Hey, look on the bright side!

Hm. This kind of "being a loser" is popping out all kinds of benefits!

I've dropped my 36.5 BMI to 31.6 BMI and gone from Class II to Class I Obesity in 114 Days. If I had weighed 25 more pounds, I'd have been "morbidly obese." In a few more pounds, I'll be merely "overweight." I mean, look at the obesity charts. Everything over 210 pounds in my height range is printed in "Screaming Orange," or shades thereof. Not good. Not good at all. I used to get pissy when people looked at my appreciable mass and say, "Gee; you don't LOOK vegan!" Now, I'm all, "Yeah, you're right; I'm a carb-slut." Or...WAS a carb-slut, that is. To my detriment.

I don't think I can reiterate it enough: find a plan that works for YOU. To paraphrase the Bible, "As for me and my house, we will follow MyFitnessPal." It works for us. We'd tried Atkins (almost killed one another over a piece of bread!) and Dawn's tried WeightWatchers (alone and with a pal) and had neither the weight-loss profile nor the longevity of success of our silly, free-for-NOTHIN' MyFitnessPal app, linked to our Garmin devices.

Now, if you're looking for plug-and-play, or "an easier, softer way," forget it. All recovery takes time, and if you're HONEST, we're in recovery, here. Our lives have become (to one extent or another) unmanageable, and we've a problem saying "No" to food. I mean, what's NOT to love about food? We can make it to our standards and it does everything we want, instantaneously. From hand to mouth, and BAM! We're happy. Or at peace. Or not pissed anymore. Or...name it. Same way addicts use drugs, same way drunks drink. It's not "how I feed my disease," it's that I, indeed, FEED it. And, while MFP is not a magic bullet, or an "Easy" button to push, the work done there is quite simple. One must needs do it, and be diligent about it, and it works.

I've been in a group for a while now that encourages mindful awareness. Conscious, conscientious decision-making. Remaining in the moment. HONEST rewards for HONEST gains. As of 26 September, 2018, I've been taking the "tools" with which I've been blessed and educated, and using them. What a surprise! They actually work! 

Simple example: I'm laying in bed, wide awake, next to my sleeping, darling wife. Pre-9/23/18, I'd slink out of bed, visit the loo, mosey downstairs and look inside the old icebox. A double-doored, 33 cubic foot mother lode of calories! YAY, me! Hmmm...let's see: Last night's dinner leftovers? Nah, too new, someone may be planning on them for lunch in a few hours. The other night's leftovers? Sure, why not? Who's going to miss half a pound of cold mashed potatoes and a couple cups of vegan gravy? Wow, that stuff jiggles like pudding! I'll eat THAT with a spoon, and the potatoes with a little brown mustard...bowl of cereal for dessert. At zero-dark-thirty. That was PRE 9/26/2018. Now, I open up an app: Sacred Space, the daily prayer site run by the Irish Jesuits is a good one. Prayer, scripture, inspiration. All there, in one page, with MUSIC, too. Or "Alcoholics Anonymous," online. Or BibleGateway.com. Something. ANYTHING to get me out of a bad moment, and into a good one. God forbid I actually do the breathing exercises I've been shown. Anything that short-circuits my urge to go and eat is better than going and eating. Because I feel badly about cheating that @#$&! MyFitnessPal calorie tracker. You see, back in the beginning, I plugged in how much I weigh, how much I WANT to weigh, and some other info, and let the app tell me how many calories a day I'd need to consume, and how many steps I'd need to take to get there. And, I've grown accustomed to being brutally honest with that app. And, I'm glad. The results speak for themselves.  

And, I'm still walking; no less than 2 miles a week. This week, it was after a noon AA meeting; and, because we tend to chat after a meeting, I was pushing my window a little, so going to the Mall was out. I headed to Atrium for their walking path. Which hadn't been plowed. So I went to the YMCA down the street from the Middletown VA CBOC. Which has no walking track. Dang. Now what? Here's what: walk outside! Why the hell not? We walked a 5K in 28-degree weather. It was only 38 degrees this particular day. Big difference. Look at the data on the bottom of the pic: UNDER 15 minutes/mile (by mere seconds, but...) which is better than my inside walking average.

And, my official weigh-in? 220#. For a total loss of 34.4# in 114 days. One third of a pound/day. 2.08 pounds/week. (Again, a shameful reminder of how "sleeping on your calories is quite blatantly akin to "sleeping with the enemy.")

So, I'd opened with "Look on the bright side." Let's do a fast tally.

1. Lower weight
2. Lower BMI
3. Higher life expectancy
4. Tighter bonds with my beautiful, Proverbs wife
5. More time spent outside with our sons and daughters
6. Stronger body (walking and even a small amount of jogging)
7. More fun (5k's are incredibly entertaining!)
8. Better sleep
9. Better quality sleep
10. Better lab results
11. Happier doctors
12. Inspired friends
13. Closer ties to my personal sobriety
14. Closer walk with God
15. Beating psoriatic, osteoarthritis and CPPD arthritis
16. Better overall feeling about what we eat.

There's a Step in AA which ends "...and practice these principles in all our affairs." It's true. Once I'd faced the fact that I'm an addictive-type eater, and worked the Steps against that addiction, life began to change. For the better. Is it easy? No. Progress takes work. Is it instantaneous? Again: no. Time takes time. I didn't get fat overnight, I won't get fit overnight. I have to do the work. But, I am. And it's fun, and worth it. Trust me.

Until next time, be well, practice peace and I'll see you at the next one.