Change. There probably isn’t a more important word when trying to lose weight. For me, the idea to write these things down in an orderly fashion somewhat sprung from not quite knowing what was my initial motivation was for making a change in my lifestyle. You’d think that tipping the scales well north of 300 pounds would be enough, but looking back, I can remember skirting and flirting with 300 pounds too many times. Each time saying, wow, something has got to change, and then falling back into old habits. You’d think general health and well being should be enough, right? Knowing what all that weight does on my internal organs and how my knees and back felt all the time, how disgusting my ankles were (wow, that is going to be a post all to itself…), should have kicked in some sort of desire. You’d think having a son and knowing that my habits could very well be his habits would be enough. But there I was. Now, I can’t quite put my finger on what it exactly was. I guess there probably wasn’t just one thing. There were many. But, I’m certainly happy something finally clicked. I’ve been asked “what did you do?” so many times with so many answers, it finally made me think it was time to get this written. So here are changes I can remember. I think some of this is in chronological order, but certainly not in order of importance. Any one of these things could have helped me move forward, even if it was a lone change. Change in any way is good. But to ultimately get to where I am today and where I plan to go, I think it needed to be all of them working together. Possibly the first thing I can remember consciously doing was to cut out soda for Lent. I have no idea what prompted that either. I am not a huge believer in outward religious demonstrations, I can be a good Christian without announcing I am doing something for Lent. But that was goal #1. I probably surprised myself (and stunned my wife) I kept that one all the way through. I want to be clear on this and many other changes, I don’t blame soda, and I haven’t cut every drop of it. I still enjoy a Coke from time to time. I don’t blame sugar, fat, carbs, beer, meat, or any of the other typical scapegoats when it comes to weight. Everything I consume, good or bad, and every better choice is simply that, a choice. To coincide with that decision, I started to move more. Just a little at the start, around the block a couple times. Walking is one of the best ways to get going. Take a walk, take it at your pace, enjoy the scenery, listen to a podcast, zone out, whatever it takes. Start with a block, stretch that out as you see fit. At my height of just walking, I was getting close to 20,000 steps a day total, probably 15,000 in one long walk. In fact, I’m working slower, steady, long-distance walking back in as my next phase now that the weather is warming up. From there, intermittent fasting became the next biggest change. I’ve written about it already, but know that it can be a powerful tool. Read as many different expert opinions on types of fasts and find one that works. Or do Keto, or low fat, or whatever diet you feel you can stick to. Try a couple in a row to find what works and then stick to it. As the weight started to fall off, it became easier to make other changes. I bought a Fitbit. My tech envy after my wife got one was a key part of the decision, but once I got one, it really changed how I moved. I love how competitive I could be with others and myself with the Fitbit. There are other good trackers out there, but I swear by Fitbit. New shoes! While they are certainly functional, I suppose part of my motivation was vanity, getting the next, newest toy so to speak. As Under Armour added more and more technology, my techno-joy (completely stolen term from one of my favorite comedians Eddie Izzard) kicked in. Again, I love how my shoes track my pace and distance. Internal competition has been a real key. Probably last in the big areas was a return to the weight room. I hadn’t lifted at all since college and hadn’t put this kind of time in the weight room since high school. Adding weights into the routine has given me another level of transformation. The first six months or so of my journey, I lost weight, but I basically looked the same, just less of me. While I had to have that happen and it is 100% a great thing, I wasn’t necessarily happy with how I looked. Weightlifting, specifically the work I’ve done with the outstanding students in Minot State’s personal training class, has made a huge difference in my appearance. From there, attitude, mood, stress, all were big changes. I’m going to write in more depth about mood and stress, so let’s leave that topic for later. Lifestyle changes beyond just working out and eating better are a big part of this journey. All of these changes, some little, some bigger, some quite major, have kept me motivated. I can’t imagine this working without all of them.
1 Comment
Jane
3/21/2020 02:04:57 pm
Lovin' the blog!!!! Keep it up! Hope to see you guys soon!
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Michael LinnellHefty Northerner on my way to svelte. Scribe, wordsmith, photographer, half marathoner, rediscovered gym junkie & most importantly husband & father.
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