(Day 172 / -96 lbs.) Me = Minus 96 Pounds and Holding

I was still down 96 pounds when I weighed in at the gym yesterday morning. This could be for a number of reasons- though the straw I'm grasping is the notion that I had not yet taken my morning sabbatical... and that's all I'm going to say about that. (ahem, you're welcome) We'll see what the scale reveals on Friday.

Here's an old cliche that's been bouncing around the old noggin this morning,

“The devil's in the details.”

I remembered that one during a discussion with my wife as we circled the track this morning. We were talking about our teenaged son and how we should address a couple of his issues. Now, when I say “issues” I'm really not talking about anything too major. The kid's just been staying up a little too late on the phone and he's been having trouble making it to his 6:30AM class on time.

This early morning class isn't one that is mandatory or required for graduation, but it is a commitment he made and attendance is required for a passing grade. The thing is, even this close to the end of the semester, he'd rather talk on the phone until midnight than get enough sleep so he can wake up on time for his class. When my wife confronted him about it, it was a problem with the class, that it was too early, and that he didn't like it anyway-- at least that is how he presented the situation to my wife.

The reality is that he likes the class, has friends in it, and wants to continue through completion; he also wants to talk to a couple of girls on his cellphone when the minutes become “free” after 9PM. I totally understand the desire to do both even though the two activities are counter-productive to one another. I mean, I'd love to have cheesecake after every meal and lose three pounds a week but the two are mutually exclusive- at least in my experience. If I were to make a hasty generalization rather than look at the details of making choices in regard to food and weight loss I might make some irrational statement like, “Cheesecake is evil!” or “Losing weight is impossible!” Neither statement is true nor beneficial; it's the little details behind the generalizations that truly address the broader issues.

Ah, but here's where the “details” thing comes into play- instead of making brash and extreme generalizations and ultimately regrettable choices (ie. quit early classes, take away his cellphone, or heaven forbid, throw out the cheesecake) we'll define acceptable choices and ranges of choice.

In my mind, and granted it can get very weird in here, life is all about making choices-- and QUANTITY determines QUALITY. That is, the more defined our choices are, the better quality of life and future choice. I also equate freedom with abundant choices (again, the more the better). Conversely, a lack of choice is like prison. Take my closet for example, I have more choices on what to wear than I have had in years- all because of choices I've made handling temptation and exercise. Every little choice yields great opportunity/danger.

Long story short, we'll come to an agreement with our son on just how late he can talk on the phone and I'll limit cheesecake consumption to comply with my weight loss goals.