WLW: Here's What You Do
by Scott Hardie on December 13, 2007

No kooky doctor stories this week, as I've been left to my own care, or should I say, the care of everyone around me. I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I'm sincerely glad that people care about me enough to offer advice. It's just, there's a LOT of advice, from all directions, at the drop of a hat, and much of it conflicts with other advice. Like soda: It's the hardest comfort food for me to give up, so some people say I should use it to get through the weight loss in general whenever I crave it, while others say I should instead drink tea or coffee (yuck), and others say drink eight glasses a day of water and your cravings will go away. It's what I call the "here's what you do" syndrome, because that's how people tend to introduce tips when you tell them you're trying to lose weight. But it's like tips for curing hiccups or getting a song unstuck in your head: What works for you doesn't necessarily work for me.
The truth is, I don't want the advice to stop. It's a form of encouragement, and one of the best things about this has been the wave of encouragement that I've received from friends, family, co-workers, and you folks reading this now. I didn't expect it, and it's meant a lot to me to have so many people rooting for me. At this rate I could probably divvy up the weight and say, "the next 10 pounds I lose are for [this person]." Thanks, everybody.
I'm waiting until after Kelly's holiday visit to start on a regimented meal plan, either NutriSystem or MediFast. (What company puts "fast" in the name of their product for fat people?) In the meantime, I've made best-guess adjustments to my habits, like eating crackers or fruit throughout the day and a smaller dinner. It didn't really feel that different until yesterday, when a great midday conversation at work turned into an unplanned lunch outing to the local pizza buffet so we could keep talking. I ate the two plates and salad that I normally would have eaten, and it hurt afterwards like it hadn't before, feeling swollen and stuffed when I used to feel fine. Since I have yet to notice any change in my waistline, I'll take any sign of improvement I can get.
Four Replies to WLW: Here's What You Do
Anna Gregoline | December 13, 2007
I hate to write anything here cause it will sound like I'm giving advice!
I don't know if you remember, but I am allergic to "dark" cola. Pepsi, Coca-cola, RC, etc. It's the coloring they put into it (I'm also allergic to some candy because of it). So in high school, when I found this out, I stopped drinking cola. (I drank Sprite for quite a while afterwards, but not anymore). After about 6 months of not having it, I tried to drink some cause I desperately wanted it - and it didn't taste good anymore. It was SO super sweet and awful. So the point I was trying to make is parallel to what you were finding out - change your habits, and often YOU change. You already felt a difference in how your stomach feels after eating once you'd made some small changes and that's encouraging! It means to me that your body can adapt to whatever you want it to adapt to. And eventually, it will reject whatever you want it to reject.
You are awesome, Scott. I know you can make positive changes for your life.
Matthew Preston | December 14, 2007
[hidden by author request]
Jackie Mason | December 15, 2007
[hidden by author request]
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »

Ten Stress-Relieving Tips for Visiting Walt Disney World
I know a few people visiting the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth for the first time in 2008, and I've been there a lot, so here's what I tell them. 1) Go during the off-season: Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, or between New Years and Valentines Day. The hotels are a fraction of their normal cost, the Florida weather is dry and cool, and best of all, park attendance is at a minimum. Go »
Back in Black
Is it already the end of December? It feels like it's been three days since Thanksgiving. Between late nights at work, holiday parties, and shopping for the big day, this month has been a blur. Go »
Tom's Ball Smells Like Apple Pie
For the last four months, I've spent Tuesdays at a bowling alley playing in a just-for-fun league. Score was kept, but the mood was friendly and non-competitive, except for one of my teammates who kept competing with us instead of the other teams. :-) I struggled with it at first, partly because I thought I was signing up for a six-week league and it turned out to be a sixTEEN-week league, and partly because my skills had somehow diminished even though I'm in better shape now. Go »
Dumb Question
Why is it called "word to the wise" when you're telling someone who doesn't know? Go »
Flow Charts
Meet the marriage of rap music and Microsoft Office: (link) Why do I have the feeling Herbert Kornfeld made some of these? Thanks, Marlon. Go »
Lori Lancaster | December 13, 2007
[hidden by author request]