Thursday, January 3, 2013

Prologue: Man Overboard!

I want to give a special thanks to Charlie Martin for mentioning me in his 13 Weeks post, his contribution has taken my small little project (which I can't lie, I wasn't all that confident in ever completing) and made into something way beyond the scope of something I could ever imagine. I feel like it would be oh so rude of me if I didn't reference him here :  Charlie Martin: PJ Lifestyle  although, as he is the one who sent so many of you here I imagine you all know who he is, but just in case :)

I want to let you all in on a little bit about the girl behind the letter since I cant start this project in its entirety yet. I am 18 and still in high school, with a couple of big choices coming to the forefront that I must face come graduation in June. Both terrifying. Both exciting. College, or Military.

My mom and I have been alone since I was young and she has done such an amazing job of raising me and supporting me, being my father, mother, and friend. I have discussed this with her and I know she'd feel much better about me just going to college. And for a long time that was fine with me and the military hadn't even entered my realm of possibilities. A few months back, though it came to me that maybe the military would be good for me.

As a matter of fact I know it would be good for me. It would give me the opportunity to grow as a person and serve this country I so love and follow in the legacy of my grandfather and my uncle, both of whom served in the Marine Corps (oohrah!).

However, college is something I definitely don't and won't want to miss out on. If I do decide on the military first, when I get back I will go in to college. Music Education as my major, yes, yes, scoff if you must but music is my life and I have always wanted to be a teacher, hence, MusEd. Anyway, just wanted to lay that out there for y'all.

I'm thinking, and it is a maybe, it might not always happen, that in my weekly update I will tell you guys which songs I listened to as I worked out and which ones motivated me. If you don't want to listen to them that is perfectly fine with me, it was just an idea that rattled into my mind in the small hours of the night.

I still haven't made any official decision on an eating plan for the next 14 weeks, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind when I started this whole idea, so over the weekend I am going to be doing some research and making (hopefully) a decision and a plan and will hope that my mom participates by not making some of her oh so delicious, yet oh so devilish dishes that have contributed to my weight today :)

Also...I must confess that my scale is broken so I honestly have no idea how much I currently weigh, that is another thing I will try to get fixed this weekend.

I am happy to report my fever is gone, and I feel like a normal human (wonder of wonders) so hopefully that means I am on the mend.

Much Love,
L <3

PS: This song hasn't been a workout track, and probably wont be because of how slow it is but it has been one I've had on repeat during my sickness and so I figured I'd share it with you anyway:
Beam Me Up

12 comments:

  1. Dropped by thanks to Charlie Martin's link. Good luck to you - follow his example of keeping the carbs down and you, too will drop the weight.

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  2. Ditto. Charlie recommended we stop in and offer support and assistance, so here we are.

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  3. Good luck!

    1. Retired Navy officer here; you can learn a LOT in the military. I know I sure did! I recommend the Navy, obviously, but the USAF would be worthwhile as well. I'm the black sheep of the family, joining the Navy; everybody else in my family was Air Farce. In fact, when I enlisted, my father was the Air Force recruiter! (He took some good natured ribbing about that...)

    My little brother said that the smartest enlisted people were Air Force, and he has a point. In the Army, one junior officer takes 50 enlisted people and charges off to take that hill. In the Navy, 20 officers and 300 enlisted people sail off to battle, taking their beds and kitchen with them. In the USAF, 200 enlisted people strap one officer into the airplane, and send HIM off to fight! So you can easily see, Air Farce enlisted folks are the smartest. (Of course, I went to college and became an officer, and he didn't. But he still makes more money than I do in retirement, so I'm not entirely certain what the moral of the story is....)

    2. You're a musician? The Navy has a GREAT music program, if you have the talent. All the services do, for that matter. Worth looking in to!

    3. As Charlie Martin and Gary Taubes have pointed out, you can lose a lot of weight on a low-carb diet. But if you're here, you probably already knew that.

    Good luck, and safe travels!

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    1. :) thank you so much and yes I'm a musician of a sort, I am a singer, I'm not sure if vocalists are part of the music programs but thats what I will be talking to my recruiters about, thank you for the support :)

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  4. Hey, can you go to college on an Air Force (or Navy) ROTC scholarship? :) Go to college and come out an officer! College paid for, too! Just a thought.

    Looking forward to seeing what eating plan you decide to go with and following your progress!

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  5. Good luck in your efforts. You couldn't have a better guide than Charlie.

    Jamie Irons

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  6. Yes, I'm here because Charlie sent me ;) Good for you for having a goal and working toward it!!!

    My son did a 6 year enlistment in the Army. When he finished that he came back to the states and started college. He finished his Bachelors degree this December in 3 years by pushing straight through, nearly straight A's so he graduated summa cum laude (this from someone who hated school as he was growing up).

    In many ways college is MUCH easier when you go back after a few years off. Also the military teaches you to pay attention so it's wonderful training for college. Go for it!

    You will be great. You have a goal and you have outlined steps to accomplish it. Stick with it! You will get there and do fantastic things. If you want some inspirational stories to keep you focused, check out nerdfitness.com. Just reading about the people he profiles on his site can help keep you on track.

    Best of luck on your journey!

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  7. As a USNR vet I wish you the best of luck! If you do a hitch in the Navy you will not only get the GI Bill but sometimes there are opportunities to get college credit or even a degree while in the service and have Uncle Sam pay for it, so don't overlook those.

    Another point: you will find that the food in boot camp and galley food in general is low quality (and high carb). I don't mean that as a slam to the cooks. When you're preparing food for hundreds or thousands at a time how could it be otherwise? Just be aware that if you lose weight before enlisting due to a low carb diet that in the service you will be in a high carb environment. You will have to make eating choices as best you can, and in boot you will have basically no choice, so don't be dismayed or surpised if some of your results are undone.

    Again, best of luck!

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  8. wish you the best, whatever branch! my twenty in the air force were the best, despite being on the weight program the entire time.

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  9. Speaking of College, you can also do what a High School friend of mine did (he did 20, Enlisted, in the USAF). Take courses wherever you're stationed at the "Community College of the Air Force." You might well have an Associate's Degree already as of ETS.

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