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Getting Past What Holds You Back with Baby Boomer Weight Loss Expert Scott 'Q' Marcus

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You are here: Home / Archives for alcoholics

Personal Confession

March 28, 2018 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Since I started writing these columns oh so long ago, I’ve had several objectives.

First, I wanted them to be of value to you; I didn’t want to vomit a bunch of words on a page assuming that merely because it’s in print, it’s worth your time. That’s delusional and ego-centric; I wish to be neither.

Next, I wanted them to inspire when needed and provide a laugh when possible.

Finally, and as important; they needed to be honest. In other words, I would be transparent, doing my best to be who I am really am so that the person you might meet on the street is the same guy you read in print. The way I look at, if shame was transformational, we’d all be soaring across the heavens. Take a look around, it doesn’t work.

Putting all that on the table, I was reticent about this piece because it’s something with which I’ve wrestled for too long, keeping it in a dark, backroom closet. Will you think less of me if I expose this to the sun? Will you wag your finger, shake your head judgmentally, tsk loudly, and say, “I’m so ashamed of you”? Odd, isn’t it, how that perceived — not necessarily actual — reactions weigh so heavily?

Finally, I decided, “Screw it. If that’s the way you’re going to be, there’s nothing I can do about it. Stick to my truth. After all, as the song says, ‘if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.’”

So, here goes.

I haven’t had anything with alcohol in it for a month.

There, I’ve said it. It’s in the world; no taking it back now. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Diet, family, Group Support, Happiness, Health, Inspiration, Motivation, Newspaper Column, Relationships, Weight Loss, willpower Tagged With: alcohol, alcoholics, change, changing habits, habit change, happiness, lifestyle change, quality of life, self acceptance

Do Something, Do Anything

May 19, 2011 by Featured Author

“We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.” ~ Frank Tibolt

“‘Excellence’ is not a gift, but a skill that takes practice. We do not act ‘rightly’ because we are ‘excellent’, in fact we achieve ‘excellence’ by acting ‘rightly.'” ~ Plato

“Fake it ’til you make it.” ~ Attributed to Alcoholics Anonymous

This is probably the most important thing I’ll ever write.

When people ask me how I lost over 130 pounds, this is the answer.

I don’t know how I made the connection – it was one of those so-called ‘Aha! Moments’ that so many people talk about.  I had a bona fide epiphany one day as I was sitting in my living room, crying and feeling sorry for myself.  Here is the story, and I hope you find it meaningful to you.

Once I had lost about 90 pounds, and I was no longer in what I kindly refer to as “the 200 Club,” meaning I no longer weighed over 200 pounds, I hit the mother of all plateaus.  I couldn’t seem to get out of the 190s no matter what I tried.  Everything I had done to lose 90 pounds just wasn’t working for me any more – or so it seemed.  And so, I did what any normal human being would – I had a break down.  I was so angry, so frustrated, so desperate I just didn’t know what to do with myself.  And suddenly, it became very apparent that I had reached a fork in the road on my journey.  What should I do?

I had two clear choices:

1) I could quit or…
2) I could forge ahead.

Where would quitting get me?

Well, I could go back to my old habits and slowly but surely undo all of my hard work.  “But,” I argued, “at least I wouldn’t have to think about eating healthy and making sure I had time to exercise everyday.  In fact, I would never have to think about ‘dieting’ ever again.”  It was a happy thought until I realized that it wasn’t true.  Just as I had old eating and exercising habits, I had old thought habits too.  I knew it wouldn’t be long before I started beating myself up for being fat and lazy (my apologies to myself, but this is the kind of self-talk I regularly engaged in before I decided to change it) and that I would start feeling miserable and guilty like I did when I weighed 287 pounds.  Then I remembered how physically painful it was to carry around those extra 90 pounds.  So, it didn’t take me long to decide that all quitting would buy me was a ticket right back to Square One.

So where exactly could I go if I forged ahead?

At the time, it seemed all I could do was spin my wheels and go no where.  “I’m really trying here, and I’m not making any progress!” I angrily told myself.  But, I suddenly thought that perhaps there was something I was missing.  I asked myself, “How do thin people live?” And I honestly didn’t know the answer.  The only time I was ever thin was in college, and I wasn’t a healthy person then.  I could go days without eating a bite.  It’s very easy to be thin when you’re starving yourself.  I never had a healthy relationship with food or my own self-image.  How could I know how “normal” people behaved?  There was no way for me to know. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Diet, goals, Guest Author, Inspiration, mental health, Power of Attitude, Self Talk, Success, Weight Loss Tagged With: alcoholics, choices, happy thought, inspiration, journey, old habits, plateaus, plato

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