Each day I am planning on waking up and recording my weight and blood pressure and at some point in the morning I will take a photo from the belly up and a profile photo.
Today I was excited to get started but I have to say that I was a little nervous about what I was about to embark upon (again).
History: For those who don't know, I did this personal challenge last year around the same time. Last year I had quite the lazy winter (no exercise, knee surgery kept me on the couch most of the time, lots of eating, etc) and I started feeling like crap. I was getting headaches regularly, my blood pressure was very high and after every meal my stomach just felt full and bloated. Something prompted me to go to my doctor for a physical and the first thing he did was put me on the scale and it read 200 pounds! I laughed and told him that his scale was off by about 10 pounds. I had been weighing myself regularly and the most I ever weighed at home was 190. He laughed back and proceeded to go into detail about how his professionally calibrated scale was NOT off. The rest of the visit went the same way - me challenging the quality of his blood pressure monitoring equipment - followed by detailed explanations. Etc, etc. After my denial phase, I finally realized that something needed to change. Guess what he suggested? That's right - diet and exercise! Two words that, until then, had never been part of my vocabulary.
Knowing myself better than my doctor, I immediately knew that I would most certainly not conform to the "normal" weight loss diet or the typical gym goers regular exercise routines. Faced with this dilemma I asked myself a very important question: How can I lose weight and get healthy without traditional dieting or exercise and have fun and adventure in the process? I knew that if I could somehow link a weight loss program to having fun and adventure then there was a chance I could make it work.
The answer. . . Survivor.
Anyone who watches the popular reality show on CBS, Survivor, know that the contestants who come onto the show and survive to the end (40 days) usually end up weighing and looking like a fraction of their original self. This is because they are forced back to their primal roots and must learn to find their own food. They are usually provided with a ration of rice and beans as well as a water supply at the start. Occasionally there is a food reward challenge and they are treated to something prepared. I have also incorporated a form of this reward into my challenge (my official guidelines have a more detailed description of this).
I have applied to be on Survivor two separate times but was never selected. I not only applied because of the prize for winning but more so for the adventure and excitement of such an incredible life experience. So if I wasn't going to be part of Survivor - the show, I would make it part of me (kind of).
For 40 days I will live off the land. I will pick, gather, hunt, collect, dig, and catch whatever I can find to eat. I will give myself a ration of rice and beans at the beginning as well as an unlimited supply water. Occasionally I will reward myself but I will stick to it to the best of my ability.
Here we go.
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
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