Determined To Succeed

Sorry this was so late today but I was in a quandry.

I’m going to sound like an old fogie (is that even how it’s spelled?) but I don’t know how to relate to kids these days. Well, I do and I don’t. Last week you heard me talking about a website and technology conference I attended in New York and, while there, I got a wonderful idea to try to help kids who might have weight loss issues through information and resources on my website.

However, the more I delved into the “what” of it all (like what kind of content to have, etc.) I realized I don’t exactly know how to reach kids these days. When I was a fat kid it was the late 70s/early 80s. There were no such things as the following:

• Cell Phones (which kids seem to have younger and younger these days so no texting, mobile internet, etc.)
• iPods (hell, I thought I was king of the world with my first Sony Walkman personal radio)
• Personal Computers (I had a small electronic typewriter that got me through school – a typewriter!)
• Internet (and with it the extension of ways to get and absorb news and information)
• E-Mail (back then we actually wrote letters to each other and sent them in the mail, or snail mail as it’s called today, or passed notes)
• Cable TV (there wasn’t even a fourth Fox network back then. Just independent TV stations and the big three – CBS, NBC and ABC)
• Facebook and Twitter (progress back then was called a “party line,” expensive phone calls people could make to join 20 others to chat on the phone hosted by someone whose only job it was to keep you talking to get you to pay more per minute)

Amazing, isn’t it? Over the last 25-30 years technology has really improved. However, it has made the job of reaching people, especially kids, such a hard thing to do. The only way I can describe it is as practicing “lucky science.” Science because you have to do it so surgically since you can’t reach really large numbers of people using very few media anymore, and lucky because you never know what will resonate with people and take off like wild fire (as Twitter has the power to put information all over the world in a matter of minutes).

So how do I reach kids these days and let them know my simple story? That I was once a chubby kid, who was made fun of in school, and who had the same social problems they do these days because I was obese? How do I let them know I know how they feel when you can’t find age-appropriate clothes that fit, or have to find clothes less attractive or popular because they just aren’t in your size? How do I let kids know it’s normal to feel sad and depressed because you’re made fun of and are different, but also let them know it’s OK to talk about it and try to do something about it?

Jeez! I do sound like an old fogie FER SURE! LIKE TOTALLY! I sound like I’m waving my cane at some hot-rodders burning rubber down the street yelling at them as I wave my cane calling them “young whippersnappers.” But I’m not old (at least not yet) and I do very much remember what it’s like to be the fat kid. Plain and simple – it hurts. It hurts and at a time that is really solidifying who you’re going to become as an adult there are these pressures from family (in some cases), society-at-large, media (particularly fashion magazines geared towards teens) and friends to be this perfect being. And sometimes we are just not and we do not need anyone pointing out our flaws!

I guess it would be simple enough to tell kids this. In fact, it might make it easier for them to believe me when I tell them my personal fat kid story. I just know that America does have a childhood obesity epidemic on its hands, driven by lack of food education, support and economics. Well, I am going to do my best to help in any way I can. Not because I am saying all kids need to be thin or anything. But because it is all about health. Things like asthma and breathing problems (which I’ve had). High blood pressure (which I’ve had). And you could go on with juvenile diabetes, joint pain, etc. That is why I want to reach out. Because if I could go back in time and talk to me I would tell me it’s OK and to not eat so much McDonalds or ribs or fried foods. I’d also tell me the dangers of eating that much and how much I weighed at my heaviest and what problems it caused me. I’d tell me I understand what it’s like not having money to buy better foods and not have the proper resources to prepare them. I’d offer to help.

This is a crazy, mixed up and fast-paced world in which we live these days. But no matter what, kids need our help. And no matter how we reach them and tackle this problem of childhood obesity, we are helping them to become the same old fogies we are today. And I’d rather be an old fogie waving my cane around at young hot-rodders than dead in my 40s from a heart attack brought on by obesity.

You guys remember Joan Rivers? Before she started doing those abysmal, tragically bad red carpet “interviews” and looking like the Joker in the Batman movies she used to be a half-way decent stand-up comedienne. I remember her bits from the early-to-mid-80s and one of her signature lines was: “can we talk here?” It didn’t matter about what she would talk after delivering that line, it was simply the tag line itself that made you feel a part of the in-crowd and in on the joke – the way a good joke should be. You were her friend and she was talking to you.

Over the past few days my weight has crept back up into the 238’s and it’s kind of bumming me out. I know I will re-lose the weight, it’s just that I want to re-reach 225lbs so bad I can – wait for it – taste it (hell, at least I keep my sense of humor about it all). And being in the 238’s I can feel my clothes get that-much tighter which only means I need to get that-much more diligent both in the gym and with eating.

With the weekend gone I did far better yesterday than Friday through Sunday. I had fruit, cheese and coffee for breakfast, a small helping of chicken for lunch and a sandwich for dinner. I also worked out yesterday, choosing to do more cardio to get myself back into the routine of exercise. And, my friends, today will be no different. I am back on track and I feel it thanks to a couple of wonderful reminders – the clementine oranges I love so much and springtime daffodils.

I can hear you guys now. “What the heck is he smoking? Daffodils and oranges? Jeez. This weight loss thing has really affected his brain today.” Well, while I cannot attest to how much of my brain is actually used on a daily basis (I was quite the under-achiever in school) I can assure you my brain has not gone the way of Julius Ceasar. At least not just yet. Let me explain…

For me, there are three reasons why clementine oranges are the perfect snack. One, the easy-to-peel and wonderfully sweet orange provides you with something on which to chew especially when you want that sensation of really munching on something (as opposed to yogurt). Two, it’s full of wonderful juice which quenches thirst and provides something sweet to “drink” especially when they are chilled in the fridge. Three, it’s seedless and portable, so you can take it anywhere and not worry about eating it. Just peel one and pop it into your mouth. We do that with candy bars so why not fruit?

Daffodils herald springtime. They are a beautiful and fragrant flowers and these small flowers are sometimes called in French “tete-a-tete” daffodils, or “head-to-head” daffodils. Why? Because if you look at them, I mean really look at them, they look like they are having a conversation, one leaning over to the other asking “can we talk here?”

I feel that way when I sit to write this weight loss blog. I feel like I’m talking with you. Talking with you guys is absolutely wonderful and what I need on some days to keep myself motivated on this weight loss journey. And you have no idea how much our talks help me to get back on track, reminding me to eat those delicious clementines and make the decisions to put down the bad snacks and embrace the good ones (this time, I will NOT make a “Star Wars” light side/dark side of the Force reference. Well, THIS TIME anyway).

Even if you think I’m loopy you’ve all heard the expression “taking time to smell the roses,” right? Well, today, take the time and smell some of the spring flowers blooming right about now. They, too, serve as wonderful reminders that we are all in this together, especially when we need that little extra push – that spark of positive energy – to keep us going forward when we’re bummed out about a few extra pounds here and there that we know, after a bit of time and attention, will be gone.

All along this weight loss journey I’ve had my peaks and valleys, my highs and lows and my temptations and successes. And there have been some weekends I’ve had the will power to resist such foods and some where I haven’t. Some of my weaknesses have seemed consuming at times – my “need” for snacks, Chinese food and Coca-Cola, just to name a few. But as much as I sometimes dread the weekends for this eating I look forward to Mondays to start the week anew.

I look forward this week in particular to really hitting the gym hard and taking the further advice of the personal trainer, Jorge. Which means I’m going to focus every other day weight training and alternate days doing cardio changing all of it up as I go to make sure my body doesn’t freeze on a weight because it’s used to the workout.

I look forward to this week to really get back on track with eating well. I have to admit something here. Those weaknesses I spoke about earlier…one of them is the weekend, in general. For some strange reason I am so much better with being good during the week. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s because things seem so much more regimented. Work begins at nine, ends around five, you eat dinner, watch a few shows and then the next day starts.

But the weekend comes and then somehow my mind opens the floodgates. Maybe it’s running around doing errands, hanging with friends and not being on such a schedule makes me more susceptible to, uh, the suggestion of food. Argh!! Why can’t those floodgates close? I wish I knew.

Ah well. I wrote in one of my weight loss blogs once not to spend too much time dwelling in the past. I even used one of my favorite movies ever, Disney’s “The Lion King,” to illustrate how forgiving oneself of the past and focusing on nothing but the future is the way to find the potential in us all for success. So I do look forward to getting back to the routine of the week, the routine of mind over fatter (as I call it).

It’s kind of hard to believe the year is already almost a quarter over. Can you believe it? I can’t. But I know in my heart it has been time well-spent. Learning something new each and every day on my weight loss journey. And with each and every day comes the opportunity to start anew, just like Mondays…

It will come as no surprise to anyone who reads me regularly to know I love “The Empire Strikes Back,” the second film of the “real” “Star Wars” trilogy (the prequels really don’t count and suck anyway). Anywho, in “The Empire Strikes Back” Luke Skywalker is instructed by Yoda, the wise 900-yeasr-old Jedi master, who teaches the kid a thing or two about how to use the Force. Then, when a challenge arises, Luke looks to Yoda and says simply “Unlearn what you have learned.”

I always think about that phrase when dealing with weight loss. Over the three-and-a-half years it took to lose weight and the roughly year-and-a-half I have kept it off (for the most part) I have learned many things that I have used to not only get me through but also offer as advice nuggets (like Chicken McNuggets except better and healthier for you) to those looking for ways to lose weight. But yesterday I was that young Jedi Knight trying to unlearn and put to use the pearls of wisdom imparted to me by Jorge, the personal trainer I saw a couple of weeks ago. So I went to the gym yesterday and started my workout.

Before I begin I feel compelled to say to consult a doctor or personal trainer before attempting any of the exercises I describe in this blog, as they might be strenuous and not suitable for all to do.

One of the things I’ve learned is that cardio exercises, like the elliptical or a treadmill, burn calories but also burn oxygen. However the best way to burn fat is to incorporate weight training into a routine. So I started with shoulder shrugs. Taking a heavy 50-pound dumbbells into each hand I simply shrugged, imitating the “duh, I don’t know” movement we all do from time to time. Except this time I had weight resistance working out my shoulders and back at the same time.

I then switched out to a lighter weight (ten pounds) and did lifts. Placing one knee on a workout bench and anchoring myself with the hand of the same side I took the weight in the opposite hand and lifted it so that my elbow, which is supposed to do all the lifting, came to a 90-degree angle. Then, I slowly let the weight down swinging the dumbbell in front of me like the arm of a grandfather clock. I repeated that ten times then switched sides.

Immediately following that I did the “Superman,” and exercise where the person lays on the floor, arms extended, like Superman and lifts both the front end of their body and legs which works out the back muscles. Oh God, is this difficult but I did manage ten of these before moving on to the next thing, which were lunges.

This seemingly simple exercise, where the participant takes a giant step forward with one leg and stretches out the other behind, uses your leg muscles in ways that really make you feel it, and boy did I feel it. I did twenty of these in the gym. Jorge said to extend my leg so far I could see my toes in front of me when I stepped forward. Well, doing that makes it far more difficult but that also makes it work the legs better. Ouch, but good.

In-between each different exercise I hopped onto the treadmill and did a quick our minutes just to get my heart rate up, which is what Jorge said to do. So I did. It’s not what I’m used to since most of my exercises were cardio in nature but I did it. I kept going, moving from one thing to the next – weighted leg lifts, tummy crunches, weights, push-ups and more – in rapid succession so my body didn’t have time to adjust to the routine, burning more fat (I hope) in the process.

When I was done I sat in the steamroom (my favorite activity) and thought about not just the workout but HOW I worked out. I thought about how many more muscles I used and hoped it did me well in losing more weight and burning more fat. Most of all I thought about Yoda, wondering if he would stand there looking at his Jedi trainee with satisfaction or with disappointment as he did Luke when he tried to “unlearn what he had learned.”

But then I thought of something else Yoda said that can be applied to all of us trying to lose weight, keep it off and exercise as part of a new and better lifestyle. Yoda says “do or do not. There is no try.” And so we shall, doing what we can where we can and knowing something, anything, is better than doing nothing. And that doing something brings us one step closer to those weight loss goals and to being our own personal weight loss Jedi Knights.

Have you guys ever heard the phrase “if wishes were fishes?” Throughout my adult life I’ve heard that phrase, albeit it in this abbreviated form. Now, carried through to it’s first-line conclusion – “if wishes were fishes then beggars would eat.” It’s meaning becomes more plain especially when it comes to weight loss.

As I’ve come to learn the phrase actually comes or was borrowed from the not so common used, but much more original nursery rhyme from Scotland;

If wishes were horses then beggars would ride,

If turnips were swords I’d have one by my side.

If ‘ifs’ and ‘ands’ were pots and pans

There would be no need for tinkers hands!

So why am I quoting Scottish and English proverbs so late on a Saturday morning? Because of what they mean to weight loss. Both versions suggest that it is useless to wish and better results will be achieved through action. And ain’t that the truth. Because it’s pointless to wish there’d be no weight repercussions from eating such calorie-rich food, like the foods yours truly did yesterday.

Now, to be fair, I brought this on myself. There isn’t any way on this earth I could eat what is know in the south as a cracklin’ (basically a “fresher,” if there is such a thing, version of a pork rind), pulled BBQ pork, pie and five-way chili without repercussions. But dammit! Why can’t we just wish calories and extra weight away? I’d love to be able to eat my favorite foods, or experience new ones (I have nooooo idea how many of those Food Network stars stay so thin – they must go to work then work out when the cameras shut off), without gaining weight? I’d love to be able to eat like a teenager again and not have to worry about what this piece of bread or that piece of pie would do to this flabby arm or this right thigh.

Hey, I’m a poet and didn’t know it.

So as I get such a late start to this Saturday I am going to step out of the land of make believe and not ”wish like fish,” even though I did come up with my own version:

While it is fun to wish sometimes, Samuel L. Jackson says it best in “Pulp Fiction,” “That s–t ain’t the truth.” Weight loss is a constant thing we do and have to keep doing. We simply can’t wish extra pounds away. If we could do that we’d all be thin and have the perfect bodies we all want. We’d all not have to rely on will power, counting calories, portion control and exercise to keep weight off. We’d just wish it away into some other time and place leaving ourselves free of the after-effects of such a bad food journey.

But today (sigh) I will forgive myself the extra pounds from this weekend (and the subsequent food hangover that usually accompanies it) and I will (WILL) get back to being “this/close” to fighting the weight loss “Battle of the Final Ten.” I will, I tell you, because I’d rather have the rewards of hard work and determination than fish any day.

Welcome to another Friday and another weekend filled with breaks in the routines of life.

Regular readers know I always worry about the weekends. For some reason I think having just more free time or being out and about makes me feel far more vulnerable to snacking and general bad eating. I do my best to keep in mind that weekends are just other days of the week and that I can control myself just as well. But sometimes that’s crap. When I’m out and about – at the mall especially – I just get cravings that seem uncontrollable.

Oh man, do I ever get the urge to visit Auntie Anne’s and get one of her delicious pretzels with gooey dips. Or at the food court, I could sample the foods of the continents. Who am I kidding? Sbarro, Panda Express and Subway are tempting, albeit mediocre, offerings but ones that I am oh-so-close to having when I’m there.

Or even driving down the street I pass my faves on the gauntlet – the Colornel, the Clown, The King and the Red-Haired Girl.  I feel myself drooling at the thought of a big-ass greasy burger, fries and 98-ounce Coca-Colas.

Sigh. Ok. Deep breath. I am within a hair’s breath of the battle of the final ten, the last ten pounds so I can’t be thinking about all that food stuff. I can’t. I have been asked so many times if I ever stumble on my weight loss journey. If I ever get tempted by foods and if I make mistakes and eat them and the answer is a resounding YES. Of course I do. As I say on my podcasts, I am human and I make mistakes on my own weight loss journey. But I make decisions every single day to be healthier and NOT have this or NOT have that so that I can inch ever-so-closer to re-reaching my 225-lb. goal.

So this morning, as I down my cup of coffee, I take another deep breath and head into the work of the weekend with my goal in sight. And that is such an awesome feeling. I head into this weekend tempted but strong. We are all in this together, and believe me when I tell you guys I am in it, too…

…the same temptations. The same stumbling blocks. The same pounds to lose. I DO know how you guys feel because on days like today I feel EXACTLY the same way.

It always feels good to know there are others out there like you. It could be that you’re a certain height. Or have weight issues. Or like Kermit the Frog green. It doesn’t matter. We all want to feel connected and we all hate the feeling of being alone. Which is part of why yesterday’s 6ABC webchat about weight loss was so cool. It allowed three of us to tell the world-at-large “you are not alone.”

Here’s a short who’s-who of the other wonderful people I met yesterday. Tim, a businessman who flies often, used to top 500 pounds. Asa was 200 pounds. Asa and Tim (and yours truly) lost weight (Tim, over 250 pounds and Asa, 60) the time-tested way – by eating less and exercising more. (For more on our story you can watch the ABC Action News piece on the right side of this very page. Just click play)

As I sat yesterday answering questions and downed the sweet nectar that was my Dunkin’ Donuts coffee I knew I wanted to put fingers-to-keyboard and make today’s blog all about questions and answers. It’s also about not feeling so alone out there in the real world of weight loss challenges. Yesterday, I described the story I’d heard about a young man going through his own weight battles and challenges whose only 12-years-old.  His story touched my heart because I could totally relate to his personal experiences both in feeling fat but also suffering the barbs of other kids point that out on a constant basis.  But as we “fat kids” grow up some of us, like me, get worse and are always looking for answers and a sense of connection. Today (and every day) I hope to provide both.

It’s not often I get to take questions in real-time about weight loss. Usually I receive e-mails asking me the “hows,” whens,”and “whats” of weight loss but not in the fast and furious world of live TV or a live audience. Below are some of the questions we received yesterday and the answers we gave. I do hope they help.

As you guys know I am in New York attending a conference on all things website. I won’t bore you with the same details with which I was almost bored to sleep (literally – I had to get coffee during one of the panels or it would have been snooze city) but overall it was a great day for day one and I did end up learning tons about stuff so that I could enhance my own weight loss website. That’s the only way I can put it because my brain is mush.

However, the biggest and best thing I learned yesterday didn’t come from one of the speakers. It came from a mom (I won’t say her name for fear she’d be embarrassed). I ran into her while waiting on the last session of the day to begin. While we both waited I started talking to her about what I do and it was as if her eyes lit up. She told me all about her son and how her son, who is only twelve, has already felt the acute sting of what it’s like to be a heavy child.

Even though he’s not obese, he was chubby and his friends and schoolmates constantly let him know in the ever-so-brutally-honest way that only children can. He was the object of jokes and they made him sad, hurt and, worst of all, alone. I so remember what it was like being an obese kid. Even though I should have fit into clothes designated for kids my age I had to get the next size or two up from that just to find stuff that fit. My “friends” made fun of my stomach and my lack of physical ability because of it. I was called “fatty,” “Buffalo Bill” (that was a popular one), “Big Bill…” You name it. And I used to go home and cry about it…then eat to try to get rid of the pain.

I know exactly what this kid is going through because I went through it myself being an overweight child. Then, as I grew into adulthood it went from bad to worse. The brutal honesty of children gave way to the absolute meanness of high schoolers. Man, they were merciless, especially at a time when I was becoming a young adult, trying to attract girls and trying to maintain what little I had left of a positive body image. That is how my sense of humor became so honed. I needed it in both grammar and high schools just to deflect that pain away from me – even if it meant being the butt of my own jokes about myself. Laughter was the only way I could hide that pain. And believe me there was a lot of pain.

As an adult the insults became less but only because adults (well, most adults) learn to mask insults. But nothing, absolutely nothing, can take the look out of someone’s eyes. You can tell what a person is thinking just by looking at them. Like when I boarded a plane…or entered a restaurant.

When I heard this mom’s story all I wanted to do was tell her son it’s OK and that he is absolutely not (I repeat NOT) alone, which is why I, thanks to her son’s story and my newly-found knowledge from yesterdays brain-scrambler series of talks and seminars, am going to devote an upcoming portion of my website to children and weight loss. I know now there are so many of us “fat kids” out there who need a place to go to know they are safe. That’s all, safe. Safe from the barbs and stings of words that cut like swords. Safe from even being made fun of because they’re crying. I used to do that, too. But no more. Thanks in part to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative childhood obesity is getting the attention it deserves, shining a light on a problem that’s been festering for decades.

This mom told me that her son has worked hard to get his own extra weight off, which he has done, but that he still says “Mom, I’m fat” when he slips or has a bad eating day (sound familiar?). But help is on the way, kid. Help is on the way. Just know there are many of us out there who has not just survived being pre-teens and teenagers, a feat in-and-of itself. We also have taken the weight off to become healthier and happier people armed with a new way of living so we never see those pounds again.

You can do it, kid. As much as I have faith the adults reading this blog will reach their weight loss goal weights, I have faith in you, too. So keep watching this site. Because through it all, us adults and you kids alike, will get to our weight loss goals. We absolutely will and we will do it together.

Happy Tuesday, everybody. I have to say I’m feeling far more Zen today and am much better about all things food. Yesterday I was all down because Sunday I had an order of egg foo young which drove up my weight by a pound. And you know how long it can take re-losing a pound vs. how easy it is adding it on. Today I feel better because – well – I just do. That order of Chinese, and the subsequent pound I gained, reminded me to relax a bit and take things in stride. The pound I gained was going to happen and I knew I would get back on track to lose it – which I did.

How did I start? I simply started by making a pledge to myself I was going to be better about eating yesterday. Then, like TV stations used to, I signed on and started my food broadcast day. For breakfast I had my cup of Kashi Cereal (I really love that stuff) and skim milk. Then, for a snack, I had a yogurt and cheese stick. For lunch I had a baked chicken Lean Cuisine. Then for an afternoon snack I had another yogurt and a Clementine orange. Finally, for dinner, I had spaghetti and meat sauce. Not only did I eat much better I felt better about myself, too.

Today is going to be a bit of a challenge, though. I will be in New York City attending a conference for the next few days. And what does that mean? Having to be extra careful and diligent about what I eat and how much of it I eat. The last time I was there I found a damned-delicious Halal cart where I went for a huge lunch of lamb meat and chicken with rice, lettuce and tomato. I also had them put on the Tzatziki Yogurt sauce as well as a bit of (the hottest) hot sauce for the chicken. It was amazing and very cheap. It wasn’t the healthiest thing I could have had and I need to make sure, while there, I do my best not to partake in that fried deliciousness too much.

I am so glad I packed my ever-trusty clementine oranges to snack on. I will so need them and my memory of that egg foo yuck, especially as the smells from the Halal cart waft their way to my nostrils and program my brain to want more…

Damned evil Chinese food!!!!

OK, I had been doing great all weekend. You heard me recount over the past few days what I’ve eaten and, with very few exceptions, had been doing OK. That is until I had egg foo young last night. I figured it was my reward for eating so well, particularly the past few days with the personal trainer dude. So, since I had been good and exercised (I lots of cardio yesterday), I could indulge in what the egg rolls the other day couldn’t sate – my taste for a Chinese food dinner. Man, did I turn out to be wrong.

For the record, I was fairly good with the meal. I usually go for a main entree, egg rolls and maybe fried rice of some type. But yesterday was different. I was trying to be good so I just had an order of egg foo young. I didn’t even have my customary Coke with it (I had diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale instead). So I plopped down and watched one of my favorite action movies, “Kill Bill: Volume One” (or as I like to joke “Kill Me: Volume One”) and enjoyed my fried eggy goodness.

Again, I say, damn! I always try so hard to be good and eat what I should. And I get so freaking frustrated that I seem to work so hard for several days, even a week, to lose just a pound or so just to have it come back after one meal the very next day. What the $#%& is that?! I wish it were the other way around – we could lose seven or so pounds a week and eat something and just gain back a half-pound or so. Grrrrrr.

Today is a rainy, dreary Monday here in New Jersey. While some states, like my home state of Illinois, had snow and colder temps, today is the perfect day here to work out – and work off that blasted egg foo yuck. And there will be no reason NOT to work out. It is on today’s TO DO list, along with the other things I’m going to try to accomplish. One thing is for certain, though. I am sooooo going back to following my new and improved meal plan. It seemed to work. That and combining weight training and resistance with cardio should bring that pound off.

I can’t tell you how glad I am to actually have a plan for this. It used to be I’d gain weight and not know WHY the things I did were bad and HOW I was going to deal with it. Thanks to this entire weight loss journey I know I am prepared for taking that extra pound off and all the other extra pounds I want to re-lose, as well. It is very much one day at a time and one pound at a time. Each pound down being a reward and that to me makes me know I will do this.

That is why I know we can all do this. It may feel like an impossible battle most days but it’s not. Having egg foo young for dinner and gaining a pound is just a stumbling block. Nothing more. Just like a cookie, pint of ice-cream, slice of cake, pasta dinner, etc., are stumbling blocks. Now, it’s time to pick ourselves up from the weekend. Dust ourselves off and keep on moving forward. Failure is only permanent if we let it be – and I’ll be damned if I let this pound I gained back become permanent.