Jetting Up ... Or Is It Jetting Down?

This post actually begins almost 50 years ago. My small group of friends decided that we would all get the same logo t-shirt and have a nickname printed on back. Although I strongly campaigned for black Bad Company shirts and informally calling ourselves Bad Company, we opted for Elton John Captain Fantastic shirts. They were a heather blue color, and looked kind of like this:

Well, that was the front. What to put on the back? One guy had Spud, another had Snatch, one had The Pepperoni Kid, and another had, I think, Spider. What to put on mine? I didn't really ever have a nickname that stuck. I opted for Jet. Why Jet? I'm sure the Wings song by that name was part of the reason. The main reason, however, was a self-perception of how I functioned. Like a Jet, it took a lot of energy to get me started and "in the air" about something, but once I got going, like a jet airplane, I was almost impossible to stop short of a major crash.

Why do I share this story? Well, my clinical psychology background always had me interested in how people functioned and why, and what motivated them. My last blog post talked about the weight loss regimen that I was on. Over the years as my weight went up, I did little about it. I paid the price, having a mild heart attack almost 14 years ago. Afterward, I was involved in a cardiac rehab program at a local health center and lost some weight. My short term goal is to dip below that weight. Today marks four months since I began this self challenge. The result has been the loss of 38 pounds. Along with radically changing my diet, I also have been getting in much more walking each day. I am really pretty damn proud of myself.

But let's step back a minute. What finally motivated "Jet" to get off his butt and finally do something about the weight? It was a unique combination of many things and many people. Some poker people get some kudos here. Tony Bigcharles made a comment upon not seeing me for a long period of time. "I see your belly has gotten bigger. So has mine and another friend." Ouch. It wasn't said in a bad way, but it was one of many things that got me thinking. Old online poker friends and former bloggers Very Josie and The Crafty Southpaw (Gary) both lost weight to improve their health. Jeez, I thought, if they can do it, why can't I?

A friend from my local trivia group is really into healthy foods and really got me seriously thinking about this a year ago. Over the past year, I've seen several friends and former classmates that passed away. I thought that if I wanted to have some more good years, I'd better do something before it was too late. When I visited Tony in Texas and vlogged about it, I was shocked at how terrible I looked. A guy from X named Michael sent me a private message and was pretty blunt about how I looked and what I should do. He was right. And finally, what perhaps really got me to take action, was something my doctor wrote in my file. It was a shock many years ago to see that I had an official diagnosis of obesity, among other things. My Arizona primary care physician, whom I really like, wrote that I was "morbidly obese." I thought that description was for guys who were around 300 or 400 or more pounds. But yeah -- I was way beyond a little overweight. Now I was pissed. The Jet had been fueled up. It was time to head down the runway.

Over the past few weeks, I have lightened up my strict eating habits a little. I actually had a slice of pizza a week ago. Last night, after a long poker/gambling session at Talking Stick, I stopped at Whataburger and had my first fast food hamburger since I started my diet. I've actually allowed myself a bit of chocolate. But I weigh myself each morning, which continues to motivate me. I recently had to buy some new shorts, jeans, and shirts because my old clothes are now huge and don't fit me. That is a nice problem to have. I know that I look better and feel better. And I will keep this going until I am where I want to be.

So ... this is what I have been concentrating on the past four months. Cruising altitude: slightly less than six feet.

Thanks for reading!