Where There Are No Expectations, There Is No Disappointment.

I did everything by the book last week, but I didn't lose any weight.  It could be the insomnia that I've been dealing with since last Wednesday.  It could just be a normal plateau in the weight-loss process.  Either way, I'm exhausted and a have very little else to write about today.

Here's hoping next week brings more success all around.

Don't Hurt Yourself

Everyone seems to know, on some level, that moderation is the best method for losing weight.  It's a pretty good strategy for life in general.  The problem is that moderation is not easy.  If it was easy, everyone would do it and there would be no market for gimmicks and tricks.  Moderation is downright hard to do.  

That's where all the fad diets and exercise programs come in.  Most of them are, in their own right, good in moderation.  The extremes are what bothers me.  

I want to focus on exercise for this particular post.  Moderate exercise is hard to do.  

Why is that?  By definition, moderate exercise should be easier than extreme exercise...

It is harder because it doesn't give us the dramatic results that we're craving.  The hard part about exercising in moderation is having the willpower to stick with it when the rewards are small and slow to materialize.  

I have personally seen people get hurt doing too much too soon.  It doesn't matter if it's cardio, weight-lifting, cross-fit, or whatever else.  You have to know your limits.

The most dangerous thing to a fat person in a gym is someone with good intentions who doesn't know the line between ' helpful encouragement' and 'dangerous peer pressure.' 

My most recent personal encounter with this was in a '30 minute intense fitness' workout that I tried at a gym a while back.  The instructor (and several of the students) kept pushing me to do exercises that I know are unsafe for someone of my size who hasn't worked out regularly.  This time, I didn't listen to them, but another guy in the class did.  He sprained his wrist, stopped going to the gym, and gained back all of the weight he had lost plus some.  

Another friend of mine went way overboard doing pull-ups in a cross-fit class.  He knew he had passed the point where he needed to stop, but he kept going because the trainer and the entire class were pushing him not to quit.  He damaged his shoulder so badly that he will need surgery to correct it.  

Here's the bottom line.  You are not a professional athlete.  When you are in pain, you should probably slow down.  I'm not talking about soreness and discomfort.  I'm talking about those times when you know something isn't right, but you keep pushing yourself because "pain is just weakness leaving the body."  

No.  Pain exists to motivate us to withdraw from damaging situations, and to protect a damaged body part while it heals.  

I'm not saying that you shouldn't push yourself, but I am saying that you shouldn't push yourself too far.  More importantly, you shouldn't push other people, especially strangers, in situations where they might injure themselves.  

In other words, let me walk and stop telling me to run!  I'll run when I'm ready.  I am NOT ready.  

Click here to read a great article about the dangers of the Biggest Loser for more info on this subject.

* * *

Last week, I averaged about 2300 calories per day, and I walked about 21,000 steps.  I lost 2.0 pounds!

I have lost 34.2 pounds total (in 105 days). 

In The Next Hundred Days...

We are starting a new weight-loss adventure at work.  Between four people, who all need to lose a LOT of weight, we are going to try to lose 100 pounds in 100 days.

Since I've already lost so much weight in the last 98 days, I felt like I might not be able to hold up my end of the deal.  So, I went a little bit crazy this past weekend.

I'll spare you all the details, but let's just say that there were buffets involved.

The crazy part is that I didn't gain any weight.  Well, at least not since last Monday.  What probably happened is that I had already lost about 2 pounds from Monday to Friday and then I put some of that back on.  Either way, the binge kept my starting weight for the new challenge from being too low.  It also made me feel HORRIBLE.  That can serve as a helpful reminder of why I shouldn't eat like that anymore.

* * *

I've been struggling lately with loneliness.

I haven't been on a date in almost 18 months.  I want to meet someone, but I have all the confidence issues you'd expect from a lifetime of obesity.  Nearly all women say that they just want a nice, intelligent, FUNNY guy.  That is bullshit.  If it were true, there would be a line of single ladies outside my office door right now.

I know that men are shallow too, but at least we admit it.  I don't hear a lot of men saying that looks don't matter.  Women say it constantly.  You should read the online dating profiles I've been sifting through this week.

"The thing I want most is a man that can make me laugh."

I will bet you money that I can make her laugh.  I wonder if she'll respond to my message?

The answer is, of course, "No."  I haven't gotten a single response to any of the 22 messages I have sent.

I know that losing weight and getting in better shape will make it a little bit easier to meet people, but I really wish it wasn't so damned difficult in the first place.

* * *

Dominik is doing much better since my post last week.  Thank you all for the prayers and well wishes.  He is still in the hospital and he still has a long way to go, but he is getting a little better everyday.

* * *

Last week, I averaged about 3500 calories per day, and I walked about 19,000 steps.  I only lost 0.6 pounds, but I really thought I had gained weight.  So, I'll take it!

I have lost 32.2 pounds total (in 98 days).

This week's picture is pinkish because it was taken in the studio with ambient lighting.  Fancy...

At Least You Have Your Health

My best friend is critically ill.

It's difficult to think about anything else right now.

At 7:30pm on New Year's Day, my phone rang.  I saw that it was Dominik's wife, Natalie, and I knew it was strange for her to be calling me at 2:30am German time.

Dominik was in emergency surgery.  He had a perforated intestine.  It hit him without warning in the middle of the night and he was lucky that Natalie called the ambulance as quickly as she did.  Time is everything in that situation.  The doctors have to remove the broken part of the intestine and clean the leak as soon as possible.  It's not a matter of if there will be an infection, but rather how bad the infection will be.  

He made it through the surgery with no complications, but he went into septic shock.  We're told that this is very normal under these circumstances.  He's been in a hospital bed in the ICU for the last five days and he's listed in critical condition.

Dominik is 36.  He's fit.  He's in extremely good health and is hardly ever sick.

This happened to him with no warning.

I guess my purpose in writing about this is two-fold.  First, I appreciate any prayers and good thoughts for my friend.  Second, I realize that if this can happen to him, it can happen to anyone.  It has made me think a lot about my own fragile mortality.

I want to live a long, healthy, happy life.  I know that in order to do that, I must lose weight.  I must eat better (and less) food.  I must exercise more.

There is no easy way to do this.  I am on the right track.  I just have to stick with it.

* * *

Last week, I averaged about 2300 calories per day, and I walked about 16,000 steps.  I lost 2 pounds.

I have lost 31.6 pounds total (in 91 days).

Here's a picture from my trip to Germany for Dominik and Natalie's wedding in August.  This was moments after I arrived at his apartment.  We started drinking beer immediately.