Comments on: Taking the Long View

By: Go Kaleo

Go Kaleo — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 20:01:58 +0000

I didn’t do anything different. I do the same things now that I did 4 years ago. The progression you see is how my body responded (and continues to respond) to the way that I eat, exercise and live. First it shed the excess fat, and then began to build muscle.

By: Duckie

Duckie — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:45:15 +0000

This is a great post. For me I had to stop counting and start focusing on performance. My coach is always harping on the value of consistency (wise man) and that has become my highest priority, reflected in my training and dietary habits (nothing with a name, author, publisher, etc- just good, whole foods and lots of greenery). When I first started working with him, he made me get rid of the scale. When I got back on it, I had broken through my lifelong plateau and lost another 25 (now 30 lbs). More importantly, my performance was taking off and I had gone from a size 10/12 to a size 4/6. By making it a lifestyle and channeling my love of competitive situations, I shifted the focus away from the scale. I hadn’t for years considered how much I had lost total because with all the fluctuation it becomes easy to fixate on the current numbers. When I went past what I had all my life believed to be the best I could hope for, I did the math… 90 lbs. I am a little ways away from my goal but I have come to realize that I am seeking a performance based goal, not a number. I no longer define it by the number but rather the volume of excess weight I am carrying through the swim, bike, and run. I suspect the final number is about 20 lbs out, maybe 25, and I think the most humbling, astonishing part of it all is the fact that I never even recognized myself as someone who was more than 110 lbs overweight. The health issues I was already dealing with, along with the mental disconnect, confirmed that I was firmly on the road to becoming another statistic. NOT what I want out of this life.

I apologize for being so long winded but I wanted to tell you this. Your posts focus on the bigger picture, in this case “the long view”, and I find that to be so helpful and spot on. You do a great job of putting common sense ideas into words. Thanks for that.

By: NDF

NDF — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:21:59 +0000

Time, consistency and patience are the key aspects to weight loss (along with a lifestyle change),

Your body changed quite a bit from 1.5 years in until now. What are the differences in what you were you doing to get to that point compared to what you did to get to your current composition?

By: Tamara

Tamara — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:18:55 +0000

Patience is a beautiful thing. And I agree, focusing on the scale has only gotten me to my “goal” (but not really the physique I wanted), only to see me regain fat because I let my commitment waver after theoretically achieving that goal. I’m finally in it for many reasons, not including the scale, and that will allow me to get to my real goal, physique AND strength/performance/fitness/endurance wise…. AND to continue striving for new goals so that I don’t let go of my commitment to myself.

By: TGIF wrapping this trip up | Happy is the new healthy

TGIF wrapping this trip up | Happy is the new healthy — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 13:15:03 +0000

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By: Intermediate & Advanced WODs, CFE WOD: Wednesday 120718 | CrossFit NYC

Intermediate & Advanced WODs, CFE WOD: Wednesday 120718 | CrossFit NYC — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 01:34:31 +0000

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By: Trish

Trish — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:22:41 +0000

This is great! I started running in March by following the C25K program. I completed my first every 5K a couple of weeks ago and it felt great! I’ve only lost about 8 pounds on the scale, but I feel better in my body. I’ve now got my sights set on a Half-Marathon goal. My focus has been on following my running program and eating healthy. I figure the weight will take care of itself.

By: Polly Crookston

Polly Crookston — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:11:20 +0000

At the beginning of this year, after the worst year of my life last year, I set goals and made promises to myself that I WOULD eat real food, move more and become more fit. Recently I became obsessed with the numbers on the scale and lost sight of the original goals I had set. About two weeks ago I was able to refocus. This is EXACTLY what I needed to see. THANK YOU!!!

By: Monika

Monika — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:13:32 +0000

I really needed this-thank you so much for sharing your pictures and great advice on facebook!!

By: Mike Pulskamp

Mike Pulskamp — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:28:38 +0000

Love it!

I have often talked to the run group I hang with (mostly women looking to “loose weight”,) about my Fembot theory. Remember the Fembots from The $6m man? They were these distractingly hot, but mostly evil female robots who passed just fine but where given away by stepping on a pencil and crushing it… They were supper strong and supper fast not to mention supper hot! But they weighed 600# or something. Now I understand the whole joint/structure/BMI thing, but really, it isn’t the scale. It’s how you feel, and can preform! Realistically, how you look matters too… But who ever weighs you? Weight is just a number.