This is an interesting bit of a post. It was hard to keep going with this story because I got derailed. I got derailed in a way that changed my life. This blog post was supposed to chronicle my next steps and all the information I learned from Rick. That changed when I realized that it would take several blog posts to complete and wouldn't be suitable for a blog format. So, I started writing a book instead.
Being a writer was always a notion that I entertained since I was young. I was an avid reader of Stephen King back in fifth grade. I read "It" after I was scared to pieces by the made-for-TV movie starring Tim Curry.
When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer always was "A writer". Specifically, I wanted to write horror. I loved being intrigued, moved and engaged by what I was reading. I don't even know if I was really scared by Stephen King's novels. I really think that I was privy to information I shouldn't have at such a young age. Reading about some really weird things that I had never heard of. Murder, sex, the supernatural. I felt like I was getting approval to study the darker side of the human condition.
I left the dream of writing books behind when I discovered music. It's interesting that here I am years later working on being a writer and exploring that dream I had when I was a kid. The book I wrote this year on Rick's lessons is called The Fat Loss Arsonist and it's available on my site. I'm very proud of it and I hope you read it and enjoy it.
One of the things I started doing once I learned how my body worked was to take a weekly picture of myself in a towel in front of a mirror, weigh myself and document my progress. Initially, this can be a scary step to take. Facing your body straight on takes a bit of courage, but I'm glad that I did it. I only wish that I started sooner. Here's what the first weeks of pics looked like:
2/26/14- 210 lb. or so
3/5/14- 208 lb.
3/12/14- 205 lb.
Interesting side note- I had written on the email that this photo was attached to "Goal: 217 goal met, actual weight 215. 3rd belt loop." It appears that I was so used to being over 210 lb. that I didn't notice that I weighed ten pounds less.
3/19/14-Goal 206. Weight 203. 3rd belt loop.
3/26/14- Goal- 205 weight 200. 3rd belt loop, getting looser.
4/2/14- Goal weight: 204 actual weight 197. Third belt loop.
Things were going great! I remember almost crying when the scale read "199" for the first time in many years. Reducing carbohydrates and eating sensibly was working like a charm and I was burning off the weight in short order. To be continued...