Monday, March 9, 2009

Motivational Mondays (March 9)

It's a cycle.

This whole weight-loss thing has been a cycle. I would say a "vicious" cycle but there's nothing negative about it, well, except the lost weight itself.

Eating well and exercising drives weight loss. Weight loss becomes a motivation to continue eating well and exercising, which drives more weight loss, which becomes more motivating...

At some point the weight loss is minimal. There's not much to lose when you have, what 15-22 percent body fat depending on age and gender. At least to us normal people.

But then, it becomes a little more difficult because you are eating well and exercising but you don't see much drastic change in weight. And if you do, it's because the weight is going in the wrong direction. But that spurns more eating right, exercising, it drives weight maintenance which becomes just as good as weight loss and that is just as motivating and that forces you to eat right, exercise...

See what I mean about a cycle?

I was thinking about this recently as I feel I gained control again over my cravings. It was a little difficult sometimes recently to cook because I found myself picking at the cheese or taking an extra bite of some other ingredient while cooking. Of course, I didn't need all those extra pickings (especially the cheese, no matter how tasty it was) but they were just cravings that I couldn't resist.

But last week was good in that I took out the ingredients, got what I needed and put everything promptly back in the refrigerator or cupboard or wherever. No extra nibbles missing. On Friday, I weighed in at 186.7, my post-workout weight, which was a drop of a few pounds from the last time I'd weighed myself.

I'm back in the cycle 100 percent now. I'm confident now as well, and confidence plays a big role in weight loss. I had zero confidence when I weighed 300-plus pounds, but now that I'm at 186 and dropping hopefully to around 180, I have a sense of confidence. Now, I'm not saying I'm ready to model any underwear or anything, come on now, but I know I tackled something challenging and it leads me to have a belief in myself that I can do things I previously thought weren't doable, such as running long distances.

I don't ever forget how I used to look. It's an unfortunate image that is not only ingrained in my mind and my person but a sad vestige of a previous life that featured little confidence and low self-esteem.

That picture, that entire outing was the last straw. I had no choice but to change, and I finally felt like doing something. It's a horrendous picture, an embarrassing picture even to this day. I never thought of posting it online but have been toying with the idea for weeks now, to post it, exorcise those demons, perhaps inspire others who have just as much weight to lose or nowhere near that amount of weight to lose.

What's that cliche? If you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Well, it's corny and played out, but dammit, it's true.

Eat right. Exercise. Lose weight. Feel good. Feel motivated. Eat right. Exercise. Lose weight. Feel good. Feel motivated. Eat right. Exercise. Feel good....

Nothing vicious about it.

7 comments:

Willoughby said...

Great post! I really admire your ability to not only get motivated, but to stay motivated. I can't seem to master that.

Gracey said...

I loved your post, LB. It was very moving and sincere. In fact, the last line had me weeping. We need the motivation here - I will most definitely show it to Ernesto as well! :)

Unknown said...

Thank you Luis. This was a very inspirational post. I, too, have been toying with before and after photos but am not confident enough to do it yet. I am so proud of you and the positive changes you have made in your life. It has been a definite motivating factor for me, as I come to terms to adapting to a healthier lifestyle myself. Thank you so much for motivational posts such as these.

Tattoos and Teething Rings said...

You're posts are very motivational and inspirational; not only to use readers, but to yourself as well I suspect. Thank you for putting it all out there and sharing with us.

Lissaloo said...

Thank You for your inspiration, your post always give me an extra boost to get moving :)

ChristineM said...

Thanks for sharing! I plastered my "before" picture on my refrigerator door....it's working! :)

Seriously, thank you for sharing your story and your success - you have been more help to me than you know!

Anonymous said...

Ta, for that. I'm at 206 and longing, ever so much, to break that 200 mark. Back on the elyptical tomorrow! Or, perhaps a run in this new, warm, weather we are getting.