Monday, October 11, 2010

Happily Ever After

It may be further down the road than you can even imagine, so allow me to tell you a little about how it’s going to be when you finally reach your goals on this healthy living journey…
  • First things first… don’t kid yourself into thinking that all your problems will instantly vanish – poof – into thin air. But I will say this:  you’ll be in a far better position to deal with the stresses and struggles that will always be a part of  your life. The down days won't get you so far down...

  • You’re going to feel better. I mean, sooooooo much better. I used to wake up all creaky and cranky, and chalked it up to the natural progression of getting older. Turns out there was nothing natural about it whatsoever. When I started taking better care of my body, my body started taking better care of me.
     
  • You’ll feel better about yourself. You’ll catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror at a department store and you won’t flinch with disappointment. You’ll try on a pair of pants in a size that would boggle your mind right now… and they’ll fit like you were born to wear them. That smile on your face won’t be forced and the swagger in your step will be well-earned.

  • You will probably finally see what so many others enjoy about shopping.

  • People will look at you different, especially at first. They’ll want you to pass on the secret, as though it were some magic beans, and when you tell them about all the sweat and sacrifice that you’ve invested, it may surprise you to see their eyes glaze over. Like you did, they’ll just have to figure it out on their own…

  • You’ll look at those old photographs and wonder who that person was, that foolish, foolish clod that made life so miserable and difficult for you way back when. You’ll see the abundance of chins and the lack of self-confidence, and you’ll make a pact with yourself to never again return to those dark days.

  • You’ll feel “normal”… as in, someone who isn’t defined by their size.

  • You may… and pay attention–this is important!... you may think you’re finished once you reach your goal, and things can go back to the way they were without… well, things going back to the way they were. Maintenance presents its own set of challenges, but believe me when I say that, after what you will have accomplished by then, it’s NOT more than you can bear.
Some of you are just getting started on this path and some are well on their way, but I just wanted to remind us all of exactly what’s waiting at the finish line….

A better life.


x

33 comments:

  1. A better life that is worth the continued fight, right Jack? Because getting to maintenance and then thinking you can just coast is a joke as we all know! It is wonderful to have a more healthy body and sometimes we get cocky and forget that we actually have to WORK to keep it. But that bitch the scale is always there to smack us back into reality. Thank goodness for her brutal honesty that kickstarts our desire and our motivation back into place. Let's show the rest of October who's boss, shall we?

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  2. I needed this. Seriously. Thank you, Jack.

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  3. I haven't even needed to get all the way to the finish line to start feeling better. I just needed to start running the race. I love my new life!!

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  4. it's all so true - thank you for saying it better than I ever could. I'm not there yet but I'm seeing some of it. I can only imagine what being at goal will actually be like!

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  5. Great post Jack, it is all worth it.

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  6. Jack, I just wanted to say "Thank You!!" for doing what you do here. I've just looked back at several of your W.I.D.T.H. posts, as well as your posts for the last couple days: Its inspiring and encouraging to read about the reasons, as well as the struggles, that everyone experiences on the road to a thinner, healthier lifestyle. Thank you! Really!!

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  7. Thanks fr the reminder it's true maintenance has its own times of complications, but so worth it.

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  8. You are right. I am not quite to goal, but oh my gosh, It is so worth all the effort.

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  9. Great post Jack, I'm going to bookmark this one so I can refer to it every now and then... thanks!

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  10. So true, there is no end point to our efforts, I've acheived normal weight in the past and let it slip away.

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  11. Yes, another winner. Crazy how your posts sometimes feel like you're speaking directly to ME.

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  12. Thank you, I too needed to hear that. I start my weightloss program Wed eve. So Thursday I start. I wonder at times (fantasize really) what my future holds for me. My kids tell me how proud of me they are for doing this. Which is nice, but makes me wonder if I have been an embarrassment to them. They say no, but if I am to myself, I must be to them. I appreciate your website. Ive started my own for accountability. Heck I read yours more than my own. Whats that about? I guess I also want the Cinderella syndrome "happily ever after". I will achieve it too.(Geez, way too deep sorry) Thanks for the inspiration and laughter. Gracie

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  13. Thank you for this post! I know you wrote it just for me, lol. Keep 'em coming!
    K.
    www.it-is-time.com

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  15. Because that is what it is REALLY all about. Thank you, sir!!! (Sorry about the original post. 2 year old is my typing helper. lol)

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  16. So true! Last week, 4 people came up to me and said, "Doc, u need to get some smaller scrubs." (I've lost 25lbs s-l-o-w-l-y- training to run-walk two half-marathons.. Disneyland and upcoming Long Beach). I feel great, but had a discouraging session in the pool this morning. Your post couldn't have come at a better time. Thanks man..

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  17. Jack-Do you think that "feeling better" is more a combination of weight loss AND exercise than simply the weight loss alone?

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  18. Thank you Jack. I'm like seriously on the verge of tears right now. I am on the very beginning of this weight loss journey and losing 96 pounds seems so impossible to me right now. Thank you SO MUCH for the motivation. I know it will pay off in the long run.

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  19. yes, I have been working on maintenance mentally for months. anyone who has lost even one pound should consider themselves in maintenance. maintain that pound and move forward. We'll get there.

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  20. Oh I seriously needed this today! Thank you soooo much!

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  21. I am crying my heart out over this. Thank you. I needed to hear it more than you could know.

    Actually, you probably *do* know, because you've been there.

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  22. Hey Jack,
    Thanks, this was a great read. Thanks for showing us that the light is not an approaching train. I hit a pretty big milestone today, got under 200 pounds, feels good to be successful, feels really good.

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  23. Today is the start of my new life and what better way to get motivated than to read your post.

    Thanks a lot.


    :)

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  24. AHMEN!!!! thanks for that reminder..

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  25. One of the biggest shocks ever was realizing that reaching Goal or Lifetime or whatever does not = Immunity. What?!? That's not fair!!!!

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  26. Gave me goosebumps. Thanks. I am in awe of your resiliency - going from yesterday's post about your crappy weigh-in experience to today's post about why it's all worth it. It's why I keep coming back to your blog for inspiration and perspective. Remembering why we're doing this is key!

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  27. Don't know what to say other than "you're right!"

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  28. One of the things I enjoy about losing weight is that I no longer hyperventilate at the thought of sitting in a booth in a restaurant. I just sit down like every other normal person.

    I showed your blog to a non-blogging friend and she told me this morning she spent this past weekend laughing her ass off. The Tom Petty ruination you posted was her entry point.

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  29. Oh, Captain Jack, this post is worth saving and re-reading regularly!

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