There’s been a lot of excitement in my life recently. I finished my 40th and final race of the year a few weeks ago, had a great Thanksgiving in Colorado, and reveled in some incredible #40years40races statistics. And now that all that’s done and over with, I find myself struggling with some depression.
Depression, like obesity, will likely be something I Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by David
I can’t believe it’s been almost two months since I started my much-needed exercise break. Although I didn’t know what to expect when I started it, I had some vague thoughts that by now I’d be back at full capacity. And I’m not. Ultimately, I’m fine with that. I’m staying active, and my thinking has evolved.
This post is about how it’s all going, what I’m doing now, and the nasty voices in my own head. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: break, cabbage steak, encouragement, exercise, mental health, motivation | Permalink
Posted by David
It was seven years ago today, at Richard Simmons’ suggestion, that I started logging my food and emailing him the logs. That marked the beginning of my long, extremely rewarding journey that has resulted in a weight loss of 160 pounds – which I’ve kept off. I thought it’d be nice to mark the occasion with a new ‘before and current’ photo comparison!
The photo on the right was Read the rest of this entry »
20 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: anniversary, Before photo, before picture, college, depression, mental health, Richard Simmons, weight loss anniversary, weight loss comparisons | Permalink
Posted by David
We’re already over a week into September, and I’m just now posting my first-of-the-month weigh-in results. There’s some shame involved, and some depression, too, so let’s just spit it out:
Up Seven Pounds. Ugh. I try to remind myself of the big picture – because it is an awesome big picture – but it’s hard. I try to emphasize my new way of thinking about weight loss maintenance, but that is also hard. And it’s because Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by David
Here’s a behind-the-scenes tip from a veteran: When a blogger disappears for a while, unannounced, something is going down. And it’s likely not good.
I haven’t posted in about a week, and I can tell you right now that, in this instance, I definitely wasn’t in a good place. I was feeling depressed and worn out. I was having a What’s the point? moment. Dealing with depression isn’t easy. It never will be. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by David
I’ve been blue the past week and a half. I often get this way after big races, and the One World Trade Center event in Manhattan certainly qualifies as a big race. I’ve been good about exercising since I’ve been back from New York, but other things have suffered. My eating, for one, hasn’t been great, and I haven’t been productive with other things I have going on.
This post isn’t about depression, though. It’s about getting over a depression. I was tired of feeling unmotivated and lethargic. I was tired of being the guest of honor at my own pity party. So I thought about what I could do that would make me feel better. And I came with two activities, neither of which I had done in a long time, that might just goose me out of this funk. Then I decided to do both in one day.
Here’s a hint about the first one: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by David
Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kind words about my Robin Williams post last week (click here to read “What I Learned From Robin Williams’ Passing”). A bunch of people shared it on Facebook and Twitter. It appears to have resonated at a time people were looking to make sense out of a confusing, devastating turn of events.
The most thought-provoking conversation I had about it was with Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by David
There have been a few occasions in my life where I’ve resisted the urge to chuck a lime at someone’s head, like Mrs. Doubtfire did, and then blame it on an unknown assailant who committed a “run-by fruiting.” I paid close attention to “Dead Poets Society” – shedding plenty of tears in the process – because it was the first movie that prominently featured teenage suicide that I saw after I tried to kill myself during my teenage years. And I can’t count the times that I’ve turned to Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by David
I’m quick to measure and notate many things on my path to good health: I have my monthly weigh-ins, my workout progress reports, and, of course, my weight loss chart. Something that’s much harder to quantify or measure, though, is my own mental health, and lately, it hasn’t been great. I’ve been feeling the need to check-in, so to speak, so here’s what’s been going on.
I deal with depression. There’s no simpler way to put it. I was first diagnosed Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by David
Isn’t depression the best? I was first diagnosed with major depressive disorder after a scary hospitalization when I was a teenager, and depression has been a visitor that I suspect will come a-knockin’ every so often for the rest of my life.
Depression has been a recent house guest. I’m getting over a funk that I’ve been in for the past couple weeks. It might be some post-holiday blues, perhaps, and it could be related to the bruised or cracked rib that I’ve been healing from. Whatever the cause, it held on to me for a good solid two weeks, and it planted a thought in my head that got stuck there. I kept on thinking these five words over and over again, like a song you can’t shake: Read the rest of this entry »
43 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Before photo, dealing with depression, depression, dieting, eating well, encouragement, exercise, healthy living, inspiration, mental health, motivation | Permalink
Posted by David
Keep It Up, David! 