Losing Weight

Some of the most complex questions in our life have the most simple answers. The problem, of course, is our own mind. We set ourselves into habits that become detrimental to our goals. For instance, I recently got fitted for a Tuxedo for my friend's wedding in early August. I realized at that moment that I was probably a good 20-25 pounds overweight. Now for a guy who is almost 6' 4", that amount of weight doesn't really show as being "fat" by any stretch of the imagination.

However, I can see some of that extra fat in my face. The ironboard stomach that I had in my mid-20's is gone -- replaced with, dare I say, the very first attempt at a beginning beer belly. While standing naked in front of the mirror, I couldn't see myself as overweight. Our mind plays weird tricks on us, though. I went back to some of the pictures in my mid-20's and could definitely see a difference.

So I did it. I thought, "fuck this, I'm going to look better than I was at the height of my 20's" and proceeded to drive to the gym where I ran hard. After burning up a few hundred calories, I jumped on the elliptical and burned up a few hundred more. No more beer for me, either -- just occasional Gin and tonics and a glass of wine. Sodas are completely out the window. Diet sodas are nothing more than liquid loaded with all kinds of chemicals so they're out, too. That leaves water -- or some flavored water with Splenda.

My goal is to go from 228 down to 190. Most weight-loss programs insist that a person can safely lose two pounds of weight a week, so I'm going to shoot for between 3 and 4. My goal is to burn 100,000 calories from exercise alone in two months. That's 60 days to burn off 100,000 calories, or 1,600 calories a day. I obviously can't do that in one work out session -- I'm just not that good yet. So, I'll split it into two sessions -- one 800 calorie burner in a 90 minute session in the morning and another 90 minute session after work. Burning 800 calories in 90 minutes will be a challenge, but I do like challenges.

The real issue will be the mental ones. We live in a culture of consumption. Every where I turn, I'm presented with glorious pictures of delicious pizza, sizzling steaks and mouth-watering snacks -- shit like girl scout thin-mints, slim jims, Fritos, etc. One of the hardest temptations is ignoring when your stomach is craving food. It is just so easy to cave in with the thought, "just this once, and THEN I'll be good." Yeah right, that never happens. Every time is the last time and the new beginning is always your next meal.

Another problem with the United States compared to other European countries is the proportion of food you get. I was amazed to find out while in Amsterdam that a large orange juice with your breakfast is around 4 ounces. When I asked for something larger, the expression of the waiter's face made me hear in my mind, in a heavy dutch accent, "You fat fucking Americans!"

If you go to a restaurant and order dinner, they'll bring out the largest plates with 16 oz. T-bones and enough mashed potatoes to feed a small African Village. If I enjoy two beers with that steak dinner, I'm already well past 1,500 calories. To put that in perspective, I've just consumed enough caloric energy to run a television for the evening.

So yeah, I'm going to lose 30 pounds in the next three months -- probably a lot sooner, though. When I take the gym seriously, I tear the shit out of the machines because I love the feeling of sweating all over myself and feeling like a testosterone filled man-beast. I don't want to get ripped -- just a nice Greek physique. I'm so sick of all these ads getting shoved in my face, though. America -- the Kingdom of careless consumption.