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Victory! I Lost 2 Pounds


Yeah, that’s right. I lost two pounds this week. Take that flabby sides and belly! It doesn’t sound like much weight lost, but I will take a loss any day. Last week was a bit of a shocker when I realized I gained back a significant amount of weight.

This week is a huge relief to my psyche. I focused on eating the right things, eating frequently, and working my butt off in the gym. It paid off. Now I just need to continue to take one day at a time so that I don’t go backwards anymore. The major kick in the pants I got from last week’s post woke me up. I received a bunch of emails full of support.

As a matter of fact, here is an email I got from a friend/reader:
—-

“I am committing to weighing myself once a week from this point on until I reach my first goal. ”
July 16th,2008
It’s a week.
How’s your eating?

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Here’s the picture:
Israel, age 45 a chronic morbidly obese man died today of complications from diabetes. He acquired diabetes from a life of overeating, and after 5 years suffering with the disease, and not regulating his diet or exercise, succumbed to congestive heart failure. Heart and vascular problems are all to common with obese people and particulary with those who’ve acquired diabetes as a result of their weight. His wife now works 2 jobs to support their 2 children who will now NOT go to college and will work to support their mother as soon as they are able. 6 months ago on his fat man blog he lamented ‘slipping up’ and all the folks who cut him slack.

Not me.

Get off your fat excuse making ass and stop making excuses for yourself. The mental process which allows you to make excuses for yourself is the same mental process that allows you to slip into bad eating habits. You need to find the root of your self excuses, some piece of your psyche thinks you need the excuses, or you aren’t worthy of success, so you try, but build in excuses to fail so you don’t have to feel bad about having tried your best but not succeeded. Figure this one out and you’ve unlocked the key to real change.

I love you man, get back on the program. You said 1 week, it’s 1 week, weigh in.

—-
If that’s not enough to motivate me then I don’t know what is. He touches on a very key point, building in excuses.

Anyone else suffer from that? Care to share?

About the Author

My name is Israel Lagares. I used to be the kind of guy that was always in shape, but over the last few years I've fallen off tremendously. This site is my final attempt to get back into shape. So far I've lost 70.4 lbs. Check out my weight loss chart, weight loss videos and progress pics. Follow my journey, those of others, and read our thoughts on various health topics. Share your thoughts, experience, and journey here on FMU.

Community Thoughts (31)

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  1. Congrats on the change in proceedings mate. Also, what a rough yet motivational email

  2. JennaNo Gravatar says:

    2 pounds is 2 pounds closer to your goal! Congrats!

  3. DRNo Gravatar says:

    “If that’s not enough to motivate me then I don’t know what is”.

    If that’s not enough to motivate anybody, I don’t know what is!

    Losing weight, getting fit & healthy is not a short term thing. It takes time and lots and lots and lots of commitment and determination.

    As a Former Fat Boy, it actually hurts a little when I read a story like Israel’s.

    Thanks.

  4. BigTymeNo Gravatar says:

    Congrats! Keep it up!

    BigTyme

  5. Strong OneNo Gravatar says:

    Way to go my friend. Baby steps. That’s where the progress is.
    Keep it up!!

  6. IanNo Gravatar says:

    Only 2lbs?! That’s great, back in the day when I first started losing weight my trainer/doctor (can’t remember which) told me 2lbs/week was the max to lose safely.

    I’ve always found that the slower I lost the weight the longer it stayed off. But I think a big factor in this, is the longer you stick to it, the more positive habits you develop and it actually gets easier.

    You look forward to going to the gym or heading out for 10K run, I do but it wasn’t always that way. It becomes a lifestyle change and that’s what I think is key.

    Keep it up!

    Ian

    • Israel LagaresNo Gravatar says:

      Thanks for the feedback Ian. I do enjoy exercise and agree that the slower weight loss is best for longterm success. It shows you are committed to the long haul.

  7. TomNo Gravatar says:

    Nice job on the weight loss. I know from my experience it is very easy to use excuses. Stopping the excuses is one of the more difficult things to do. Fortunately, it sound like you are getting past that. Keep up the good work.

  8. Yeah the sledge hammer motivational techniques work great, I’m a real fan of them. It’s also good that you took it on board mate and you have blasted 2 pounds with it.

    If you have 2lbs of weight from a dumbbell or something pick it up and really feel the weight, it’s a good amount to loose in one week.

    Keep going mate, you’ll get there (we’ll get there!)

    Take care,
    Andrew

  9. PennyNo Gravatar says:

    Hi Israel,

    I just ran across your blog and wanted you to know I can really relate to your situation. And I’m the queen of excuses when it comes to exercising! My favorites are:

    “You want me to drag myself out of bed at what hour to do what?
    “I’m too tired; I worked hard all day.” (after sitting on my butt staring at a computer screen for 8 hours)
    “I’ll just go home and change my clothes before hitting the gym.” (my car is still sitting in the driveway two hours later)
    “It’s just too hot outside!” (85 degrees)

    In the end, the only thing that really motivates me is accountability. If someone else is asking me daily or weekly how I’m doing, how many times I’ve actually dragged it out of bed to exercise, how much water I’m drinking or how I’m doing avoiding sweets, I’m much more likely to stick to it. I know they have my best interests at heart and are just asking because they care about me. If left to my own devices, I may never get things in gear and get serious.

    Hang in there–you’re not alone! I wish you much success in reaching your goals.

    • Israel LagaresNo Gravatar says:

      Very True Penny. I think that everyone I know, offline and on, knows about my weight loss blog. This holds me extra accountable.

  10. ChristinaNo Gravatar says:

    Everyone has different ways to motivate themselves. I was going to go to the gym last night with my workout buddy ( use that phrase loosely) who bailed as did another friend. I said, Screw it! I’m going …and had the best workout. I also got off my ass today and walked 3 KMS.

    Good for you! Thanks for sharing your story…

    • Israel LagaresNo Gravatar says:

      Christina. Awesome! I almost didnt work out tonight but I said EFF dat! And had a pretty decent weight lifting session.

  11. Having heard the story of the Israel,we should make it a point that the obesity is the root cause of all diseases. Usually we should take food according to our daily routine and the physical labor. But we do the reverse of it. We take food for taste not according to the necessity.We should give up our greed for greasy stuff we don’t have to do hard work. We should take time for yoga as it is the panacea for all diseases.

  12. boxercabNo Gravatar says:

    As my husband says “everybody needs a good kick in the ass every now and then.” I guess that’s what you got. I’m glad someone gave you the firm talk you needed to hear. Congrats on the 2 lb. loss!!! Keep it up! We’re watching you! lol

  13. CNC LatheNo Gravatar says:

    Everyone has different ways to motivate themselves. I’m glad someone gave you the firm talk you needed to hear. Thanks for sharing your story with us.

  14. 2 lbs in a week – that’s awesome! Slow and steady wins the race – 2 pounds in 12 weeks? 25 pounds!

    I fall victim to the excuse problem too – the whole – i deserve to eat unhealthy tasty foods. I work hard, therefore I deserve it! and then I feel like crap afterwords – because of the food and because i feel guilty.

    Keep it up, you’re on your way!

  15. MiguelNo Gravatar says:

    Hey bro, congrats! All the best and continued success!

    You wrote, “Get off your fat excuse making ass and stop making excuses for yourself. The mental process which allows you to make excuses for yourself is the same mental process that allows you to slip into bad eating habits.”

    Cmon bro! That’s the attitude I like to hear.

  16. It’s good to see you are back on the weightloss and getting fit bandwagon.

    It’s good to see some action rather than talk. Keep it up.

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