Sunday, September 13, 2009

Less to Love

Weekly weigh-in: 223.5
Loss: -1.5
Total loss: 68 lbs.
Emotion: Steady as she goes

Yesterday was an OMG day.

I had to meet with a group of folks that I haven’t seen since Spring, and had to spend the first twenty minutes or so detailing my “Summer of Loss”. After trotting out my pat answer (“I’m on a hunger strike until they get this health care business straightened out”), I was pressed into giving up my secrets. One young woman literally got out a pad and pen and was ready to jot down my secret recipe for success.

Was it eating nothing but Fuji apples for three months? Only eating while hanging upside down? Drinking six glasses of water with every meal? Only eat foods beginning with the letter “W”?

“Well,” I said. “I’ve been eating a lot less and exercising a lot more.”

The young woman capped her pen and put her pad away. “Oh,” she smiled in mock indignation. “I don’t want to hear that.”

Later in the day, I ran into a couple I know that I hadn’t seen in quite a few months. They went on and on and on about the weight loss.

“I can’t believe how good you look,” she told me, but quickly tacked on the standard qualifier: “You didn’t look bad before, but you look great now.”

Sorry, lady. You can lie all you want, but the camera never did. Looking at myself in the bathroom mirror back when I was at my heaviest, I could find angles that helped convince me that I looked kinda-sorta okay. I wore my shirts untucked a lot, thinking that it helped disguise the love handles. I wore the same couple of pairs of pants a lot, conveniently ignoring the fact that there were several other pairs in my closet that had gotten uncomfortably snug.

But then I’d see a snapshot, and that house of cards would come tumbling down.

This is what people see when they look at me, I thought, staring at the photograph. It took my breath away.

I remember picking up photographs that had been developed (remember when photographs were developed?) and tossing out pictures of myself that were particularly unflattering.

People lie; photographs rarely do.

I’m proud of this week. The compliments were over-the-top nice, but this week felt like something that I could sustain for a long time, a routine that I could live with. I took my daughter Pisa and a buddy to the fair in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. I took my family out for soup and sushi last night.

I ate slowly and with patience. I exercised intensely and with passion.

My muscles ached this week as I added lifting weights to the mix, but the rest of me?

The rest of me is feeling fine.

53 comments:

  1. Jack, thank you for continually inspriing me. I Just had a horrible weigh in and it's things like these that don't make me want to just keep eating or starve myself.

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  2. Congrats, Jack!! That is sooo great! You deserve to be proud!

    Got out my pad and pen...
    "I ate slowly and with patience. I exercised intensely and with passion."

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  3. Great Job. It sounds like you've learned the "secret". Congrats on being 68% on your way to goal!

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  4. Your sense of humor and consistency are both rare and amazing to see. :) Keep rocking it brother.

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  5. I really like this post. I have seen pictures like that of myself, where I go *rip-rip-rip* before anyone else can see it. They are very humbling. I am glad that you're in a good place now!

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  6. I agree that photographs rarely lie. I have this (what I think is) a weird habit of taking a picture of myself almost everyday to see if my makeup looks alright. I can delude myself when I'm just looking in the mirror, but I have to face facts when it's looking back at me from my phone.

    68 pounds is a huge accomplishment. I like that you are simple: eat less (and more healthy) food, and exercise more. You aren't about fads, just hard work. I admire and respect that about you.

    Steady as she goes: the best place to be, I think.

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  7. You should be proud of your loss. I used to get those tell me whats your secrets session as well. And yes, photos never lie! Stay awesome!

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  8. I am with Marisa! That is what rang the bell for me.

    "I ate slowly and with patience and exercised intensely and with passion"

    That is a damn good week! Congrats on the loss too Jack! BTW, is your goal to be at 190? Just wondering if that has changed?

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  9. Patience and passion...my new mantra! Thanks for all your inspiring posts.

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  10. It's great to feel great, isn't it? I'm happy for you that you are feeling so good, Jack. Too funny, the girl putting her pen away and saying, "Oh." I also find that people don't like to hear that. If it doesn't include an easy solution, they just don't want any part of it. Oh well for them. If you want it, you've got to work for it. Same as everything else in the world. Sh*t don't come easy, right?
    Here's hoping you have a great week!

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  11. The scale is moving in the right direction! :)

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  12. Well, you're just two pounds away from pickles. I hope you don't get the urge to eat them with ice cream.

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  13. I want before and after pictures and I want 'em NOW!!

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  14. Eating slowly and with patience? I've GOT to learn this one. Seriously, I eat at the speed of light, leaving all other diners I'm with in the dust. Think I'll make this a new goal.

    Can an old dog really learn new tricks? Guess we'll see.

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  15. funny kinda how she put away her pen and paper...how she thought you were gonna rant and rave about the latest/greatest "quick fix"! We all have fooled ourselves for years that we are "ok" like we are or that the next fad will save us. There is just no way around the TRUTH...diet & workouts. I was in denial for years too, so glad to be a member who finally "saw the light". YOUR doing awesome!

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  16. Yay Jack! It's true, that the compliments are lovely, but it's nicer when the photo's start coming out with more consistently "good angles" than "bad" ones - which I'm sure yours are. Good strong results from you as always - you're one of my people I read for sensible inspiration - so, just for me, please don't stop!

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  17. Congrats on your loss and congrats on all you have done, and all the "growing" you're doing.

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  18. Seeing a photo of myself is actually what started my weight loss journey. You are so right - photos don't lie, even if the mirror in our minds does.

    Glad things are going well with the weights. That soreness is an awesome feeling, isn't it?

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  19. the capacity to endure ...
    it's a trait necessary to win this for sure.

    happy thoughts for you *Jack*
    it's good to see you're doing so well and feeling fine.

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  20. Steady as she for sure!

    We should all strike something till they get this healthcare thing straightened out!

    great post!

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  21. Good job! You're right, people don't really want to know if it involves dedication and hard work.

    Good luck with the weight training!

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  22. Everyone wants a quick fix answer. They don't want to hear what my Mom has been saying for years, "Eat less, exercise more." Congrats on the loss. Isn't it awesome when people gush over your loss? Personally, I love it!

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  23. Wow, that was pretty serious for you. I agree, this is something we can all do. Keep it up, you loser!

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  24. Way to go Jack. I am a lifelong picture-ripper, just now trying to take more pics and KEEP them so that I can face the truth once and for all.

    You have it figured out. Eat less exercise more. But a hunger strike until healthcare mess is figured out might be a good strategy too!

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  25. You are so close to pickles! So, are we ever gonna get to see a picture of how good you look?

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  26. lol@the young lady not wanting to hear that... it's true though, we all want a quick fix, not something that's going to take time and patience. I think you're nailing it buddy and you deserve all the compliments you get, if people didn't think you were worthy they'd just button their lips :-)

    oh and you're totally right about cameras not lying... I think with mirrors, you have this idea in your head about how you look and you convince yourself that's the true you... photos are so harsh but accurate!

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  27. I used to be like that... hoping someone would give me the secret as to how they lost weight, when really they do what we all do.

    eat less, and workout more.

    they'll figure it out when they are ready.

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  28. pictures! pictures! pictures! pictures!....lol

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  29. It is true, I can tell a huge difference in your pictures.

    Yes, I did find the back of the blog!!!Muahahahahaha!!!!

    Nice loss, can not wait for da pickles!

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  30. My hubby has made fun of me because I so know that photos never lie that I've been known to dive under tables at weddings and such.

    I can't wait for the day that we get to see the real Jack Sh*t.

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  31. I didn't send a single picture of last christmas to anyone i knew because I had a pair of terry cloth jogging pants on and I looked HORRIBLE. Photos don't lie. I am liking the whole "oh, i didn't want to hear that" lady. Of course not. What she wants to hear is that the fat fairy will be by later to carry her fat away. I know that is what I was always waiting for. Keep up the good work.
    Chris

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  32. Jack, you inspire me so much. Some of your posts are hilarious. But THESE are the ones I like to see you post. Ive just posted a picture of myself at the wedding and it was so hard to see me like that. But I have to do it to motivate myself into changing and making myself healthy. YOU inspire me to do that. Thank you

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  33. I feel the same way about pictures of myself. I post the pics on my blog as a reminder. Thanks for the down to earth post. Eat less, exercise more. There it is.

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  34. I had to laugh when I read that woman capped her pen and put her pad away. HAHA!!

    congrats on your success!!

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  35. Congrats & you are so deserving! Doing it the right way. People often ask me what I do too & I say, exercise, both cardio & weights, ab/core exercises, flexibility & the big thing, I eat healthy & that food is at least 65% of the equation if not more. They all nod their head & many say like they did to you, I don't want to hear that. The best thing that happened to me recently was a young lady at the gym asking me what I did & I told her the above, stressing the food. She said, I can do that! WOW! I loved to hear that!

    Anyway, you should really feel not only good but proud! Good for you!

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  36. That "pen" woman better re-think her thoughts!

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  37. Good for you! Congrats! You are doing great :)

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  38. I'm so glad to hear you're in the groove with something you can live with. That's what it's all about Jack. And with all that you're doing for yourself....you deserve every single compliment you get.

    P.S. I, too, have a habit of throwing away old pics. :)

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  39. Feeling fine - thanks for your easy going posts that help us to keep it simple but to also smile and laugh during the journey.

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  41. "this week felt like something that I could sustain for a long time, a routine that I could live with."

    That is SO cool! I'm so happy for you!

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  42. I see pickles for you in the near future my friend. And might I add you rock. And roll. All night long.

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  43. congrats! I agree pictures don't lie.. I didn't realize how fat until I took christmas picutres with my sisters.

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  44. Good gravy Jack. Can you read my mind? I mean, I know you're a dude and I'm a chick but the whole not-tucking in (shirts that it is. I could tuck in the cake like no one's business) really rings true. And I'll have several pictures taken of me, deleting the ones that suck the worst.

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  45. What an awesome week! The compliments are wonderful, but it does get tiresome having to repeat, "No, really. I just changed the way I ate and started exercising regularly." Their little eyes start to glaze over and you know you've lost them.

    Keep up the great work, Jack!

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  46. Way to go on all your great success. Always great to hear all the compliments from your family and friends too, enjoy them you definitely earned them.

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  47. Well done Jack! I love coming here...always so encouraged!

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  48. Amazing! That's what people never want to hear until they are ready to make a change. They want something quick, easy... Blame it on our instant-gratification society all you want but it's ultimately our fault.

    Well done, good sir. Well done.

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  49. I can't wait 'til I get there. Great job.

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