Five hours later, I got an x-ray and shortly thereafter spoke with the doctor.  Good news is that I had no damage and I was fine. 

 

At this point I need to follow up with my PCP to get a referral to a GI specialist for more testing.   I have had testing for this very issue before (endoscopy, barium swallow) but it didn’t show any issues.  Since it’s happening again, it’s time for more tests. 

 

Until I know what’s happening, I’m going to be chewing like you teach little children (chew it 40 times!) and sticking to liquid or softer foods when possible.

 

So I guess I was just a bit premature in declaring yesterday such a great day.

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Need a recharge

So currently at WPI we’re in the midst of the dreaded “C Term”.  It’s the 7 week term from mid January to the end of February, and it’s also the dead of winter.  The phrase “C Term Sucks” is often stated by students.  It was true in my undergrad days and really hasn’t changed in the intervening years, even as a staff member.

 

Since the new year started, it feels like I’ve been running just to stay in place.  I’ve had several systems that just fell apart at work.  While some have been worked out, others still are partially broken.  I feel like every step forward is another step back.

 

The constant barrage of snow is also getting to me.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a new Englander, born and bred, and I love all four seasons and the snow, but I need green right now.  I need things growing.  I need warmer weather.  I need to be able to open my windows and let the breeze in.

 

I have always counted on the fact that I’m generally a positive, upbeat person, but these days it’s feeling like I’m going through the motions a bit, that it’s just a bit harder to put the smile on.

 

I’m sure all of this will work itself out in the coming weeks, but I can honestly say I won’t be sorry to see February go.

 

:-/

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Look who’s come to visit!

Since Tuesday night I’ve had a guest staying at my condo.  As you can see, Oscar has made himself quite at home (and yes, he was invited up on the couch).

 

I’ve been sitting for Oscar while Dani’s been off visiting her parents for a week.  She comes back on Sunday and will reclaim her fur kid then.

 

Oscar has been a very well behaved house guest.  He’s so good.  I can just leave him in the house without worrying about him getting into things.  I do keep all door shut, just in case though.

 

He’s tends to entertain himself or just roam over to his crate to relax.  Sometimes he likes to pop up on the couch when I’m watching TV.  He also enjoys sleeping on my bed at night (again, only if invited).

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Resolutions

So with the new year, come new resolutions.  These lovely things that everyone says they will do that they don’t.  The question then becomes, why do we do it?  Are we lying? Are we merely masochists who are trying to force behavior changes only to fail?  Who knows, but I’m going to try to set some realistic goals.

 

• I resolve to (schedule permitting) run a 5k this spring with my friend Di.
• I resolve to get to 185 lbs and maintain it.
• I resolve to finally upgrade my entertainment center with a 55” HD TV [Hey aren’t all resolutions self-serving to some degree :) ]
• I resolve to take the GMAT and apply for my MBA.
• I resolve to take time to visit friends I don’t see often enough.
• I resolve to post more often to my blog.

 

What do you think?  Anything else I’m forgetting?

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