Day -1 Stacking the Deck for Success
Yas asked me to start the daily journal early so people in the FB group can start linking to it so here we are 1 day before I officially start.
One of the things I did to round out the ivory tower undergraduate education I received at UCLA was go play poker in nearby Las Vegas. I did that from my 1st trip for my 21st birthday until I was 26. After I felt I learned everything I could about negotiation from playing for money, I stopped going and have never felt tempted to return.
One of the key lessons I learned was “stacking the deck for success”. For example, going out the 1st night conventions hit town when convention goers are flush and drunk or never sitting at a table where on break dealers are playing.
Here are some tips and tricks I’ve used that have helped me keep at this since August 9th of last year.
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Have a strong “why”. For me it was either this or eventually get hooked up to a dialysis machine or have my feet amputated due to diabetes.
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Have a specific concrete goal. For me it was to be “medication free” when I started. Accomplishing that my current goal is “6-pack at 60”.
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Have a plan. It doesn’t have to fully fleshed out when you start as there will be a lot of unknowns in the beginning. For me it was 14 days to break my refined carbohydrate addiction and change my taste palate. Evaluate and then go on from there. Being a computer guy for over 30 years, I’d seen too many instances of “paralysis by too much analysis.”
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My favorite saying from my time as a Software Project Manager and Test Lab Manager: “Difference between a Dream and a Delusion is a Deadline.” After I became “medication free” I’ve set hard deadlines for each phase of my current “6-pack at 60” project. Not saying I haven’t had to shift things around due to circumstances; however, the final deadline has NOT changed which is my appointment with my Primary Physician on June 12th to review my June 5th blood panel results.
Here’s how the Project Plan is currently at today:
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Have a Daily Goal. Fasting is a passive activity. I felt I had to have a goal I could actively strive to complete on a daily basis. For the “medication free” project that was a daily 1 to 2 mile walk.
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Have a “totem” that you keep with you that you see, touch and feel to remind you when you go through adversity.
For the “medication free” project it was my insulin injection pen at the bottom of a picture of all the meds I was taking when I started.
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Eliminate or minimize daily stresses in your life. A graduate student friend of mine, Anna, moved to a new apartment on the other side of town from her old apartment. For half of her 30-day fast she lived alone. Her roommate for the last half was a nurse.
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Have a health professional to support you. For me my primary physician was a skeptic which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it led me to finding an endocrinologist at the University of Southern California Medical School who had an interest in how fasting could help his T2 diabetic and cancer clientele. In exchange for the information I provide him from my experiences he answers my medical questions.
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Have a support/accountability person. I recruited my pastor for weekly check ins. We kept it confidential until my weight loss was apparent to everyone.
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Have your required supplements at hand when you start: salt, magnesium and potassium.
Exactly the same steps we always talk about in the group! Thanks for posting! Good to have fresh perspectives!
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In Pain, 
Tired, 
Ok, 
Sat 5/23 - AW, .8 mile walk & DFW
I never got to diabetes, but I’m pretty certain I was on my way. My blood sugar was rising, and I was feeling pretty awful and gaining weight year on year. It must feel very satisfying to see those medications and know they are GONE!