Finding My Way Back!!

Welcome back Marc.. yay I am happy you are all better.. I am also a off as I have been so busy with friends and family stuff.. its hard to get on line.. But for you for coming back.. have a super day!

Hi ElleBella. Thanks for the welcome back.

Goal Wt:132 // Goal BMI 18.5!!!

07/20/12 Day 00 = (-0.0) = 00.0 lbs lost. Current Weight: 213.1 lbs // BMI 30.2 (pre-strictness)
07/21/12 Day 01 = (-1.0) = 01.0 lbs lost. Current Weight: 212.1 lbs // BMI 30.0 (Yipee!)
07/22/12 Day 02 = (-0.3) = 01.4 lbs lost. Current Weight: 211.8 lbs // BMI 30.0 (Well then!)
07/23/12 Day 03 = (-0.2) = 01.6 lbs lost. Current Weight: 211.6 lbs // BMI 30.0 (Hmmm...)

Well, it would seem that "Daily" Posting, here (with consistency), may be part of what keeps my mind in the game. This every-other-day stuff is as bad as the low-weight loss.

I LOVED the "Challenge" and, at first, I took-off like the first tall dip on a roller-coaster. Yes, I got side-tracked and returned to that place at which I started, but I'm at the crest again.

I do understand that "Challenges" are tough during certain seasons (there are Four that come immediately to mind ), but I know that I do better when I'm up against an objective criteria -- AND a "deadline." The other cool thing (for me) is when we all have ONE PLACE to have a back and forth about the ups-and-downs. I know I would go looking there FIRST, and then browse everyone's journals.

But perhaps that's just me. So I will "Challenge" myself -- HERE -- and produce a challenge over THERE. Please come along for the Roller Coaster "Fall" of your dreams.

Blessings,

Marc

I think it is great that you have such passion on getting this done.. we all do.. so why not just get to it!.. great job Marc

Thanks, Elle. It's so cool that we have each others' backs.

So, today over in the "Git 'Er DONE!!" Challenge thread, I proposed a metaphor that this "Challenge Journey" is a Ski Excursion (a multi-day, downhill jaunt, if you will). Though this post is for the Challengers, I didn't want to overburden anyone with the time it'll take to read this -- if anyone's even inclined at all to do so!

Here goes:

We are the "Why Weight Around?" [Y W8 ) Ski Patrol. Don't try this at home, folks. We're the Professionals.

We've been dropped by helicopter at the High Peak (think, High Weight) of a very tall snow covered mountain. Our ski-edges are razor sharp. Our excitement is off-the-charts! We'll be "Biting" into the snow at every turn, each and every day. We've got 57 days left to reach the bottom; and we're All going to get there together!

There's an enormous Lodge at the base of the mountain. We'll be celebrating when we reach it. Our Ultimate Destination for this Challenge.

But there are 57 cabins (60 from the very top) left to reach, which are dotted along the face of the mountain. So we actually have a New Destination each day. That makes the long haul possible.

Our Goal, simply stated, is to "Lose Some Elevation (Weight)" each day, and get to the safety of the cabin, that's the next Step Below us.

Will we all travel the Same Distance in any given day? No. Some will "snow-plow" straight down a gentle snow field from the cabin above (and, thus, cover less "Mileage," per se), still they ARRIVE. Others will travel WIDE across the face of the mountain, into and through tricky forest paths and back again, (having covered more "Mileage") to also arrive. Still others will choose to tackle very difficult sections of moguls and drop-offs, using bursts of energy to sail over more terrain. And certain days, the short travelers will test their limits and go further. Some traversers may take a straight and shorter path for a day or two.

But we continue to gather at the ends of our daily "runs." We sit around the warming fire and toast our Successes. We share the excitement of Conquering this Mountain, as much or as little as we've covered. We Encourage. We Re-Dedicate. We Enjoy each others' company. We PARTY!

We know that GRAVITY is on our side!! As long as we Ski, we're heading DOWN. We Get On our Skis each day. We head Down each day. This our path for 57 (more) days.

The bottom of the Mountain (the Great Lodge) is always there. It's only "Weighting" for us to reach each cabin (mini-goal), day by day. Heck, this controlled slip-slide is so exhilarating, we can get helicoptered to a new Peak the very next morning! The Fun will always be there, too.

I'm glad to be making this journey with all of you.

Blessings,

Marc

Marc, welcome back and thanks for starting the challenge.. I'm on board and starving right now lol... I just love your enthusiasm and analogies.. I look forward to your post. Keep up the good work...

Goal Weight:132 lbs // Goal BMI: 18.5

Challenge Day 60 -- Day 01 = (-0.0) = 00.0 lbs lost. Current Weight: 211.6 lbs BMI 30.0 (pre-strictness)
Challenge Day 59 -- Day 02 = (-1.4) = 01.4 lbs lost. Current Weight: 210.2 lbs BMI 29.8 (Calmly Joyous)
Challenge Day 58 -- Day 03 = (-0.7) = 02.1 lbs lost. Current Weight: 209.5 lbs BMI 29.4 (Pleasantly Chillin')
Challenge Day 57 -- Day 04 = (-2.0) = 04.1 lbs lost. Current Weight: 207.5 lbs BMI 29.0 (All Grins)
Challenge Day 56 -- Day 05 = (+2.0) = 02.1 lbs lost. Current Weight: 209.5 lbs BMI 29.4 (All Fewer Grins)

[I realized I was "Journaling" too much over in the "Challenge" so I cut this from there and Pasted it here]

Well Dang,

I went a bit overboard, but I should have expected it. I began a course of Antibiotics yesterday (I have to take 1 pill every 4 hours "with food" for the first day -- and, two a day from now 'til I finish the cycle. I was really good taking roughly 2 & 1/2 Bites at 8AM and Noon, but like the Doc says in the book, "eating breakfast" will tend to make you hungrier throughout the day.

My 3rd "meal" was at 6PM, and I was RAVENOUS! (It should have been 4PM, and chances are I wouldn't have been AS hungry -- First Fail). Still, I held it back to only 8 Bites. By 10PM (my usual bedtime) I started eating... and eating... and (well, you get the idea). Maybe 15 Bites.

I don't know WHY but when I get past 5 Bites I just Stop Counting. I SHOULD begin to Count Out Loud to myself with "6" and be Screaming Numbers, at the top of my Lungs, by "8," but I go Strangely Silent -- as if in a trance. I'll have to work on that.

THAT, And staying up late, to medicate and feed, is a BAD IDEA for me in general.

But that was the first day of the Cycle and I'll only have to take two antibiotics a day from today 'til I'm finished. That works. Hopefully "some" of this gain was water, and it'll be gone by tomorrow, but some was definitely the food restuffing the adipose. I'm back to strict and looking forward to tomorrow's weigh-in.

Blessings,

Marc

Thanks, ElleBella.

I feel like talking about my Exercise Program (so, if the whole topic is not appetizing, consider this your chance to skiddoo ,... until next time).

I've spent the "lesser" part of Many Years, joining This club or That gym, or starting One Program or Another. All of it since I've been the full-range from Heavy to Fat to Thick to Obese and back to Overweight. Now, the over-riding wisdom from the workout folks is that enough exercise will get-you and keep-you thin. They say if you burn enough Calories with Cardio the fat will melt-off. They say that if you build enough muscle with weights, since muscle burns more Calories (even "at rest") than fat does, the fat will melt off. And, all of this under the philosophy that if you want the Workouts to transform you, you will WANT to Eat Better, Eat Less, and you'll make it happen.

That wasn't my experience. Or more exactly, those weren't my experiences. But like Fox Mulder, in the X-FILES, "I Want[ed] to Believe."

Well, Last year I started this Diet, lost 20 quick pounds, and quit for all intents and purposes because I couldn't quit binging on weekends -- even though I WAS losing -- with 83 pounds left to go. I absolutely Could Not "keep-my-head-in-the-game."

This past June, I found a workout program that promised (like they all do) to get me Strong. Very Strong. But this was different (or, perhaps, I was). It was a REVELATION.

Body Weight Resistance Training that starts off with movements so simple (and relatively "weightless") that it seemed almost laughable that the author wanted me to start there, and stick with them for at least a month "until I Mastered them," before moving to the next, barely more difficult level. Each of the Six Exercises graduates from Level One to Level Ten. For example, the Push-Up series Starts by standing arms-length from a wall, leaning in 'til your forehead "kisses" the wall, and pushing away. The Series will end when I can do One-Arm Push-ups (and can move on with the Series of Hand-Stands, to One-Arm Hand-Stand Push-ups (GULP!?!?). He admits (and I agree) that this could take well over a year (or three) to progress that far. Long Haul.

The author doesn't say this program will "get the weight off" (like some gurus do). He says basically, if you're Going to be Strong Enough do these things, you Can't be FAT -- you're going to Want to Lose the blubber. In other words, I'd have to be STUPIDLY STRONG to do a One-Arm Chin-Up while weighing/lifting 215 Pounds. It'd be Easier to be SMARTLY STRONG and do my One-Arm Chins with a Much Lighter Body (though still pretty Damn Strong when you judge it as doing a One-Arm Biceps Curl with a 132 POUND DUMB-BELL).

So there's that, PLUS, my Big ol' Belly gets in the way of me getting a Full-Range of Motion on an, otherwise easy, Level One exercise for Squats. I can't get my knees to touch my forehead. I still do the exercise, but losing my Gut has become a "New Priority."

I WANT to be able to do all these Cool Moves. Moving Up the ladder of Ability will necessitate moving Down the ladder of Body Fat. And with the relative ease of these early exercises, I won't get lost in the confusion that might result from "imagining" that my weight-loss Isn't Showing On The Scale, because I'm Gaining Muscle so quickly [Yeah, Right!! ). I Don't, in fact, "imagine" I'm making any Gains at all; I'm just strengthening what I already have...For Now.

Thus, the Scale is showing Loss. And, for now, that means FAT.

That's how I came back to the 5 Bite Diet, and found you lovely people, to encourage and inspire me.

Blessings,

Marc

The Book, as I've mentioned before, is called Convict Conditioning by Paul Wade (and it's far cheaper as a Kindle Book than in paper form).

Have a Super Day!!!

Marc, that's pretty interesting. I really like the idea of body weight training. I have went from 5 girl push ups to 30 girl push ups to now 5 male push ups so hopefully soon I can do 30 male push ups at a time.. I can run for 20 mins where 2 mins wore me out before. It takes time but it's awesome when you achieve that goal. Good for you.. You keep us posted on your progress..

Marc, Where are you? Miss your post. Seems like everyone aside from myself and Deb(ellabella) are the only two still hanging on here.. Check in with us.