New pics are up. And while I've definitely seen a difference between day 10 and day day 37--14 lbs!--I was shocked when I asked my doctor's nurse what I had weighed at previous appointments. Last May, 2009, almost exactly one year ago, I was 185 lbs. And it was not muscle. Subtracting 2 lbs for business casual threads, and that's still 183. No wonder I had knee issues. Pack enough blubber for an Antarctic winter onto the frame of someone who's built more like a cross-country runner than a tight-end, and bad things are bound to happen. Duh.
The fact that I've lost over 32 lbs in a year is definitely an accomplishment, especially when almost half of that has come off in the last 5 weeks. But it's still disconcerting, because it begs the question: how did I end up in that state to begin with?
The quick answer is, of course, I ate crap and didn't exercise. But these are 'proximate causes'; the ultimate causes, as I'm learning, are much more subtle. I'll hopefully get to expound upon more upon these as I flesh out (pun intended) my thoughts in the coming weeks. Social pressure, and social norms, has a lot to do with it--e.g., "why do you need to lose any weight? You're not FAT!" I'm still getting this one a lot, particularly from overweight colleagues and friends. More powerful still is the peer pressure to come "hang out"--and eat/drink. I.e., everybody's doing it, and the food "tastes" good (i.e., gives you a nice sugar rush), so it must be OK, right? But one's own mind also plays a huge role. I definitely made selective comparisons with others over this time period, and did a lot of rationalization ("hey, I'm not that big compared to some in my family!"). I'll try to think of more of these as I become aware of them.
Fortunately, as I've found over the past 5 weeks, the solution is relatively straightforward: 1) eat good, nourishing food in proportions that your body needs to 2) safely push yourself to your physical limits on a regular basis, while 3) getting adequate rest.
Speaking of which--off to bed...
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Major accomplishment, Brett. It's hard for me to believe that you were so much bigger a year ago. You are looking much more cross-country runner-like and the PCP continues. Once again, you are inspiring me!
ReplyDeleteI loathe the "but you're not even FAT" remark. When did health become "not fat"? I want to not only be not fat, but be able to run up stairs to catch a train, to do back to back kickboxing sessions, and to live my life to the fullest without having to constantly take breaks!
ReplyDeleteNew pics looking good, you're ripped! Well done!
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things PCP teaches us is how to deal with those social situations -- sip an iced tea whilst everyone else goes beer after beer, nibble vegetable sticks when everyone else is stuffed fries into their faces...
ReplyDelete