Friday, June 20, 2008

A Little Reminder

You know, something happens after you've lost a bit of weight. You forget what you were before. I would even go as far to say that you might get comfortable in your new "skin". That's where things get dangerous for a lot of people I guess. They tend to slowly fall into their old habits and start to become mirrors of their former selves.

To combat this I like to remind myself of what I used to be by looking at pics, or even just thinking about some of the meals I used to eat and consider normal fair.

This time a year ago I would have found myself content on with a dinner of Bubba Burgers. I use the plural sense because I'd probably have two burgers with dinner. Mmm, Bubba burgers. Those are great arent they? My love for them have not changed.

This year I might have the same cravings, but I remember all of the hard work I put in in the last 11 months. So I won't have a bubba burger, or if I do I'll have a low fat version, and only have one, and probably go for a jog or a bike ride the next morning because I feel guilty , or maybe just afraid of becoming what i once was.

The urges are still there, I still love that food, but I now have an arsenal of things to combat that.

-I like a lot of healthy food. I love sushi, vegetables, water, fruit. I'm happy to eat those things the bulk of the time.

-When I'm no longer hungry I know now I no longer need to eat. Portion control. Learn it.

-Guilt. I have guilt whenever I indulge. Maybe not right away. I can still enjoy foods that are bad for me, but sooner or later I'll be thinking about what I just consumed, and taking the proper steps to ensure it isn't going to lodge itself onto my love handles.

-Exercise. I've come to really enjoy it. I don't like when I go a long time without it. I like to stay active. I like to do things. Hopefully this never changes, because I feel like when you slow down, you die. I don't ever want to die.

So back to a year ago. Reminders of what I was.

This is the closest I can come in a pic, July 4th 2007:



Is that me? Oh that's right. It used to be. Wow, I think I'll pass on that Bubba Burger.

Sometimes today I forget what i was like, and maybe I get a little hard on myself because I havent worked out for a while and maybe my eating wasnt the best. So, let's take a picture from today and compare, just to be sure we're not falling back into BurgerLand:



ok so maybe I need to learn to smile a little better, and is my hairline receding? What the hell is that about?

But the plan worked. That is not the same person. Try a body shot if the face shots aren't working. Maybe I'll do that next time.

So here I am, plodding along. Still living with my new identity , maybe a few reminders of my old one. But I'm doing OK.

-Brian

NOTES:
You'll see I took a run yesterday on the treadmill (my time is posted on the right). This was the first time in..I don't know, 2-3 months that I've run? I still ride my bike and I'm active, but there really is no way to keep in good running shape unless well, you run. I wasn't too hard on myself with my 25:53 5k time though. Sure I've done better, but I'm still in the respectable range as far as I'm concerned. My legs are sore today though.

I think you have to keep yourself in check and keep challenging yourself. I think that is one of the keys to staying in shape. I'm hoping it is anyway.

Oh and I do still have goals. I'm starting to lift again. I'd like to get some more muscle definition. I want to be able to do a few more pull-ups.

But tonight I think I'll have a Bubba Burger, think about what I used to be, then maybe go for a bike ride and know that I'll never be that person again.

OK, I'm partially kidding. I probably wont have a Bubba Burger.

Maybe Nachos...

4 comments:

inked said...

Good to see you made it back from your bike tour safely and this was a good post to read today. A picture can be a huge motivational tool. I got two pictures above my weight bench, on my treadmill, on my fridge, and in my briefcase. Although they are all different pictures, one of the pics in each place is a current one, while the other is a pic of when I was in really good shape and where I'm striving to be. I used to have a pic of when I started instead of the current one, but I got a bit too complacent in my ways.

Its a real eye opener to see that even though I've lost about 25 pounds, I still have a very long road ahead.

Kristen said...

Ok. maybe i'm a little tipsy, but...

i did tear up a bit when i saw your before and after. i'm so excited for you. quite a difference. i think you were the one that claimed to know nothing about proper nutrition in your first post?

it is very inspirational to look back at old pics. i never ever want to go back.

well...anyways...great job.

Anonymous said...

Good read! I've lost sight of those things, and I was heading back to where I was 15 months ago. Fast.

Thanks for the reminder!

By the way, impressive before/now! That's awesome, man.

Ripx180 said...

looking good man... glad you are still maintaining and keeping it real. Amazing results in the face shots.