Starting Points

[Jabsys]

Things haven't been right for a while, have they? Over the years, my weight has crept up and up until I can no longer rationalise it away. Over the years, I've argued that because I'm geeky, it's okay to be fat. I wonder if I would have done that if I were leaner? Probably not, but as I wasn't leaner it was EASY to fool myself into accepting that.

Convincing myself that there was another option just didn't stand a chance. Sure, I've tried things over the years and some had a little bit of success but I'd find a way to sabotage my efforts. I wouldn't go out there determined to DESTROY my plans and successes but invariably that's what happened. Each slip would end up with me heavier than where I started. My attempt at doing things resulted in an endless stream of starting points.

A Digression

About the only part of my life that was a string of successes was work. Despite the chaos that were my attempts at achieving a better lifestyle, at work I was doing well. I'm a software developer for a Council in the UK and was writing applications that served the customers well enough to make them the most popular areas of our website in general. All that success resulted in more and more work, which is the way of things.

What I couldn't marry was my work success with my personal failure. Even my personal company, created in the hope that it'd enable me to escape local government and work for myself, wasn't doing as well as it could and should have.

Hang On, Aren't I Meant To Be A Geek?

Yes??

Analyse It Then

Ah. That was pretty much what went on in my head a few weeks ago. That was what started the germ of a plan. First, I had to understand what I did differently at work. That wasn't too difficult at all: I wrote things down. Not just getting thoughts down on "paper" as I did that at home as well. No, I took the thoughts and turned them into something that could be done. I wouldn't say it was GTD or anything similar as I wasn't that disciplined, but it was a far cry from home. More importantly, it was enough. Enough is good.

Thus began the education phase. I consumed vast quantities of conflicting data and tried to make sense of it all. I still didn't know what I wanted but I knew I didn't want to just lose weight. I've always been strong and, in recent years, my size has given me a certain immovable force aspect. Things have gone way too far, however, if even I have trouble moving myself.

I walk to work and as I regularly work days from home as well, my development machine is a laptop. That laptop is fairly heavy, at best, after a mile of walking. Of late, I've noticed my body struggling more than usual walking to and from work. At 220 lbs, the walk wasn't too bad.

A couple of years later, at 250 lbs, it's significantly tougher. Being an immovable force isn't much fun when it feels like you're in danger of collapsing into a black hole.

The Epiphany

It was during my data absorption that I stumbled upon Steve's blog, specifically the success stories of Spezzy and Saint. They were enough for me to begin reading almost every article. The writing appealed and the logic did too. I've started by making small changes and even though the days haven't been great yet, I'm okay with that. "Not great" is a hell of a lot better than where it's been up until now.

I've done all the prep work for tomorrow, so here's to my first great day perhaps? I still have the planning stages to go through, but I figured that actually making my intro post will ensure that it's that little bit harder to just forget to follow through this time.

Please, feel free to prod me if a semblance of a plan hasn't started appearing within a day or so. Immovable forces often need a helping hand to turn into a rockslide.

Oh, I Almost Forgot

I'm a 35 year old Brit from the snowy South East, and it's good to meet you! Please excuse the colours at the start, I wrote this in Noteshelf on my iPad first, and wanted to transfer it as close to how it looked there as I could.

- Jonathan

[Deansy]

And posting here, with all the support from fellow nerds, both over and under weight, is the best first step to make.

Not to mention that commiting your ideas to 'paper' gives you a real chance to stop, slow down and really think about your aims and goals.

[StrengthIsBeauty]

Welcome! Don't be afraid to ask for more education ;^) Great job figuring out your goals... as soon as you figure out what you need to do to achieve them, you can take those steps! No turning back.... we'll be cheering for you!

[Jabsys]

Thanks both of you. Today was a mix of good and bad but that's what I expected from the early days. I'm partially there with my goals, but I imagine they'll be fine-tuned as I work out what doable fat losses are and then settle on a number big enough to scare myself slightly, yet be achievable.

[Deansy]

As long as there is more good than bad and tomorrow the same, before you know it you are at 99% good and only 1% bad and you'll get there.

Things change, the way you do things, your goals and your approach. I set out my goals in the first week only to change them two weeks later. I really think my second version of goals are more achieveable and more in line with what I want my end result to be.

Good luck.

[Jabsys]

I've decided on my initial goals list, split into three main categories: life, physical, mental.

Physical:

* Kick Pepsi Max habit by 18th February 2012

* Transition to a mostly paleo diet by February 29th 2012

* Achieve sub-10% body fat by 31st Dec 2012 (to be adjusted after 1 month of results)

* Learn to deadlift properly and achieve a lift greater than my bodyweight by end of 2012 (whatever that bodyweight is)

* Run up the Cliffs seafront staircase and still be coherent by the end of the year

Life:

* Create an inventory of my belongings by 16th March 2012

* Cull my belongings by 50% by June 2012

* Transition to two days a week part-time in my day job and concentrate on my company by 31st December 2012

Mental:

* Achieve a working knowledge of Ruby/Rails by 1st March 2012

* Master Ruby/Rails by 30th April 2012

My physical aspect is the weakest part of me at present so I have more goals there at present. I have very specific mental and life improvements that I want to make so I've included those too. I have a lot of tools I plan to use to help out, Evernote Food for the diet tracking for instance, and the Rebel Strength Bodyweight for the next couple of weeks while I identify a friend who is open to the idea of deadlifts and arrange that. The staircase thing is a personal goal more than anything, if only because for all the years I've lived in Southend, just walking up it knackers me.

I've also come to the conclusion that my life is heavily cluttered. It's beginning to annoy me in subtle ways, so I've determined that a cull by the start of summer will be a good thing. The seemingly arbitrary 16th March deadline for the inventory is actually my birthday.

In my 29th year I determined that I wanted my own company by the time I was 30, and made it happen. It's been moderately successful but not to the point where it can support me. This year is about getting it to that stage and then dialling the balance of work back from my day job into that.

[Jabsys]

Pepsi Max is pretty much kicked through no effort of mine. I've been ill since Thursday with a throat infection and was only able to see the doctor yesterday. I've not had a proper sleep since Weds night, my throat feels like it's going to rebel and march its way out of my neck, and I have coughed every five minutes.

My appetite is shot so for now I'm just concentrating on getting better especially as nuts irritate my raw throat. After five days of this, all that's going through my mind is "Soon, please!"

[Pat G]

Whilst its been a bit of a mishap. Good job on the no pepsimax, apparently that stuff even though it doesn't have sugar, gets a reaction from the brain to crave more sugar (?)

Good to see nice concise goals too

That staircase looks hectic, and is definately a worthy goal of achieving.