It's the Common Question ... and a Urgent Suggestion

I'm starting off with something that many of us have experienced:

"Wow! You've lost a lot of weight!"

My response now? "Thanks for noticing."  And then I stop and go on with what I was doing. I used to start a speech on how and why I lost the weight. (My wife, Tammy, calls those "Trev-itorials." If you REALLY want to experience a true "Trev-itorial" ask me which American beer is my favorite!) But eventually I realized that if people want to know, they will ask me.

And many do ask the Common Question:  "So.  What's your secret?"

And my answer is still the same. "I count my calories. I eat the correct amounts, and I walk more. I keep my eaten calories less than my burned calories." 

And the typical response to that is, "Oh. Yeah. I thought you did something special."

That's when I respond with, "Something special? You mean other than losing more than 75 pounds in eight months and then keeping it off the past for seven weeks? Other than working my butt off by walking everywhere, and making the right choices, and weighing/measuring my food, and logging it all on LoseIt.com? Well, no, I guess I didn't do anything special."

(Okay. That's not how I really respond. That's just what I would like to say. But I try not to be so openly snarky.)

But it is a little frustrating. People want an easy and fast method to reach their goal weight. They want the "silver bullet", the magic pill.  They watch The Biggest Loser and expect the same results in the same time frame as shown in television time.

But almost everyone reading this knows that the silver bullet of weight management is the same silver bullet for success in school, or on the job, or on the sports field. Focus, determination, and some hard work. You need to know what you want. You need to know why you want it. And you need to be willing to do what it takes to get it.

It's just that simple. It's just that hard.

Now for my urgent suggestion:

Yesterday I donated platelets at the Red Cross. The Red Cross (and many other organizations) collect whole blood, plasma and platelets for use in your local hospitals. Of the three blood products, platelets have the shortest shelf-life.  Packed red blood cells (PRBC) can last for 42 days after donation; plasma is frozen and used for up to 1 year. Platelets need to be used within 5 days of donation. Platelets are most commonly used for cancer patients, and the need is always great. If you are healthy, please consider donating platelets (or whole blood or plasma.) Call your local Red Cross or other blood bank to see if you qualify for donation, or go this link to read the Red Cross eligibility requirements. I have relatives with cancer, and others with heart disease. All needed blood cells and platelets during the course of their treatments. I gave then, and I continue to give.

It's relatively painless, and a very good thing to do.

Come back in a little while for a look at last night's meal (Onion-Mushroom Tart with Oven Roasted Asparagus.)