Level Zero

[jeffstarke]

A friend of mine is the editor of a zine called Line Zero, and their motto is "Line Zero is the place where it all starts. It’s the blank page, the empty beginning and the start of something new. It’s the excitement of a story about to unfold, and it’s also the terrifying emptiness of writer’s block."

Well, I'm not much of a writer, but their motto can definitely be modified a little bit and applied to my situation. My plan right now is blank, and I'm starting something new. I'm excited, and I'm terrified. I want this to work, and I think that it could work, but only if I stick to it. Only if I hold myself accountable, and only if I keep it in the forefront of my mind. I've been able to ignore this for a long time, and when I do remember it, I just dismiss it as unimportant. But it's the most important thing in my life.

I've tried and failed at most things in my life. In the past 12 months, I've managed to lose 30 pounds, and then gained it all and 20 more back because I didn't stick to what I was doing. I start out with a lot of motivation - I kick ass at what I'm doing. But I burn myself out, because I lose my routine. I forget about why I'm doing these things. I forget about my life. I'm motivated, but I'm not motivated enough.

So, here we go. My name is Jeff. I weigh 525lbs. I'm 6'3". Nice to meet you guys. I'm excited to be here, and I'm hoping that I'll be here for a long time. I hope you guys keep me accountable, and help me keep myself accountable, which is a bit more important. I'm not really sure how most of the site works, but I imagine that I'll get the hang of it soon enough. I'm probably gonna end up in chat a bit as well, since I'm a big fan of IRC.

A little bit about myself, hrm. Like I said, my name is Jeff. Well, not really. It's just a nickname that I go by that's stuck for so long that it might as well be my name, so we'll leave it at that. I'm a bit of a geek, and I have my nerdy passions. I'm normally a pretty cheerful person, enjoying everything that I can and always up for trying new things that I'm able to do. I think of myself as pretty eclectic, but I might just be flattering myself.

My job now consists of me sitting in a chair at home and clicking buttons. It's super-simple, but it also means that I don't really get up to do anything. I'm also part of an online community based around a fantasy book series, and it's a lot of fun. Been there for over seven years now. It's fun nerdtimes.

So yeah, I hope to get to know you guys a bit better!

tl;dr version:

I'm Jeff (but not really), I'm from Seattle, and I'm a big guy. I want to become a bit smaller through utilizing my motivation and building healthier routines. I'm hoping that the support I get from here will help me out with that!

[nenia]

Hey "Jeff"! I know getting back to working hard at something like this can be daunting, and I also struggle with losing my motivation after a month or two of progress. I really think this site will be excellent for accountability and motivation -- everybody is so welcoming. You're here now and you've got some leveling up to do! Welcome

[jeffstarke]

Thanks! I wonder if being called "Jeff" (with the quotation marks) will become a thing for me. I kinda like it. Haha.

And yeah, I'm kinda daunted right now. Not sure where exactly to start out - in getting fit or on the site - but I joined chat and things are pretty cool in there. It's pretty true what they say: the first step is the hardest!

[coonskee]

Oh hey, I know you!!

<3 good to see you here, love.

[tonic]

Hi Jeff from Seattle. Welcome to the boards The site is very good for accountability and motivation. Whenever I feel like I can't do this I read Spezzy story on the main site, or some of the six week sucess storys, or the Woot board. There are just so many people doing great things and it makes me want to improve myself.

As for starting places to get fit on the main site you can check out Steves workouts. For me the trick was finding something that I liked doing. I didn't even realize it until I found something I liked, and started doing additional stuff to get better at it. I like cycling, and martial arts. Its easier to do them with less weight, flexibility, and practice. Hence, I am losing weight, trying to become more flexible and riding my bike to classes twice a week.

Foodwise, I'd recommend that you just start tracking everything that you eat. It can be a big eye opening. Well, good luck. I know you can do this. Oh, and maybe I will see you around town!

[Laney]

Jeff, good luck on your journey!

I totally agree with Tonic, I joined these forums yesterday and I've already read Spezzy's story 3 times. The turn-arounds that happen here are just awe inspiring!

[Barmacral]

Oh hi Jeff. You're another person I know.

[jeffstarke]

See, one of my main things is that I absolutely hate counting calories. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and using tools like SparkPeople and stuff to count everything that I eat just gets a little ridiculous, 'cause I have to check to make sure all of the things I eat match up with the descriptions in there, and it all becomes a huge hassle. I've tried it 3-4 times in the past, and it's just not worked very well for me.

Right now, I'm focusing on portion control. I figure that it's better to eat 4-5 times a day and have much smaller portions than to eat 2-3 large portions. I just eat what I think is a reasonable amount (I've always known that my portions were large, so it's easier for me to recognize what's appropriate), and then if in an hour I'm still hungry, I'll eat a little bit more. I've also been focusing on eating things that keep me full longer - mainly protein. I need the carb boost in the morning, so I always have some oatmeal and a fiber bar.

Introducing fruits and vegetables into my diet and cutting out more carbs is going to be the big issue for me. Even if I control my portions, if my diet is still high in carbs, it's not going to be helping out that much!

[Photobrandon]

Hey "Jeff" (quotations since you like them), glad to hear you are getting started! That is always one of the toughest parts. I'm also in Seattle so if you need someone local to talk with or meet up with let me know.

As far as counting calories, I agree with you 100% that its a pain to do accurately. I like to do it for one or two days every so often, just to confirm I am eating at least close to what I think I am. Or tracking for just one week straight every 3 or 4 months works for some people. To be honest though, just incorporating as many non-starchy vegetables as possible into your diet as possible and adding other whole foods really helps to increase satiety and reduce calories consumed.

As far as getting started on exercising, I'm really big on walking. The average person burns about 100 calories walking a mile, which takes only about 20 minutes. Its generally pretty non-taxing which means you can do it every day, on top of any other workouts you want to do.

Best of luck with everything "Jeff". Again let me know if I can help in any way.

Brandon