Street Spirit

January. The time of year I deceive myself into thinking that for some reason this year is going to be different than the last. That this is the year I finally correct my posture. That this is the year my life will be like the movie The Blindside and I'll go from being an uneducated poor kid to playing in the NFL. It usually takes about a week for life to ruin my life and my posture to return to its far more imperfect positions... and just like that my NFL dreams are shattered. Life is not like the movies. FYI.

Under normal circumstances, this would also be the time I vow to eat healthier and lose weight. But over the past 4 months and 2 days of being in Seattle, I've actually lost roughly 20 lbs. Resolute that. And because, like suckers, many of you probably have vows of healthier eating habits (but mostly because I love you), I thought I'd share my weight loss secret with you:

Clock Eating

Let me explain... sometimes I'll be sitting at my computer and be eating a bag of chips. As I'm eating, my body will start to tell me that I'm full. The main problem is, I want to keep eating chips. So I bargain with myself and say something like, "Okay body, I know that you think you're full, but I'm the boss and I want to keep tasting these chips. The clock says 8:25, so I'll stop eating at... 8:33."

And then I eat as many chips as I want until 8:33. By this time I'm sweaty and gross because I'm so full, but the important thing is, I set a goal and I kept it. Just like the kid from the movie.

In addition to this clock eating, I also stopped sitting in a chair for 14 hours a day, stopped eating out all the time, walk way more, and eat healthier in general. I feel great. Funny how that works out.

Anyway, I hope the new year finds you well.

All my seasonal love,

H. Ralph