Po From Dreamworks "Kung Fu Panda"
Greetings HTM Family!
It’s been entirely TOO LONG since my last post so a complete update is in order. A lot has been going on and, yes, some of it prevented me from posting. The thing that kept me away from this blog the most was I had allowed myself to get off track and because of that I gained some of the weight I had lost back. You can just about imagine the turmoil I was going through. Wondering why I gained the weight back, deciding whether or not it even mattered and how can I look at myself in the mirror (because I’m a failure) are just a few things that went through my head.
Regaining Focus
Well, I know why I gained the weight back; I wasn’t listening to my fitness/nutrition coach Flossie. I lost almost 30 lbs. and gained half of it back because I allowed myself to think I was out of the wood since I’d lost weight. WRONG! I know now that even when I lose all the weight I want to the journey will still have to continue so that I can keep it off. Losing the weight is only a small part of the equation. I know that now (ALWAYS knew it!) and have refocused my efforts. I weighed 351 and went back up to 365. Now I’m back to 353 – and still losing! I know that I lost one small battle in my war against personal obesity and I have recommitted myself to reaching my goal of being Half the Man by the end of 2010. I almost gave up though…
Winners Never Quit, Quitters Never Win
When I gained that weight back it was the first time I can say that I’ve felt depression. Here it is, I put in all this effort (Yeah, right!) and, sure, I lost weight at first but then to turn around and almost gain it all back was a real let down for me. I didn’t tell anyone – not my wife, not my coach, no one – because I felt like I’d let them down (Especially not cool when you’re walking around preaching how everyone needs to get with the program and drop weight). Ego is something else. Thankfully, that’s why failure exists. It sobers you up and forces you to smell what you’re shoveling. Failure’s gift isn’t always so easy to see, particularly when you are the failure.
Accepting Failure & Moving Forward
Yeah, see that weight come back was like getting kicked in the groin while getting your foot caught in a bear trap and having a tooth extracted without any Novocain. “OUCH!” just doesn’t quite match the feeling. Once you’ve had a moment to analyze the situation and thoroughly review what lead up to what was perceived as a failure the more you realize that you needed to experience that in order to truly see where your head’s at and where it really should be. In other words, you screw you to rise up. I ego tripped so that I can see for myself that I am no where yet. It’s like putting iron in a furnace: it melts, the impurities are removed and you’re left with a stronger piece of metal in the process. I’m glad I went through the “purifying process early on. Now, I’m centered again on my goal and working twice as hard to get there.
Determined
I know I’m going to reach my goal of at least one hundred pounds lost by the end of the year. I lost 30 in a month and a half and that was with limited effort. I have no doubt that I will lose at least 30 or more pounds a month from now on. I’ve got the best coach in the world and a house full of people cheering me on (And joining me on the journey to get fit now; how cool is that?!). So – No more excuses! Just hard work and dedication to becoming Half the Man I am today! I invite you to journey with me. 
Here’s to Health!
M.
