Me...in da funk

…when you fall off the wagon.  It’s been 3 years since I lost my weight.  During those three years, I’ve had my ups and downs just like everyone else.  Right now, I’m in one of those down cycles…way down in one of those cycles to the point where I’m hoping I can remember my way out.

The frustrating part about this is that I know it is happening and I know exactly what I need to do to get out of it.  However, I’m not necessarily feeling very motivated to do so.

In the past, motivation has been relatively easy for me.  I have been able to do any number of things to regain the mojo: look at before pictures, put on a pair of 46 waist pants that used to fit snugly, change up my workout, change up my diet. At one point, I even started this blog.  I’m willing to do almost anything to start the ignition once again.

Recognizing you’re in one of these funks is, in my opinion, the most important step in recovering.  Realizing how you got there can give you a roadmap for getting out.  So, where did my funk start?

A bit over a year ago, my gym closed.  It was MY gym.  The gym that got me started.  Sure, it was open to anyone who wanted to go but in any conversation I had, I referred to it as “my gym.”  I was also a member at another gym closer to my house so I transition to the closer gym.  In doing so, I lost my workout partner and the feeling of “home”.  Those are two tough losses!

After my contract with the second gym expired, I moved to a third gym.  I had no emotional attachment to the other gym and, quite frankly, some of the “umph” had been taken out of my workouts.  It was near the end of last year when the vortex of the spiral started forming.

I like the new gym…I really do.  It is small but has all of the equipment I need.  It’s open 24 hours and there is no contract.  I can quit at any time should I choose to do so. 

Now let’s move onto the diet part.  Things really started to go downhill about a month ago when we were forced to move into a hotel after we had some water damage to our house.  There was warped subflooring in both bathrooms and our kitchen as well as some mold.  They had to rip it all out so we had to get out. 

I love hotels.  I have no idea why…I just do.  However, a month in a hotel will cure you of this.  We are lucky enough to have insurance cover the stay in a room with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen.  Even with the kitchen, we still have to eat out a lot since we are quite far away from our house where both kids go to school and both kids have after school activities.  This means eating out a lot.

Not only that, but the hotel also gives a full, hot breakfast buffet every morning with our stay.  Two years ago, I would’ve gone for the fruit and yogurt.  Not now, though.  It seems that with the motivation went the willpower. 

I see it and I recognize it for what it is.  So what’s missing here?  I used to read everything I could get my hands on about fitness, health, and weight loss.  I used to post regularly here at Dave’s Press.  I used to be able to resist the orbital pull of the simple carbs.  I used to be able to get my butt out of bed and have a great workout every morning.

I feel the old habits slowly seeping back in and it is time to take action. The same old habits that saw me at 300 pounds that I thought were gone.

I know it is ok to slip every now and then.  I’ve even intentionally done so in the past to keep my sanity but I never lost my edge.  Now, the edge that was once sharp feels chipped and dull.

Here is my plan…call it Dave’s Whet Stone Plan: Focus, Act, Restore, and Train.  Oh wait, I can just call it the F.A.R.T. plan! 

Focus: Revisit why I started this journey three years ago and develop a new goals.

Act:  Create an action plan and execute it.  what meal plans and workouts do I need to help me reach my goals?

Restore: Restore my motivation through blogging, reading, and executing the plan.

Train: Train like there’s no tomorrow.  I’m still in the hotel and can’t get to my gym everyday.  I do, however, have access to an exercise room at the hotel.  It’s there and it is waiting for me to kick its ass.

There is the F.A.R.T. plan to recovery.  Stay tuned for progress updates!