Die Hard!

All right!  I finally earned the LoseIt Die Hard badge! But even if you are not using LoseIt, you can have the same success. The secret?

Don't quit!

Log your food every day.  Don't take "a break". Don't decide that "today is skip day" and therefore a free day. Make logging your food a habit, simply part of your day.  (I mean, it's not like it is difficult to record what you eat, is it? There are plenty of online services and apps that will make it easy.)

Stick with it. Look to your long term goal. Enjoy the daily victories (both scale and non-scale) but never forget the ultimate goal. And don't give up the first time--or the second time--you don't see a loss (or heaven forbid, you see a weight gain!)

This is a long, challenging journey, and the only way you "fail" is if you quit. I know. I attempted a long solo hike and stopped during the second day. I did not fail. I chose to end that attempt out of realization that to continue could bring greater injuries. I decided that the need to feed my ego was not as strong as the need to succeed in a healthy manner. But I learned more from those 27 miles than I ever could have possibly imagined and those lessons will bring success at my next attempt.

Reaching my goal weight was not easy, but it was simple. I logged the food I ate, every day, and I kept moving more than I had moved before I started this path.  Did I see dramatic losses? No. Did I lose weight as fast as I wanted? No. Did I see days where the scale showed gains?  Yes. But I did not quit.

You all can reach your goals, whether it is weight loss, strength enhancement, or improving running speed. It is within your power.  Quite simply, it is your choice to succeed or not (however, the timetable of success is frequently NOT under our control.)

As stubborn and as focused as I am, I could not have achieved my success alone.  My wife, family, friends and the readers here all have given me the strength to continue and the reason to keep blogging. I am almost 18 weeks at goal, and still I need reminders to stay focused. I am changing decades of bad habits, and putting thoughts to electronic paper helps keep the focus.

Thanks for reading. 

Enough of the "weight-loss blah-blah." More recipes will be posted soon. I think tonight will be a simple and tasty Asian Salad.  Check back later!