Are you there yet? On the way? Going in the opposite direction and enjoying the wallowing? Is there even a finishing line or do you anticipate a continuing process for as long as you live?

What would be 'there' for you, and what will it take to get it from where you are now?

.
[Edited 11/5/09 18:18pm]

As far as my health, I have a ways to go. I would like to lost another 60 pounds. I am down 30 so far.

Spiritually, I am lost. Because of that, I feel as if I am drifting, not living but existing. A friend is starting a church and I'm hoping to get something positive from it.


Great thread, Nick.

Are you there yet? no

On the way? yes

Going in the opposite direction and enjoying the wallowing? no

Is there even a finishing line or do you anticipate a continuing process for as long as you live? the latter

What would be 'there' for you, and would will it take to get it from where you are now? I still need to lose 20-35 pounds. That will mean I am as physically healthy and fit as can be.

I am more physically fit and healthy now than I ever have been in my entire life. If I were in a made for tv movie, this is when I'd be diagnosed with cancer or something, so I'm kinda expecting that to happen.
Of course, I still have a ways to go. But I'm getting there.
I'm not a spiritual girl, so I don't have any work to do in that area. That's all fine and well and whatever.

As for mental health? Debateable. I'm in a good place at the moment. And I'm definitely better than I have been. But I think it will likely be a life-long struggle for me (depression, seasonal affective disorder, body image issues, etc.). At least, it always has been, so I don't really ever see that going away.

VERY CLOSE.....
and getting closer everyday
It's just around the corner!!!

Vendetta1 said:

30 lbs, that's bloody awesome!

For me, as far as health and fitness, I'm eating better now, but I still eat a lot of junk food. With my body type it's no terrible thing since I need to put on about 5 kgs (11 lbs), but I want to get to a point where virtually everything I put in my body is good, i.e. no sodas, far less beer, just tea, water, juice and maybe soy milk, and a healthy, balanced diet. It's all tied in to the other things as it comes down to my discipline.

I'm exercising a lot more and doing about as much as I want to do, at a level I can maintain every week, every year, for the foreseeable future, so that's cool, but I'm still smoking. If I can quit that I'll be much happier and will feel I've got much of my old discipline back. The smoking even affects my spirituality as I feel like while still doing it I can't truly START anything properly. Like you I feel a little lost right now, just drifting. It all comes back to stopping smoking, keeping up my regular exercise routine, eating well and not skipping any meals and being in a place where I can pick back up the spiritual concerns I used to reflect upon.

CarrieMpls said:

It's so admirable what you've achieved already. What kick-started all this? You've certainly made some huge changes, that much is clear. Do you feel almost like a whole new person?

Fauxie said:

Yeah, sometimes I slip and eat the wrong things but I just start all over again. I haven't put sugar in anything or had a soda in three months and I feel like a different person. Stopping junk food was really hard but when I look in the mirror and see my middles slowly disappearing, I get encouraged.

Oh, one thing I wish I would do more is exercise. I keep promising myself that I'll walk more but I haven't.

Fauxie said:

Thanks.

I quit smoking cause it was starting to disgust me. I gained so much weight quitting smoking (after I'd lost quite a bit 2 years before) that I wanted to do something about that. So I started the running. The success I had quitting smoking really helped me realize that I could, indeed, change. And I have. Slowly. In bits and pieces.

What's weird is that I honestly don't feel all that different. That's the crazy part. People keep commenting that I've got a whole new life - I've quit smoking, lost 50 pounds, bought a home for myself and started a new job all in the space of a little over a year. And I suppose I do have a new life. But I don't feel all that different yet.

Health: I'm fine. I made myself go to the doc recently (I've no problem doing that -- I just need to get another doctor. ), and he realized he hadn't seen me in a minute (because I've been looking for another doc for a minute ). So, he ordered a battery of tests. I'm all good, thank the Lord!

I do need to bring down my weight, he was nice enough to say... over and over again. I've been getting into exercising more, and recently made a few life changes and am kicking it up some more.

My dad's death this summer threw me. I saw even more clearly the importance of taking care of myself. So, I'm trying to do that. Between eating better and exercising more, the changes are coming, albeit slowly.

Spiritually: I've joined a great church that seems to downplay leaders/personalities (so, there's none of that rally around the preacher and bring him your paycheck madness ). And, the timing couldn't have been better, because I've needed a tangible representation of God's love, like never before. And, its members really encourage you being the you God created you to be, in an Ephesians 2:10 kind of way. I'm diggin' it.

Am I close to where I want to be in either area? I believe both are journeys. I'm ever reaching and pressing forward.

.personality edit.
[Edited 11/5/09 18:37pm]

Oh, another thing, bear with me. A few months back I had a bit of a mini-epiphany of sorts while having a night out. I know I'm generally a very honest person, but I had this feeling of having so much love to give and wanting to share positivity and warmth with people. I'm not really very sociable, and can be shy and awkward in social settings, but I thought where I can I would tell people what I thought and do whatever my heart felt, even if it might seem out of place. Being positive this would usually mean a compliment, but really could be whatever crossed my mind.

I can be so reserved at times but I do love having fun. For several years now I've been a 20-something man oscillating between being an 8 year old and a 48 year old. My wife and family have caused me worry, not that it really shows that much, but creeping up slowly it made me so sensible and grown-up at times that I felt like I'd lost some of my early 20s years. I love the child-like part of me that reacts spontaneously with the world and I decided to see if that could make up more of who I am. I gave over lots of responsibility to my wife, who accepted it with relish as it's that side of things she wants to work on, so that now she looks after the money, takes a larger role in decision-making for us as a couple, and generally is left to her discretion to look after us both in most ways. I don't know if this will always be the way things are or whether it's just mutually beneficial to us for this particular time, but I'm really enjoying it. I feel a freedom I haven't felt for a long time and I'm enjoying life even more than before. I'm letting whatever I feel just express itself however and whenever it comes out. This feels like a great springboard for the other elements of my life to progress too.

CarrieMpls said:

Quitting smoking is SO tough isn't it. I don't think non-smokers realise quite how tough it is. When I do it I hope to have that feeling of being able to accomplish anything.

That is interesting about you saying you don't feel different. I keep feeling wary about complimenting you on your exercising and weight loss because I think it could sound patronising or somehow say you weren't awesome before, but I'm so happy for you and happy for myself too because I know I can make changes like that too, since you have.

ThreadBare said:

I'm glad you found a church, Thready.

ThreadBare said:

That's very cool.

Vendetta1 said:

Thanks, lady. God impressed upon me to mention church to a random acquaintance, and he invited me. It's been pretty cool. Thirty pounds!!! I can't wait till I've worked that much off...

Fauxie said:

It's funny, I can see many of my friends struggle with how to compliment me. Lots of them say "you look great! I mean, you always looked great. but, you know..." And I get that. I know it's not meant to be back-handed in any way.

Yeah, quitting smoking really was a turning point for me. I think it just seemed like the hardest thing in the world to do that if I can do that, I can do pretty much anything. That notion never occurred to me before. Really.
So yeah, you can totally do it too.

And for the record, I'll take all the compliments I can get.

Fauxie said:

No, not even.

On the way? Going in the opposite direction

Is there even a finishing line? I'm thinking this is a 4Ever kind of thing.

What will it take to get it from where you are now? 6-8 weeks intensive running and excercise.

I was almost there and then backslide...I hate when I do that because I have to start over and that's the hard part. Could stand to lose about 20-30 lbs.

I feel better about my spirituality moreso today than last month and that's progressing in the right direction.
[Edited 11/5/09 18:51pm]

And, great thread, man.

health? iffy. i've become horrifyingly addicted to caffeine, i'm starting to get carpal tunnel, i don't sleep enough. i eat okay, i guess.

fitness? i could exercise more. i'm trying to figure out what weight makes ME comfortable, versus what i think other people want. i'd like to lose 20lbs more at least.

spirituality? not a concern for me, really.

Healthwise, I'm doing okay. That's an ongoing goal, and I'd like to improve my eating habits.

Carrie is a huge inspiration and I love when she posts about what she's been doing. I quit smoking not long after she did--a little over one year ago now, and I'm really happy about that. In the past year, I've lost 30 lbs., but I'd like to firm up a lot more. I'd like to make running and weightlifting a regular part of my life, and I've been failing miserably at that the past couple weeks, which is really frustrating to me. And I've been eating too much junk food this past week, so I feel totally out of sorts. I can feel how all these things have affected my sleep and my energy level, so in a way I feel good even though I feel bad. I think I'm more in tune with my body and its ups and downs than I ever have been before, and because of that, falling short of my fitness goals makes me more exasperated.

Spiritually, I'm not sure.

CarrieMpls said:

Yes, I can do it! Something Imago reminded me of a month or two back though was that I needn't tread water with everything else while I'm still smoking, hence my unwavering enthusiasm for swimming and lifting weights.

evenstar3 said:

You're going to hell so you can burn plenty of calories once you're down there.

about halfways to the fitness level I would like

but I'm being proactive about it. Went for a long fast walk around the lake today, and already have a date for next friday to walk around it TWICE

Fauxie said:

Fauxie said:

my thoughts exactly

ZombieKitten said:

Walking is great when you've beautiful scenery as the backdrop. I don't walk as much as I like, but I do enjoy a mid-afternoon stroll to the market and back a few times a week.

evenstar3 said:

maybe if you drank your coffee whilst wearing a splint it would feel better?

ZombieKitten said:

i have one and it's not helping as much as it should

Fauxie said:

it's not that pretty, it's kind of an industrial park with pools that are litter traps with an experimental water filtration lake thing - man made





birds moved in, and not just sea-gulls
[Edited 11/5/09 19:10pm]

evenstar3 said:

what about drinking with a straw instead?

evenstar3 said:

Coffee's horribly addictive isn't it, having such a large effect physiologically on your life, in several ways. I think a little caffeine is no bad thing if you're exercising regularly and trying to lose weight though.