Thursday, August 13, 2009

Fun, Fun, Fun ('Til My Daddy Takes the T-Bone Away)


I read quite a few weight loss blogs, and a familiar song on quite a few of them seems to be “I want to lose weight, but I don’t want to quit living my life.”

What does that mean? That means they want to continue going out to eat when they want. It means they want to have a few drinks with their friends when they want. It means they want to have a slice of birthday cake and maybe a bit of ice cream on the side without stressing out about it. They want to have fun.

I like restaurant meals a great deal, and I’ve thrown back more than my share at the bar with buddies. I generally have a good time in those instances, but can I tell you what’s really fun?
  • Fun is slipping on a pair of pants you couldn’t get into two months ago.
  • Fun is seeing an old friend and having them on and on about your weight loss.
  • Fun is playing with your kids without losing your breath.
  • Fun is overhearing co-workers marvel over how good you’re doing.
  • Fun is watching the scale dip past another 10-lb. mark... and then another one...
  • Fun is looking in the mirror and admiring the simple beauty of a sweat-soaked t-shirt.
  • Fun is going to the doctor and having him or her pat you on the back over your progress.
  • Fun is reading older blog entries and seeing just how far you’ve come.
  • Fun is succeeding on this journey and knowing that it was you... all you... that got it done.
A good meal at a fine restaurant is nice. There’s nothing wrong with having drinks with friends. And that slice of cake… it’s okay.

But compared to those other things, I’ll take my “fun” list any day of the week.

53 comments:

  1. Kudos!! Another fine post which points out some "Fun" stuff. I'm still waiting for the pat on the back from the Dr., but the other items on your list are right on.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're so right.

    Fun is making a good food choice, when surrounded by bad ones, and coming away satisfied and pumped up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, I love that picture! Fun is being able to do whatever you want to do-ride a bike, take a hike, run on the beach in a full habit, climb the stairs without losing your breath.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fun is going to the bar with an old friend and having your pants drop to your knees because they were too big... true story. I was playing pool and the next thing I knew I was flashing the bar my tighty whities... thank God I was wearing clean underwear!! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  6. Were you looking over my shoulder as I was typing my post this morning? Weird.

    I'll take your list any day too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. FUN is the new hard ...
    Why make it hard when it can be FUN? and easy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. well hard is still fun ...
    how bout fun is the new difficult
    ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've recently learned that a nice meal out with friends doesn't need to include me eating like a damned pig. Thank GOD for that realization. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fun is relative, ain't it?

    Sending a major "hells yeah" your way today.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I agree but you won't agree with that until your ready for those things to happen.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The honest raw truth! Yes, nothing feels as good as your comments above AND being healthy & there for your significant other, kids when you have them & all those experiences you want to have & things you want to do AND enjoy them because you can do them!

    I understand wanting to enjoy now & then BUT there are sacrifices one has to make at some point to get there. You can't eat everything you want & lose weight. Get real with yourself.

    Thx for a great post Jack!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I like your fun list. Hmm. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  14. You're exactly right. But people just don't know that when they're heavy and struggling.

    ReplyDelete
  15. "Fun is looking in the mirror and admiring the simple beauty of a sweat-soaked t-shirt."

    LOVE that one!

    ReplyDelete
  16. lol @ fitcetra!

    very well made points mister. very true.

    ReplyDelete
  17. fun is bending over to cut your toe nails and thinking "that wasn't so bad" :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nice try. I'd love to get into the spirit of this, but I can't. Fun is going out for drinks with the girls and going out to dinner with the family.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Good post - Like the focus on fun as all too often, weight loss feels slow and dreary. Thanks for the motivation!

    ReplyDelete
  20. My life is so much funner now! I do fantastic things I used to only dream about. Way better than cake! Hangovers aren't fun anyway. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'll drink to that... Water that is. ;-)
    I definately agree. I finally feel like I am going to be able to start living and not just existing.

    ReplyDelete
  22. fun doesn't have to be about the food. fun should be about all the people you are sharing the food with and the things you DO with them!
    thanks for that reminder list!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am with you all the way- brilliant

    ReplyDelete
  24. Well, I'm going to be controversial and say - fun is managing your life so you can have the birthday cake, the meal out and the drinks, AND the sweat-soaked t-shirt, and the running round the park, AND the losing weight. Who says I can't have it all??? Because they're wrong. It's all about balance, my friend :o)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I like your list of fun, I went to have what I thought was fun today...had to much food, feel stuffed and really would have rather had the salad I packed in the fridge. It is my Birthday however so a little splurge wasn't bad and pretty much within my points... But your list definatley beat my lunch! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm with you, Jack! I will do whatever it takes to heal my body and lose this weight. Nothing will stand in my way!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Fun is seeing you private parts with out the help of a mirror.

    I'm with you on this post.

    Sacrifice now = much more and long lasting fun.

    ReplyDelete
  28. GREAT post, Jack! Totally agree. Plus, all of those fun things last so much longer than those few bites of cake or that drink.

    ReplyDelete
  29. SO true, Jack, and a GREAT reminder...yet another list I'm going to print out for my fridge & office area. Thanks for the good stuff & keep it comin'!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Been following you through sean anderson for awhile...we both think you are amazing...and very funny!!!

    keep on
    YOU ROCK!!!
    Irene

    ReplyDelete
  31. Fun is one of the many things we need to redefine on this journey. Great list!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Yup... I'll take any of those 'fun' items on your list anyday... great job!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Awesome blog entry and just what I needed to hear! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  34. LMFAO I also love the pic! I love love LOVE this list though, I am going to print that up!

    TY!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I don't have kids, but I'll agree 326% on all the others!

    I'll add one: Fun is sitting in a casino watching your parents and grandmother pass you again and again because they still don't recognize you even after 10 months at (or near) goal. :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. Damns straight Jack. My fun list is slowly morphing into one that looks a lot like yours. :)

    ReplyDelete
  37. Like the nuns they want to hang on to their old habits.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Fun is getting a catty look from a woman whose boyfriend just gave you a once over. As my mother always said,You don't kick a dead horse. That look is sure sign you have pulled one foot out of the grave. lol.

    ReplyDelete
  39. man, i definitely miss those things! i blog about them all the time, as you know. but i agree. ive had to make quite a few conscious decisions about not going out to dinner or to the bar. i now make these things a special treat, rather than something im entitled to. its hard work to stay in the area of not being overweight, and for many others, its easy. however, i think the results you cant see- good blood levels, low cholesterol, fit body (that may still be overweight, but i always stress that one can be overweight and still be fit) are better than always giving in to these desires.

    ReplyDelete
  40. i will take your fun list as well. another thing that is fun is realizing that by not going out to eat you saved a good bit of money.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Well, I sort of agree with this post but actually not entirely. Most of the things on your list are about the progress part of the journey, like dropping pounds and fitting into new sizes. And what I'm learning after nine months of being consistently on track is that that kind of fun loses its novelty after awhile. The REAL key is to find your fun in something else entirely -- that's not pigging out or over-indulging AND is not just losing weight or seeing progress.

    Just my two cents! :)

    ReplyDelete
  42. Great post, and excellent reminder. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Another winner of a post Mr. Shit. Fun is relative.

    Fun is being able to put on your sneakers without getting out of breath!

    Thanks for the reminder of what is REALLY fun.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Jack, I am on the road right now but so glad I checked my reader and saw this. I needed the reminder. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  45. Gotta say your fun list is pretty fun. =) But my motto is moderation is key. Moderation can be hard for a lot of people (myself included), but 100 lbs are gone and I still enjoy nice restaurant meals, drinks with friends, etc...in moderation of course, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Love this post! It's such a great reminder when some of life's "fun temptations" strike.

    ReplyDelete
  47. you rock Jack, your such an inspiration to me.

    cheers

    Phil-theincredibleshrinkingman

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails