I welcome all potential friends.

allanaaron

January 9, Day seven begins, food has been good, tend to use exercise to get a little more calories in. Not spending any time at the gym where i need to work on my conditioning. My back is so bad. I am in pain when I play tennis, my body cannot hold up my weight. I look at the pic where I lost 115 and gained back all but one pound and know I am in for a long journey. But it's nice to have the swelling go down as I begin this path that feels good. In a sense there is no destination, the journey is it, the goal is to stay on the path and grow in every way but ... across. I welcome all potential friends. - Allan

The Guaranteed Way to Lose Weight. PART ONE
Recently I’ve been in terrible emotional pain. The issues are varied but the worst part was I was using food to deal with my pain, it’s my perfect sedative, my heroin. Did you know how heroin was named? Heroin is named after the German word for powerful, heroic, heroisch. It’s inventors were that excited about its potential in fighting drug addiction.
The consumption of heroin is marked by a euphoric rush, a warm feeling of relaxation, a sense of security and protection, and a dissipation of pain, fear, hunger, tension and anxiety. When heroin is snorted or smoked, the rush is intense and orgasmic. Subjectively, time may slow down. Any sense of anger, frustration or aggression disappears. Users enjoy the feeling of "being wrapped in God's warmest blanket". Food does that for me.
The result is that my deepest pain has become the drug I use to fight the other pains of my life. And that drug, food, has swelled my body up to 359 pounds. Walking, playing sports, standing, are all now difficult. A few days ago I met a man who had lost over a hundred pounds. He sat down with me and explained to me a system he used to lose his weight. I was only mildly intrigued with his ideas, I hoped they would be more creative and then he hit me with a bombshell that made me look one more time at everything he had said. I was in so much emotional turmoil, physical discomfort, suffering from depression and anxiety that I decided to try his plan.

Today is day five so I make no claim to knowing anything. But I do know I want to share what he told me and then share what really blew my mind. I will expose some of my deeper pain, hopefully crack a few jokes and then ultimately share how he threw a bombshell at me that finally ripped apart my defenses and somehow allowed me to start on this very early journey. If you’ve reached this far I am looking for friends on our site. I don’t want to change the world, I want to get healthy and feel good again. I want to replace my old hero, food, with something else… a new hero… a group of friends heroic and brave enough to take on their food issues and triumph. More in part two… Sincerely Allan Katz, aka Allanaaron.

The Guaranteed Way to Lose Weight. PART TWO

To list the issues that tormented me, that drove me to seek comfort in food, is complex, but I can take a shot at it. I have the scars of days past, a nice childhood injured by two babysitters who hurt me in ways that were deeply buried for many years. An anxious mother who could not see what was happening when she was out and the baby sitters were in. A father who worked many hours to support his family but also did not see what he was not present for. These are old scars, the relighting of those memories brought a hundred plus pounds, but they are my issue now, my responsibility to deal with. A difficult career as an actor then writer that has resulted in not only horrendous finances, but also leaves me struggling with what to do career wise to change things. A divorce that ended a marriage where I felt so alone. Two teenage boys who are awesome and need support financially that I cannot provide. A wonderful girlfriend who’s parents fear she is having a relationship with a loser who cannot support anyone. These are just some of the issues but the weight gain to deal with them feels like the worst of them all.

I’ve known this man, who had the guaranteed way to lose weight, for a while, but this time I was in such turmoil that I came to him and asked him to please share with me the secret to how he did it. He is younger than me, has more energy and passion for life than me and even though I sense he has not traveled an easy road he has a calm and confidence I would love to have. Here is some of what he shared.

“Allan, so many people come up to me and ask me how I lost my weight. Some listen, but what they’re really waiting for is to share with me their ways to lose weight. The talks can be interesting, but these talks I tend to forget. Another group is filled with sadness and pain. They hunger for a solution, often for a magic formula. I tell them how I did it and they just look at me and always say the same thing… I can’t do it. The one secret I cannot share is the one that will stop people from hearing my ideas, my ways, my success and somehow respond with… How do I begin? Maybe 1% ask that. The first part is simple, what to do. The part I cannot share is how to convince someone to really try it.”

Are you saying if you share this with me there’s a 99% chance I will simply reply… I cannot do it?

“Allan, I’ve shared my plan with you a dozen times. Occasionally you’ve tried for a day or three, but invariably you always try an easier way, and invariably you’ve not only failed to lose weight, you’ve gained.”

“I know, it’s insane. You have the answer and I won’t commit. So how do I start?

“Simple, you tell me the way I’ve told you.”

Count my calories, continue to strive to eat healthier, exercise, and do it every day. Weigh and measure my food and myself. Write and recruit friends and support.

“That’s all it is, pretty simple… and I know, not magical. But you haven’t done it. Dozens of people I have shared this with haven’t done it. So I’m going to tell you the secret… and I pray Allan… it will blow your mind…”

I thought you said you didn’t know the secret, the magic?

“I didn’t, it just hit me now… and I have shivers running up and down my spine.”

More in part three… Sincerely Allan Katz, aka Allanaaron.