I have achieved Step One of my savings strategy towards the purchase of a car by January. My first thousand. Yeah, I know, at this rate I'll be able to afford not much better than a 1981 Ford Pinto, but, eh, it's a start.
And now I can say, I am once again able to hob nob with the almost Not-So-Destitute classes. I am a Thousandaire!
Marshall's last day was Friday and everybody gave him a hug and wished him well. Although his admission that he is moving out there to avoid the drama of his current roommate situation (very unstable) and has not gotten a lead on a new job other than potentially becoming an amature poker tournament coordinator for $9/hr, doesn't give off an air of upward-mobility. As I said before, me-thinks Mr. Marshall is going through his own personal period of Koyaanisqatsi.
Okay, so we'll see how long this lasts This Time, but I have started a new diet.
Yes, I too agree "Diet" is a four-letter word and most nutritionists say you should not go on a restrictive diet in order to achieve weight-loss. The ideal plan is a re-commitment to healthy habits like eating sensibly, restricting high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods, limiting alcohol intake and exercising regularly. But I have learned that I have to be tough on myself at first in order for the good habits to re-establish themselves. It doesn't happen by just modifying my lifestyle slowly or trying to get to a point of "normal balance" from the get go...it has to be Boot Camp. Without the hardcore discipline, my subconcious will either "forget" about my commitment to healthier living or it will "hijack" my attempts by allowing chemicals to cascade from the brain and "take over" my controls, plunging me into either an agressive "rebellion" against the logic of a healthy lifestyle, seeing it as "cramping my style", or causing chaotic bi-polar like symptoms of seemingly-uncontrollable bouts of depression and mania.
With a strict Plan-Of-Action and unswerving adherence to quite severe guidelines...usually in the range of the Dyanamic Three Commandments of Achieving Healthy Living, I have been most successful in the past.
The 3 Commandments:
1. Thou shalt not consume more than 1000 calories per day, and all alcohol is strictly forbidden. Water or equivalent no-calorie beverage must be consumed at a rate of at leat 4 liters per day.
2. Thou must reach "aerobic-level" (110-120 heartbeats per minute for a minimum of 30 minutes) at least one time per day, with one day-off per week allowance.
3. Thou must spend time to reflect on the successes and make mental penance for lapses, every day without exception. This includes a daily weigh-in, a log, a self-discussion of upcoming challenges and the plan to meet them, and sharing the daily experiences and feelings with someone else.
These three rules target the the Greek Trinity of the Self...Mind, Body and Soul...
Rule One (MIND) establishes Strict Discipline through Constant Consiousness of the Plan and creates the conditions for optimal Mind-Over-Matter mastery of natural urges, cravings, "stinkin'-thinkin', and the like. It's the epitome of the now well-known Nike tagline...Just Do It.
Rule Two (BODY) conditions the body, allowing it to re-establish a higher metabolism and accelerate the fat reduction. The added benefit is the physical pleasures of more plyable and strong muscle tone and the release of dopamine in the brain.
Rule Three (SOUL) allows time for contemplation and reflection, Zen-like, if you will. The part about sharing with others allows for a connectedness esential in building a sense of accomplishment and pride, recognition from others and feedback support systems.
The rules are essential and effective only if worked on in-synch, all 3 must be implemented at the same time and conducted simultaneously.
Frankly, the toughest challenge is the no alcohol part. This rule has thwarted every attempt to invoke the Commandments for at least 7 years now and unfortunately in that time I have slowly, but surely, made progress in the opposite direction...from ~190 lbs. in 1999 to ~290 lbs. at present.
I've got to do it though. I am now in the category of morbid obesity. All my current aches and pains and discomforts (the pinched nerve in my left shoulder, my tendonitis in my feet, my occasional bouts of gout, my lack of adaquate sleep, possibly due to undiagnosed sleep apnia, my shortness of breath, my discomfort sitting or standing in one position for more than a minute or so (because of the pressure on blood vessels and nerves), perhaps even my escallating allergy symptoms, now present virtually every day, and craving for alcohol and other foodstuffs (probably due to chemical imbalances, hormonal issues, lipids in the blood stream or blood sugar levels), even mood swings, low self-esteem, apathy, impatience, mental dullness, attention deficit disorder...man, the list can go on and on!
Not to mention the worst of all...I can only fit in the double-buckled "special" seats on the coasters at Islands of Adventure (and, since most of the coasters are similarly-designed everywhere, I would assume this would be the case at any theme park)!
I need to be fit and trim enough to achieve my goal of, sometime early next year, driving to the park in my car and riding in any seat on any coaster.