I'm Not a Hero

Over the past year, I have been losing weight and getting in better physical shape. As people have noticed, naturally, they have asked me how I am doing it. Many are now doing the same and calling me their “inspiration.” Many say “I wish I could do it, but I don't have the will power or determination that you do.” I am congratulated on my “ability to do what it takes.” I have been hailed somewhat as a hero and elevated to a super human level. I am none of that. All I did was make a decision. That’s all—just a simple decision. But, I was motivated to make that decision.

I have weighed over 200 pounds since 1978. Because I carried that weight for so many years, I was accustomed to it and could pretty much do what I wanted to. I did not actually start to “feel my weight” until I reached my fifties. For the previous fifteen years or so, I hovered around 250 pounds. As long as I stayed around that mark, I was fine with it. That changed on August 26, 2012.

Due to insurance changes at my place of employment, I had to choose a new primary care physician. I made an appointment to see him on August 26, 2012, to meet him and provide my health history so that my prescriptions could continue. What happens at every doctor's visit? They weigh you, take your blood pressure, take your temperature, ask you why you are there, and what medications you are taking. On this first visit, I stood on the scale and it read 271. “Wait! It is supposed to say 250. Something is wrong here. Let's do this again.” It still read 271. I did not see 271. I heard the robot from the “Lost in Space” TV show saying, “WARNING! WARNING! You are twenty-nine pounds away from three hundred.” That is what I heard and that is what motivated my decision to make a change. I made the decision before meeting the doctor. He didn't even suggest I lose weight. In fact, he was impressed enough with my health that he immediately took me off three medications that my previous doctor had me taking. (At my checkup a year later, he was proved right.)

So what did I decide? I decided to lose eighty-one pounds. How was I going to do it? I was going to eat less and become more physically active. Simple and easy, right? Actually, it was that simple, and it has been that easy. I did not embark on a strict diet or a vigorous exercise program. In fact, I haven't dieted or even changed the food I eat. I simply eat less of what I like to eat. After I lost thirty pounds, I began to get more physically active. No, I do not do a regular exercise routine. I hate exercise. I got enough of that when I did power lifting years ago. I started walking, mowing the lawn with a push mower, doing more of the physical chores around the house that I used to hire someone to do, parking further away from store entrances, taking the stairs, and other physical tasks. I do, however, have a gimmick.

That gimmick is myfitnesspal.com. It is a free program available on the web and and as an app for your smart phone (the two synchronize). I started using myfitnesspal on August 29, 2012. I entered my age, height, weight, chose my activity level, entered how much weight I wanted to lose, and how fast I wanted to lose it. I entered that I wanted to lose 1 ½ pounds per week. Myfitnesspal calculated that I needed to consume only 1,510 calories per day. The amount of calories I consumed could be increased with physical activity. I can track my food intake and physical activity with myfitnesspal. Their database of foods and physical activities is huge and growing everyday. All I have done this past 435 days or so is track everything I eat, log every physical activity, and do my very best not to exceed that net number of 1,510 calories per day – 10,750 calories per week. I may exceed my calorie intake a couple of days per week, but I have only exceeded the weekly total three or four times.

I now weigh less than I did when I got married in 1982 and wear the same size pants that I did then, as well. To date, I have lost fifty-five pounds. My goal is to weigh 190 pounds around August 26, 2014 – two years after I made my decision. I was fortunate in that, even though I was fat, my health was not bad enough to require a rapid weight loss. I'm glad. I have seen too many people lose over one hundred pounds in less than one year and gain most of it back in less than two. Because Myfitnesspal has become a habit, I will continue to log my foods and activities. I lost an average of one pound per week this first year. I'll be happy averaging losing 1 ½ pounds per month over this next ten months or so. My chances of keeping it off are very, very good.

Have I over simplified what I have done? I don't think so. I was motivated to make a decision. I can say to you, “If I can do it, you can do it” and that will be partially correct. You can do it, IF you get motivated. I could try to encourage you to make a lifestyle change as I did. I could tell you that you will feel better. I could tell you how easy it is. But, it will not register with you until you can find that one thing that will motivate you. I will tell you that diets do not work; but lifestyle changes do. You just need to find your motivation. The decision for you is there inside your head. You just need to find the motivation to do it.

Terry Hawkins, November 6, 2013

You Need Numbers 1 and 2 to keep Numbers 3 through 10.

Have you read the Bill of Rights, lately? Have you wondered about the order? Click the link below and read and pay attention to the order of they are listed. 

http://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/bill-of-rights/

By far and away, the right to free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of your own religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition are the most powerful rights we have and they are spelled out in the first amendment. The second amendment provides two ways to protect the rights of the first amendment - the ability of individual states to have an armed force to defend themselves and the right of individuals to have the ability to protect themselves. If you don't have the first two, you cannot stop the infringements against you or enforce your rights spelled out in the last eight.

The Bill of Rights does not give you these rights. They are yours and yours form the beginning - given by the Creator. The Bill of Rights mandates that a central government cannot infringe, step on, remove, alter, steal, take away, destroy, etc., etc., these rights from individuals or individual states. We can only lose our rights if we are willing give them up or they are taken by force. The second amendment is your tool to stop them from being taken by force. There is nothing to prevent your rights from being stolen if you willing allow it to happen. Yesterday, was just round one in the Congress. Don't get comfortable and careless. The other side is just regrouping for another charge.

You gonna fight or surrender?

Once upon a time, Representatives, Senators, Governors, and Presidents were chosen by the voting public to serve them.  They were to lead and govern by following specific criteria spelled out in documents called Constitutions.  They could earn re-election by the public for doing their tasks well, within the confines of the Constitutions, and governing with a humility of servitude.  The affiliation of political parties was so that a common philosophy of governing, again with the rules of Constitutions in mind, could help the voting public better choose those whom they wanted to serve them.

WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The fairy tale is over.  Constitutions are ignored.  Those we elect do not serve; they strive to rule.  They do not govern; they intimidate you into submission.  Parties no longer express ideals, but rather express blame and build facades to lure you into their snares.  The role of earning a re-election has been replaced with the manipulation of laws and give-aways so that they can keep their jobs and their parties can rule.  The political system has become so flawed that service and governing is but a fairy tale and the ultimate goal of dominating and ruling is the reality.  Those who typically desire to seek these aforementioned offices are people of little or no honor.  People of honor do not wish to seek these offices for the corruptibility that follows and the intimidation into doing nothing and no chance for accomplishment that they will surely face.  Yes, there are exceptions but very few.  Very few.

WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Face the reality and seek to repel it.  You have the government and the leadership you are willing to accept.   If are willing to do nothing and not speak up, you have already given into fear or apathy.  Either way, you are willing to enslaved.

 

Do you have to have an anti to go with your pro?

Based on what I've seen and heard over the past few years, I've come up with some pro-anti questions:
Does being pro bacon and eggs make me anti-cereal?
Does being pro automobile make me anti-horse?
Does being pro biscuits and gravy make anti-biscuits and honey?
Does being pro recliner make me anti-sofa?
Does being pro Google make me anti-Yahoo?
Does being pro Coke make me anti-water?
Does being pro chocolate cake make me anti-pecan pie?
Does being pro coffee make me anti-tea?
Do you see where this is going?
Do you see the pathetic silliness in what is being propagandized?

Civics Slap 1

When individual citizens of the United States stop being responsible for their own actions, want to blame society for all of our ills, and demand government do something about it, we will cease being a country of free men as the founders of this democratic republic envisioned. We will, instead, have made ourselves willing slaves of the state. If you understand this and don't see a real problem with it, then you are the worst kind of idiot - one by your own choice - a willful idiot.

A Call to Arms...So to Speak

We just recently celebrated the signing of the Declaration of Independence that took place 236 years ago. On July 4, 1776, fifty-six men, willing to lose all for the freedom of this country's individuals, signed a document that would be the foundation for all future documents of The United States of America. Here are the first two sentences of the 2^nd paragraph from that document:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Fifty-six men risked life, health, family, wealth...everything for one truth and one truth only - “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This one statement is the very foundation of “The American Dream.” Our forefathers knew that if an environment were established that could protect what every man was given from the very beginning, life, liberty and his pursuit of happiness, every man could achieve his dreams. Every one in the United States has the opportunity to achieve what he wants to and live his life to the fullest with liberty while pursuing happiness.

This Declaration of Independence, along with the continuation and victory of an ongoing war with England, allowed us to break free and “to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

A new country, The United States of America, was formed with a new form of government, a democratic republic, penned and spelled out in a new document, The Constitution of the United States. Our Constitution, coming thirteen years after The Declaration of Independence, was drafted with the idea that the more the liberty of individuals was protected, the better the country would be because countries should be built by individuals full of life, living free, and pursuing what makes their life happy. The Constitution was written intentionally to limit the size of a federal government so that free people could govern themselves more locally in their towns, counties, and states.

So, what has happened in the last 220 or so years. Somewhere along the line we decided to quit governing ourselves (read that we quit being individually responsible) and gave ourselves over to bigger federal government and more restraints on our individual liberties (read that we got lazy, decided to let someone else do it, asked the government to provide for us, and, as a result, had to give up some liberties). This has led to a situation where we have a growing beast of a federal government that keeps growing because we have not figured out how to stop feeding. I have the answer. It is in the next couple of sentences of that 2^nd paragraph of our beloved Declaration:

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.” 
 

Am I proposing an overthrow of our current government. Yes, but not in the sense that you may think. You see, that wonderful Constitution of ours gave us the way to radically change our government. It is called the election process. You change who is making the laws and governing and you change the laws and the government function. Remember a few lines back I suggested that we, as a people, had stopped taking responsibility for ourselves, become lazy, was willing to let someone else do it, and gave up some of our liberty? That has to change. You can no longer sit on your hinder parts and not pay attention to elections, be they local, state, or national. The United States of America is at a crossroads. Where it goes depends on what future direction government takes and that depends on you. Whether you vote or not, you will determine our nation's direction. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness begins with your vote.

Unfortunately, over the last 20 or so years, men and women of character, integrity, experience, knowledge, and faith have not been as willing to run for elected as before. The character assassination that the media and opponents rage against them, their families, their businesses, and their past mistakes very well makes one reluctant to run for office. We seem to be faced with always only voting for the lessor of the two evils. This election, however, I feel like I am in a unique position in that I know more who I am not going to vote for than I am about who I am voting for. Never before have I been more motivated to vote some out than I have to vote some in.

In my opinion, and since this is my blog, I state my opinion, the current executive administration and any elected official supporting the the philosophies and goals of the current administration has to be voted out. I am a Libertarian, not Republican or Democrat. The Democrats have to go. They have already proven, more in the last four years than any other time I know, a blatant disregard for the Constitution as a rock solid, definitive document that is to be adhered to, not ignored, changed, or seen as a document to “grow” with the times. Our democratic republic is under attack and those who want to change it, need to be run out of town on a rail. Am I thoroughly convinced that the Republican candidates will greatly reverse the tide of big government, big spending, and doing what is best for the country. No, but I know they can't be as bad as what we have now. Remember “...it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Here is my plea to you: please learn the candidates and their positions, their histories, and their visions, choose wisely, and vote for those that you think would have willingly risked all and signed the Declaration of Independence had they been around in 1776 and would have voted for The Constitution in 1789.

--Terry Hawkins, July 15, 2012.

No reward, no risk.

It will never, ever be possible for everyone to have equal wealth because not everyone will ever put forth equal effort and risk. You cannot provide for everyone to have equal wealth without confiscatory practice or, as I like to call it, stealing. Taking from those who produce is taking their reward. Giving it to those who don't produce is no reward. Where there is no provision for reward, there is no provision to motivate to produce. Where there is no production there is no wealth. Where there is no wealth, there are no jobs. Remember this - governments are funded by the efforts of others who produce. They cannot produce on their own. If government policies stifle the production of individuals, the revenue to governments decreases and so does their ability to give to non-producers to maintain the folly of equal wealth. What happens when governments are not getting enough from their producers? They take total control and become a slave state with only the elite of government having wealth. The best and most fair of economies are those that are built on the efforts of individuals and the rewards to those individuals, not the dictates of confiscatory governments. You destroy the individual; you destroy the community. You take away the reward and no one will take the risk to produce. Be thankful for free enterprise capitalism on this day of thankfulness.