OnePhatMan
Please note I’ve added some commentary above about the ads Google displays here.
Do you have your own personal site about your transformation from fat to phat? If so, and you’d like to be linked from here, drop me a line with your URL and I’ll add it to the links page I haven’t made yet.
As you’ve no doubt heard before, each day is the beginning of the rest of your life. Knowing this, let me ask you a question: What does the rest of your life look like? Is it a long and vibrant one, filled with good health, joy, and love? Do you see yourself playing with your children, your grandchildren, or even your great grandchilden?
Or does the future look a little darker, made joyless by time spent on the sidelines because you can’t join in, wishing like hell you’d done something—anything—while you still could? Do you see a little Ebenezer Scrooge in yourself, someone ending up dead before their time because of the way they lived?
I have good news.
It’s never too late to change, to take charge of your life right now and do something to ensure a bright future. You can release the person you know lives inside you, let him or her out and show the whole damn world what living is all about, if you so desire. But it requires something from you. Are you willing to give it?
It takes time.
It takes effort.
Most of all, though, it takes perseverance—the dedication TO yourself, the love OF yourself, and the trust IN yourself to make a commitment and raise your standards. So often we want things instantly, because in our fast-paced society we’ve gotten used to quick fixes. I wish I could tell you that you can change your outward appearance in no time, but I’d be lying if I did.
I’ll tell you this, however: if you start living like the person you see in your head—the person you want to be —you can become that person. I already know you have what it takes to transform, most people have that innate ability. The question is this: do you believe me?
Are you willing to do it, to change yourself for the better, or would you rather close the browser down and go get another Oreo from the bag hidden in the closet? The choice, as always, is yours.
Remember, I’ve been down the path already. I know what it’s like, and I know what’s possible. What do you choose to do today?
Live for your life today, but eat and exercise for your life tomorrow.
If you want to get notified when I write an update, this link will do the trick.
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Fred - you have no idea how much I needed to read this entry today. It really hit home as I’ve been waking up every day for months thinking “*today*, today is the day I’m going to resume my exercise program. Today is the day I’m going to eat better.” And today turns into tomorrow and the next day and the next. The feelings of personal failure were starting to feel paralyzing. Thanks for bringing this site back up — you help far more people than you realize.
My pleasure, Susan — I’m glad to hear it helped.
Thanks, Fred. I got “back on the wagon” last week, and already feel so much better, but it’s always good to be reminded WHY I’m doing this (for moi, of course).
I am so glad you started this site up again. I know you regret having the need to have it, with the 15 pounds, but you are so inspirational, and funny.
Your book is what changed me, made me realize I needed to do something, so I would have a tomorrow.
Thanks.
Very powerful words today Fred - I am also another person so glad that you are writing again. I started my journey in January this year and I am just over half way and seeing the changes now, especially in my thinking.
Early in the year I put a note in my scrapbook that I have read over and over often. It is a tip from you:
“I would say the most important tip, and most obvious would be DON’T GIVE UP. Believe me, this isn’t the first diet or lifestyle change I have attempted. I know how easy it is to get discouraged and to give up. The first time you don’t lose a lot of weight. The first time you don’t lose any weight. The first time you actually gain weight. If you are honest with yourself and stick to it, then it will come off. You body may fight you. It may hold onto the weight, but if you eat your points (assuming you are on ww) and do your exercise, then the weight will come off, eventually. Maybe not as fast as you like. But hey, any day that I lose weight is a great day, even if it is .1 pounds. Any day that you stay even is a good day. If you gain and don’t give up, it’s still a pretty good day. If you give up, you’ll just be kicking yourself more, and there is no sense in that.
Thank you Fred - you don’t know how much reading this at times when I needed encouragement from somewhere, helped me to keep looking after myself.
Thank you Fred for coming back. This is just what I needed to ‘hear’. At least you’re smarter than me and doing getting the 15 lbs off. I lost 63 lbs and put it all back on and then some. I am finally fed up with beating myself up and these words were just what I needed to hear. I can tell you all that beating yourself up gets you nowhere - other than deeper in blubber land. No more crying in my cheesies - in fact - gone are the cheesies and Sailorgal is in command again. The sails are up, the course is set. Aye Aye!
Fred,
Thanks for these updates. I’ve lost from 378 to 225 and it seems like I’ve hit a wall the last 6 weeks. I’ve lost most of mine without a LOT of exercise but now I am having to really add more in. I have a LOT of arthritis and it hurts so much to do it but I am determined to get the last 75 pounds off no matter what. You’ve been an inspiration all the way through my weight loss and your daily updates just seem to say exactly what I needed to hear. I joined the YMCA yesterday and am committed to swimming laps 3 days a week and water fitness 2 days and also riding the recumbant bike. Also the trainer there wants to start me on some weights building muscle where I have joint damage and loss. I’m actually excited about it. The first time I read your website, I could not have even walked up the steps at the Y, much less joined and worked out. Thanks for the reminder to persevere.
Your friend,
Shirley
Thanks, guys.
Glenys: I’m glad to hear it helped.
Sailorgal: If you keep your sails up, I’ll try to provide the hot air to keep them filled.
Shirley: I’m sorry to hear you’re in pain — I feel like I may be with you soon. The elliptical really seems to be causing my left knee a lot of grief, and I think I’m going to have to find something else to do on alternate days.
But that’s the name of the game: finding what works and doing it.
Fred, lovely to see you back with this site…you have no idea how much it has been missed…I love your wisdom and the stories that you tell with regards to weight loss…I too needed to read this entry because that’s one of my biggest problems…I want some kind of instant results and when I don’t get them I just don’t put as much into it….I know that’s wrong…I want some results over the first few weeks and then I know it will slow down, but to see only like a 1 lb. loss over a week when you’ve been perfect on food and exercise is never easy to deal with…but we need to remind ourselves that perseverance will eventually pay off….
It is so good to have you “back” writing a journal. I followed you every step of the way last time (and bought your book). However, my own motivation did not kick in until I read these last few entries. I have a lot of weight to lose and I think that was the problem. It seemed too overwhelming. But reading your entries made a light go off–I am just going to concentrate on losing 15 pounds with you–and that is my goal for now. I’ll meet that goal–which seems doable to me–and then set another. So today I gave away the candy bar on my desk, ordered a healthful sandwich for lunch….and I am on my way. Thank you Fred for more than you will ever know!! I will be back to check on your progress and let you know about mine!
Fred, it’s an unpopular reality that real change takes time, and I applaud you for saying it. Thank you for reminding us all that everyone has setbacks and that the mark of a winner in the long drawn-out war (not just battle) to change is adapting to the new circumstances.
I’ve been working on changing my life for 534 days now, and have gone down from 279 to 227. According to the calories from my daily food logs, I should be much lower, but this is my reality and my challenge. My log sheets aren’t just about food, but track everything I know helps me personally to stick with it, like sleep, water, reaching out socially, relaxation, journaling, prayer, etc. The changes in what exercises I could do and for how long have been dramatic, as have non-scale victories.
This summer I’ve come up against that invisible barrier of reaching the lowest weight I’ve ever lived at even briefly in my adult life. From this point on the path is unknown.
For some time I had been thinking I might need to add a second daily exercise session, but couldn’t seem to bring myself to do it on a consistant basis.
Recently, I was convicted that it was time to get my house in order - literally - and keep it clean, which I was unable to do when I was morbidly obese and actually had never learned to do anyway. I read the FlyLady book and built my own morning routine, and suddenly, I discovered I had added an hour of movement to my day. My family and I are so pleased with how easy to live in our newly clean house is! It makes the effort worthwhile, even though I’m still definitely at the point of “I don’t wanna!” every morning when it’s time to start my rounds. Afterwards I feel so vibrantly alive and peaceful. The morning aches and stiffness are all gone and I find myself ready to start on projects I’ve been procrastinating on for ages.
It’s hard to picture myself at a healthy weight, since I’ve been obese since todderhood. But as I keep incorporating the relatively small changes I can see as soon as I’m physically able to, real change continues to happen. I am becoming slimmer, strong and able, emotionally healthier, and now cleaner and well organized. It’s exciting to wonder what will come next in my transformation to a new me.
An important point, Fred. Thanks for writing about it.
One of the most juxtapositional concepts I’ve ever dealt with is time. You can’t speed it up, but there isn’t a damn thing you can do to stop it from coming.
It’s a sometimes comforting, sometimes frustrating concept.
Do we take advantage of it or not? For me, that’s where the buck stops. I’d wager the answer to that question is where change, life, pretty much near everything occurs.
Beck