Wednesday, September 8, 2010

What Are You Missing Out On?

If you’re having trouble finding inspiration or getting any traction on this weight-loss misadventure, there’s one question you should really be asking yourself…

“What am I missing out on right now?”

I mean, you know all the good, sound reasons and rationale on why you should be doing this. Your health. Your kids. Your longevity, for Heaven's sake.

But really… what are you… missing out on… right now?

In what ways would your life be enriched were you at your goal weight today? Do you even know? Have you really given it any thought?

You’ve been on the sidelines for so long that you may believe you actually belong there.

You don’t.

It’s a point that bears repeating: you don’t belong there.

I’ve spent my life yo-yoing up and down the scale, just so you know. In my mid-20’s, I went in to one of my very first job interviews while I weighed my heaviest. I got extremely nervous and self-conscious and proceeded to sweat like Jabba the Hut in a sauna. It was horrible.

The embarrassment of that moment did get me off my butt, however. I lost a bunch of weight over a nine-month stretch and later found myself interviewing for a job with a small firm owned by an honest-to-God former Miss America contestant.

I wound up landing the job, but later had the sick realization that I would never have been considered nine months earlier. The interview would have effectively been over as soon as I plopped my fat ass down in the seat across from her desk (even before the sweat started flowing).

At my heaviest, I suffered a heavy-duty flop sweat interviewing for a job I didn’t even want.

At my goal weight, I went into that beauty queen interview with poise, with good humor, with the utmost confidence.

There have been countless instances in my past where I sat back and watched others participate in activities I just didn’t feel capable or comfortable doing.

I want you… me… all of us… to do the right thing by our bodies for all the right reasons, because we’ll all look better and feel better, live longer and live better.

But I also want us to finish our time on this mudball having run and jumped and danced and played, not standing around on the sidelines watching others run and jump and dance and play. I want us to feel good about ourselves and the time we spent here.

We wasted some days, to be sure, and we can’t go back and make a new beginning.

However, nobody but ourselves can stop us from making a new ending.

42 comments:

  1. "Nobody but ourselves can stop us from making a new ending" - No truer words were spoken. Thanks for the reminder, Jack. Have a great day!

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  2. You are so right, excellent post!!

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  3. Oh you are SO RIGHT ON with this...The sidelines is no place for me anymore. I want to be the quarter back progressing down the field to make a touchdown at the goal post!

    A 100 yds may seem like a long way, but its just one yard at a time and getting back up after the tackle!

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  4. Great post! You are so right!

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  5. Love this post! I recently wrote a post with a similar vibe on my blog: http://soskinnyontheinside.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-talk-yourself-out-of-life.html

    Thanks for continuing to inspire me!

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  6. Hey Jack,

    I'm amazed that slowly I am gaining confidence. I'm getting more pep in my step, not being afraid to start a conversation with a stranger. The more I lose, the better I feel. The better I feel, the more I want to get off the sidelines.

    AWESOME POST!!!!!!

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  7. This post hit home. My younger sister got married recently and I made excuses why I could not attend her bachelorette party, but the real reason is because I would have been the heaviest one there. She posted her pictures online and I was looking at them thinking I should have gone anyway. It's a moment I'll never get back. Not to mention the Florida vacations I have sent my kids on the past 4 summers with the rest of my family but without me (me--swimsuit? Not gonna happen). I am missing out and I'm tired of it.

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  8. I wish I knew what I missing out on...but I have a feeling it's some pretty cool stuff. Working on it... :)

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  9. Awesome Post! I feel very motivated now. THANKS :)

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  10. Jack what I love about your posts is how they are straight from the heart, and often times it is exactly what I am feeling or going through and you just give me that extra push.
    Thank you for being you and continuing to inspire us all.

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  11. I like that! As always, you words make me think :)

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  12. Just what i needed, great post Mr. Jack!

    I fell off the wagon yesterday and it ran me over :( .Its not happening today. Im getting on that d@mn wagon even if i have to belly flop in front of it ;-)

    Thanks for the inspiration!

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  13. You always seem to be in my head. Either you are have secretly implanted a monitoring device in my brain or you are just that full of wisdom and insight.
    Thank you for putting things into perspective for me once again.

    This is a prime example of why I included you among my award winners. Stop by and claim your prize at the Blitz. http://girlyblitz.blogspot.com/

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  14. I was thinking along these very same lines this morning. My daughter's wedding is coming up in November and I keep thinking, I won't be where I want to be. I will not look good in my dress, I will not have the fun that I wanted to have. When I really think about it though, why not? The fact is, I will look better than I do on a normal day simply because I will be made up. It's not like every guest we are inviting doesn't know I'm fat and all of a sudden because it's my daughter's wedding they will realize it. These people are all friends and family and I should have a good time celebrating a happy occaision with them!
    Thanks for this post. It really helped me!

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  15. Thanks for this excellent post.

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  16. Holy. I might even consider dating again. But lets not get too far ahead of ourselves or anything.

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  17. ...I linked back to you today, I hope that's ok!

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  18. Great post. I'm 44 ys old and I am starting to see many guys my age finally get the beer belly that I've had my whole life. But they are settling in and I am going the other direction. It throws them off. That feels good.

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  19. I am in the same boat as Clyde. I saw a buddy of mine the other day that I had not seen in a while.... dude was big!

    I on the other hand, have gone the OTHER way.

    I was thinking about what you said... about what we are missing. Sometimes it does me good to think about what I am missing being more fit. O.K.----- let's see. I am missing being miserable when I try to tie my shoes. I am missing being miserable when I try to chase down my 5 year old. I am missing being miserable after I eat ALL the Doritos!!! I guess I just miss being miserable.

    Thanks Jack for helping me think about it!

    WeighDownSouth.com

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  20. Great post Jack! I missed out on so many things in my life. Wished I had been a normal sized child, teen, and adult my whole life. Today I finally feel like I am not missing anything. Not sure why it took me so long, but I am happy to be here. :)

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  21. Oh the flop sweat! Been there! Thanks for the reminder that we don't belong on the sidelines. You stay there for too long and you start to believe that's your lot in life. Wake.up.call!

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  22. Fantastic post Jack. Amazing food for thought.

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  23. I felt like you were speaking to me.

    Someone gave me a blog award where I have to write 7 things about myself. I just wrote about it this morning. After I posted the 7 fun things, I realized that most of those things happened 15-20 years ago -- when I was fun and not such a hermit, when I lived life instead of enduring it.

    I'm going to finish my blogging with your post so I can ponder it a while. What AM I missing out on?

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  24. this post hit the spot for me today! I was hitting a bit of a plateau and thinking "What's the point?" but this post got me thinking and helps me to keep on keeping on!

    Thanks!

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  25. Great Post! I look forward to being able to relax, enjoy myself and have fun living life again. I've been on the sidelines far too long. And when my weight is off I want people to look at me and say "Look at that gal, she's having a great time." Then 20 years from now when I look back I will be happy that I lost the weight and got back in the game of life.

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  26. "There have been countless instances in my past where I sat back and watched others participate in activities I just didn’t feel capable or comfortable doing."

    I am taking a life guard certification class now mostly with young college aged men... and keeping up...and I find jumping in...whoah is that me????? :) I get it!

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  27. I'm only 23 and there have been so many things I've missed out on and passed up because of my weight. You're right, it is amazing motivation.

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  28. I started backing off from doing activities others were doing in sixth grade. Our class went on a trip to a place called "Challenge By Choice" where we had to do team building things like making a human bridge for the rest of the class to get over and whatnot. I wasn't even the biggest kid in the class (yet) and I was terrified to do anything because I didn't want to get picked on. Ugh. I spent the whole day pretending I had a stomach ache so I didn't have to put myself in a situation like that.

    I weigh twice as much as I did in sixth grade now (which is a lot.) and I do whatever the hell I feel like doing, even though I might sweat or look like a big flabby fatty. I don't even care. :D

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  29. Thanks for that. I needed to hear that.

    Not that you do this sort of thing, but I wanted to give it to you anyway.
    I have a blog award for you over at my site.
    http://tracitreasures.blogspot.com/

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  30. You continue to inspire Jack! I so enjoyed my run today. I remember when exercise used to be drudgery but today, I was just happy to be out there in the fresh air, moving my body, hubs at my side, just for the sake of being healthy, not because I was worried about how big my ass was. :) I love that I enjoy my workouts now. It took SO long but it has made SUCH a difference.

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  31. I'm missing out on swimming.

    I watch from my apartment window, while my husband and kids have fun in the pool.

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  32. Let's see...Saturday all-afternoon bike rides, sit-up contests with my hubby, feeling sexy in shorts, turning heads.

    But, I'm working my way back and will not give up. Thanks for the post, Jack.

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  33. Well said Jack!!! I nominated you for an award! http://projectgetthin.blogspot.com/2010/09/thank-you-stephanie.html

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  34. I feel like I went to my Weight Watchers meeting, minus that one twit in the back that won't ever shut up because she knows that the very sound of her breathing makes me want to punch her in the throat. Much better! Sleeping with peace tonight. Thanks Jack.

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  35. Another post I needed to read.
    What a good question/motivator.

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  36. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this post! really! Planning on sharing it with a few friends. Do I have to say you wrote it, or can I lie and say I suddenly became eleoquent and a wonderful writer..???? hmm... (Just kidding)

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  37. I'm behind on blog reading and sure glad I started catching up on this one. That was just balls out frickin motivating.

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