Focus, Purpose, and Habits
Changing habits bring new opportunitites.

Focus, Purpose, and Habits

Lessons learned while losing 35 lbs

We can only control a few inputs our bodies take. We must breathe, drink, and eat, and we do consume information, either visually or via listening. Each one of those functions has its limitations. For example, while we can hold our breath for seconds or minutes very quickly, we need to breathe again. We can decide to move away from odors or toxic fumes, but we must inhale and exhale with a minimal frequency if we want to stay alive. Breathing is such an automated effort that, for the most part, we do not think about it. Drinking, eating, and consuming information seems to be more adjustable to our desires, and therefore we can choose: when, what, and how to do each.

I recently went through a six-month-long effort to retrain myself on eating and drinking again. In simple words, I dieted. And I dieted hard. Between January and July of this year, I lost 35 pounds, and it could be one of the most significant efforts I have gone through at the personal level in decades. I write about my learnings here as I find it an essential step towards understanding how I form habits, how those can be re-learned, how and why to choose what to achieve, and where to muster the dedication to find the focus. Consider this another installment of my resiliency and focused series, one where I reveal more than one personal aspect but do so with the deep desire to share and help others, as others have helped me.

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Briefly, before diving into the details, let me say that achieving my goal had more to do with changing habits than with willpower. And here is the connection I make with career success. At its core, entrepreneurship has more to do with where we want to go —a.k.a. goals— and what we do to achieve those goals --a.k.a. habits and behaviors-- than anything else.

The right metrics

First, I’ll explain the process I went through and mention some tools and pre-existing behaviors and habits before I started my journey. Also, allow me to disclose where I began my journey as I clearly understand this is a sensitive topic for many people, some of whom experience severe challenges and physical predispositions that I do not have.

First, I was clinically overweight with a BMI of 29. For my height, a healthy range is between 18 and 24. You need to use the proper measures to formulate your goals and plan around them. Notice I am using a medical measure of weight, BMI. It is clinically accepted as the standard to establish a healthy weight. Second, I learned where I was and where I had to be, again, per clinical standards, not per the whims of social pressures or fashionable images.

Once I understood how far away I was from my goal, I understood several things had to happen to push me towards reducing my BMI.

Acceptance takes time

For at least two years, I knew about BMI and the optimal range for someone like me. So, no, there was no sudden realization of the right metric, and all that happened next was action towards change. No!

Accepting reality and acting upon it took time. I remained physically active and maintained an average diet. I have been playing soccer two to three times a week for at least fifteen years without pause. And eating is mainly centered around cooking meals at home with the family, a solid cultural value we bring from Argentina. So again, no, there was no instant change between learning about the metric and exercising and cooking and eating habits. Perhaps that is the second lesson. Acceptance takes time. Realizing one needs to take action takes time.

It may get worse before getting better

Next came the pandemic. We were baking all that bread and eating for fun, as it was one of the only things we could do plenty of, and it wouldn’t increase the risk of contracting the virus. That was compounded by the fact that we couldn’t exercise as before, at least initially. We all gained a few pounds, and I wasn’t the exception.

I gained a few until we all began walking again. We walked around the neighborhood, we walked around parks, and at some point, the soccer fields were opened again, so I began to kick the ball around and burn a few calories. It definitely got worse before it got better. I learned that some things are very much out of our control, and the environment we live in shapes a lot of what we do.

The first plan

The pandemic stage was the precursor for the first serious call to action. It came when I got my annual checkup, and my doctor told me, “you are overweight,” which I translated to “you are fat.” I tried to argue. She said we all gained a few pounds during the pandemic. I tried to explain I was active, she said I should see a dietitian, and I asked what for before she could say anything. I said I knew what they were going to say: eat less of everything, don’t eat certain things, and so on. So why go?

My doctor understood and said that I could follow a simple diet at a minimum. The size of my palm in terms of lean animal protein, another palm-sized portion of carbohydrates, and the rest of the plate as many dark vegetables as I wanted. That meant broccoli, spinach —and the likes— were almost unrestricted. She said fruit and carbohydrates were in the same category, so not a lot of fruit either.

Quickly I attempted to implement the plan, but it was not a serious effort. I still had deviations, especially over the weekends when I enjoy cooking with the family and having a big lunch and a big dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Why can’t one have Italian pasta, homemade pizza, and a proper Argentinian Asado (beef bbq) with good red wine? Why is life so cruel?!

The second call to action

A few days after my doctor visit, I got the complete blood count results and saw something related to a cholesterol diagnosis on the screen. All my ancestors have had complex health issues. Therefore seeing cholesterol on the screen was not great news. In my mind, it represented the beginning of a long fight that would last for decades. That quickly became distorted thinking, where I feared dying of a heart attack or stroke because of cholesterol accumulation over the decades. Lucas is dying! Some ancestors came from a flamboyant culture, obviously.

Moreover, fears can be powerful motivators. In the past, I have used fear as a motivator. So, I decided to recruit fear to my advantage again. I became more disciplined with my diet, and in the first few weeks following it, I began seeing better results. Between the end of January and mid-April, I lost 10 pounds.

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Social inspiration

So now, it was the beginning of the spring and warmer weather, and with millions of vaccinated neighbors, the possibility of playing soccer became real again. I enrolled in the local league and began playing weekly while playing pickup games once or twice a week. After one of those games, I saw a friend whose soccer skills I greatly admire. He also had lost 25-35 pounds during the pandemic. The change was noticeable, and it positively impacted his ability to play. He is even better!

A day or two after seeing that friend, I was on the phone talking to a teammate, and this second friend mentioned the fitness app that the first friend used to drop weight. I took notice, and within 24 hours, I subscribed and enrolled in their program. This is another lesson. Relating to someone in real life for inspiration is vital in a journey like this. You don’t emulate the distant with as much power as you emulate the close, the personal, the relatable.

Accepting the methodology

I vetted the app by reading how they help with weight loss, and their approach is supported by science. Eating is a combination of habits we can change, and they offer training to acquire new and healthier habits. Habit changing is a concept I knew and accepted before, so I was eager to get started.

I chose the highest level of subscription, viewing it as an investment and a commitment to making a positive lifestyle change. Compared to future visits to the dietitian and chronic diseases treatment, the cost of the app was much lower. The lesson here is to research the methodology and the means to incorporate a total buy-in that will help one reach their ultimate goal.

The process

I could write a different and lengthy description of the five and a half months that it took to reach my goal, but  I will summarize it as an effort to understand “why” I ate what I did. That was the core of the change of habit. I discovered many of my dietary patterns are associated with family expectations and traditions, coupled with my impulses to overeat too many high-calorie foods at the wrong times.

Perhaps the most significant finding was my internal perception that if I became slimmer, I would be weaker, and I couldn’t see myself playing soccer or just going through life as a “skinny”, “weak” guy. I overcame that notion by learning the BMI of professional soccer players and realized it would be amazing to enjoy soccer as they do to a minor degree due to skill differences, of course. However, compared to my reality, still playing longer, with more agility, and fewer injuries, I changed my perception from weak to a more focused and agile player.

What it takes

Change is never easy for many reasons. In this case, eating is driven by behaviors that happen over time, becoming habits. We repeat them, internalize them, and live with them without thinking. Habits are so deeply rooted in our personalities that we often repeat them without realizing it. Still, they shape our reality to profound levels.

The good news is we can change our habits and create ones that empower us, creating better versions of ourselves, allowing us to reach new levels, and even experience ourselves as we have never experienced ourselves before.

I have proven to myself that I can change deeply rooted habits

Five and a half months after beginning this effort, I weighed what I weighed back in high school. The possibility of a chronic illness may or may not have decreased, most certainly, but I have proven to myself that I can change deeply rooted habits. Beyond the way I look, beyond how others perceive me, I walk away from this experience with one more lesson learned, a very positive one. Change can be difficult, but it is truly possible in any and all areas, with the right tools, goals, support, and motivation.

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Have you tried to discover habits that prevent you from achieving your goals? Have you tried changing them? Please, share below.



Gordon Douglass

Vice President, FinOps Center of Excellence / Cloud Asset Risk Management

3y

Well done Lucas. What a journey, and now for the difficult path. Which to me, is not to regress to our old ways. As you know, we can enjoy all types of food/drink within moderation. Also, watching you play now, shows that you have progressed. You’re not carrying a full sized tire around on the pitch. It’s easier to move without the added weight. Thanks for sharing this, flattered and proud to have been part of this journey for and with you.

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