Thursday, January 6, 2011

That Voodoo That I Do

One of my Facebook friends (and by “friend,”  I mean “person I've never met, talked to or know in any conceivable sense of the word”) has been rattling my cage about what “program” I'm using.

Calling what I do a “program” kind of diminishes the word, much the same way Facebook diminishes the word “friend”.



You see, I'm bad with rules, too unorganized for a lot of structure and too scatter-brained to keep track of everything I do.

When I finally got serious about this healthy living bushwah, I knew I'd have to implement big changes in my life. However, I knew it’d have to be changes that I could actually live with.

I knew I wasn’t a calorie-counter or a meeting go-to-er… well, maybe I could be a calorie counter or a meeting go-to-er, but I couldn’t do it for the long term. And isn’t the long term what it’s all about anyway?

So in the interest of edumacating you about what’s worked for me, here are the three principles of my “program”…

Eat a little less. And by eating a little less, I mean “don’t eat quite so much”. And by “don’t eat so much,” I mean “eat less food than you probably think you ought to eat”. I’m sorry to get all technical, but it’s an important part of losing weight.

Eat a little healthier. Maybe there was a time when you were like I was, just glanced at calories or whether something was labeled “low-fat” or not. I learned over time that what you put in your mouth was just as important as the quantity.

Exercise a little more. I suppose you can lose weight without exercise, though I honestly believe that it’ll be so slow going that you’ll lose your steam before you get too far. Exercise raises your metabolism and  helps you manage stress and some of the other factors that lead many of us to overeat. Most of all (for me anyway) exercise tends to create a connection between calories consumed and calories burned; when I see a donut on the break room table, I don’t see a delicious pastry; I see 45 minutes of running on the treadmill. And no donut is worth 45 minutes of running on the treadmill.

That’s it. Simple, huh? Every day isn’t perfectly on plan, but I have more good days than not. And the proof is in the sugar-free, fat-free pudding.

For me, it’s all about finding a lifestyle you feel like you can live with… and then start living with it.

22 comments:

  1. It is that simple. I'm not a counter, or group go-er either, not in any sustainable way. I'm just trying to be more aware of what's going into the pie-hole.
    Exercise is definitively key-slow and steady to start. It becomes an upward spiral, of wanting to do more, and looking at food as fuel. What do I want to eat that's going to make my run feel easier.

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  2. Whopa! Too many technical words!!!

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  3. I have done all kinds of programs. What works for me is doing something I can imagine not hating for the rest of my life.....eating supportively when I am actually hungry. And walking a whole lot....

    So far, its working. I used to think that it was a "slow" method. Of course it's slow. It'd for life...

    Thanks Jack, as always...

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  4. Yep, very true Jack. It's so simple but a lot of these marketing geniuses in our world try to make it more than it is so they can make money. Keep it simple. It will happen.

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  5. Love the message today. You are right on point. We need to ignore media and diet trends and continue to simply take it one step at a time.

    Thanks for the continued encouragement.

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  6. So what program are you doing?

    And I see now our Facebook friendship has gone to the "it's complicated" stage. So sad, so sad!

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  7. HAHA!!@antijared!!!!!!!!Jack, I LOVE your philosophy.. You should package that sh*t

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  8. Aw man, way too technical! Vee at http://veegettinghealthy.blogspot.com

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  9. Facebook "friend" - LOL. Who's rattling your cage - some J.S. wannabe?

    Sounds like a great program to me, Jack. I unfortunately like to make things a little more complicated for myself, but will get to a less complicated way of life down the road. I don't think you could be a meeting go-to-er because you'd be up at the front of the class cracking everybody up.

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  10. Is there any way you can break your plan down into a flow chart? It's just so full of jargon... I need boxes and arrows to show me what to do.

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  11. Jack... this is too specific and rigid for me to follow... I would like to see a flowchart with more options!! HAH!!

    :)

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  12. And I like your one-day-at-a-time philosophy. I'm in the process of stringing my third good day to two previous ones.

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  13. Dang. Other people beat me to the punch using the same jokes I wanted to use! Im all confooozed.....you're using common sense and not endorsing any "Program" or specific products which will be effective for the flabby masses? For shame!!! :-D

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  14. Pretty straight forward and exactly what I plan on doing.

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  15. Well, crap. I would please like a quick, no pain, no inconvenience method and I would like it now. I deserve it. WHAAAAA.

    Yeah, I get it. Eat less, eat healthier, move more and shut yer b*tchin' 8-)

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  16. Perfectly Said!

    Exactly what I do...

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  17. I love that Fat David statue! I JUST started following and friended on FB. The idea of running with me right now might mean heart failure and law suits because of earthquake damage. LOL
    I am 53 and really pissed at myself for becoming part of Jabba's family. This is it! If I say it is ok to be this way, I am also saying that life ends at 53.
    Thanks for sharing your story.

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  18. I don't know Jack... That seems like a lot of steps to me... :)

    - Lisa

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  19. You forgot the most important step!
    YOU HAVE TO WANT TO DO IT.
    (that's the tricky one for me! lol)
    Beautifully said, Jack.

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  20. Simple, doable and it obviously works!! You are a success story!! Have a good day Jack!

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  21. I don't count anything. I just eat real food and am working on exercising.

    Life isn't a math problem thankfully.

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  22. I'm on the Jack Shit bandwagon. I also know that I have to make changes I can live with; counting points is NOT going to work for me. I now quit eating when I'm full; that change alone has allowed me to lose 10#. Adding in the exercise comes next. My mom's willing to give me a head start on the exercise thing tomorrow when I "get" to help her move a cord and a half of wood and a ton (no, really, 2,000#) of pellets for the stove.

    As soon as I can walk and lift my arms again next week, I might crawl to the scale. This moving wood thing may work in two-fold; burn calories through exercise and make me too sore to walk to the fridge for food :)

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