I was thinking today on my run that I have been thinner longer than I have been fatter. How come my body image is of a fat man rather than a thin man? I mean if I start thinking that I am too thin – won’t that kick-off a eating binge?
It was the weirdest thing at the end of last year when I was falling off of the wagon (the diet and exercise wagon), I knew that I was putting on weight! I remember Muata over at MrLowBodyFat.com telling me that 5 pounds was not too bad – just start doing what I know works. More on that later but here is my reconstructed weight for my life.
Yep, I have been a normal weight for my 6 foot frame 58% of my life (excuse the math error: 52-38 = 14 and not 12). I have been overweight 15% of my life and I have been obease 27% of my life.
So If I have been a normal weight most of my life, why do I still see myself as fat? Because that has been the last 12 years.
Today I decided to start thinking of myself as thin. This will take a little imagination but you can see why. I am hoping that if I change my body self image I will kick start a mental process that helps my weight loss along.
Part of the reason I have eaten alot at times is what the heck – I am already fat… I would reason that I’ll start the diet tomorrow. Well let me tell you years later… tomorrow can be a long time off. 
Well anyway when Muata told me at the end of last year that 5 or 10 pounds was not to hard to overcome… I did not see it that way. I was tired of dieting and my workouts in the new house were non-existent (we had just moved), so I ate myself into a “comfort zone” again.
A few months later as I restarted my diet and exercise plan, I was kicking myself for having lost so much ground. This year I vowed to not lose ground over the holidays and I am within one pound of my lowest weight (229 this morning).
So my plan is to start visualizing myself as a thin man again so I won’t end up working against myself again!
Eating has gone well. My wife and I had Pizza again and I worked my portioning. I had one salad and two pieces of Pizza. A couple of days later I had one last slice of Pizza for lunch. Once you have a plan, following it is easier (as opposed to not having a plan).
By the way soon I will have a treat for you all. I’m working on (if I can figure the old VHS video camera out) a video bag workout series that will help anyone with martial arts or other fighting training, how to design a good bag workout program.
Hang in there all and remember there is no right way to do this diet and exercise thing but rather finding what you can do that makes sense and you can stick with for life (once you lose the weight you will still have to eat sensibly and keep up the exercise).
[...] Original post by LeanAnMean.com [...]
Nice post!! You are almost ready to fight light-heavyweight in the UFC!! Doesn’t Chuck Lidell have “Kempo” tatooed on his shoulder!!
John, it is my belief that the mental hurdles are the toughest hurdles. If we can conquer the negative thoughts in our own mind, we are on our way to success.
South Beach Steve´s last blog ..Wednesday’s Word of the Day – Calibrate
Hey Dr. J! I am always amazed at how long some fighters go but I’ll be content to watch.
Here is Dan Severn at about age 50 in 2008:
Hey Steve,
Right you are – we first must believe then we can acheive!
“My wife and I had Pizza again and I worked my portioning. I had one salad and two pieces of Pizza.”
No doubt, portion control is key. Good job!
I still see myself as a fat guy! I hate it because I can’t see what everyone else see. The pretty girls flirt and sometimes I still wonder why.
Freddy@byebyebigguy´s last blog ..Could you save yourself?
John, planning is so key and YES, tomorrow is TODAY! Why wait for tomorrow or Monday or January. Starting now will put a person that further ahead of their goals!
You know, I have had my weight off for too many years too count although I have mastered the muscles & leaner body in my 30’s to now. BUT, I still see that little fat kid in the mirror sometimes & those days of being teased & how bad I felt come back. Maybe that keeps me from going back there. The one thing though is I see the fit person way more than that person now & in my 20’s to early 30’s, I saw the fat kid more….
I have a post Monday on my boxing experience & then I will take a kickboxing class later this week!
Thank you, John!
I loved your comment on bartenders and water! I wish I would have thought of that classic!
Dr. J´s last blog ..Eating meat isn’t sweet, could meat from a tube save the world?
I can totally relate to what you are saying about image wise. Before I was pregnant I was really quite slender but when I went raw (80/10/10 diet style) after pregnancy I became even thinner. Because of my son and obviously pregnancy I was too busy living life and living it for my son to even take into account what I looked like. Every time I looked in the mirror I was super shocked at how thin I was and when I bought clothes from online I would be shocked I couldn’t fit them because my head was still seeing me as the me before pregnancy.
I had to look in the mirror everyday until I got used to the even thinner me and now I am totally comfortable with it. It took a while though – its amazing how we can go on in life and not acknowledge change!!
Marie | Healthy Weight Loss Diet´s last blog ..Healthy Weight Loss Diets
Hi Marie,
Thanks for the insight, I’m glad the body eventually adjusts. I am hoping I don’t get the urge to hurry up and put the weight back on to feel “comfortable.”.