Day 114 - Weigh day number 8 - Slow and steady wins the race.

OK so slow and steady will not win any races, but it is a healthy way to lose weight and losing it I am. I started this program by starving myself and for the first couple of months that worked for me. Then I started eating more and more and I felt I was slipping bad. Now I have pulled back on my eating so I am eating less than I used to and more than starving. I am also hitting the gym regular and I have added strength training to my routine. This weigh day I have posted another 5lb loss. It is not as dramatic as I would like, but I will take it and I know that to get dramatic I have to starve myself. I am not willing to do that at this point.

There are many different ways to lose weight and you have to find what is right for you. When I first started this I was inspired by Sean Anderson. He is eating 1500 calories a day and that works for him. I tried it and It gave me the boost I needed to show myself I could do this. Ultimately Sean A. and I are different people with different personality types who will take different approaches to lose the weight. While we both have similar goals we also may have different goals. Sean A. and I both want to lose the weight, but I want to go a little beyond that. I want strength and muscle. I want a body I have dreamed of, but have never had. This will lead me to push myself harder than I ever have. While losing weight is a passive goal. (Eat less and lose). Gaining muscle and getting fit is an active goal. You have to work at it. You have to push yourself to go to the gym even when you don't want to. Sometimes you will find you have to eat more to have the strength to accomplish what you want.

This brings me to the big hurtle many of us face when losing weight.  Many believe that you have to set strict limits for yourself and if you fail one time you are done. I believe this is Sean Anderson's take on things for his personal weight loss, but I respectfully disagree. We are imperfect by design and we will slip up from time to time. That is OK. You just need to rededicate yourself to your mission. I have failed before because once I slipped I just gave up like all was lost. Now when I slip up, I remember all that I have gained and a start over from there. No big deal.

I hope to show myself and everyone else that there are different ways to reach your goal and the most important part of your success will be your attitude towards changing your life.

I have spent a lot of time comparing my approach to Sean Anderson's. His blog and his struggle was the catalyst that got me here and while I have grown and changed my approach I think it is important to note that I respect the man a great deal and he is still very much an example of where I want to be.

If for some reason you don;t know who Sean Anderson is you can read his blog at http://losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com/

It is inspirational.

Until Next Time!

Sean Z.