W is for Weighing In

R.a.n.t. for day of 04/27/15

I've talked about J is for Junk food and E is for Exercise in previous rants. Today is 'Weighing In. It's the result of how I did keeping both of those two in mind. I'm currently following Weight Watchers because I need to lose weight. I dread Monday's, because it's weigh-in day. I know it's going to be bad if I had more of J and not enough E.

Sometimes, like this past week, I feel I did poorly. I didn't go to the gym and had doughnuts for breakfast yesterday. My son was visiting, so I took him to the store and let him pick whatever he wanted for breakfast. Sometimes, I try to convince myself into not going. Maybe if I do better this week, how bad I ate won't show up on the scale.

Ironically, I have to be careful when I have a good week. Those weeks I tend to get cocky, I start slacking in my workouts, don't watch what I eat so carefully, and convince myself I deserve it for working so hard. But, I've lost 40 pounds so far, so I'm in the right directing. I need to remember to stay away from emotional eating. 

So now I'm worried and trying to talk myself into getting to my Weight Watcher meeting and admit to myself it'll be bad, then work from there to get back on track. I just need a little motivation, and I can do it. Maybe Motivation should be my M. Or did I do M already?

Some questions for discussion:
Where do you get your motivation from?
How do you distract yourself form emotional eating?
Have you ever followed Weight Watchers or a similar weight loss program?

A Blob By Any Other Name Is Still A Blob

R.a.n.t. of week 06/16/13

blob
noun
1. a horrific globule of matter. - i.e. Semi-truck driver or something similar.
2. a semi-sentient appearing matter, but having no realistic function.
3. a dull, slow-witted, and uninteresting person.
4. an object, having no redeeming qualities.

It's shouldn't be very surprising, but I've never really been happy with my self image. To be honest, ever since childhood I've battled with low self esteem problems. Of course self esteem comes in many forms. Some of the ways a person can feel good or bad about themselves includes looks, accomplishments, personality or social skills. This week, I've decided to touch on these aspects, and how I'm dealing with each. Additionally, there is a semi-quiz involved. How well do you know me?
P.S. The quiz is NOT about Semi's.

Looks

Ironically, my biggest inspiration comes from:
A). Driving semi-trucks.
B). Reading fitness magazines.
C). Baking low-fat brownies and cookies.
D). Listening to motivational speakers.
E). Watching 'Biggest Loser' on TV.
F). Working out in my dreams.
G). Planning marathons I'll never run in.

This is the one I have the most problem with. As a youth, I was never happy with my appearance. Being teased and made fun of in school because of my 'goofy' looks never helped the matter much. I look back now and realize it was mostly just mean kids being mean kids, really how many children are EVER happy with their looks (teased or not)? I'm assuming not many, or maybe I really did/do have a problem. In one of those funny twists of life, one thing I hated most about myself was being a 'stick'. My metabolism was so high, I never gained any weight. I was continually teased I would blow away. Anyone remember the ad in the back of comic books where the big tough guy is kicking sand in the scrawny guys face? Yes, I was the model for the scrawny guy. And now, I'm the other extreme. I now have such a hard time taking any weight off. Lately I've been managing to stay below 300 pounds, but just barely. Certainly makes it hard for me to maintain a high self esteem, at least in this area.

Accomplishments

My number one goal in life has always been to be:
A). Semi-truck driver.
B). Photographer
C). Comedian
D). Green Bay Packer Quarterback.
E). Writer
F). Teacher
G). A contestant on Wheel of Fortune.

How often do we look at what we've accomplished in our life and criticize it? Once again, maybe not everyone does, maybe it's just me. But it's true, I criticize myself for lack of accomplishments in my writing. Ever since High School I've wanted to be a writer. Okay, I "AM a writer", I hear you saying. But I have always wondered if I could have done MORE with my writing. Could I have ever published a book if I had applied myself more? Could I have sold a poetry collection? Maybe had an article published in a magazine? Maybe, guess I'll never know unless I actually try some time. And why is it I put off doing so? I guess, that's where the low self esteem comes into play. I'm always worried that what I write, will automatically be rejected by anyone. So why bother? I know that's foolish, I just wish I didn't believe it so much.

Personality

My biggest personality fault is:
A). Swearing like a semi-driver.
B). Believing I'm superior to others.
C). Not having a sense of humour.
D). Loving to belittle others.
E). Being bossy and overbearing.
F). Having an "I don't care" attitude.
G). Always quiet, shy and withdrawn.

Unlike the first two aspects, this one has never bothered me too much. Of all the options in the question, I'd pick being quiet and shy over any of them. Not surprisingly, the rest in the list are things I have to one degree or another, already ranted about. I've never understood the need to use foul language in every sentence. It really just shows a lack of creativity and/or vocabulary. As for the sense of humour, I once knew this girl who never laughed at any of my jokes, and in fact, thought I was making fun of her. No, I really don't try to crack belittling jokes. It's just not my style. Still, being quiet, shy and withdrawn does affect my self esteem. At times I wish I wasn't so much, especially when put in new situations or with new people. Being shy, I have a hard time introducing myself to people and being quiet means I'm not a chatterbox, so have a hard time striking up or maintaining a conversation. How I envy others who do this so well.

Social Skills

The skill I'm less likely to want to work on is:
A.) Communication
B.) Listening
C.) Being empathetic
D.) Being kind and courteous.
E.) Being positive.
F.) Being humble.
G.) Crafting semi-truck jokes.

We can all improve in every aspect of our lives, some more than others. I'm not suggesting I have nothing to work on, but maybe some people need to work on a few of these skills more than I do. Like personality, I'm not so distraught over my handling of this topic. Personally, I think I've got very good social skills. True, I may be quiet and shy, but if you get me talking, I'm a motor-mouth. Also, if asked a question, I'll answer and try to find some way to continue the conversation. So why is it some people reply with one word answers, look away or just pretend you didn't ask a question. That's not good communication, and it certainly isn't good listening. By listening to what a person says, you can better identify with the person. If it's not something you can identify with, you can at least be empathetic to what the person is trying to tell you, show concern. If it's something you don't know how to handle, just listening and trying to be supportive may be enough. When you try to show them support, you show yourself to be a kind and courteous person. Keeping these few things in mind will have quite the positive effect on how people view your own social skills. As for being humble? I don't really need to work on this. I know I'm a humble person. In fact I'm so humble, I've actually won awards, and proudly display them in my house..  


Quiz Bonus Points are awarded this week if you can identify all four of the blobs.
Answers revealed next week
Or just click HERE.

Laodicean Tub

R.a.n.t. of week 02/10/13

As those who are fairly close to me know, or if you keep up with me on Twitter or Facebook, I've been trying to lose some weight. Usually this consists of weekly Weight Watcher meetings, food tracking and attending Blast Fitness where I mostly run the track. After my time at the gym is complete, I like to sit in the steam room for a few minutes. Once in a while, I like to treat myself to sitting in the hot tub, as I did last night. Right away you are certainly thinking how miserable and awful it must have been. Au contraire mon frere, it was the one highlight of the evening. But as I sat there I got to thinking of my recent visit to the Wilderness of this past weekend. I've had problems with this place in the past (see bedbugs in a future r.a.n.t.) but I was willing to give this place another fair shake. I'm happy to report, overall the trip was good. Cue the ranting bit.

Why is it there must always be a dozen or so kids in the hot (cough) tub at any given moment? It's bad enough the water was lukewarm at best, but to deal with the rugrats on top of it. Why was the water lukewarm? It seems people like to have the section leading to the outside, open, even in the dead of winter. And it was a popular place indeed. I'm not so sure what the appeal was, but people love it. So I can't really fault the Wilderness for that. What's interesting to note is the lifeguards came within 30 seconds whenever a child younger than six was in the pool with its parent, to shoo them out. What about the other kids? They have an entire water park designed just for them. But no, one little girl wants to do flips in the hot tub. One little boy wants to practice his breast stroke. Another child looked like he was considering a cannonball if not for my stern look. And kids don't know how to simply walk from one end of the tub to the other, they must splash and spray everyone they pass. It half made me wish a 'hot tub time machine' actually existed. No, not for me, for the kids. Nothing would have delighted me more than to transport every single child a week into the past.

When Jillian Left

Jillian, Jillian,

fare thee well.

Jillian, Jillian,

you put them through hell.

You showed they had guts,

You showed they had glory.

Till they broke down and cried,

as they told you their story.

To quit was no option,

as so many found.

You drove even harder,

till they puked on the ground.

You got in their face,

you stood on their backs.

you kept them inspired,

when they tried to relax.

You reminded them all,

it was more than a game.

I'll still watch when you're gone,

but it won't be the same.

J.A.Scott

Carrot Sticks & Cottage Cheese

When you think of healthy food
are you limited with picks?
Do you think of something bland
like many carrot sticks?

With all the food within your home
you trash it all but peas.
Snacking foods you dare not have
except for cottage cheese.

But did you know you can have
food other than your veggies?
Even treats you thought taboo
like pizza or warm cookies?

The trick is moderation
just a little at a time.
Healthy food, then something sweet
you'll find it's not a crime.

J.A.Scott

Fight For It!

When you're feeling tired,
who wants to go work out?
'cause getting to the gym,
is like a title bout.

All activities I have done,
knock me out every day.
My motivations waning,
it's such a sad display.

Punching through the wall,
Can be a nifty trick.
Start with something simple,
then harder I can pick.

As I then, continue on,
though sweating I may be,
the fight is so much better,
stress has been set free.

Equipped with strong willpower,
just like a boxing glove.
When I’m feeling tired,
Working out is what I love.

J.A.Scott

Round of Shape

When I was two and twenty,
I couldn’t understand.
How people got so overweight,
and blamed it on a gland.

Do they have no self respect
or care how they are seen?
Certainly never eating well,
or any food that’s lean

When I was two and thirty,
I woke one day to find.
I weighed more than I ever was,
embarrassed in my mind.

How did I become this way,
I couldn’t understand.
Would I succumb to guilt and shame
or on my fitness I demand?

Now I am two and forty,
no longer have to hide.
Through hard work and perseverance,
I’m on the winning side.

The journey isn’t easy,
took everything I got.
With eating well and exercise,
and snacking, not a lot.

If you are two and twenty,
take this warning to heart.
Don’t criticize the ‘round of shape’,
lest you become a part.

And those of two and thirty,
awake with shock and shame.
Remember I have lost it all,
and you can do the same.

J.A.Scott

Too Much Good Food

R.a.n.t. of week 06/01/08
I have done so well in my weight loss so far, but as I'm getting closer to my goal weight, the harder it's becoming. There was a time during this process where various foods were not a temptation for me. Now, I seem to be hungry for snacks all the time. That may not be as much of a problem as the fact that it's been getting harder and harder for me to get inspired to go work out at the gym. I know where this can lead, and I certainly don't want it to lead to that end. I really need to stay away from cookies, brownies, muffins and cinnamon rolls. It's just at times I seriously get an uncontrollable urge for them. I get a chocolate attack, a box of cereal starts calling out to me, or I start craving chips. Ignoring the fact if I worked out I'd be less prone to eating this junk, I need to recall all the good (healthy) food there is to eat that I do like; yoghurt, steamed brussel sprouts, oatmeal, fresh fruit, lean meat, or other various foods which end up filling me up and satisfying. Who needs that bag of sugar coated bag of dried fruit and nuts when there is just too much good food.

Weight Wait

R.a.n.t. of week 09/26/04

This week I've got a rant probably everyone can relate to: Weight Loss. Exactly what is the hardest part of weight loss? I've found, it's the wait. If you've ever tried to lose any amount of weight, you know exactly what I mean. For me, I woke up one day and realized I had to lose weight. Not exactly sure how this ever escaped my notice, but I was suddenly VERY aware of my problem. As I was also aware no one would EVER be interested in me in my present condition (another r.a.n.t. for another time), I was determined to lose as much weight as I could. The difficulty? Was it cutting down on my portion sizes? No. Cutting out greasy foods like French Fries? Nope. Drinking water over soda? Very doable; and I enjoy water. How about exercising and keeping active – slightly harder, but I am working on it. Waiting for the pounds to melt off? Extremely hard! There is nothing harder than to wait for results that can take days or even weeks. How about waiting for someone else to take notice? Just as hard. I think a lyric from the song "The Waiting", best describes how I feel..
♫The waiting is the hardest part♪.
I realize Tom Petty was not singing about weight control, but the point is well taken.
Reprinted 12/20/12






*PLEASE NOTE - I recently found old R.a.n.t. articles posted to a website I once owned. I've decided to reprint them in my current run. However, ironically enough, I'm not to fond of the writing so I've decided to edit the articles and repost them. For comparisons sake, I've decided to run the edited version as well as the original. In a way, it's kind of fun to see how my writing has changed in eight years.

Original R.a.n.t.
Perhaps a rant for the week that everyone can relate to. Never before have two words in the English language been so related, and yet not related at the same time. What I mean is the wait, to lose weight. Anyone that has tried to lose weight knows what I mean. Sometimes it just seems that you wake up one day and notice you need to loose a few pounds. Suddenly you are working as hard as you possibly can to lose the weight, but it seems to take forever. Even if you find a diet that works for you, the hardest part is the wait. Cutting down on my portion size I can handle; cutting out greasy food like French Fries is not that hard; drinking water over soda – doable; exercising and keeping active – slightly harder, but working on it. Waiting for the pounds to actually come off? Being able to chart how well you are actually doing on a day-to-day basis? Extremely hard! Even though the past couple of weeks I’ve noticed a loss of 30-40 pounds, it’s still hard to wait and see how you will look when you’re finally done. I recall that song, “The Waiting”; ‘The waiting is the hardest part, You take it on faith, you take it to the heart, The waiting is the hardest part.’ Somehow I doubt he was singing about weight control, but the point is well taken.