comment luv
I don’t get comments all that often around here and that’s fine. The comments i do get mean a great deal to me; especially the ones that offer encouragement, support, and just plain understanding. I find that these comments come just when I need them and I am always thankful that the universe pays attention to me in that way.
The following is a comment I received on my WW Wednesday post last week. I decided to post it here as a ‘guest post’ because of the message it had. He was kind and supportive and offered me some great advice. It was a little longer than most comments ;O) and while he offered to let me abbreviate or summarize, I really wanted to print every word of it. It was great to know I am not the only one who has these kinds of struggles and I figured there had to be someone else out there who could benefit from the message. So without further ado, please say hello to Rodney Earle. Here is what he has to say about himself and his comment follows. (His site is under construction but check back often because I have a feeling there is going to be some great stuff there.)
“About me, I am a 42-year-old filmmaker, producer, director, and novelist who is ORIGINALLY from the MidWest, but made the move to Hollywood (actually about 10 miles north of Malibu and 10 miles West of Hollywood) about 3 years ago. I am a former athlete (in the 80’s) and former Human Resources, Logistics, and Safety Professional, as well as a chef. About 9 months ago I tipped the scales at around 440 (my biggest by far in my life) and am now slimming at about 375 with an eventual goal of under 300. Doing well this time (most of the time) because I was diagnosed Type II Diabetic last December. Now I don’t have a CHOICE but to drop weight, exercise, and come up with ways to “cheat my body” into thinking it doesn’t need as much food as it has gotten all of its life. I am a simple guy with simple needs and great stories to tell (happy to share some of them soon).”
Hey there…
I don’t usually do a lot of commenting on people’s blogs and all, but this is something I am VERY familiar with.
The way I broke the breakfast “habit” was to abolish it. What I mean by that is… it’s just another meal, and we humans are so “stigmatized” by eating cereal, eggs, ham, something dairy, and something breadlike… I got sick of it.
Now, don’t get me wrong… I make the best omelette in the world, as I am a “former” chef, but LATELY I have been having different things for breakfast, including a GENEROUS portion of veggies for breakfast. You may say YUCK, but I LOVE me some veggies, so I figured, WHY WAIT for lunch or dinner to have them? I just had like 1/4 of a pound of frozen peas, boiled in salt/sugar water, drained and poured over cooked carrots (I like mine a bit crunchy) boiled in salt/sugar water as well.
Simple salt and pepper (or seasoning salt) and som very healthy, low-point margarine (or one of those sprays) and a hint of chili powder added in… I am good to go… My total points for this HUGE thing I ate is like 3… MAYBE. Just because of the peas and the margarine.
But I am full, and NOW I am drinking some coffee (some habits I just refuse to kick) and will be good until lunch, because I ate what I like for breakfast instead of the eggs, cheese/dairy, bread, and whatever constitutes “breakfast” food.
What idea would YOU have for something you wouldn’t normally eat for breakfast, but may try for a week or so?
And far be it from ME to lecture about the ins and outs of Weight Watchers (because I am an absolutely HUGE former athlete trying to return to greatness), but just some simple keys help us. You already mentioned ONE of them.
When my girlfriend (or I) have an unsuccessful week (sometimes a gain of more than 5 pounds), we ask ourselves what happened? Firstly, we don’t track points. DANG IT! That’s usually our reaction with DANG replaced with a different expletive. It’s true. THEN, what we do is track our points, no matter WHAT we eat.
Okay, can you tell what kind of reaction we have when my points total reaches 50 or higher? We TEND to “forget” or “I’m not tracking today.”
We fail each time we don’t track. Without question. So we have promised ourselves that no matter what, even if the B & J’s ice cream is a whole pint that we eat today, we track it. All 60 points of it (depending on flavor).
It’s not an easy change, especially when the world around you comes crashing down or whatever because we go to our “comfort zone,” but it’s all about the timing. We have also started planning AHEAD.
For instance, I had a film screening party to go to last week. I knew about it weeks in advance. I “saved” points from the day before (even though I am at a constant struggle with my girlfriend in telling her that points do NOT carry over like cell phone minutes) and I knew that the little meat and mayo sammiches they serve at the Director’s Guild are like 100 points apiece (or they might as well be).
Anyway, like I said… Not a lecture. Just support. That’s also a HUGE key. Support. Reach out to anyone with your same plight. Even a skinny butt who THINKS they are fat. They have the same issues we do, just on a different scale. Hollywood is a weird place. They ALL think they are fat.
Sorry for taking up your entire blog! One last message (and don’t hate me because I am a man for saying this)… October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I lost too many friends (1 is too many) to Breast and/or other types of Cancer. PLEASE do what it takes to stay alive.
Take care, and feel free to condense what I wrote (happens to me all the time).
Peace to you,
R. Earle
Hollywood, CA
Okay - isn’t that the best comment? I seriously love the idea of breakfast not having to be ‘breakfast’. In fat, I tried it the past few days and it made getting breakfast down so much easier. Also, don’t you just love the mention of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Why he thinks I would be upset that a man would mention it, I don’t know…I don’t hate him at all for it. In fact I found it kind and thoughtful. Men and women both need to be aware of this issue and talk about it.
That’s an AWESOME comment!!!!
Great comment. And breakfast does not have to be breakfast food. I’ve eaten Lean Cusines too many times to count for morning meal.
I agree that this is a great comment. I love to hear how “real people” work with the WW program (sometimes I got frustrated with hearing the leaders talk because they never seemed to have the same issues as me, it always seemed way more effortless for them!). I am a bit weird with my breakfast routine, as I have had pretty much the exact same thing every morning for about 3 years (cereal, milk, orange juice with calcium). I do know that if I don’t get at least 10 grams of fiber there is no way that I can get through to lunch time!
Went to high school with the “commenter”.
How’s that for shameless name dropping? LOLLL