This is the second installment in the series Weight Loss Success

Blogger, D.L. Zarkowsky, writes about his weight loss success story and his journey to lose 85 pounds.  

Although fortunate my ex-wife and I pursued a collaborative divorce, focused on our kids’ best interests, the decision to separate in December 2013 provided the catalyst to concretize my ultimate concern (see previous article for explanation).

VANITY.

I sincerely wished (and still do) that my ex-wife would find the right man to fulfill her happiness. Would he be a doctor, lawyer, professor, professions which are not viable options for my future?
If it makes her happy, I hope so.  HOWEVER, I vowed on December 5, 2013 that she would NOT find someone who looked better than me.

Vanity, a deadly sin.

(photo ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair)

Vanity, ultimate concern that started the process of re-engineering my life!

With God’s merciful hand guiding my health, NOTHING, no one, not myself, NO ONE would impede me from looking my best. NO ONE.
Friends, family, work: can you imagine anything completely in your control, under your ultimate command?
For me, I awoke to realize my reality: looking my best was the only aspect of my existence, at the time, that I could completely, universally control.

Eventually, my ultimate concern shifted, adjusted, moved from vanity and being able to control my destiny to confidence and the pursuit of happiness. As the Dali Lama profoundly states, “(the goal of existence) is the pursuit of happiness and avoidance of suffering.” My rhetorical question for you: is fitness the pursuit of happiness and the avoidance of suffering? Does looking and feeling your best, infused with energy and confidence, help in the pursuit of happiness and avoidance of suffering?

Equipped with your ultimate concern, you are now ready to begin.

My significant weight loss began with shrinking my stomach’s size. The shrinking required for portion control can come from one of four means: surgery, drugs/medication, mental training, or traumatic event. All of the aforementioned means decrease your stomach’s capacity for food.

For me, the emotions associated with divorce after seventeen years of marriage were traumatic enough to cause me to drastically decrease the amount I ate over the course of several days. With the initial torrent of divorce emotions momentarily at bay, I now combined EATING LESS with step three, EATING RIGHT.

What does eating right entail?
When did I begin my exercise regimen?
What did I do, how often, did I set goals, take classes, how did I do it?

Well, you need to wait until NEXT MONTH (unless, of course, you post responses, contact me directly, or want to start a discussion).

Until then, here is my breakfast of champions which I consume every morning:
Bob’s Organic Scottish Oatmeal
Two pinches of raw organic almonds
Two pinches of organic Semi-Sweet chocolate chips
Organic fruit (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes: one or more of the following)
Dash of unsweetened almond or cashew milk (optional)

Take it easy, but TAKE IT!

-DL

D.L. Zarkowsky is a writer, amateur philosopher, and fitness enthusiast based in Rochester, NY. Born, bred, and raised in the country’s premiere baseball town of St. Louis, MO, his passion for deep thought was ignited at The University of Chicago. He has lost 85 pounds and maintained the weight loss for more than two years.