Random Drops of Awesomeness

TheAncientMariner is one of MyFitnessPal's fantastic members. He's motivated, has a positive attitude, and is an excellent addition to anyone's friend list. Today we've done an interview, just for the sake of doing something different with a blog (that would also be worthwhile!)

For the purposes of this blog interview, pretend that we are sitting on comfortable chairs in a coffeehouse and each of us have our favorite drink. I'll take a soy mocha, please.

So, first off, let's start with the name: Why did you choose it for your MFP handle? 

Sir Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote my favorite poem "The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere" back in 1797. My name used to be Saffmeister, which was simply a play off of my last name, but I read the poem again and changed it to TheAncientMariner. At 32 years old, I'm far from Ancient, but I like that the poem deals with the mariner having an albatross, that he killed, hung around his neck. I equated that with the fat I'm trying to lose around my gut. At the end of the poem, the mariner is cursed to tell the tale of his deed for as long as he lives. That is why I constantly strive to motivate and push others so that they don't repeat my mistakes!

You've lost almost half the weight that your ticker shows as your goal, which is a tremendous success. What do you credit to this success? Give an example of something that inspired you to keep going.

I have been stuck at that weight for quite some time now. I have changed things and dabbled here and there, but I remained consistent with the exercise. So while my weight has majorly plateaued, my body has not. I have become more defined, toned, and have lost inches. There is still much work to be done, but overall I'm trending upwards. What keeps me motivated is not focusing on a goal. I don't focus on losing 60lbs, but rather focus on getting healthier so that I can play harder. This has made my journey honest and keeps me from suffering from the pitfalls of others, like having a cow over eating 1 donut (OMG LOL I'm gonna gain 8 pounds, Herp Derp)!

Everyone has that moment that feels like rock bottom, before they give themselves a swift kick in the rear to get moving. What was yours?

I just recently realized exactly how influential I was to all of my MFP buddies. I deleted a bunch of people that I shouldn't have, and a few I rarely heard from asked why. Then I realized that it's not about me. It's about influencing others whether they respond to you or not. I regret having deleted many of those friends who never returned, but it was a hard lesson learned and a mistake that I will not repeat again. My fuel is my friends. Even if the smallest bit of advice reaches someone, it's not for me to to know or not know as long as it has helped them. It keeps egos in check and keeps my heart honest.

I know that you've got a family and you've listed them as being inspirations. Do you involve them in your quest for health? Give us a picture of what it's like to be a dad and husband working to get more healthy.

When I first started this journey, I was ABSOLUTELY alone. There was no support except for MFP for reasons I'm not at liberty to discuss here. However, as time passed I started getting healthier, I started accepting challenges, I ran almost everyday and did 5ks regularly. Eventually, my wife jumped on board and the children were not given the option: They had to exercise if Mom and Dad were gonna be doing it. So now, the kids ride bikes for at least 30 minutes a day. My wife strength trains 3x a week and rides her bike 3x per week. We actually have energy to get out and do things. The only issue is that my oldest daughter is 10 and complains sometimes because she can't play her video games or watch TV and when we make her get out --it's an inconvenience to her. Sorry for those who believe that their snowflakes are the center of the universe but my answer to all of that is "Like I care, lol!" You're gonna move your ass like the rest of us!

You've got a time machine and plenty of fuel to get you anywhere in your past that you want, to visit yourself (don't worry, you'll still be born)-- Which earlier YOU would you visit, and what would you tell him?

I would visit myself right before starting high school and tell myself that you are handsome, funny, and smarter than you think you are. I would tell myself to get self-confident and stop putting girls on impossible pedestals because they are just as confused as you. I would tell myself to not allow anger to harden my heart and that material things don't make the man. Lastly, I would have told myself to run and actually exercise and you will be amazed at how your life turns around for you!

What's the first thing you're going to do, besides cheer, when that day comes where you weigh in at your goal weight?

Because of strength training, I fear I have too much muscle to actually get there. So I'll tell you like this: When I see the man in the mirror that I am inside, manifest FULLY outside, I'm going to go for a run AND a bike ride completely shirtless. When I'm able to do that confidently, then I know that I have most definitely arrived!

No matter the mistake, no matter the setback, no matter the risk, always love yourself. It's okay to put yourself first, but don't put someone else first at the expense of who you are and your journey. If you only focus on the end, you will miss the fluid beauty of the fight everyday! Every morning it's like watching Muhammad Ali in the ring: Strong, fluid, graceful! That person is YOU! You just have to believe it. If ever you don't believe in yourself, then believe in me who believes in you! Your drill WILL pierce the heavens! Gurren Lagann!

Thanks for watching. Hope you enjoyed the show. Now we'll go ahead and finish these coffees...

You've lost the weight before, here and there. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. You've spent countless times telling people how you succeeded and how it was different that time. You were happy and proud. You might've even had your ego grow as if you had become an expert in health, in fitness, in weight loss.

Then you gained it back.

 Then you did it again, all of the same practices above, forgetting that you'd already said it all before, or hoping they didn't remember. Or hoping they'll believe in you this time, so that you could believe in yourself a little more.

Then you gained it back.

And, yes, you did it all again. How many times? Each time, it got harder to believe in yourself. You stopped talking to others about the effort as much. You figured they probably didn't believe in you anyway, because you proved them right last time by gaining it back. You imagine thoughts like "oh there he goes again" rattling around in their heads as they smile at you. 

You wondered if you would ever really do it. Not just lose the weight, but lose it and keep it all off. If you would do this in a healthy way. If you would be able to enjoy health. You wondered if anyone would ever really believe in you again. If their words now were heartfelt or just hopeful.

Do you feel this way?

When you think they no longer believe in you, then...

Believe in yourself.

No matter how many times you yo-yo'ed. No matter how many countless times you told others what you had done as if you were invincible. None of it really matters. What they think of your chance for success should not define whether you succeed in losing the weight and keeping it off. Only what you think matters that much, because it's not their thoughts that can break you. 

The people who achieve their goals with lasting success really are the ones who kept believing in themselves instead of tallying the number of failures they had before they got it right.

Believing in yourself doesn't mean you have to think of yourself as invincible. It doesn't mean you have to consider success a sure-fire thing that will happen no matter what. Overconfidence sometimes leads to complacency. We start thinking "oh I've been doing really good, I can take a week off from counting calories" (or whatever your methods are) and then we get a little derailed. Then that little bit of falling off track gets practiced and we're back where we started.

For that reason, this time around on the Not-so-merry-go-round, I am adding a little bit of humility to the mix. If believing in myself is like a tall glass of fantastically delicious lemonade on the hottest day of the year, then my humility is an ice cube. My humility reminds me: Don't get overconfident. Be mindful. Do what you can do, believe you can do it, but don't pretend you're Superman. You're human, which is a great thing, but like anyone else you have flaws. These flaws aren't a horrible thing. They make you who you are. Be mindful of the past. Remember your mistakes and learn from them.

But, yes, still you can believe in yourself. Make sure there's plenty of lemonade in that glass, not just a whole lot of ice cubes.

Step right up, step right up.

Have I got solutions for you! Pardon me as I dust off my top hat, one needs to look quite dapper while presenting products of such marvelous marvelocity and amazingnessicious. Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am.

If you're wanting to drop some pounds, here's a few things you've been missing out on:

1. Supreme-O Alien Boogers. Freshly extracted, at our ultra-secret headquarters warehouse factory at Area 51, from the alien lifeform being things directly cloned from the alien lifeform being things that crashed there way back in your granddaddy's day. This is not your substandard product that our competitors sell-- they're using 1980s alien lifeform beings with cute names that have an obsession with peanut butter-filled candies. We, good people, use QUALITY boogers. A tablespoon a day of these in your oatmeal will guar-an-tee a whopping 10 pounds lost per week, without an ounce of exercise, regardless of whatever else you will eat. Plus, it has fiber. You can have this for the rock-bottom price of 5 cents per booger. Be advised, they may be addictive.

If alien boogers just ain't your bag, good people, don't fret! Fret not! Winners you all are, I can see that as clear as rain on a cloudy day, and winners don't fret. Our next product is a sure-fire combination of magical ingredients that just MELT the pounds off.

2. Unicorn Spitballs! Oh no I didn't! Oh no, I could not possibly have said that! Yet, I did, and I say it again: Unicorn Spitballs! Tuck your hands into the rear pockets of your fine denim jeans, good people, and brace yourselves for this fantastic news: Unicorn spitballs, each one finely crafted by our ONE HUNDRED PERCENT authentic unicorns (not an ounce of Zebra in these fellers!) over a fortnight per spitball, is LOADED by a phytochemical nutrient you've never heard of. Scientists have never heard of it. Even I had never heard of it until I thought of its name just now: Unicornicopia. Yes, folks, one spitball a day and you'll have a beach body by Friday, even if today's Thursday and you're hundreds of pounds away from a beach body. Friday is the magical deadline for this to work. Only $159.99 per spitball. Cinnamon sprinkles optional!

Not quite ready for that much beauty? Would you rather avoid magical products due to some internal resistance to Unicorn saliva? Fear not. I have one last choice for you that's sure as stinky sweat on a sun-warmed cow to fix you right up and get your weight down to smack dab in the middle of your healthy weight range.

3.  Zap-O-Matic Electric Spoon! This is not for the faint of heart, ladies and gentlemen. If you've got issues with your weight, as I certainly do because I have not yet had the time to use these fine products myself (which I will certainly remedy just after this informercial by using all three simultaneously) then eating what you shouldn't is quite likely the major culptrit. eating too much junk? Zap! Eating a second serving when in all honesty your first serving was three servings? Zap! Zap-O-Matic Electric Spoon knows all, sees all, watches baseball, and is your sure-fire (winning!) weight loss buddy. Zap, I'll him Zap for short-- Zap's your go-to trainer. With Zap in hand, you'll soon be in weight loss land. So pick up your Zap-O-Matic TODAY, don't wait a moment before you take a moment to weigh in. Zap can be yours for the low, low, low, low price of $100,000 Martian nickels. No other currency is accepted, due to Zap being manufactured by our favorite little Roman-like Martian.

 For any of these fine, fine products, ladies and gentlemen, contact me today via a comment below, and you'll shortly be cruising to a new and improved YOU, without all that pesky common sense approaches like eating more healthy foods, eating less calories, and exercising. We don't go for nonsense like that, do we, folks?