Jonathan Walsh's Journal, 20 April 2015

John, there are people out there who would kill for a pound a week loss! You don't mention cardio, so I assume you're losing due to calorie restraint. You're doing phenomenal. Keep at it, sir. 

Wow !!! I am so very impressed with ALL of your progress. Just keep on listening to NEW Jon...He is the one to listen to :) (the feelings of frustration mentioned in beginning of post are the words of OLD Jon) And so far in my experience, OLD SST58 still gets to talk...lol..I can keep FOOD away from OLD SST58, but I cannot keep him from grumbling from time to time...BUT what I can do is glance his way and smile and SAY: That WAS the way things WERE, but as one of our mutual buddies said recently: This is a NEW DAY !!!!! Amen to that!!! And the consecutive day streaks you have going are JUST PHENOMENAL !!!! AND have you thought of this??? If you had an 84 consecutive game winning streak in college basketball, you would NOW have TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! (My comparison may be a little "strained" but you get my point. I am HONORED to have you as a FS "Climbing" Buddy...And so...TODAY...trust we ALL keep climbing :) 

YES, YES, YES, "any pounds down is win!!!" :) 

ONLY three things can happen when we have a weigh-in...and TWO of them are GOOD !!!!! :) 

Jon you are continuing to make progress, that is excellent. Look at all the weight you lost over the past 12 weeks. Inevitably the rate of loss slows down, at some point the relatively "easy" pounds are gone and we have to just focus and press on to get the rest of it off. I put quotes around the word easy because none of it is truly easy, it's hard work. You've been doing that hard work, keep it up, persistence over the long term is key to lasting success. You're doing great. 

Maybe you should tweak your diet/exercise. Any who, CONGRATULATIONS NEW JON! Don't quit because of this tiny problem! 

Jon, I am so Happy for you! You inspire me. We are not just losing weight, we are releasing weight. To lose something means you have the intention of finding it again. But, to release something means we are giving it up of out own free will never to return again. And it's not just about weight either. It's about who we think we are and what we want to become. Keep at it brother, we will win this. 

Jon - do not despair at this 2# loss. A loss is a loss, right? I want you to know that I found your message to yourself so inspirational, that I printed it out and posted it upon upon my frig door. I want the vision and strength you possess for myself. Thank you. 

The first pounds are always the easiest. You've done amazingly well. Maybe your body is taking a breather. Stay the course. 

A pound a week is AWESOME! It is, according to weight loss experts, quite sustainable and more likely to stay gone. You're doing great :)  

You are doing amazingly well. Keep up the great attitude. You're an inspiration to us all. 

Gang, I'v played on a many sports teams in my life. In my experience, there is no group tighter within the team dynamic than the offensive linemen. They are five people sharing the same mind. They work in unison. If they fail to execute an assignment, a play simply has virtually no chance of success; no matter the talent in the backfield. They can curse each other. They can beat up on each other. They can tell each other what they are doing wrong. They can tell each other how to do things right. No other entity on the team can enter their trust, hold their trust, or be allowed to be trusted in such a manner. This is a truth I have applied to my professional life as well, as I have tried to build such a culture among every staff I have ever had. It is a Herculean task to make it work; but when you do, the potential has no limits. To be an offensive linemen is a term of endearment to me. I now see, & even better yet feel, we band of mountain climbers are on the cusp of becoming such a group. I am in awe of you, your efforts, & your support; not just of me, but of anyone on this mountain. I was having a little pity party over what the Idiot Box said this morning, even though it was a loss. I come back to log in my lunch & BAM!!! My climbers are turning into offensive linemen. I am honored to be in your midst. Gallina, I'm going to hit my cardio harder. SST, you're correct; I got a couple good streaks going & have nothing to frown about. JMB, it is the long term that matters; Old Jon didn't create this monster in a few weeks, why would I expect New Jon to require less time? Meohmy, I need to throw a couple curve balls at Old Jon, keep him guessing. Then hit him hard where he's not expecting it. BB, if I inspire you, then we are trading inspirations; because you inspire me. You're damn right were doing this sister. Carol in Kinderhook, it touches me that you find vision in my rants. It helps me to scream at myself; so if it helps you too, I'll keep screaming. Even if I do appear insane. MSBUG, I will stay the course. Colly, you are correct, slow does equate to sustainable; I will not forget that. Cat Herder, I am happy to be an inspiration; but know this, you all are the fire in my flames. I thank you all for lifting my spirit; dowsing my pity party; & keeping me on the path I so need to be on. Now let's get to getting on up this mountain gang, shall we?  

Jon- first I agree with all here, any weight loss is progress. Second, this is your test. Getting started is relatively easy (most of started and then quit many times before we had success). Continuing when all is going well and the weight is falling of is easy because the results are so astounding. The test is NOW when it is hard and the scale doesn't move (or worse goes up). THIS IS YOUR MOMENT TO SHINE. Your moment to show the demons and the world that you are not going to quit. This won't be the last such challenge, more will come. When you are down close to your target and someone says "you look great have some potatoes with that" at a special occasion dinner, that will be a challenge. This is the time when New Jon can make his stand - don't give up. In fact just get up and walk around the block (at home or the office), just take the less than 10 minutes and do it. Don't run, but walk briskly. Or if you can't leave your building, get up and walk the office.  

I was having a pity party today too. I was mad because it was raining so I couldn't get my long walk. On these days I go out with DH and get walks in at his stops (he's a courier) but we were so behind I got very few steps. I was bored with eggs for lunch and my fruit will run out long before shopping Friday. As you can see I was really feeling sorry for myself. But I'm lucky. I can go out with DH. I can do those steps (a year ago I barely walked 1/2 mile a day). My health is better. I have nutritious food to eat even if it's not ideally what I want. There are people much less fortunate than I am. 

Matt thanks for driving the message home. This is my first test test of many. I will not succumb to this slow down. I will dig deeper. I will let it motivate me to persevere. I will let it make me scream & I will listen to those screams. I want this. I want to climb this mountain. I want to climb this mountain with all of you. This will be our exodus event. Struggles are a part of the journey. I will embrace them. I will break them. And I will continue to climb. If I have grown silent, I have stopped; & that is not going to happen. One mountain. One journey. One team. A chain of many links, forged from a common destiny. We are climbers of mountains. We are peak seekers. 

You will not quit--you're too strong and we're all in this together. You're doing a great job and your body is probably getting to the point where it plays tricks on you. LOL. Seriously. Give it time and it will see that you are the winner! I remember when I used to do my treadmill at home, that they said not to do the same routine every day. Your body gets used to i. You are going to do this. I know it! It may be a big mountain, but that makes it better because we are going to have a lot of fun climbing it! 

So excited to be part of this team! It's hard when the idiot box doesn't please us, but as many have said--a loss is a loss! Whenever you're tempted to have that pity party, just take a look at your stats--the pounds already lost, the days without evil soda, the number of days without cheating. Next to you on the mountain, determined to climb all the way! 

WOW - Jon, you are doing so incredibly well. Your body sometimes needs time to stabilize with the loss. If it slows down, do not fret!  

You are doing it!! 

Only 2lbs??? That's 4 packs of lard y'know! Gotta be positive :-)