Blog of Will
Comments on my last post have been rather colorful. It has made me want to put down a few things about me and what I'm trying to do here. I think the misunderstandings in the comments have worked themselves out, but it does seem like the process has tired out The Exercise Oracle. I hope he returns soon, but I understand. He did just start a new job last week.
So What Am I Doing Anyway?
Yes, this blog is about losing weight, and that is my main focus right now. Last year, I was blogging about improving at chess. They are really the same thing. (Stick with me. I will all come together, I promise). There are thousands of people worldwide today who want to improve their chess game. (Don't believe me? Go do a search on amazon.com on the word "chess".) Appearances to the contrary, the process of improving at chess is relatively simple for the amateur. It requires drilling of chess "patterns", a process akin to learning your multiplication tables. So I did. I followed a program to do this, and in about 6 months I had learned the requisite information. During that time, my chess rating (i.e. a number calculated based on your tournament results) improved more than it had in the prior 20 years of playing chess. It was very successful.
Same thing is true of weight loss. There are millions of people worldwide who want to lose weight. Everyone knows what needs to be done more or less -- eat less, exercise more. There are exceptions and refinements for every situation, but most weight loss (and chess improvement) plans fail right in the starting blocks. We just don't do them. We lack the will.
ultimately, for both blogs, I have been trying to develop my will power. There are things I want to do in life and with my remaining 30-60 years, and I'm not going to get them done without a better will. So, it is important for me to reach my goal of 177 pounds, not because it is a particularly ideal number but because it is a number I have chosen. I have made it a magic "mission accomplished" spot.
I have really learned a lot about myself and what it takes me to get things done. I really would like to write it all out someday, but I don't have the time now. Suffice it to say that I used to equate my lack of will power with an inability to "suck it up and do things, dammit". I did lack that, and I've gotten a little better at it. But I'd say now that this is only one of the tools in the "will toolkit". You definitely need it sometimes, but if you're using it too much, you are doing something wrong.
I misunderstood Joel's comment to me. I thought that he was saying I should just "suck it up" and stick to the program (He was actually suggesting something else.) The reason I found it helpful is that it is my least favorite tool, but sometimes it is the best tool for the job.
It came out a few times over the weekend, and I will make it to 177.
So What Am I Doing Anyway?
Yes, this blog is about losing weight, and that is my main focus right now. Last year, I was blogging about improving at chess. They are really the same thing. (Stick with me. I will all come together, I promise). There are thousands of people worldwide today who want to improve their chess game. (Don't believe me? Go do a search on amazon.com on the word "chess".) Appearances to the contrary, the process of improving at chess is relatively simple for the amateur. It requires drilling of chess "patterns", a process akin to learning your multiplication tables. So I did. I followed a program to do this, and in about 6 months I had learned the requisite information. During that time, my chess rating (i.e. a number calculated based on your tournament results) improved more than it had in the prior 20 years of playing chess. It was very successful.
Same thing is true of weight loss. There are millions of people worldwide who want to lose weight. Everyone knows what needs to be done more or less -- eat less, exercise more. There are exceptions and refinements for every situation, but most weight loss (and chess improvement) plans fail right in the starting blocks. We just don't do them. We lack the will.
ultimately, for both blogs, I have been trying to develop my will power. There are things I want to do in life and with my remaining 30-60 years, and I'm not going to get them done without a better will. So, it is important for me to reach my goal of 177 pounds, not because it is a particularly ideal number but because it is a number I have chosen. I have made it a magic "mission accomplished" spot.
I have really learned a lot about myself and what it takes me to get things done. I really would like to write it all out someday, but I don't have the time now. Suffice it to say that I used to equate my lack of will power with an inability to "suck it up and do things, dammit". I did lack that, and I've gotten a little better at it. But I'd say now that this is only one of the tools in the "will toolkit". You definitely need it sometimes, but if you're using it too much, you are doing something wrong.
I misunderstood Joel's comment to me. I thought that he was saying I should just "suck it up" and stick to the program (He was actually suggesting something else.) The reason I found it helpful is that it is my least favorite tool, but sometimes it is the best tool for the job.
It came out a few times over the weekend, and I will make it to 177.
posted by Don Q., Sir Chubalot at 7:37 AM
8 Comments:
And you will!
Just stumbled into all this when I went to post my triumphal loss at the Oracle's website and realised that I couldn't.
What I'm wondering now is what we should do with regard to posting our weights.
OK, I post mine every Tuesday (or Wednesday) on my Losing a Hundredweight site, but I enjoy coming to a central spot where everyone else is posting and commenting. This gives it the supportive community feel suggested by the title - we're all in it together.
If you already have a solution worked out then that's fine. In the absence of any other thoughts, can I suggest that you set up a blog for the Knights and give "team member" access to those who have joined so that they can post articles of interest or inspirational comments or images or links to other websites.
Or if you don't want to manage it, perhaps one of the other Knights would be prepared to create a gathering spot - a round table for us all to meet at.
Thoughts?
I like the notion of a Round table, but I am not crazy about a team blog. It seems enough of a task to keep individual blogs updated, let alone add content to another site.
What would be great is if we had a website where posted stats could appear as well as a few bits of relatively static info: list of current knights, faq, etc.
Always happy to see my blog title appearing somewhere else. But what is a 'half-birthday'?
A half birthday is the halfway point between birthdays. As far as I can tell, they did not exist before 1985. They are convenient celebration points for school age kids who have summer birthdays and unsuspecting 39 year olds.
I might be willing to run/maintain a blog/round table for us to meet and post at.
The knights of the round table used to meet at Camelot....maybe we could incorporate this into the name.
Just my 2 cents.
If anyone is interested, I have previously set up The Weight Control Team Blog for anyone who wants to post their weight loss success stories, weight losses, goals, or anything else relating to weight loss and physical fitness.
I envision a blog where people who lost weight are participating not just about their dieting; but also about their Tri-Athlons, Marathons, Walkathons, etc. and also helping others who are at different levels of dealing with obesity.
Anyone is welcome, just e-mail me or post a message at the blog and I will send you the invitation (you need to have a working e-mail). Thanks! Al
You may continue to use the "Tim" site if you'd like.
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