When I created this blog I was hung up on writing something different and new. Since writing, it's clear to me that there isn't much that is actually new. Someone has usually heard of, thought of, or discovered it before. Nevertheless, on occasion, a genuinely new thought or idea finds its way into my brain. It might seem small, but it was profound to me. Nobody told it to me, therefore I discovered it! And I realize that others have discovered this too, but when it came, it was an "aha" moment.
The secret to getting lean is the same as the secret to getting fat. The End.
Special Features
I realize that was a crummy ending. So I am adding this special feature to explain.
When Kristen got pregnant in 2009 with Aubrie, she was fairly miserable as women building babies can be. The one thing she looked forward to most was sitting together on the love seat at the end of the day, eating a giant bowl of ice cream and watching The Mentalist. Kristen loads a bowl of ice cream with 2-3 cups of fat and sugar, depending on the flavor. I estimate a solid 700 calories. I love my wife, so I made it a priority, a ritual. Every night I ate as much ice cream as I could, and licked my bowl clean so she wouldn't feel so fat. Night after night, we grew closer together as our waistlines expanded and our love handles touched.
When the Aubrie arrived, Kristen metabolized her extra pounds beautifully. I was lucky to witness another miracle of childbirth. Her extra fat defied gravity and levitated boob-ward. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
I, on the other hand, did a little soul searching, a little belly slapping, and decided it was time to find a good home for my "food baby." My transformation began. It was only after I got results that I had my grand "aha".
The way we get lean or fat is the same. It's not as much self discipline or lack of. It's HABIT! Just like my sweet dairy and Mentalist habit became second nature, prepping my meals and eating every few hours, became second nature, a formed habit. Hammering the weights, at the same time every day, was the same. And about the time it becomes a habit, (a month or so). The body begins to change. You can't see it at first, with either habit. Progress is incremental, but ever so slowly, it yields the results you would expect. Incremental gains of the jiggly or the rock solid kind are hard to spot at first. None of it comes quickly, but everything accumulates.
And when our habits are truly formed, it requires very little self discipline. It's just a ritual, the routine.
The key is to stick with it long enough to form the habit. Then continue long enough to get the results you want.