About Fogdog's Weight Loss

Don't Focus on the Goal...

If you've followed this blog you know that I've struggled for many years with improving my health. I've finally reached a point where I've managed to maintain a small amount of success. Now it's time to take the next step, but I believe it requires a new way of thinking.

Instead of trying to get healthy, why not shift focus toward learning how to build healthy habits instead. Follow me as I try to teach myself how to Engineer healthy habits that will allow me to take my health to the next level. Let's see where this experiment goes!

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Day #53 - A Promise Kept

My oldest daughter does gymnastics.  I  really don't care for it; I have a hard time with any sport that has subjective scoring, to me there should be a clear winner not a winner based on a judge's opinion.  Regardless, my daughter loves it and so I support her.  All season I haven't been able to go to her sessions because it conflicts with my other 2 kids' basketball practices, but I promised her that I would come to at least one session.  Today was that day that I kept my promise...

I have to admit I was quite impressed, not just with my daughter's progress but also at how fit the girls looked.  You could see muscle tone on all of them.  They were flipping and flying and I really couldn't help but be in awe at watching them do things I couldn't even come close to doing.  It got me wondering where I went wrong...

When I was a kid I played sports almost year round.  I played hockey in the winter (my favorite), then on to baseball in the late spring/summer, and finally football in the fall.  Even when I wasn't playing sports we were outside running around, swimming in the summertime, and riding bikes everywhere.  I was husky as a kid but not fat (at least that's what mom told me).  I was also very muscular and strong!

What's interesting is that I can't quite put a finger on any defining moment that sent me on the path to morbid obesity.  My parents divorced when I was a teenager.  It was rough, but I don't recall turning to Frito Lay for support.  Being forced to move to another state just before my senior year in high school was also hard, but I adapted quickly.  Again I don't remember turning to food for support (though I remember eating a lot of fried tater tots when I went home alone after school).  Going away to college (both times), dropping out (the first time), Moving to NY, Moving to NC (A big adjustment!), kids, new jobs; I really can't point to any one of those events and say "That's It!". 

No my trip to where I am today has been a long steady journey.  Sure there have been a few ups and downs along the way but it's really been a consistent ride toward an early grave.

What's so amazing is how easy it was to not see it.  Yes, I knew I was overweight and needed to get in shape, but it never really seemed all that bad and I always viewed it as one of those "one time deals" where I would just focus really hard for a while and it would all get fixed.  Again, I was strong and the weight would just melt off (and there's actually some truth to that as I tend to lose weight easily when I set my mind to it).  There was time to do it; I just needed to make the decision (after this last trip to McDonalds).  Well, it never happened and now I sit here at 42 and realize that all my free tokens are used up.

There is no more "optional" in my book.  When I think of continuing on as I have in the past, all I can see is a life of misery and an old fat guy riding around in one of those scooters because he can't walk anymore.  Not a pretty sight.

Maybe I should go watch my daughter do gymnastics more often!  53 Days down, on to Day 54.

Stay Strong!

5 comments:

  1. You know, I firmly believe that we who have been/are morbidly obese have body dysmorphia every bit as much as anorexics or bulemics do. They don't see how sickly skinny they are, and we don't see how sickly obese we are. We (laughingly, on hindsight) think we 'carry out weight well.' So I get it.

    I'm glad you went to your daughter's outing, and I hope as you improve your health, you can find physical activities and games to participate in, together. Nothing could be more precious. :)

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  3. What we are today is the combination of our past!

    You are lucky FD, you took the decision to turn 180 before it was too late. Some people wait after their first heart attack but the first one is their last one. At 42, you are young, in 10 years you will be 52, it's only numbers. What you are doing will add tremendously to the quality of your life and you might be a "young" 60 one day or a "old" 50, it's in your hands!

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  4. It's all a slow journey. I remember sliding up the scales, knowing I was doing it, but I slid into the lifestyle. You can't slide right back out again though. It's more like clawing your way out of being buried alive. It's hellish, but worth the effort to breath again!

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  5. It's great to share and enjoy your children's activities. Encourage healthy living and keeping and being fit is important no matter what your age.

    All the best Jan

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