Filed under: Challenges, Personal Development | Tags: compassion, competition, forgiveness, friend, friendship, honesty, introspection, love, lyrics, Mark Heard, music, protect, Realizing Harmony, relationship, survival
I’ve heard this song many times before. But I wasn’t really listening. At least, I wasn’t really listening to the lyrics.
This morning I heard the lyrics, really listened to them for the first time. Tough introspective questions. (From the album “Second Hand.”) Am I (are we) about competition and survival more than love? Am I (are we) about brutal honesty more than about compassion and forgiveness? Am I (are we) about protection and self-preservation more than sacrifice and willing to suffer for another?
Theories are nice, and sometimes easy. But when push comes to shove, What kind of friend could I become? And what kind of friend am I?
What kind of a friend could pull a knife
When it’s him or you and his kids need shoes?
What kind of friend would do you in
When the bomb goes off and the shelter’s his?
What kind of friends do friends become
When the musical chairs get down to one?
What kind of friend could I become?
What kind of friend am I?What kind of friend would tell you lies
To spare you from the bitter truth?
What kind of friend could stoop so low
As to shield your eyes from the mirror’s gaze?
What kind of friends do friends become
When a blind eye turns on the damage done?
What kind of friend could I become?
What kind of friend am I?What kind of friend survives the night
In a frightened sense of self-defence?
What kind of friend can take the ache
Of losing face for friendship’s sake?
What kind of friend do friends become
When the heart says “kill” and the soul says “love”?
What kind of friend could I become?
What kind of friend am I?Written by Mark Heard © 1991 Ideola Music/ASCAP
Filed under: Health and Fitness, lose weight | Tags: celebration, fitness, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, health point, healthpoint, HealthPointe, healthy, lose weight, South Beach Diet, SouthBeach Diet, Take Shape For Life, TSFL, victory, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers
that old set point.
This morning I headed on my way to the next set point. Weight was down another 0.8 lbs. That means I’m about 2 lbs below my last set point, and about a pound above my next one.
On the one hand, it’s a blessing to have had a fairly stable weight for most of my life. I haven’t had to change clothes due to extra weight all that often. And people don’t notice when my weight has changed, ’cause it’s usually been small changes over fairly long times.
On the other hand, what that means is that I’ve got set points that are far closer together. Especially when I get down into this area. So, despite my faithfulness to a weight-loss program, I’ll get “stuck” at certain weights. And those “stuck” weights can be relatively close together – leading to frustrating times, one right after the other.
But it helps a LOT to know about set points, and to understand what’s probably going on. It lets me let the frustration go a lot faster and more easily.
If you’re on a weight loss program, you may find it helpful to remember what has happened in your life in terms of your weight, and make note of the times that you’ve stabilized at a particular weight. In all likelihood, your body will probably want to “pause” at those weights that you’ve held at various times for an extended period of time. Know that those set points are coming, and stick with your program through those pauses. You CAN blow through them. It may take a few days, or maybe a week or longer, but you can break through, and continue on down to your ideal weight. You just need to be patient and faithful.
Filed under: Health and Fitness, lose weight | Tags: big picture, celebration, fitness, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, healthpoint, HealthPointe, healthy, long term, lose weight, weight, weight loss
As anticipated, my weight went up a bit today… only 0.2 lbs. Far less than it might have. And I’m still on track when looking at the big picture. So I’m going to celebrate today anyway!
Woohoo!
Filed under: Challenges, Health and Fitness, lose weight | Tags: fitness, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, health point, healthpoint, HealthPointe, healthy, lose weight, Realizing Harmony, weight, weight loss
about blogging about my weight-loss journey. I realize I’m probably thinking too much, but thinking is what I tend to do.
These last three days have been challenging. First, because I was gaining weight instead of losing it. But today, because I likely lost “too much” weight for some people’s satisfaction.
Sure, this morning the scale “said” I’d lost 1.4 lbs. (No, it doesn’t actually talk.) But the prior two days I’d gained 0.4 lbs each day.
I was getting pretty discouraged about my negative results. (Or should I say they were positive results, since I was gaining weight?) So I didn’t feel like blogging about it. Who wants to read about discouragement? Or negative results?
Yet now that I’ve lost all that weight, and then some, I’m hesitant to say anything. Now, not because I’m discouraged by it, but rather, because I’m afraid of what “they” will say, or what “they” will think.
See, I don’t like being accused of bragging, nor of flaunting success (as I was just a couple of weeks ago)… any more than I believe anyone else does.
And I certainly don’t want to discourage others, which I strongly suspect may happen when someone reads about my positive results today while not seeing much, if any, progress in their own weight-loss journey.
OK, let’s deal with those.
For those who find themselves discouraged by my success today… please remember, the prior two days I was seeing just the opposite. (And it’s entirely possible probable that tomorrow I won’t see anywhere near the good news that I saw today.)
And for those who want to complain about my success… If you feel like I’m bragging, and you can’t find any way to be encouraged or inspired by what I’m dealing with and overcoming… please stop hurting yourself. Find some other blog to read that will encourage you and inspire you. My goal is to be an encouragement. To let you (and everyone else who cares to read) know that weight loss is possible even if it’s not easy nor steady; there are up days and down days in the journey toward one’s ideal weight.
So, today was another day to celebrate. And I’m celebrating two things today:
1) I lost a whole bunch of weight (finally!)
and
2) I stayed pretty faithful to the HealthPointe program – despite two days of weight gain. (And that faithfulness paid off!)
Only about 4-5 more pounds to go, and I’ll be at my ideal weight! I won’t quit now!
Filed under: Finances
Restarting the American economy will take a lot more than government spending sprees or one-time rebate checks. We need the FairTax.
Right now, we’re borrowing trillions from foreign governments against the future earnings of our children and grandchildren while our destructive tax system rewards political connections, consumes valuable resources, retards business growth and drives American jobs offshore.
But there is a better way with the FairTax—a real economic stimulus package that will:
• Rescue the homeowner and the average taxpayer
Every American will see a huge boost in their take home pay—enough to save their homes and pay mortgage bills, thereby addressing the underlying cause of this economic meltdown, not just the symptoms.
• Attract trillions into our economy from private investments
Elimination of capital gains and corporate taxes makes the USA the most
favorable business environment in the world. That means new jobs right here in America, higher wages and a stock market that goes up instead of down—without massive borrowing.
• Help the poor and middle-class
Federal taxes on the poor disappear and the middle-class sees dramatic reductions in tax burdens under the FairTax. The “Made in America” label roars back with needed jobs and better wages and benefits.
The FairTax is simple, transparent and fair. Billionaires’ loopholes close forever. Special favors by tax lobbyists end and April 15th becomes just another spring day.
Unleash America’s potential for growth.
Go to www.fairtax.org and let’s work together to win real change in Washington now.
Filed under: positive | Tags: change, impact, make a difference, one, power, purpose, serve, what can one man do, what can one woman do
Onx of thx kxys on my kxyboard stoppxd working. It is only onx kxy, so I thought I would bx finx. I didn’t think anyonx would xvxn noticx. I guxss I was wrong. Onx kxy not working sxxms to ruin xvxrything I am trying to do.
Havx you xvxr thought that you arx just onx pxrson and that you don’t makx a diffxrxncx? Latxly I havx fxlt this way. I’m surx you havx fxlt thx samx way beforx.
If you fxxl likx you arxn’t vxry important and what you do doxsn’t rxally mattxr, just look at thx problxm I am having typing this bxcausx onx littlx kxy stoppxd working. You arx important to your family, your company and your country. Onx pxrson can makx a diffxrxncx. You havx grxat powxr. You havx thx powxr of onx.
Filed under: Health and Fitness, lose weight | Tags: concerned, fitness, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, health point, healthpoint, healthy, lose weight, Realizing Harmony, South Beach Diet, SouthBeach Diet, Take Shape For Life, too fast, too much, TSFL, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers
This morning, as I’ve been trying to do, I got back on my scale to see what (if any) progress I’m making toward getting back to my ideal weight.
After seeing the results, I didn’t want to blog about it. In part, because I’m now a bit concerned with the results. But also because I’m concerned with what others will think, and say… both to themselves and to me.
I confess, I’m still too sensitive to others’ opinions.
A few who only know me superficially sometimes comment on how confident and strong I am (not in terms of muscles, but strength of character and relative fearlessness in dealing with others.) What they apparently don’t know is that I’m just as scared as most anyone else – of others’ disapproval. And I don’t see myself as all that strong in terms of my character either. It’s just that neither my emotional weaknesses nor my character flaws are things that I’m inclined to broadcast. I’m not a Bill Clinton who, with a straight face, can boldly declare, “Character doesn’t matter!“
Anyway, this is getting way off track…
Back to the point… when I weighed in this morning, I was down another 1.2 lbs. for a total weight loss over the last 3 days of 2.2 lbs. That, it seems to me, is too much. And it concerns me. OK, scares me, is probably a lot closer to how I really feel. Yet at the same time, I still want to celebrate a bit, because I am, after all, that much closer to my goal… even if I’m going a bit too fast right now.
Tomorrow’s another day. Hopefully I’ll continue to drop excess weight, but not too quickly.
Filed under: Fun | Tags: amazing, game, Guitar Hero, music, talent, talented, world record
New World Record holder for highest score on Guitar Hero. This kid must have way too much time on his hands, or has just focused on mastering this particular song/game for quite some time.
Even if it is a “waste of time,” it’s still rather impressive. Don’t you think?
Check it out here.
That’s Amazing!
Filed under: Health and Fitness, lose weight | Tags: change, fitness, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, health point, healthpoint, HealthPointe, healthy, lose weight, Realizing Harmony, South Beach Diet, SouthBeach Diet, Take Shape For Life, victory, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers
For those who are interested and keeping track… yesterday I weighed in 0.6 lbs lighter. This morning showed another 0.4 lbs of weight loss, for a two-day total of exactly 1 lb. Making the total “real” weight lost since starting a week and a half ago: approximately 5 1/2 lbs. (That doesn’t include the 2 1/2 lbs of Pizza and other junk food I ate the night before starting… as my weight was that much higher when comparing the morning before pigging out to the morning after – when I started on HealthPointe.)
I guess the “creeping” I was experiencing was to be short-lived.
I hope I don’t go back to creeping weight-loss. However, if past history is any indication, I’ll probably be seeing that again over the next few days. And it probably won’t hardly matter what I do to break through the set-point.
Then again, maybe I’ll blow right past it.
Maybe it will be like what happens when you blaze a trail through the wilderness. The first time through, the going is really tough. You have to break through all kinds of barriers. The second time, the way is considerably easier since the serious barriers have already been broken down. But there may be newer, smaller barriers to break through, as the path has been overgrown through neglect.
I’ll just have to wait an see.
Meanwhile, I can still celebrate this bigger victory. Woohoo! 1 more pound gone! (I’m not feeling lighter yet, but the scale coupled with celebration cheer me up!)
