Measuring by Small Victories

Still overweight - but progress!

Fitness Talk
Sorry for the silence of late, but life is a hectic thing. Big news for me - I won a massive psychological victory in my war on fat today. For the first time in almost 10 years, I am under 300lbs. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I was easily 350lbs or more at my heaviest, soaring up to a size 48-50 pant size.

Back in 2012 and again in 2013, I got really close to this, but would plateau before I dropped below 300lbs. Now though, I can finally say I did it!

For some context, when I started my current job in the fall of 2012, I was about 301-303lbs, but was not active beyond my previous retail job that had me moving all day. Within 3 months of starting the desk job I am at now, I put on 30lbs due to snacking and inactivity, ballooning right up again.

I have heard from plenty of folks that the idea of changing their lifestyle to be more fit and shed fat is too daunting and they don't know where to begin. Well, I am living proof that just getting off your butt and eating smart can go a long way. There is no excuse! Nothing worth having is free or easy, folks, but when you finally hit those small goals, they feel tremendous. For someone looking down the road at a now much closer long-term goal, I can't wait to hit my next target, which is 280lbs (the halfway mark to my final goal of 260lbs).

This got me thinking about how to measure your progress without being discouraged. A lot of people just say "I need to drop 50lbs!" and when they work out for a few months and the scale doesn't budge much (if at all!), they get discouraged. Or, the scale drops 10lbs in the first month and they plateau hard afterwards. That is why I don't like to look at my final goal and only work to that. I set a whole slew of smaller goals that form the path towards the end game.

Losing inches counts more
than losing pounds!

Examples of my small goals:

• Bumping my warm-up job to 6mph (achieved!)
• Bumping my steps/minute and duration on the stairmachine up (achieved!)
• Getting under 300lbs (achieved!)
• Hitting 100 push-ups (achieved!)
• Adding 5lbs to my deadlift by next month
• Adding 5lbs to my bench by next month
• Adding squats to my routine
• Getting down to size 38

Those are just my examples - many of them I have achieved already! They build up over time as your body transforms and it just feels great to see the results stack up like that. It is a positive psychological victory!

Ssssssssssssssskorne!

Hobby TalkSo, thanks to Bartertown, I was able to add a few more tidbits to my growing Skorne collection. This should prove a big project down the road. I have ordered some additional paints - some of the new Vallejo Game Air line - to bolster my reds and oranges. Right now, I have some reds, but when I realized I had so much Skorne, my Ogres, and House Taranis to paint up with reds, I thought it was time to get some more.

The Blood Angels I am working on are going slowly, but steadily. It has proven tough to cram work time for them on the weekends, but I got a whole lot done (even though it doesn't look like it). This weekend, I am going to put in another day of solid work and I hope to get them to final details by the end of the month.

Putting down those base colors

Another good thing is coming my way to paint - a Forge World Keeper of Secrets. A co-worker who plays 40k is ordering one and having me paint it (along with building a bunch of bases for his existing Daemons). That should be a real blast! What an amazing model to get the chance to paint.

With the whole End Times nonsense and possible 9th Edition Warhammer Fantasy kicking up this Summer, I am on standby with the Ogres. I do not want to paint up units that I then have to rip a part to make fit some new scheme Games Workshop springs on us. Kind of a bummer, but it happens. I have been patient, what is a few more months?

Finished bases!

On the Warmahordes front, I have been binge watching Advanced Maneuvers and they really got me motivated to put my Skorne on the table. Sadly, I haven't had the time to paint them, nor play them. They are going to need a lot of TLC, too. I pulled them out of their foam earlier this month and my-oh-my were they in rough shape. I am going to need to re-prime many and get some replacement parts too. Along with about $250 worth of new models and fresh foam to replace the ruined pluck foam they used to inhabit.

That wraps it up for this (long) post, but keep an eye out as the Blood Angels are finalized and the Keeper comes my way! Also, be sure to hit my up on Facebook and Instagram.

The Hard Talk: Getting Gamers Active!

It goes without saying that one of you has an out-of-shape gamer friend. I knew more than a few back in my Magic: the Gathering days and still know a few now that I am into the tabletop stuff. This crosses all boundaries though - unhealthy lifestyles and inactivity are common enough in the US, especially among gamers. Not sure why, but we need to change that, but... how?

No doubt, it is always tough to tell someone they are fat. Unless you are either heartless or going the "tough love" route. Still, it isn't easy to approach anyone about their health, but if you care about them, it is never too soon to get them on a healthy track. I am a prime example! I didn't start taking fitness and proper diet seriously until I was in my late 20's, spending nearly a decade being a near-perfect specimen of poor health and laziness.

Be Positive!
I can't stress this one enough. If I had a dollar for every jerk who picked on me because of my weight, I wouldn't need to work for a living. You know what that does? Makes that person feel like crap and robs them of any impetus they may have had. Obviously, not always. Some folks might need a wake-up call, but I can attest to the fact that if you start making digs or jokes about someone's weight, they aren't getting a self-esteem boost or motivation to fix it, they just usually get depressed (possibly further) and maybe do some even more self-destructive behavior. Like depression-eating, which I did. When my "friends" (because real friends won't make fun of your serious weight issues!) got me down, cake certainly made me feel better... temporarily.

Be Supportive!
This plays into the first one, somewhat. It is all fine and good to be positive and say "Hell yea, make a life change!" and whatnot, but it is another thing to really get behind them and push. Not everyone is a self-motivator. Some people need that hard shove in the right direction. Are you a fit gamer? Do you have a gamer friend who is obese or frequently inactive and out of shape? How about asking them to join you in a new diet or hitting the gym with you. A buddy might help motivate them where encouraging words might not. Even if they just walk it out on a treadmill while you wreck the weights, that is better that sitting on their ass, doing entirely nothing.

Be Firm!
Is your friend eating a damn cupcake? Has your friend missed the last two gym days? Get on them and don't let them forget it. At this point, I assume they made the intention to change and should be following through. Don't let them slip. Obviously, be tactful about the first of those. Just be like "Hey, how about not eating that cupcake now and rewarding yourself next month after you see some more progress?" I know that might work on some. Others, you might need to just grab that cupcake and toss it in the trash. I know, harsh (which you would think runs counter to the first item, but it totally doesn't!). They might even thank you for reminding them that their life needs to change if they are going to get on the right track.

Obviously, not all of your friends will want to hit the gym or go on a low-carb diet, but sometimes the small changes count the most. Challenge them to not drink soda anymore! I did that and lost easily 10 lbs and honestly, I don't even miss it now 3 years later. Soda is one of those major enemies of health that somehow is pervasive among gamers. Get them to quit that and you go a long way towards helping them stop the insulin spikes and poor health that goes with it.

So ends this weeks wall-of-text and sorry for nothing fancy to look at, but I wanted the content to really speak for itself. If you have any stories about bringing your gamer friends into the gym or getting them to join you on a new diet - post them up! I want to hear them and have others see them, so we can build up a supportive mentality in this community.