Monday, March 1, 2010

Stuck

I’m stuck in traffic, writing this in longhand on the back of an old Costco receipt (don’t worry… there’s lots and lots of room on this slip of paper… why in the world did I ever think I needed a 10-gallon container of dried shitake mushrooms anyway?).

I would thumb-type it out on the iPhone, but it’s always thisclose to running out of juice, even though I leave it turned off most of the time. I guess that’s because my 11-year-old daughter Pisa snatches it up every time she’s in the car and plays on one of the 3,000 apps she’s downloaded.

I’m edging forward on the expressway about ten feet a minute, and in many ways, this feels exactly like my weight-loss journey these days.

All through the past summer and autumn, I posted weigh-in numbers that would make anybody but a Biggest Loser contestant squeal with delight. Three pounds, four pounds… one week I think I might have lost a “stone”.

Now… now, I’m getting content to being the Master of the Micro-Loss. I’m learning to embrace the slower-than-slow creep of those last few pounds. It’s as annoying as… well, as annoying as sitting here fuming in a traffic jam.

Last time I was stuck in a miles-long snarl like this, I was heading to meet a buddy at a college basketball game. I’d been slow-poking along, getting more and more agitated with every passing minute. Finally, I whipped my vehicle onto an exit and decided there was more than one way to get across town.

Using my car’s GPS (“Geographically Perplexed System”), I went down dead-end streets, cut through neighborhoods where I inadvertently interrupted drug deals and dice games. I was speeding along, but getting nowhere fast.

I eventually got to the game, and my buddy informed me that he had been behind me on the expressway. There had been a wreck just past where I had turned off, and traffic had unsnarled right past there. Had I stayed put, had I just continued the way I was going, I would have gotten where I was going with a lot less fuss and stress.

I’m done looking for shortcuts and alternate routes. I will stay on the straight and narrow and trust that it’s the best path to get where I’m going.

48 comments:

  1. Ready and steady. That is the ticket. There aren't any shotcuts, though I definitely wish there was!!!

    Cheers,
    Missa
    LosingEthel

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  2. With all my talk last week about starting the C25K and what a slooooowwwww jogger I am, folks have reminded me constantly of all things "slow and steady wins the race." The tortoise always wins no matter how many times you read the story.

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  3. Patience & consistency get you there! Especially patience! :-) Great post Jack!

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  4. needed to read this today, thank you for the gentle reminder..

    Anne
    ~lose2live~

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  5. ohhh.... I like this...

    so true and I love your positive attitude at those smaller numbers. i need to take a lesson from you on that!

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  6. Stay the course, you know you'll get to the end. Veer off? Well, that could lead anywhere. Great post, even if it is in longhand.

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  7. What a great reminder! Thank you! :)

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  8. Patience, Grasshopper, patience. Good post.

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  9. Hmm, a peanut butter and traffic jam sandwich sounds delicious right about now...

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  10. Oie, this is something I've also realized lately.... shortcuts usually have you taking more time then you would ahve otherwise....

    Thanks :)

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  11. Oh boy do I feel you. These last 12 pounds (for me) are taking a lifetime to peel off, or so it seems. But we know what we need to do, and we know it works.

    Keep it up.

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  12. What a great reminder.. I needed that. Thanks!

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  13. Get used to the slow weight loss because maintenance is not far behind and it's more of the same. You gotta like your lifestyle for what it is or you'll regain. More of the same, more of the same. No short cuts.

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  14. Don't you dare give up. I will come and kick your ass.

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  15. I hate thinking about that today. But...you're right. Blast it all.

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  16. Such wise words :) It was only the other day that a friend told me that the longest path from A to B is the 'shortcut'.

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  17. It's a journey, not a destination. So, in every way that matters, you're already there.

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  18. Thanks for the reminder Jack, you are awesome!

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  19. This is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. Thanks for the reminder, Jack.

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  20. You being a man, I know you are use to a faster weight loss then us gals. But take it from someone that is the WOLRDS SLOWEST LOSER. Slow and steady WINS the race my friend! All of those GOOD choices that I have made along my journey are now a part of my life, stuck in my brain, kinda like a bad song playing on a record player that skips. lol :)

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  21. Great words of wisdom. Thanks.

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  22. There was this flyer posted in the bathroom stalls @ my gym, (well I mean it was rather smart placement because seriously, where else would you be lookin??) that said if you only lost 1 lb every week, by the first of next year you would have lost 52 pounds. If you had done it last year you would have been down 52 lbs already.

    Keep on truckin jack, you've got like 44 weeks to go!

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  23. That Anonymous - always full of wit and wisdom...
    This time, I just happen to agree!

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  24. Did you thoroughly enjoy the OKST beatdown of Kansas as much as I did on Saturday? I've always maintained that I am a fan of two college teams, my Mizzou Tigers of course, and whoever is playing th Jayhawks. Wait, this isn't a sports blog? Crap.

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  25. Wait, is this about traffic or weight loss?

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  26. Another good thought provoking post. Do not take the shortcut. Do not sway from the path! Do not get lost in traffic...

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  27. Thanks for this. Just what I needed after my mirco loss of 0.2 lbs. Thanks weight watchers scale for being "way too accurate"

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  28. You always write such great posts.

    They don't say patience is a virtue for nothing.

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  29. But I just found this great new diet that let's me eat whateverthehell I want and I get to stop exercising too!!!

    Fine, I'll stick with what I'm doing!

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  30. I think you make an adorable tortoise. :)

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  31. You just have to keep going. I'm still stuck where I am. Once in awhile I get a small budge. On the positive, I've not gained weight. I've stayed the same. So, I take that victory. For a person who spends most of my day writing and working on this machine, I'm good. I'm at a healthy weight. I'm thinking age and gravity are just against me at this point.

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  32. I used to really resent the fact that the best way to lose weight and get in shape was to move more and eat less. I always wanted a gimmick to work.

    But no luck there. So after 20 years I went with the Jack Sh*t approach too. Who knew?

    This sh*t works!

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  33. Great post as usual. Those last few pounds suck. By the way, I completely agree with your interpretation of GPS.

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  34. "I was speeding along, but getting nowhere fast."

    You've been doing it the right way, and I'm doing it the same with with you. Just keep moving..I know you will. :)

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  35. You've come all the way. The traffic is freeing up ahead---you'll be getting where you're headed real soon.

    My best always
    Sean

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  36. Don't necessarily agree on the shortcut theory. I would rather take longer but keep moving than to sit in traffic and creep along the most direct route. And, as long as you get where you're going, then there's something to be said for enjoying as much of the journey as you can along the way so when you get where you're going you're relaxed and ready to enjoy the destination - instead of arriving tense and ready to snap...

    But then, that's just me...

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  37. Great parable. I'm in the slow lane, too right now...and I'm trying to be conent. Thanks for the post!

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  38. Oh, and BTW, I'm sure you were joking, but the 10-gallon container of dried mushrooms is great! I like to grind them up fine in my coffee grinder, and then use it as a "spice". Delish!

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  39. "Found time"
    Some cultures look at time in traffic and queues as 'found time'. I wonder how that would apply to slow and steady weight loss?

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  40. Great analogy - I loved it. Sometimes slow and steady does win the race. Keep it coming, Jack!

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  41. The straight and "narrow" like your new waist line!

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  42. You are so good with analogies...

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  43. I'd rather be losing slow and steady than not losing any at all.

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  44. So, SO fitting for me right now. I'm doing the right things and the weight isn't coming off. But, I am going to keep doing the right things and trust that the weight WILL come off in time.

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  45. Couldn't have said it any better. Shortcuts are never the way to go unless your certain of the outcome and then they wouldn't be shortcuts they'd be common knowledge.

    Great outlook man. Keep up the great work and progress!

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