The Struggle Remains The Same
Question: How do you start a weight-loss program and keep track of your progress if you never care about the weight?
Good question! The answer is easy: It ain’t a weight-loss program. My goal isn’t to lose weight. My goal is to be happy. If I can be happy with what I see in the mirror, then I’ll be satisfied. If I can buy a pair of pants that didn’t come from the “Big and Tall” store, then I’ll be happy. If my blood pressure, cholesterol, and other metrics are in normal ranges, then David’s a happy camper.
In my opinion, I have no control over how much I weigh. I can do this, or I can eat that, but I can’t control the number on the scale. So I’m not focusing on it. Instead, I focus on the things I can control. I can control what I eat (or at least I think I can!). I can control what sort of physical activity I take part in. Other things, such as water intake and my stress level, are all contributing factors to health, and are within the realm of my control. So that’s what I’m going to worry about.
Another reason I’m not concerned with the weight is so everyone can relate. If I weighed 250 pounds, then someone who might weigh 450 is going to look at me and say “he doesn’t have it so tough”, and think that inspiration is only available from someone who is closer in weight. I know this, because it’s exactly what I did. But after a while, I learned that it doesn’t matter about physical size; the struggle remains the same.
By now, you might know, I had a less-than-stellar weekend. Eating poorly, not doing the work, and not getting enough sleep. I didn’t like where I was. What I’m going to work on, when I get into those valleys, is to view myself and my situation from the outside. To look at it in a subjective manner, and not get into my emotions too much. I think adding emotions to a situation can sometimes do more harm than good. This way I can just concentrate on getting results.
Now it’s Monday morning, and I’m tired as hell. But I’m off to a good start. Went walking earlier, and have plans to meet someone tonight for a walk. One thing that I love about all of this is the amount of socializing that I get to do. Plus, I love staying busy; it keeps my mind off of food.
In addition to eating better and being more active, I’m finding that education is one of the best things you can do in your struggle. My friends have been great at sharing, so I’m going to keep the momentum going and share it right back!
Here are some of the things that people have been recommending:
The Four Hour Body. I’ve heard about this from a few people. Here’s the website to learn more: http://fourhourbody.com.
My friend Jason Brown sent me these two podcasts.
http://podcasts.joerogan.net/podcasts/chris-kresser
http://podcasts.joerogan.net/podcasts/robb-wolf
My wife Keya turned me on to the Minimalist Baker, who specializes in simple, healthy cuisine: http://minimalistbaker.com
As we all know, there’s so much information out there, that sometimes it tends to contradict itself. I’m certainly no expert on any of this...if anything, I’m the exact opposite. My thing is that I am just sharing the same stuff that everyone was so kind to share with me. Also, I’d like to mention that this is all 100% opinion, and whatever I’m saying is only applicable to myself. What I think is right or wrong for me may or may not be right or wrong for anyone else. That’s why I want to share everything. Even if I don’t subscribe to it, I don’t think anything that is designed to help someone is wrong. It’s like a pair of jeans. I may not like the way they fit on me, but on someone else, they may look great.
That’s all for now. Thank you so much for being a part of this. If you know anyone who is in the struggle, let them know that they’re not in it alone. Trust me, it helps so so much. Peace out.
