Which Way to the Jeans Department?

amazon.com/Diesel-Zathan-Regular-Bootcut-Denim

As I move along in this new part of the weight control journey that I've been on for a while now, I've encountered many things that were unexpected (to say the least). One of those things has left me somewhat quiet on this blog. In the spirit of the words of Thumper from the movie Bambi, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all," seemed good advice.

See, I've been following all the things that I laid out in my own book, carefully watching the calories I use through exercise, and making specific notation about the calories I eat. When I say that I've been absolutely diligent I'm not just saying that. I've been watching what goes in and what comes out like my weight depended upon it:-) The problem is, that in spite of all that, I stopped losing weight. This was not like a plateau, but rather more like a roadblock. I've been at the same weight day in and day out for weeks! And then yesterday I gained a pound! OMG! Am I losing it? Well, obviously no. 

Did it bother me? Are you kidding? Of course it bothered me. It made me feel like I used to back in the old days before I discovered that I could lose it if I wanted to. It made me feel like what I knew was wrong somehow, that I missed something important. 

Interestingly, today I went into a clothing store because I needed a new pair of  jeans. The first pair I picked up were 38 waist (too tight before I understood what to do), and get this - they were indeed too tight! I was heading in the wrong direction?! The world was backward and upside down. I got that awful sinking feeling inside (you know the one). Ah, but wait... but no, the actuality was that that particular pair of pants was mis-marked. Just the universe having its little laugh at my expense. Har-har. I tried on three other pairs of jeans, all of which were marked 36 (what I've been wearing) and ya know what? They were too loose! I am making progress no matter what the scale says. I expect that the number that shows up each morning will start reflecting the new reality that is currently showing on my body. Oh and I didn't buy any jeans at all. I figure to wait a bit and get the ones I really want. Seems worth it don't ya' think?

Day #17 - What The Scale Doesn't Show

The Scale of Modern Art at MOMA

The scale is a machine. I will readily admit that my new scale is a marvel of modern technology. This is a scale that resembles a piece of modern art. It will tell me the time of day and the date, illuminated in a very pleasant blue color. I'm pretty sure that that particular shade of blue was developed by aliens from space to calm nervous Earthlings. There are several buttons set in a circular design that will quite efficiently inform me of my body fat, and my water and muscle percentages. It offers something called Interpretation (perhaps it speaks several languages?). There is a Trend display as well as a Graduation setting of 0.1% or 100g. Its capacity is 150 kg (or as we would say 330.69 pounds.). It can handle all this information for as many as ten people with five different possible Activity Levels. It has an automatic on and off switch. (Fancy, huh?) And, beyond all that it can even, very accurately, tell a person their weight! I told you, this thing is amazing! Just living with it the house is an experience. We all walk around it, speaking in hushed tones. Sometimes, if we chance to run up the circular stairway in the back of the house it will suddenly spring to life, beckoning seductively to anyone nearby to come and stand on the semi-circular standing surface. Do I live right, or what?
So we agree, this thing is very cool, but it cannot see all, it cannot know everything, such as the fact that my pants are just a bit looser today! It cannot measure that, and hopefully it cannot read this blog, because I'm pretty sure that it does not like to be spoken of in a frivolous manner.

Day#15 - The Dance

reiki-terapia.com 

Today Georgina and I danced. A solid fifty minutes of swing dancing is good for 341 calories, and its fun! What does this mean to me and my efforts? It means that today I managed to keep my calorie intake low and my calorie usage high. 
Naturally, this works in my favor (well, duh). 
As you know, the last two weeks have represented that thing that is the bane of any person concentrating on losing weight the dreaded -  plateau! 
Still, I did see a slight loss yesterday. It wasn't what I wanted to see but it was something, and I accept it for what it was - a measurable loss in the midst of what has been an extended times of stasis. 
Okay, so now (and this is a good example of the way my mind works:) it occurs to me that if only I were to have managed stasis instead of gaining, in the times leading up to my current weight. It's all a matter of where one stands. It's all a matter of perspective isn't it? 

• When I experience stasis I desire loss. 
• When I achieve loss I become complacent. 
• When I become complacent I tend to gain weight. 
• When I'm heavy I desire loss, but first have to go through a period of stasis while my body adjusts to my new desire.:-)

It's the circle of life. 
Okay fine, it's not the circle of life, it's the circle of my perspective on weight control. Really, almost the same thing, right?:-) 
The trick then is really quite simple: avoid complacency. 
I think I'll just write that down and put it on the refrigerator:-D

Day#14 - Progress Alights Upon The Windowsill

squidoo.com/funnysigns 

I am gladdened by the numbers today, in spite of their not being dramatic. At this point seeing any sign of diminishing poundage is a good thing. I am down by another two tenths of a pound! It's not much but at least I'm going in the right direction:-).
 What has been nagging at my heels over the last two weeks is that I'm writing a public blog about weight management, and not reporting losses! 
Imagine if you will, a person, such as myself, proclaiming that the true secret of controlling one's own weight is not only possible, but not a secret at all. When one makes such statements, and cannot back them up by results that astonish the reader, well, let's just say that people might well go away with the idea that this is just another "so called method" that can be tried and tossed aside, after it ultimately works for a couple of days, and then stops working altogether. 
Believe me, I've been there! 
My only answer is that the true continuing story in my life has been weight gain. Yes, I have lost weight and then and gained it back, using so many methods and tricks and pills, that they are now uncountable. 
And yes, I have used the method I am currently using before, and I then gained some of the weight back. What's different? The difference, my friends is that this time I know exactly how it happened. This time I am able to claim full and complete responsibility for the gain, by admitting that I stopped paying attention. When I stopped paying attention my body resumed the pattern it has been in since I was a child. The good news is that I am now paying close attention once again, and although it is taking a bit of time to get the ball rolling in the direction I want it to go - I am fully in charge of where it goes. 
Paying attention, not becoming impatient, and not letting the tediousness of the progress become a barrier is all I need to focus on. 
This is what it looks like to be charge: patient unshakable awareness.

Day #5 - The Morning After Leap Day...

hugo.wikia.com/wiki/Automaton

As it turns out no amount of rocking back and forth, no method of stepping ever so  s-l-o-w-l-y onto the new scale has any effect whatsoever on the ultimate outcome of results. I should be elated by this turn of events, and of course I am. However, some part of me longs for the good old days when the previous scale would tell me lies. I know now that it did this to get me where it wanted me; dedicated to keeping it polished and located in a place of high honor. As it turns out the new scale is a more mechanically minded, dare I say, a more truly robotic device, and no amount of metal polish can be offered by which to change its carefully calculated measurements. It's a good scale as scales go, but I have to say it, I was used to being wooed by the old one, receiving flamboyantly worded messages such as: WEDNESDAY 7:00 AM first thing in the morning, and knowing that if I spoke very sweetly it would tell me that I was four entire pounds lighter than I actually was, and it would do so day after day. The new scale is cleanly and methodically accurate, but where, I ask you, is the love? Oh right, now I remember, I provide that part:-p
Here's a question: when is a great film like Hugo like a scale? Answer: when it is imbued by its owners with some aspects of personality.
Strange day, strange post... seems fair.
Oh, by the way my weight remains exactly as it has been for a couple of days now.

Day #2 - Some Days Are Like This One

nterestingfacts12.blogspot.com

The whole ordeal with the scale is now behind me, but as my friend has quite rightly said, "My 'Theory of Relativity' as applied to scales involves accepting that scales can be arbitrary and capricious, and that switching scales just means there is a new baseline to start from. See, it's all relative!" 
And yes I do have a new and shiny scale, upon which I will once again place my blind trust, as I did with the last one. And, just look at where that got me:-) The thing is that I need a  gauge by which to measure my progress, other than dead reckoning. the fact is that when I do not pay proper attention I tend to gain weight. I know that without doubt. 
Evidence? 
Here I am.
Yes, I could have stayed with the old measuring device, but that would be like having a one-cup measure that showed itself to be only a half-cup. I could use it, sticking with the belief that it was correct - in spite of every single recipe requiring a full cup of whatever, turning out wrong.

Today's words are presto and change-o.

Today's weight is the same as yesterday's.

It's a good day.

Day #26 - Not to say I told you so, but...

It's Georgina!

Georgina just mentioned to me that the heretofore mentioned scale-of-evil took it upon itself to display four (count 'em) pounds more than she has been weighing on a daily basis for quite awhile now. Day after day she has measured her perfectly weighted body, and wam, all of a sudden - four pounds more! I knew it! It's good to have agreement about something so insidious that it could one day undermine the stability of the spinning of the planet about the sun! I have been vindicated!


Huzzah, etc...

Day #23 - Just Another Day

users.elite.net/runner/
jennifers/thankyou.htm

I have nothing kind, nor bizarre, nor strange, nor evil, nor pithy, nor insightful, nor wondrous to say about this day. I got on the scale this morning and all is well. I haven't lost nor have I gained. The only thing of real interest is how many times I've used the word nor in this post. Just another good day.
It's always good to say, Thank you.


Thank you.

Day #22 - What Happened to Day #21?

The Kracken

I slept late yesterday morning, got up, fed the cats and had some coffee. Georgina and I went shopping and cleaned the house. What's missing from this scenario? The part where I weighed myself! 
I didn't do it! 
I went an entire day without. It was like being in some weird sci-fi thriller. What the heck, you say?! 
I just decided to throw caution to the wind, and wait for today which has turned out to be a good thing, 'cause when I weighed myself I was down to 182.8! 
Imagine that, a day without me obsessing, and I still managed to continue on in this downward path. Will wonders never cease? 


Uh... No!

Day #20 - Is It Mind Over Matter or..?

nationalinterest.org

When the scale tells me that I've lost weight I feel like I have indeed lost weight; my step is lighter, I feel more free and easy, my attitude is superior. When the scale tells me that I have gained weight (or not lost when I'm trying to do so), I feel like I have lead weights strapped to my feet, my pants become snug, I become a lumbering grotesque creature. 
The only problem is that I have clearly ascertained that my scale is quite often wrong, and yet my psyche is so easily swayed by that wretched lying ner-do-well!
Am I a product of what that chunk of metal tells me? Yes, I'm sorry to report that I am. Am I to spend the rest of my days on this planet searching for an honorable scale that will not display a measurement that is so wrong that I am moved to get off and get back on for another try, or five? 
Yes, oh yes, I am a man on a mission:-)

Day #19 - If I Reported Every Number Every Day

howdididoit.com

If I put every number reported to me by that so called "scale" (okay, it really is a scale, but you do get the point right?) the charted graphic would look like the jagged mouth of a Halloween Pumpkin! My weight apparently varies by as much as six pounds from day to day! And yes, I weigh myself at exactly the same time every day... What  am I  to do, but report the numbers that I like, and ignore those that work to destroy my sense of astounding victory? 


Everyone does what must be done, right? 


Am I lying to myself? Not at all... 


The fact is that when I see my record low weight being digitally mocked after two straight days of diminishing numbers, by a sudden upward surge (and this on a day after a nothing less than magnificent effort on my part) I am left with no real choice but to call that dastardly mechanized villain out into the street where we will settle things!


Well what do you know, gravity is stronger out in the street than in my bathroom... I think I'll just settle down and accept the low numbers and ignore the high ones... Isn't that where this started? 


Yep, yep, yep...

Day #17 - Ode to Thee Oh Scale of My Dreams

flickrhivemind.net/User/HRSG/Interesting

Dear Scale:
First, let me begin by offering my sincere apologies for the terrible things I've been saying about you over the last few days. How was I to know that you were just fooling around with me, antagonizing me with displays of an additional of three pounds when I expected to be seeing only a few scant tenths of a pound loss. Surely, you can understand why I would tell my friends of your wayward attitudes and wanton ways. I know now that you have a sense of humor, or why would you have tortured me in the first place? With that in mind I 'm hoping that we might continue our relationship of mutual respect and admiration. Have I mentioned how nicely your platform gleams in the morning light as it streams through the window in the early dawn? I clearly remember how your digital numbers sparkled with a wonderful intensity this morning. The pretty little buttons around the face of your dial looked so perfect, and particularly desirable today I could barely keep myself from pushing a few of them, even though I have no real concept of what any of them do. My weight today as you well know was down to 184.6! What a way you have with numbers!
Happy Valentine's Day my love,
J*

Day #16 - Successes No Matter How Small...

Just a favorite place:-)

Today the number stands at 185.2 in spite of the scale's intention to add three or four random pounds just to get a reaction out of me (quite successfully, I might add), I am intent of celebration my victories and ignoring the naysayers (are you hearing me demento-scale?!)
Today then stands as supreme when compared to all other days, well at least to yesterday during which a certain scale was having its little joke with me. what then is really different about today?
Nothin' - I'm good, same as usual:-)

Day #15 - The Scale Taketh Away and The Scale...

 Image taken from lalalandhistory.blogspot.com

Well everyone knows yesterday's grand and spectacular loss of weight, according to the that two-timing, double dealing scale sitting in a secure, though undisclosed location, outside the bathroom door. 


Oh sure, yesterday it was all smiles and pleasantries, and today it's displaying numbers impossible to comprehend as realistic. Is it looking for a fight? 


The way things stand now is that I'm making the choice to fully believe the results displayed on days that align with I want to see, and to ignore its hateful lying behavior on days like this one. 


Hey, I feel good. My pants are not tight. Life is great. Let it be duly noted that the scale is treading on some very thin ice. Either the two of us will be stepping into the street at high-noon to settle things or it may soon be seeing the inside of the store from which it originally emanated with, returned as defective stamped on its readout window.


"And on and on..."


j*

Day #14 - Now that I'm so incredibly superior...

If Disney asks me to remove it - I will. OK?

Oh yes, it is good to know that I am superior to an inert chunk of plastic and metal operated by sensors and a couple of batteries, because as you know, at this time yesterday I was having some serious doubts... 
As it turns out I have dropped to 185.8 - in spite of that ridiculous 3 pound increase that was seen yesterday, like a bad dream. Alas, the abject horror of that memory lingers although the chill has now gone from my bones in spite of the change in the weather. 
My step is lighter, my pants are looser and I am, quite obviously - the King. As Mel Brooks said, "It's good to be the King." Couldn't a put it better myself:-)

Day #7 - Today It's About Water:-)

Searched "funnel" and found this in several places.

Having the day off is perfect for the process of pouring water (somewhat funnel-like) through my body. Other days really don's seem all that conducive to the practice. Teaching in a classroom keeps a person in check. There's simply no reasonable way to excuse myself six or seven times in three hours.) 


I did jump on the scale this afternoon to sneak a peek at what I might expect tomorrow morning when I "officially" weigh in. Truth be told it wasn't looking all that good, but I've seen that sort of thing before.It can be deceptive. Anyway, I'm holding steady at the moment - having gained back the .4 pounds I lost earlier in the week. No worries though, I've seen that before as well. 


What I know for sure is that  I know how to get to where I want to go and I know how to get there. If I don't see what I want to see this week I'll surely see it next. I can wait. 


Does that time-frame make me want to leap for joy? Not exactly... however what does make me feel really great is being in charge. 


I know exactly how to do this, and that is exactly what I'm doing... 


Come-on tomorrow.


Excuse me... gotta run.

Day #2 - I Can Lose It - Again:-p

Today my weight remains the same, and my spirits remain high. As usual I walked both directions to and from the subway. This effort results in 24 minutes of walking at a fast pace which is equal to 168 calories, or in layman's terms 2 2/3 of my favorite Brent & Sams Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies. (Disclosure: Why yes, that is a link to Amazon - if you use it and then end up buying anything there - I make a few cents:) Also today I watched a  half hour TV program while using the eliptical trainer (it is cold outside, ya know?). I am now officially ahead of the game. We shall see what happens by next Sunday:-) Hint: I've been down this raod before, and I know exactly where I'm heading... 


That's the thing, isn't it? I want to continue to eat a cookie or two if I darn well want to, and I need to be willing to take full responsibiltiy for what that means, if I really intend to be in control of my weight.


Life is good. 


Making choices is what we all do every day anyway.


See you tomorrow.


-J*

Continuing With the Truth


I do feel reluctant to write when things aren't going perfectly. 


Remember Dr. Atkins and all those rumors that were floating around about how he weighed rather a lot toward the end of his life? Did that reflect on how his methods worked of failed? Would it make him less of a diet guru if the rumors turned out to be true? The real question should be: did you ever lose weight using his ideas?


What would happen if Valerie Bertinelli were to pack on the pounds again? Would that mean that the Jenny Craig diet didn't work? Not really. 


Jennifer Hudson is now in the spotlight for Weight Watchers. She's beautiful now, and she was beautiful before she lost the weight. However, she has a new book to promote, and she's the spokesperson for WW, so for the time being she really has no choice but to stay on track. Kind of a lot of pressure don't'cha think? But one might say  being under pressure might be a good thing when it comes to this subject... One might, but all I can say is that in real life we are all pressured in one way or another, and sometimes let's face it, we do not live up to how we think things should be. I wish the very best for both of these women - they've done the work and they deserve the credit.



And then, there's me... not a celeb but I am the guy who said that I could do it without paying money to do it, and here I am having to tell you that I've gained almost pounds back.! "TEN POUNDS?" you scream! 


Hey, I said almost, didn't I? Don't exaggerate, okay?


Anyway, I said it. Here's the truth - I weigh more now than I did when I finished the book. 


Oh the horror! 


For more than a year I maintained my weight but then I gained those pounds over Christmas. Up until this moment I haven't focused on taking them off. But then yesterday I noticed that my pants were fitting just a bit tighter. Since I don't like that feeling I'm now doing something about it. Am I signing up for instruction from someone smarter or more knowledgeable about how to lose weight than I could possibly understand all on my own? Will I be spending money to really understand how to do it. Puh-leaze! You've read the book right?:-)


Over the next few weeks I'll be going through the process all over again here in the blog - in real time. Today I weigh 187. (That's right - when I was writing the book I said I'd be taking off 50 pounds, but I never got that far. When I'd lost 30 I decided that I was fine with that. We'll see how far I go this time.


I do want to be clear about this. Losing weight is not a matter of taking it off and then everything is perfect, is it. For those of us dealing with it, it is a lifelong process. Sometimes we have everything under control, and sometimes we pay no attention and end up with more pounds than we want. The trick, as I see it, is to accept ourselves for what and who we are. When we gain some weight that we do not want - we have the ability to take it off. All we need are the right tools, and - the desire.


This is the new day #1 

A Man I Met On the Amazon Boards

Brent Butler read If I Can Lose It... and has just posted the following about his success:

One week progress report:

For the last week I've used a similar method for tracking what I eat to the method Jon describes in his book. I'm using a web site called SparkPeople.com instead of the one Jon has used. I doubt its any better than Jon's recommeded site, I just found it more conveniently as both an iPad app and regular web site, and my account logs in through both. In looking at EVERYTHING we were consuming, both my wife and I quickly tipped to some eating mistakes we had not been paying attention to. For example, I read Jon's book Sunday night a week ago, and we had already eaten dinner. My wife made a ham dinner with a vegetable and macaroni and cheese. When I found the web site and got set up, I entered what we ate for dinner. Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner ... 400 calories and little to no food value received in return. The leftover is still in a dish in the refrigerator, and likely we should just throw it out, because I can't imagine I'm ever going to want to eat any of it again. LOL Mac and Cheese is a somewhat regular staple of many home cooked meals. Fiber is low at 1.5 grams. Protein is at or below the levels of other family meal vegetables that could be substituted for it with no notice taken. 19 grams of fat for something that just tastes OK ... its not even a guilty pleasure. LOL

With that lesson learned, we started to do some more research. We read again about lot of foods we already knew about but were just out of correct eating habits. I don't drink diet drinks ... can't stand the taste. Recently I've probably had one or two cans of carbonated drinks a day ... at 150 to 200 calories per. I had exactly ONE all this week. I went on the water drinking campaign suggested by Jon, and many other places as well. I'm almost certainly drinking more than the eight 8 oz glasses suggested. I tend to drink more like 12 ounces at a time and I'm probably doing 9 to 12 a day. That much water does tend to kill off a certain percentage of snack craving. I also discovered that one grape tomato actually satisfies a snack craving for me just as well as three oatmeal cookies used to. The difference in calories? 2 for one grape tomato ... 225 for three oatmeal cookies. LOL

By adjusting what we've eaten this week to be more efficient, I'm actually eating far fewer calories than indicated by the program calculated by the web site, which I had set for 1.5 pounds per week. I probably cut 1000 to 1500 calories per day out of my consumption. Yet I'm feeling less hungry between meals, not more. When I do feel hungry I'm not minding it as much, probably because I'm over all the extra sugar that was in my daily consumption. I actually have more energy, because once again, I'm not running on sugar like I was 10 days ago.

Net result, I lost 5 pounds in seven days instead of 1.5 pounds. I don't seriously think I will continue to lose 5 pounds a week. The lower the percentage of body fat gets, the more reluctant the body is to shed what is left. However, its a very validating start, and if I continue at 1.5 pounds per week from now on I'll be quite happy.

My goal is to lose 20 pounds from the start of the diet, then asses what I look like at that point and decide if I should go another 5. I didn't start this at what anyone looking at me would consider to be overweight, yet I look "rounder" to myself in the mirror than I know I should. After I've lost the 20 (or 25) pounds, I'll increase my calories back up to a higher maintenance level to stop losing weight. I may even be able to throw back in a couple more of my cherished Cherry Dr. Peppers (per week) at that point! LOL

4th of July week will be a blip in the effort though. We're having a cook out, which means hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, and potato salad. I might gain back two pounds that week. I've already thought through the need to plan ahead for the 4th, Labor Day (another traditional cookout in our family), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. I should have the weight loss goal comfortably in hand before Thanksgiving. Then I'll look to gain no more than two pounds each for the upcoming three holidays, and go back on the weight loss calorie level for the month of January.

We'll see how reality meets plan now.


The above was copy/pasted without alteration

When weight control is a life changer - not the other way around.

It makes sense to me that always before I would completely change the way I lived to accommodate my endless goal of losing weight, but I can see now that I had it backwards.

When I go after losing weight as if  I were learning a new language I am destined to be confronted with a continuous chorus of misunderstandings. When learning a language we really have no choice but to surrender to the fact that we will make mistakes, and there will be times when we have real difficulty being understood.

When learning a language that difficulty is natural. It's acceptable.  But weight control is, by nature, something that cannot be approached with misunderstandings. We want to gain control and keep it. Which means because the "language learning" approach will present stumbling blocks, it by definition cannot be the way. If I know anything, I know that a stumbling block when I'm trying to lose weight is pretty much the end of that method. And then, what am I left with? Why, nothing! I'm left with, I don't know how to do this - so why bother?

When I get to that point - I stop whatever process I'm engaged in. I disconnect with my goal and I disconnect with my body. For me what is needed is the ability to fully connect with a natural way of taking control, which does not mean giving away all control to someone else, letting them tell me what to do. It does not mean that anyone needs to tell me what to eat, how to exercise...or how to live.

To me natural means - "within the way I live now." What I'm expressing in If I Can Lose It... is living my life and being conscious of the choices I make in a more immediate and complete way. This is a greater awareness of what I already have in the way of tools available to me, and making use of them.