Get Fit: Week 8 - An Epiphany
Dear internet and future self. Something amazing has happened this week. Yesterday (7/2), I went downstairs to my old work group, the Service Desk, for a farewell party of my former supervisor, Tony. We were having pizza for lunch; it was something I expected prior to the event. There were five different pizza flavors; some were good and some were bad. I ended up getting a slice of BBQ Chicken Pizza because it at least had protein in the chicken and it didn't seem like there was a lot of cheese or sauce on the slice. At the same time, I had a little bit of Sprite, less than a half cup to be precise. The nutrition label on the bottle didn't have as much sugar as the coke product that was available (over 78g of sugar in one cup). So here is the amazing part; most of my former colleagues complemented me on my weight loss. It was so apparent, that decided to make fun of me, stating that leaving the Service Desk means you get to lose weight. "They don't feed me up there, I starve all the time," I replied with sarcasm. I told them how and why I wanted lose weight. Some were interested in what I had to say, while others either joked it off or dismissed it. Either way, I wanted to let them know that if they were interested, I would share my story and the details on how I got to where I am right now. They originally saw me when I was around 260 pounds in weight. I checked Fitbit today and I currently weigh in around 231 pounds. I saw an Instagram post that summarized expectations of what to expect during your two, four, and eight week fitness journey:
In two weeks, you'll feel it. In four weeks, you'll see it. In eight weeks, you'll hear it.
The saying is so true. Eight weeks ago, I did not even imagine coming up to this point. I'm basically where I started the first time I lost weight. The fact that people noticed, gives me confidence and motivation to keep going strong in my fitness journey. I started to wonder why I am so successful this time around compared to the last time I lost weight and I think it comes down to this: Motivation Reasoning. When I am being honest with myself, I know what is good for me in terms of exercise and dieting properly. BUT without the proper motivation, I won't do what's good for me because all of the feelings and temptations of eating and being lazy take over. Don't get me wrong, there will still be times where I want to lie down, take a nap, watch TV, splurge on food, and have Happy Hour with friends. But the difference is that I won't let myself do those things until I've at least worked out prior to those events or guaranteeing myself that I will get a workout post those events. My day does not feel complete unless I can complete a workout. When I don't fulfill this, I feel disappointed at myself and will work an extra routine the next day to compromise. Ultimately, I want to avoid that situation so that it doesn't become a habit. Today, I'm celebrating my permanent position with the TSG Mainframe team at a placed called Mohawk Bend. Pretty good food, but easy to make bad decisions with food choices. I looked at the menu in advanced and am thinking about getting a pizza/salad combo. I also was asked to attend happy hour after work but will probably skip it. One kinda bad meal for the day is much better than two. I'm hoping that one day, I can release my thoughts out to the world. Help the next person who is struggling to lose weight, gain confidence and give them the urge to start their own journey. I can't wait to see what I can do next. If this is what I look like 25% into my goal, I can't even imagine what I would look like when I'm at 50%. Trust the process and continue your journey. Be patient, workout with intensity, and stay focused. You can do this!