Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Time to Step Up

What are you fretting about? It’s not that you’ve failed… it’s just that you’re still in pre-success mode.

Your goal seems unattainable, the challenges that beset you seem insurmountable.

You’ve put everything you need in your cart…

  • Gotta eat less – check

  • Gotta exercise move – check

  • Gotta cram a few veggies in my maw – check

  • Gotta hold myself accountable and be smarter about my choices – check and check

…and yet you still haven’t bought in. I mean really honestly and truly bought in to this grand adventure.

Because if you had, you’d be well on your way.

Sorry to just flat-out say it like that, but there you go. Because that’s the kind of straight-shootin’ son-of-a-bitch I am, I’ll say it again: if you had, you’d be well on your way.

If it’ll make you feel any better, I’m right there with you.

What do you suppose is holding us back anyway?

We have a problem, you and I. Something inside us pushes us down a path we have no business walking. Something draws us into a funhouse mirror maze that can be damned difficult to find our way back from.

I’ve spent a lifetime losing weight, it seems, and a relatively short amount of time gaining it.

There’s some faulty wiring inside my cranium that makes me want more than it need and crave things that do my body no earthly good. It fascinates me to no end that a brain that’s in charge of the body’s self-preservation can send such crappy signals, can make non-stop snacking seem like a brilliant idea.

I won’t lie to you… this business can be tough, sometimes tougher than many of us have the willpower or want-to to withstand. But it’s in us to give a little more, to push a little harder, to make a plan and stick to it.

My good buddy Tony at Anti-Jared has decided to up the ante, and invited me to go on a crazy Thelma & Louise-style joyride towards our goal weight. He’s concocted the kind of throwdown–an All Loser's Challenge– that I can really sink my teeth into. His idea is for us… all of us, that is… to get serious about our goals, to start… and this is the crazy part… losing a little weight.

Tony has thrown down the gauntlet.

Me? I’m picking it up.

How about you?

30 comments:

  1. Good luck with your challenge.

    I agree - I am an intelligent 40 year old who has achieved most things I set out to achieve.. except maintain my goal weight!

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  2. That's some straight shootin' sh.t, Jack! I'm RIGHT THERE with ya! I start a "What Can You Do in 100 Days" challenge (inspired by Tigerlily) on Sept. 7th. Time to up the ante all around!

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  3. Yep..I emailed Tony. I am on that path. Honestly, I read you and Tony almost daily. It was reading the two of you over many months that made me realize I wasn't fully in the game. I am now. I committed. I am in this for the quality NOT the quantity and Each and every day I will give this 110%,

    Thank you both!

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  4. I've put up my numbers on AJ's FB page for the challenge, bring it on.

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  5. I'm in the same position you are, I just can't beat my own mental monster that keeps me binging, over eating and craving unhealthy, copious amounts of food!

    I've pulled out the big guns and decided I'm not going to pluck this dandilion at the stem anymore, because I KNOW it will just grow back, I'm getting this sucker by the roots and ripping it out of the ground. I've enlisted in the help of a therapist/dietician/team of experts to get me thinking, help me change a lifetime of habits and finally, once and for all, get control of my eating, starting from within!

    Good luck with your challenge!

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  6. I've just found your blog and can I just tell you it is exactly what I need! Love your humor and your straight shootin!

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  7. I love, "pre-success mode" - I will be incorporating that into my own vocabulary, thank you! :-)
    PS - If you've been following my blog, you'll need to remove me from your feed reader and re-follow me (stupid computer stuff).
    http://www.watchmybuttshrinking.com

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  8. "and yet you still haven’t bought in" -- i needed this.

    Thank you.

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  9. Jack
    I've been lurking here for months.
    I'm joining your losers challenge.

    I'd like to lose the last 10 pounds - these pounds that I have seen on the upside and downside about a dozen times. It's time to get rid of them for good.

    Best of luck to you, I will be checking in! Thanks for the great posts day after day.

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  10. Why is it that we want to do the healthy things and feel better when we do them, yet we still choose to follow the less healthy road?

    Thank you for this post. I am currently recognizing a trend in my life of "no more excuses" and this is another.

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  11. Wow, you hit the effing nail on the head. Took the words right out of my mouth (are you listening to the conversations I have with myself?)

    Lately it's been a challenge.... no, a road block. I just can't seem to get with it like I have in the past. I don't know what's stopping me, this time - I just feel like I'm 'losing control'.

    I'm down with the challenge though, what have I got to lose (except 30 lbs) :)

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  12. I don't do challenges. I am committed to living this daily. so, slow and stead wins for me. counting calories and getting there when I get there.
    But, good luck Jack. I know you can do it.

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  13. I do well with goals so I told Tony I'm in too. Think Mike is going to do it too. Losing a few more lbs sure won't hurt me. Nice to know we are in it together.

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  14. I am totally in! I plan to get to 156 by the end of the year... with lots of hard work, exercise, and determination. We will do it!

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  15. I wrote about the same topic on my post, the need to get serious, to step up my game. I'm not sure I want to post my weight, but maybe my losses?

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  16. I'm totally in. Thanks to you both for the push I needed to fully get my ass in gear.

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  17. great, inspiring post as always!
    xo

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  18. I am totally in - since I started posting my weight on my blog and not being afraid of the number, I really think I've been able to look at my weight loss objectively. Nonetheless, I can always use a kick in the butt!

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  19. I'm taking the Anti-Jared's All Losers Challenge: Started at 299 pounds. As of today I'm at 235.2 pounds. I'll be at 199 pounds by December 31 2010. That's 36 pounds in 18 weeks, or 2 pounds a week. Sick today but will still exercise and make myself eat. Vee at http://veegettinghealthy.blogspot.com

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  20. I appreciate you for who you are: a straight-shootin' son-of-a-bitch. Couldn't think of anyone I'd rather have as my mentor, coach, or online blog friend.

    After losing a total of 4 pounds over a long 2 months, and I just start to think, "Is this all worth it?" you write a post that "speaks to me." Thanks for being you... you straight-shootin' son-of-a-bitch. ;-)

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  21. My goal when I started this journey last August was to drop 100lbs by the begining of the next school year. Well, I have come damn close. I am right about 235, just 10 shy of my full goal. And, I am ok with that. I am running and benching more than when I played football when I was on the otherside of the desk. Now that I see how much I enjoy this, I want a new challenge. I want to hit 215 by Christmas. The catch, I want to drop the 20 lbs while getting bigger and lifting more. So, yeah, I am down, and I hope to see you and Tony at the end

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  22. Thanks for your post Jack, I REALLY needed it today

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  23. I love the simplicity of this challenge No big detailed plans. We all know what we need to do; this challenge is about just doing it. No excuses. I'm in. Will be posting challenge and my weekly progress on my blog, as well. I'm at 280 now and will be at 250 by 12/31/2010.

    http://toosexy4thisfat.blogspot.com/

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  24. I think most mornings I wake up with that attitude: "okay! I'm ready to go! I've got my tools!" ...and I guess I assume that the tools will do all the work for me. Nope! Gotta step it up a notch and do it ourselves.

    Hence why I am currently downing the green shakes and not counting calories :)

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  25. Brilliant post, Despite being near to target weight I still have very bad days where I just eat things I dont really even want.. WHY!! I dont get it and just hope with time I can either train myself not to do it, or just limit the consequences. Fat girl is still veyr much alive and kicking inside me. But you can do this. We're all with you.

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  26. I'm in... and this time I'm not going to forget where the challenge originated! I tell you, getting old sucks.

    I'm at 307 today, down from 353 June 1, 2010. By New Year's I plan to be... doing a variety of cardio, weight training three days a week, and be down to 260.

    There, I've thrown down the gauntlet! I'm going to kick my outer fat girl into gear. There's a skinny inner girl beating on the bars to get out. :-D

    destinedfor150.blogspot.com

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  27. After the most humiliating weekend of my life, I needed this post. thanks.

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  28. I'm in-there is a sixpack two inches deep with my name on it. Ok, maybe it's three inches deep. Now if I can just give up the cookie dough roll (literally not figuratively/phallic-ly).

    Let's do this sh*t, Jack!


    www.polarspage.blogspot.com

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  29. LOL...this is perfect. My whole weight-loss journey was inspired by an episode of Bobby Flay's Throwdown! So whenever I hear "throwdown" I'm there!

    Katie
    www.freakingawesomebody.blogspot.com

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