My Recent Publication on ThoughtCatalog!

Hello citizens of the Internet! On March 15, 2014 my article "10 Things I Learned About Weight Loss From Losing 100 Pounds," was published to ThoughtCatalog.com! Please follow the link below and take a look. Feedback is appreciated. As always: Peace, Love and Nutella!

10 Things I Learned About Weight Loss From Losing 100 Pounds

The Dreaded Exercise Slump

Hello citizens of the Internet! I know it has been a few days since my last post, but I'm back!!

Have you ever been in a situation where you are consistently doing something over and over again...something that is practically part of your daily or weekly routine? Right! I'm sure we've all been in this place. You think you're on top of your game. Nothing can distract you from this routine activity...and then...BAM! Out of nowhere, the dreaded "slump" hits.

As a runner, I try to put in exercise every other day. I try to run  anywhere between 3 to 5 miles on my workout days. As with a lot of things, practice and consistency makes each experience that much better, and this is the standard that I have set for myself, at this point in time; however even my routine is at the mercy of the "slump."

My exercise slumps generally have their roots in my days off. Now, I'll speak for myself when I say that as much as I love running, I LOVE days off that much more. It feels so good to rest and recharge...but unfortunately, sometimes that one day off, turns into two days, which turns into four days, and soon I'll have realized that five or six days have gone by without me running. Yikes! Many of you may be thinking 'Forrest is just obsessed with running. He's forgotten what it feels like to relax.' Don't get me wrong, I love days off, as much as the next person; however, I notice that with my consistent routine of running every other day, I feel better during my runs.When I take a giant gap away from running and the come back, my "return run" is much more difficult to complete, than the run before the "slump" hit.

Here are some tips that I've incorporated into my life that help me avoid the dreaded slump:

1. Leave myself sticky notes on the walls of my room with encouraging, motivational phrases
2. Change the background of my phone to different places in which I would love to go running one day
3. Create small goals for me to reach for each run, ensuring that each run will be different
4. I have begun to regularly change my workout music
5. Treat myself to something every now and again when I go running, instead of falling into the temptation of the slump
6. Get others to go and run/workout with me. Two heads are better than one, and a running/exercise buddy could be just the thing to get your motivational juices flowing!

I hope my tips help, if you're experiencing/have experienced the "slump" like I have! Remember, nobody's perfect. I enjoy days off as much as anybody else, but I know that I shouldn't abuse the privileges of having days off, either.

Thank you for reading and as always, Peace, Love and Nutella!

How To Lose A Scale Mini-Series: When Reality Sinks In

 I hopped on the Rutgers bus to go to my lecture yesterday evening at 6:00 p.m. Before going to class, I just finished running 4 miles in the gym on my floor. After showering and before heading to the bus, I wanted to grab a snack from the convenience store to hold me over through class, until dinner. Snack of choice: sour strips candy. I hopped on the bus and opened up my candy and started eating. About halfway through the bus ride, I had a minor 'epiphany." Here I am during my senior year of college, on a bus to class, eating one of my favorite snacks...WITHOUT FEELING EMBARRASSED. Embarrassed?...you may be wondering to yourself. 'Why would Forrest even think of something like that?' Well, just keep reading...

I remember during my freshman and sophomore year of college, the anxiety I used to have about eating snacks/junk food in public. There I was, an extremely overweight individual, going to town on an array of unhealthy snacks depending on what day it was. It's not like I gave it much thought when I bought the food...I was much like I am now, whenever I want something to eat, I just eat it (although now, whatever I eat is more likely to burn off quicker than it used too); however, I would always notice, halfway through eating snacks (healthy or unhealthy) in public, that a feeling of abashment would come over me. It was almost like an anxiety attack. I would quickly begin to think that everyone was watching me eat, and on top of that, I began to assume that everyone was talking about me behind my back (cracking jokes and whatnot). Sometimes, the situations got to the point (much to my chagrin) that, whenever I would go to the dining hall, I would eat a seemingly healthy meal, and wait til I got back to my dorm to eat the dessert/candy/unhealthy snacks that I really wanted, because I knew that no-one would judge me in the privacy of my own space.

Looking back on how I used to be, I noticed a few characteristics:

• I was at a place of such low self-esteem
• I was harboring an anxiety that I should not have been fueling
• I was seemingly placing myself in a segregated category
• The mind is a powerful, POWERFUL thing

The anxiety did not just stop with snacks. I began to limit my self at the dining hall. I would not go back for 'seconds' for food sometimes, for fear of shameful looks form my peers. I would not eat dessert in the dining hall.  Whenever someone would offer me cookies or brownies that they had made, I would refuse, if there was more than one person in the room. It amazes me, til this day, the mental torture that I put myself through.

Toward the second semester of my sophomore year, at the height of these anxieties, is when I TRULY became aware of how large I was, and how unhealthy my nutritional life was. This is when reality began to sink in, with the weight and force of an anchor that has just been dropped into the ocean. When reality sinks in...there is no turning back.

Thank you for reading my post! I will be posting the next installment of this mini-series shortly, so come back and read it to find out what happens next!!