Sunday, June 10, 2012

I Quit!

Why is quitting so easy to do? The answer is simple. Or is it? Quitting is only easy to do IF there is a lack of willpower. Now imagine not having any willpower plus an addiction. Think about it. Smokers that don’t want to smoke anymore don’t just quit smoking. The reason they don’t just quit is because they suffer from an addiction. Alcoholics have the same predicament as smokers. Overeating, However, is actually quite different from smoking and drinking. Overeating is not an addiction. Overeating is a result of lacking willpower. Many Doctors, Nutritionist and Diet experts diagnose overeaters with an addiction to food. Although I don’t have degrees or licensure in addictions, I can confidently say they are wrong when it comes to diagnosing overeaters with an addiction to food. Overeaters should be diagnosed with a willpower deficiency.

Being fat for so long gave me an excuse to believe that I suffered from an addiction to food. I would eat whatever I wanted to eat and justify in mind that it was ok because I suffered from an addiction. I suffered from many things as a result of being fat. I suffered headaches due to high blood pressure. I suffered sleep depravation due to sleep apnea. I suffered backaches due to having excess body fat unevenly distributed. The list goes on of things I suffered from. The day that I decided to stop overeating was the very same day that I realized that I suffered from many things but suffering from an addiction to food was not one.

We have all experienced that feeling that comes over us when we don’t eat at a specific or scheduled time of the day. That feeling is called hunger. It is important to do your best to NOT allow yourself to become hungry. When we become hungry, often times, we become undisciplined. When hunger strikes we obey our stomach more often than we obey our mind. What I mean by this is that when hungry, we tend to overeat because we surpass our level of comfort due to our minds not being focused on stopping once satisfied but stopping once our stomachs are full. This concept ties to my theory of lack of willpower versus addiction to overeating. Overeating is so easy to do because when hungry we don’t allow time to eat slowly and obey our mind when it attempts to alert us that we are satisfied and don’t need to eat anymore. We just eat so quickly that we ignore that signal that gets sent to the brain and stomach simultaneously alerting us that we are satisfied and don’t need anymore.

My willpower is what allowed me to be successful in my fight against quitting. Many things that were required of me to lose weight got frustrating at first. I quit every hour of the day for about 3 weeks straight. I would eat something healthy and then attempt to convince Fat Mike that he couldn’t continue to do this. I would exercise hard and then attempt to convince Fat Mike that this was to hard for him. The quick drastic changes that were happening to my body are what convinced me that quitting was not the right thing to do. Those noticeable changes constantly fueled my willpower to make great decisions that aided my weight-loss success. I kept trying to convince Fat Mike that quitting would be fine and perfect timing because a group of friends wanted to go out to eat at one his favorite restaurants. I would tell Fat Mike you deserve to go out eat pizza and drink beer to celebrate all the hard work that you have put in the past few days. EVERY SINGLE TIME, Fat Mike declined and reminded himself that “Power” and “Will” successfully complete the goal. After about 2 months of working out hard, eating right and training my mind to only deal with positivity I was faced with adversity. During those 2 months I was blessed with a group of workout partners. We kept each other motivated to continue living healthier. The stress and level of commitment to working out became too much for the group. They slowly became inconsistent, showing up late, not showing up or calling. Eventually, I was the only one showing up. They quit on me. This caused me to turn everything up a notch. I was focused and nothing could stop me. My thoughts of quitting vanished because I reminded myself how I felt when my group quit on me. Them quitting fueled my motivation to continue.

Whenever things get tough in life and you consider quitting, reconsider. Find what motivates you and use it to keep you moving forward in your journey. Just remember that heroes become heroes because they don’t pack up in the middle of their journey and go home. They fight until the battle is won. Keep fighting the good fight.

13 comments:

  1. Yet another great post and extremely insightful. I can't say that I have an addiction to food but willpower has definitely been lacking. I like the example of the heroes. I look forward to your next post. Keep writing!

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    1. Thanks sir! I will blog again late Wednesday early Thursday. I appreciate the feedback.

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  2. So very true, you have nailed this right on the head again. We are all fighting against things and people that we don't even know we are fighting against, like the ones that say one piece of cake will be ok. Will No it is not when it doesn't fit my diet!!! I see you brother, this is a very well written blog that I hope others take advantage of the first hand knowledge you are giving!

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    1. Thank You. Spread the word for me. I am really trying to keep this going and spark a bigger following. I need everyones help though.

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  3. and so how does the story end? like where is the workout group? Just kidding. It is really awesome and inspirational how you have changed your life. May you continue to help others! Looking forward to more blog post. lvpthemvp@gmail.com

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    1. They are all my friends still. I know one of the individuals is still on her own journey at her own pace, which is fine. The other is eating himself into an early grave and I am trying to save him but he has got to want to save himself first. I pray for him and his well being but he just doesnt want it right now. Thanks for commenting buddy. :-)

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  4. Sometimes it is okay they your friends stopped working out with you. You are probably better off. At times we have to separate to elevate. Thank you so very much for sharing your lifestyle changing journey with us. You are very motivating and inspiring. By sharing, you allow me realize that I can do it also. I have to keep motivated have a strong will and desire to attain my goal. I think I can do it. NO!!! I KNOW I CAN!! Thanks again.

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    1. I should be thank you Sylvia for coming on here to support me. I guess you could say its reciprocated because we both benefit. Staying motivated is key and I hope that I can continue to help you with that. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!! Go for it!

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  5. Question. What does your friends think now of your successful weight loss?

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    1. My friends are very proud of me. They are still supportive. I just dont think it was their time. When it is their time, I am so there for them if they ever need me.

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  6. Oh yes, each person has to make up their own mind and really be ready. It usually takes a doctor putting the truth in their face. LOL.

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    1. Or even that uncomfortable feeling close to the heart. Never felt it but I was lucky. To much stress on anything eventally breaks it.

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  7. Brought tears to my eyes. I know this feeling. i am completely alone in my weight loss journey other than MFP friends. I have only me to count on and I don't want to let myself down so it makes me push that much harder. Thanks for this! It was a great reminder for me!

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