Post by wondermonkey on Dec 17, 2015 18:16:38 GMT -8
For years and years I knew I could lose 5 or 10lbs….. even 15lbs. What I didn’t believe was that I could sustain the loss to get down to wherever it is that I should be, whatever that may be. Prior to recently I knew that if I lost 10lbs it would be temporary because busy times would start back up and I’d put it back on. Why is that? Glad you asked! It was because I had committed to lose some weight and had NOT committed to a lifestyle change. I’m on a much better path now.
When I committed to the lifestyle change, which more than anything was eating habits and the addition of better nutrition, I realized I could get to whatever weight I should be at. Didn’t know how long it would take but I knew I could get there.
When I realized I was walking down a healthier path I picked out a weight in my head that I felt I should get to. My first milestone (not weight I should arrive at) was 240lbs. That was the weight I was at several years ago when I realized I was in danger of getting out of control. I knew I had many years ahead of me of living in ballparks, coaching (helping or leading), completing a college course here and there, working long hours at a job and on and on. What all that resulted in was eating dinner late at night and choosing foods that were quick to make (pizza rolls were my favorite), eliminating exercise, consuming Mt. Dew to get a boost, and on and on. Mix all that in a bowl and you get what many people go through. Add to all that is that I stress during softball season if I am a coach. I constantly worry that I’m not doing enough for the kids. Sometimes I know this to be true and other times it is just my desire to give them all they need. This affects my mental state and wears me down. Throw that ingredient into the bowl as well.
I initially designated 240lbs as my goal because way back that is when I realized that I could become the mayor of Fatassville (population: me). That was "back to zero" for me. I could get down to whatever weight I wanted but until I got back to 240lbs I had not started. Everything else was just prep. A WHOLE BUNCH of prep. I had easily allowed myself to initially get to 240lbs because I have been in pretty good shape at that weight though I had much more lean mass on me at that time. When I got back to 240lbs in an unhealthy manner my proper weight should have been about 225lbs., that’s how much my body composition was changing.
So, back when I was still around 280lbs. and realized I could achieve anything health-wise, 240lbs was my “We’ve only just begun!” point. So what was the weight I would arrive at when it was all done? I had picked out 220lbs. as my end weight. Not sure why but that sounded good. I think I picked out that number because I got married at around 225-230lbs and felt good. I also knew that in the military I got down to 216lbs once trying to meet the weight charts the Army published for my age and height and I looked and felt sick. For the record my max weight for 6’2″ at my age then was 204lbs. No way I could have achieved that and lived. I put all that into some mental calculator and came up with 220lbs.
Today I am 240lbs. As of this morning. I’ll get under 240lbs for sure by the end of 2015 even considering we are in holiday season and I’m adding a bit of muscle by biking and my small exercise routine.
What happens when I get to 220lbs?
Originally I was thinking that when I got to 220lbs I would be where I needed to be. I’d allow myself to eat some of the things I liked and would allow the scale to alert me when I was overdoing it. I had picked 225lbs out as my “Woah mule!” number.
Way back in the 280’s I made a mental calculation based on the scale. Until 220lbs happens I’m still relying on the scale to show trends and such. We know the scale is just a number but the numbers help reveal what’s going on, provide motivation, or throw up a warning flag. I’m allowing the mirror to guide me now to gauge what I should really be at. What the mirror is showing me is I MAY have more than 13lbs more pounds to lose. That would put me below 220lbs. I almost cannot comprehend that.
After high school I started to thicken up. Even when I was in the military I wasn’t overly muscular but my skeletal system, even when partially filled out, put me over 200lbs easily and around 225lbs comfortably. As I changed how I worked out and got into more power movements and became what people would say is a “bigger guy”. Even thinner my height and general build would present that.
So now I may be going under 220lbs? 210? It’s almost a psychological struggle to think I may be considered “thin”. Though taller I’ve always considered myself more naturally built more like my Uncle Jim than my dad. My dad is very muscular, much of it natural and much of it because of the hard work he has done in his life. Me I’m a computer guy. All my muscle was gained in the gym or form playing ball. Don’t know how much natural musculature I have.
So with all that in mind it’s going to be interesting to see what the mirror tells me when I get to 220lbs. Could I ever get to below 200lbs? Would my mind handle that?
When I committed to the lifestyle change, which more than anything was eating habits and the addition of better nutrition, I realized I could get to whatever weight I should be at. Didn’t know how long it would take but I knew I could get there.
When I realized I was walking down a healthier path I picked out a weight in my head that I felt I should get to. My first milestone (not weight I should arrive at) was 240lbs. That was the weight I was at several years ago when I realized I was in danger of getting out of control. I knew I had many years ahead of me of living in ballparks, coaching (helping or leading), completing a college course here and there, working long hours at a job and on and on. What all that resulted in was eating dinner late at night and choosing foods that were quick to make (pizza rolls were my favorite), eliminating exercise, consuming Mt. Dew to get a boost, and on and on. Mix all that in a bowl and you get what many people go through. Add to all that is that I stress during softball season if I am a coach. I constantly worry that I’m not doing enough for the kids. Sometimes I know this to be true and other times it is just my desire to give them all they need. This affects my mental state and wears me down. Throw that ingredient into the bowl as well.
I initially designated 240lbs as my goal because way back that is when I realized that I could become the mayor of Fatassville (population: me). That was "back to zero" for me. I could get down to whatever weight I wanted but until I got back to 240lbs I had not started. Everything else was just prep. A WHOLE BUNCH of prep. I had easily allowed myself to initially get to 240lbs because I have been in pretty good shape at that weight though I had much more lean mass on me at that time. When I got back to 240lbs in an unhealthy manner my proper weight should have been about 225lbs., that’s how much my body composition was changing.
So, back when I was still around 280lbs. and realized I could achieve anything health-wise, 240lbs was my “We’ve only just begun!” point. So what was the weight I would arrive at when it was all done? I had picked out 220lbs. as my end weight. Not sure why but that sounded good. I think I picked out that number because I got married at around 225-230lbs and felt good. I also knew that in the military I got down to 216lbs once trying to meet the weight charts the Army published for my age and height and I looked and felt sick. For the record my max weight for 6’2″ at my age then was 204lbs. No way I could have achieved that and lived. I put all that into some mental calculator and came up with 220lbs.
Today I am 240lbs. As of this morning. I’ll get under 240lbs for sure by the end of 2015 even considering we are in holiday season and I’m adding a bit of muscle by biking and my small exercise routine.
What happens when I get to 220lbs?
Originally I was thinking that when I got to 220lbs I would be where I needed to be. I’d allow myself to eat some of the things I liked and would allow the scale to alert me when I was overdoing it. I had picked 225lbs out as my “Woah mule!” number.
Way back in the 280’s I made a mental calculation based on the scale. Until 220lbs happens I’m still relying on the scale to show trends and such. We know the scale is just a number but the numbers help reveal what’s going on, provide motivation, or throw up a warning flag. I’m allowing the mirror to guide me now to gauge what I should really be at. What the mirror is showing me is I MAY have more than 13lbs more pounds to lose. That would put me below 220lbs. I almost cannot comprehend that.
After high school I started to thicken up. Even when I was in the military I wasn’t overly muscular but my skeletal system, even when partially filled out, put me over 200lbs easily and around 225lbs comfortably. As I changed how I worked out and got into more power movements and became what people would say is a “bigger guy”. Even thinner my height and general build would present that.
So now I may be going under 220lbs? 210? It’s almost a psychological struggle to think I may be considered “thin”. Though taller I’ve always considered myself more naturally built more like my Uncle Jim than my dad. My dad is very muscular, much of it natural and much of it because of the hard work he has done in his life. Me I’m a computer guy. All my muscle was gained in the gym or form playing ball. Don’t know how much natural musculature I have.
So with all that in mind it’s going to be interesting to see what the mirror tells me when I get to 220lbs. Could I ever get to below 200lbs? Would my mind handle that?