Steven Lloyd's Journal, 01 May 2016

That's awesome, Steven! The battle, for everyone is as much psychological as it is physical. I'm working on a plan that addresses both. But it's taking a lot of writing finesse and I'm struggling to get it right! 

Really great! - And you are so correct, the mind visions the goals and the body follows! 

Great job there, Steven! Sounds very productive activity! Congrats! 

Congratulations! ! Have a beautiful Sunday.  

Thanks HCB, and you are so correct...great respect for your own determination and perseverance as well as your continued encouragement to both newcomers and long timers here on FS, have a great day!! 

Thank you Warren, hope your knee is improving and you can hit your goal in 2016, have a great day! 

Thank you Jade, while you are new here, I hope you can see that there is a difference between just getting on a diet and losing some pounds and finding/committing to a sustainable lifestyle...wishing you both great success in reaching your goals and a great Sunday new buddy. :-) 

Phil, while we have been on very different paths, our goals have been exactly the same...long term health and fitness. You have been a great inspiration to me and many others along the way! If you want a little help on some sustainable fitness ideas just ask. Take care mate, have a great Sunday!! 

Very proud of you Stephen. You are such an awesome buddy. 

Very proud of you Stephen. You are such an awesome buddy. 

Different paths to the same temple, and that's as it should be for everyone. Thanks, Steven, I'll definitely take any ideas you're generous to share! I've read a lot of books on weight loss, and I've read a lot of books on psychology and self-improvement, they all fit together relative to one another, some in a lot of aspects, others just briefly crossing genres, but they're all useful, and most of them are much too wordy. Most weight loss books are filler, full of recipes, food lists, and testimonials, some are nothing but testimonials, and while those can be instructive, for the most part people read the stories and don't really engage the underlying message. If a book can be speed-read then it really shouldn't be that long, and I regularly speed read a lot of texts. The Psychology of Winning is an immediate example; ten qualities of a total winner, there's ten easy verbose chapters. There was some meat in there, but for the most part what took a whole book to convey could have been done in one forty page chapter. lol Anyway, I think I illustrated the point with this long-winded comment. Brevity is a good thing!  

Congrats Steven! You are very right about it being a mental game more than anything else! 

Great job! 

Awesome!!! 

Thanks Mom...twice!! :-) Hope your 2016 goes great and your progress is amazing!! 

Hey Phil, we can talk later...you've done the hardest part getting your weight down to a manageable level, the next part is easier, but only if you recognize that you're not perfect, that when things go south (which they will) you need to regroup quickly. Measure your successes and always work towards a goal...even if the goal is "I am not going to gain 1 pound on this next two week vacation filled with good food, fine wine and friendly socializing". In the meantime here is something to think about before we talk...think of 2 or 3 activities that you love already or might love if you tried them, sports, outdoor stuff, lifting weights, etc. The activities should be something you can do in your area (or at home) without a lot of hassle and that you have fun doing (or think you'd have fun doing)...the more the activities require conditioning, endurance or strength the better. Talk soon! 

Good work 

Aw Smarty, thank you...you have a very penetrating mind, wishing you also great success in 2016. You are in a tough spot (like others here) with young family commitments and other distractions, try to not gain in any month and the year will look after itself...and the losses will be all the more permanent. Take care! 

Carmen/Suzy, you are very welcome...you brighten all our days, and you are determined to solve this fitness, health and weight loss puzzle. I am excited for your new goals and plan, looking forward to how this year shapes up for you, take care buddy!! 

Thanks Rreed and Monica...hope you both have great success in 2016 reaching your goals. I've found that logging my food intake everyday, exactly - even ticking the little 'exactly' button at the bottom of the page, allowed me to track monthly calorie and macro intake on a daily and monthly basis...I used that info to change input limits (as needed) to target a consistant weight loss. I also didn't have a good idea of portion size/weight until I started measuring/weighing things...I've gotten a lot better but I still weigh & measure every now and again to make sure I'm not tricking myself. Just yesterday...one cup of grapes is about 16 or 17 grapes. Take care and have a great week!