DEC 11th If I Don't Get Tuff... I'm Gonna Die Fat??

Hidy Ho Journal & Friends,

Ever read or hear something that you LOVE... and HATE at the same time?!! 

You love the parts you agree with, and hate the parts you are convinced he got wrong? You find youself arguing with your iPod as you listen to the interview?

You'd love to "straighten this guy out" so his message could be improved, and that way he could help more folks. But he is convinced that those that are upset by his message are "just making excuses".

So... he has closed his OWN thinking off, to seeing a different perspective that might have validity, which could actually improve his message. 

Sigh... I debated even writing about all this, since it's so frustrating. But I will. :-D

Because I decided, FOR ME, to be teachable and "eat the meat and spit out the bones."  This guy has some good stuff. Really good stuff.

He does have good ideas, albeit presented in a blunt way. I don't think he's trying to be mean or mocking, like some internet bullies I've crossed swords with... no, to me his heart seems in the right place.

Enough vagueness. His name is Steve Siebold, and he makes his living as a motivational speaker. The core of all his messages have to do with MENTAL TOUGHNESS.

And this time, he wrote a book after he gained 40 pounds, then lost it. It's called

Die Fat or Get Tough: 

101 Differences in Thinking 

Between Fat People and Fit People.

Yeah, he likes to use shock value to "break through the walls of self-delusion". I suppose that works with some personality types. His main idea is to smack you in the face with the differences between how Fat People think versus how Fit People think. Unfortunately his blunt approach repulses as many people as it reaches. The poor guy has even had death threats!!!

Disclaimer: I have not read the book. Why?? Because after reading a ton of reviews on Amazon.com, reading excerpts at his website (you can get the first 5 chapters for free), and listening to several interviews with Steve, I get the gist of it. I get it. I really do. And agree 100% with the mental aspects of his message. My own summary of his book would be something like: You made the choices that broke it, and you have the power to fix it. It's time to grow up, and make healthy choices. You can DO this!  

To me, that message is empowering, and I can get behind it. The part that drives me NUTSO in his approach is that he doesn't take into account that we were told by all the authorities for a LIFETIME that eating a certain way (low fat and lots of "healthy" whole grains and high carbs) was THE way to lose weight and get healthy. And now we are a fatter, sicker nation, with a raging diabetes epidemic. That's no excuse. It's the truth. Some of us tried for years, but it was like swimming upstream against a hard current... exhausting and not making much progress.

I was put on my first diet at age 10. That's FIFTY YEARS AGO!!!!! :-O  I searched and searched for a sustainable "diet", and tried, literally, several dozen. It's not just a matter of being fat and lazy. Some of us really tried. But were working with the wrong information. Did we go through times of despair, and just give up for a time?? Did we choose to eat food to affect our emotions, to bring relief, escape, or a thousand other reasons? 

Yes, we did. Or we wouldn't be fat. 

Yes, *I* did, or I wouldn't be fat.

Do you have any idea how hard it is not to be sucked totally down the drain of hopelessness and self-loathing, after trying and failing that many times??? 

But to our credit, we didn't give up permanently. We tried to learn. We got up and went ON. 

He seems to know nothing about metabolism or the science behind weight loss. The best book I've read on that lately is by Gary Taubes: Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It.  It's not a rah rah motivational book. It's full of solid science and facts. I highly recommend it.

Do any of Steve's arguments apply?? Yes, of course. But I'm just saying, he's too simplistic, that's all. Anyway, back to the part of his message that I DO agree with, the mental stuff. 

Basically, after all the legitimate factors are accounted for, we are left with: NOW WHAT?? What am I going to DO about it? 

And I agree with him, that it takes mental toughness. (Now for all you Christians out there, cool your jets. :-) My Rock, my Strength comes from God. I'm talking here not about the spiritual foundation we all need... but about what we allow ourself to think about, which plays out in our actions. Now that we have THAT cleared up...)

Mental toughness

Hmmm...  that's actually a term I've puzzled over for many years! Long before it became sort of popular now, and the topic du jour of todays motivational speakers.

So... I decided to be teachable. To not get offended. To not accept the parts he missed the mark on, and accept the parts where he hit the bullseye. He lost his weight in his late 30's, and is still learning. So in time, I'll bet his message is tempered with experience and wisdom. 

In the mean time, here are some quotes I transcribed directly from an interview with Steve Siebold that I heard on HCL BlogTalkRadio, hosted by Audley Stephenson (no relation to moi).

• Make a decision. 
• Make a decision you're going to do this... if you do the work, you'll see the results. 
• This is not complicated... make a decision and take responsibility.
• If you're going to program yourself for success, you've got to do what successful people do.
• Don't feel bad about yourself, don't beat yourself up. Just make a decision that you're going to solve it.
• There's really no staying neutral. You're going to either have to solve it, or you're probably going to die fat.
• Study how fit people think, they really think differently that fat people.
• Study as many world class experts on health and fitness as you can.
• Beginning today, invest 15 minutes a day studying an expert you respect.
• When your beliefs start to change, your behavior starts to follow your beliefs.
• Self-talk is very powerful.
• This is not about being comfortable. This is about being successful. There's a difference!

You can go to Amazon.com  and click on Look Inside, and read several pages for yourself. I'd be curious to read what others in our online wt loss community think about it. I mean, we are already working on it, or we wouldn't be here. So I have to wonder if our reaction would be different than someone who is NOT actively working on it. I kinda think it would sting!

So in summary: 

I do NOT agree with him when he denies there are legitimate factors that affect our weight loss attempts. 

I DO agree we can't be successful if we allow those factors to make us victims. 

I DO agree we need to ask NOW WHAT? and get on with solving it. 

I DO agree that how we think is absolutely crucial, and that's where I can learn from him.

To be fair, here's Steve's website,  so he gets the last word. 

;-)

From Dr Phil's book: "Change your thinking to change your weight."

My verse for today: "Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle."

My quote for today: "You must do the things you think you cannot do." --Eleanor Roosevelt

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 847

MAY 13th Time to Bloom

Hello there Journal & Friends,

Blogger was acting stupid all day Thursday and I couldn't post this. So, I've just left it the way I wrote it yesterday:

Friday I am starting a new challenge with a Secret Partner. It's a "no excuses" challenge that will last til Sept 16th. The two of us are making up our own daily goals list, and will email each other our daily results... yes or no. Got it done, or not. No excuses. I've been floating too long, drifting and "trying". That's over. 

Tuesday I used a quote from Dr Phil that said:

"When you do things differently,

giving up those parts of your life

that have been self-defeating

for those which are self-affirming,

your weight, your health, and

your life change dramatically.

You acquire self-discipline

and strength."

My Secret Partner and I have each made out our own lists of "self-defeating" behaviors, and chosen our new lists of daily goals with the "self-affirming" corrections. And doing so has helped me see that I've allowed stuff to creep back in... and I've been a little discouraged at my lack of progress. 

Yet... at the same time, I was ENCOURAGED this morning by my progress. Kind of a weird paradox.

See, I went outside and was enjoying all the blooming plants in our yard. And I remembered how they used to look... and remembered that it takes time, persistance, hard work, and trust that it WILL pay off... in time. 

Not right after it's been planted... not in the winter... but in the spring, at the right time.

Here is what our house looked like, when we first moved in a couple of years ago. (As always, can click on any pics to enlarge)

We did a lot of work in the front.

Put in the concrete parking pad, and half circle drive, covered ramp, and landscaped hill.

Here is it after the plants were added, in April of 2010. They looked so tiny. :-)

And this is what I saw THIS MORNING!! That same hill (looking from the other direction) was busting out with blooms! I looked at that, and thought of my own journey... how I felt like I was coming out of winter, and felt ready for my own spring growth!

Here is the flower barrel Jim built last year, newly planted, with the ground all bare behind it.

And this is the same planter THIS MORNING, with all the flowers and plants behind it, all singing out loud, just bursting with "aliveness"!

The same thing happened with the barrel Jim built for our strawberries. Here it was from April of 2010, newly planted with dinky little strawberry plants... so new, so hopeful.

And sure enough, they grew and in May here came strawberries.

But then came summer...  then fall... then winter. I was sure they were dead. Early March of this year, I decided to scoop out all the dead leaves and debris, to get ready for a new planting. Lo and behold... there was LIFE under all the dead stuff!!

And now, with a little sunshine and rain, all by themselves, they have revived! And even spread out onto the ground next to the planter...here they are, bursting with new life this morning. :-)

I'm thinking I need to remember this is a process. And sometimes it might feel like winter. But if I trust, and never quit, and believe... I will grow and revive and thrive, too. 

And so I'm claiming that for myself. And that's why I am doing this new challenge with my Secret Partner. We both have felt like we are coming out of a "winter". And we are determined to have our Spring, no excuses. 

From Dr Phil's book: "It will happen because you have made the decision to step up and do what it takes to have what you want."

My verse for today: "They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side."

My quote for today: "This isn't forever, it's just for the rest of your life." --Jack Sh*t, Jack Sh*t Getting Fit 

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 637

DAY 379 ZZzzzzzzz.......

Hello Journal & Friends,

"If it was a snake, it would've bit ya!"  

That was the saying in my family when I was a kid... used when something was so obvious, but we didn't see it. It could have been an object we were hunting for, or an idea.

I finally figured out why I have been struggling so much this week, in every area... and it was sooo obvious! It's almost embarrassing to admit... it was SO OBVIOUS, yet for some reason I just didn't see it...

I've been short on sleep all week. Duh.

And maybe that's why I didn't see it... my brain wasn't firing on all cylinders. The problem is now so obvious... and so is the solution. 

Today's Peek at the Past (No way! It can't be... sheesh, haven't I learned a thing in a whole year??! This is soooo humbling... tempted to skip this one. But in the interest of self-honesty, I'll just let it all hang out.)

From Day 18, August 27, 2009:

How strong is my desire to be successful on this mission?

Am I willing to do whatever it takes? Whatever??

Am I being honest with myself?

Is there anything in my plan that needs fine-tuning?

Are there aspects of my life that I am avoiding addressing, or stalling on changing?

I have to admit, I answered yes to those last two. It has to do with time management, and getting enough sleep consistently. This is not a new issue for me, and I even have a "plan". But I have not made it a priority, and allowed excuses to pre-empt "the plan".

This was not what I had intended on writing today. But I am tired. I am on my second cup of coffee...and I NEVER have more than one...usually. Spellcheck can't even keep up with me today...obviously I need to apply the No Excuses Mentality to THIS problem.

(For complete post "Travel Friends  & Sleep... or Lack Thereof" click HERE) 

From Dr Phil's book: "Impulse moments are critical for you to manage... you need a real strategy worked out in advance."

My verse for today: "Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry."

My quote for today: "Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds." JoJo Jensen

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 373 Short & Sweet

Hello Journal & Friends,

  Earlier this week, I was starting to think I had bitten off more than I could chew! For my challenge, my 1 Thing was to concentrate on making progress on my rebounder. I wrote out a little chart, and have been slowly increasing  the number of times per day and the length of time that I jump each time.

Whew! It seemed to be harder and harder to keep up. I missed two days this last week, only getting half done. I was listening to those voices in my head, telling me the "logical reasons" as to why I couldn't do it that day. Yep... excuses.

That is why that video from Thursday hit me so hard. The coach was telling the struggling kid to DO it, to have heart, to not quit, to give it his ALL... that from here on out, it was all heart.

Heart. 

The difference between continuing and stopping was not physical... it was heart. Throwing one's total heart into it. And I had stopped doing that on my exercises.

Since that day, I have done ALL of my jumps on my little chart. Hard? You betcha. But worth it. And it means that much to me... it is of the highest importance level. Priority One Status. No excuses.

Today's Peek at the Past (Ha ha ha... I'm still working on this thing called Consistency)

From Day 12, August 21, 2020:

I suppose this is why I keep coming back to consistency, in the areas of MY life that need work. I am determined to reach my goal, and if it means grabbing myself by the back of the neck and giving a little shake now and then to get my own attention, then so be it! This journal sort of does that to me...forces me to focus in on a particular topic, and as my sister Karen wisely said: BE HONEST.

If I don't get and stay honest with myself, what's the point? I want the rest of my lfe to be full of health and joy and passion...I don't want to "settle" for just getting by, or existing.

Tom Venuto said: "If there's one thing that all people who successfully get lean and stay lean have in common, it's consistency. Without it, you never get any momentum going. It's like taking two steps forward, only to take three steps back."

(Complete post "Planning Ahead & Be Honest" HERE) 

From Dr Phil's book: "Sometimes it is not good enough to do your best; you have to do what's required."  

My verse for today: "He is good; his love endures forever."

My quote for today: "For changes to be of any true value, they've got to be lasting and consistent." --Anthony Robbins

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=


PS: Due to no response from the announced winner of my SOS Giveaway, Vevie has picked a NEW WINNER: Chris, at A Deliberate Life. Congratulations Chris! Please send me your snail mail address so I can send out your Stuff. :-)