Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Born to be Wide


Is this the body you were destined to live with, the life you were meant to live?

There are an unfortunate few whom have truly gotten dealt an unplayable hand. To those folks, all I can say is that I hope your Creator graced you with a good sense of humor and a supportive group of family and friends.

To the rest of us, I say “What’re you waiting for?” An invitation? Okay, here it is: you are cordially invited to reclaim your health and your life. And you have everything within you needed to make this journey a successful one.

It will take smarts.

Your brains are your most valuable tool in this weight loss battle. Use them to make better choices. Use them to organize your days and make keeping yourself motivated and moving a top priority. You’re a smart cookie… use that awesome brain to bend your badly behaving body to its will.

It will take effort.

Climbing back on the wagon every couple of weeks isn’t nearly enough exercise for you to make appreciable strides down this path. Find something… walking, biking, exercise DVD routine, gym, swimming…find something that you can do regularly and start doing it. When it quits being hard, push yourself a little more. This is the challenging part of the program, but it’s not harder than you can manage.

It will take time.

To me, this is both the easiest and most difficult part of the equation. I want instant gratification, and I want it now. I want to look into the mirror tomorrow and see the body that I see in my mind’s eye. I want this fat gone yesterday, even though I realize that I put it on with years of doing all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons. But here’s the thing: days, weeks, months… they all fly by.

Sometimes I get the feeling that quite a few people look at successful weight losers much the same way as they view lottery winners. They see them as lucky, random individuals who just happen to be the right place at the right time. Good genes, workhorse metabolism, something that’s outside of the control of plain folks like you or me.

I don’t believe this to be the case.

I believe we make our own destinies. I believe we make our own future. I believe we make our own incredibly lame clichés about losing weight. But it doesn’t matter what you or I believe. It matters only that we have the drive and desire to make our tomorrows our own.

It is in us to this, folks. It’s in you. It’s in me.

We’ve got the brains, the want-to and the time to take this journey all the way home.

Who’s with me?

46 comments:

  1. I'm with you!

    I especially agree with what you said regarding how the time flies. It's amazing how just by putting together a few "good" weeks, you can see actual progress.

    This makes it easier to put your head down and just keep going - which could actually be my credo.

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  2. Gosh Jack, you're both comedic AND inspirational. I like that! And just the thing to rev up for my plyometrics this morning. Oh yeah.

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  3. It's ten thousand little decisions made over time.

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  4. That was fantastic!

    and maybe you missed your calling as a recruiter? I seriously felt like I was about to sign up for the service or something!

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  5. BRAVO!!! I'm in!! Zig Ziegler needs you as a motivational speaker.

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  6. I'm definitely in!! In fact last night was my last night eating out for a while and that's it i'm back to doing what i know how to do :)

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  7. Count me in! You are right. We make our own destiny. Owning up and taking charge of that future is a critical first step.

    Let's take this freakin' hill!!!

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  8. As I was sitting here munching on my 100th egg white since I started this journey...screaming to the Heavens "Whyyyyyy??!!", I found your awesome post. Thanks for reminding me why. I'm with you Jack...count me in! :)

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  9. I love it! Inspirational, yet realistic, without being too sappy! You truly have the gift of being able to inspire while not loosing your sense of humor! Keep up the good work! :)

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  10. I'm wit' you man!

    And what old song is that from...'it's in you, it's in me'? I keep singing that over and over. GAH!

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  11. Me, me, me, ME!! I'm in.

    A well-timed post. I hate dealing with the come-down after time off plan and holiday gains, and although I'm on the case, it helps to have somebody remind me (very eloquently if I may say so, Mr Sh!t!) why and how I'm going to do this.

    So here I am, still trudging along in the right direction, and contemplating a run in the pouring rain tonight. Whoop!

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  12. I'm with you completely. Couldn't agree more with you.

    My best
    Sean

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  13. When the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, did we quit? No, Bluto, and neither will I.

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  14. I only differ with one of your three points: I don't think it takes smarts as much as it takes being real. Cut out the denial, magical thinking & excuse making. Get real.

    Get real. Make the effort. Take your time.

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  15. You're absolutely right. Either do it or don't. But don't complain if you're not even trying.

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  16. So true. The hardest thing about losing weight for me is to find the reasons it's not working within myself. It's not because I have a crap metabolism or because I have some disorder that keeps me from losing. It's because I make poor choices that show up on the scale. Thanks for the reality check!

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  17. I am with you, what an inspiration...

    Helen

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  18. Sign me up. Thanks for the motivation. I needed it this morning.

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  19. Great post, Jack!

    I say, screw destiny! But then, you already knew that, didn't you?

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  20. I'm in!

    (still chuckling at the title)

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  21. I WANT to be with you. I HEAR every single word you're saying. I KNOW you are right about everything. I WANT the motivation to be there. I know it CAN be there. But it has a mind of its own!!

    I know I am overweight by my own hand, I do not blame it on genetics or anything like that. I was once 128 pounds and stunning. Now all you can do when you look at me is go "what the hell happened to you?!" which is where my hermit-like attitude comes from; yet I know it doesn't have to be like this and I know its my own fault and I know I can change it. But what if Motivation doesn't agree with me?

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  22. This was just the pep talk I needed today! Thanks!

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  24. We need our brains to make attitude adjustments and see things differently, too. Great post, Jack! Every single one of us has the power in us.

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  25. Great, great post. Thanks Jack. And thanks for the pep-talk on my blog. Yes, I'm seeing little tiny sparks of hope and so glad to hear you are too!

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  26. Great post! I am in.

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  27. *raising my hand*

    Im in this to win this! :)

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  28. Count me in! I don't actually care how long this takes, because I'll be doing what I do now for the rest of my life anyway...

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  29. What a great motivational post. I see that a lot too people thinking it's some quick magic that finds the lucky few. I'm definitely with ya!!!

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  30. Motivation isn't something that happens, it's something we create. You have to want it. As jillian once said " you can tell me you choose to be less than you are, that you choose to quit, but don't ever tell me you can't".
    You can: Do or Do not, there is no Try.
    Oh, and I am in, of course.

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  31. Sitting ovation! Fantastic post, thank you :)

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  32. The Brain is the key. Honestly. Keeping the mind in check is my key...

    Awesome post!

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  33. SPOT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love this post!

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  34. I didn't set a time as to when I want to reach my goal weight because it doesn't matter...I'm in it now!

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  35. Me. I'm with you. Great post!
    From: one of your fellow sh*theads.

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  36. Thanks one and all for all the supportive comments. It really does mean a lot to me to have such a vocal (and witty) bunch of losers at my side during this adventure.

    I'm with all of you, too.

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  37. "It will take smarts"

    THAT was a key for me. Approaching the process intellectually (what do I have to DO to lose weight) vs. emotionally (I want to be skinny) made all the difference in the world. I'm not stupid, but I sure was exhibiting some strong symptoms for a few years. :)

    Great post, Jack!

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  38. Jack,
    I'm with you.
    But can I finish the rest of my birthday cake first?
    Thanks. Knew you'd understand.

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  39. I feel like we should all be huddled in a circle with our arms extended in and then saying "Hell Yeah!" followed by a rebel yell.

    ARRRRRHHHHHHH!!! (rebel yell)

    great post.

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  40. Count me in too!
    Thanks for the inspiration this morning. I needed it!

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