“If you see Buddha,…kill him” or “Re-imagining my weight loss journey Days 2-5”

Alright, we’re going to try something different today. We are doing this post on my speak and spell because 1)  I’m a really terrible typist and can only type with two fingers  2) I usually think much fast faster than I can type.

Today’s topic is reimagining my weight-loss Journey days 2 to 5. Pretty much every entry will have the details about how I exercised, how I’ve been watching what I eat (or trying to), and my food journal.  I figure that probably will get boring quickly,  not just for me but also for you. So, each entry we can pick a topic that’s related to exercise, weight loss and health and we can discuss it.  When I say we I mean you too, I’d really love to talk these things together.

There is a saying attributed to the Buddha that goes: ” If you see Buddha on the road kill him.” That seems like a pretty provocative statement, and he may or may not have even said it.  We know that a lot of information online that is attributed to somebody isn’t something they actually said. To quote my favorite Lincoln ” be careful what you read on the internet, a lot of quotes are misapplied.”

What does “if you see the Buddha on the road kill him” mean exactly? I’ve researched it, and my interpretation is that it means ultimately our path is our own. Buddha set a path and was a way-shower, but I don’t believe the Buddha ever intended for him to be worshipped or his path to be considered the only one. I believe he meant “this is a path that works for me, and it could very well work for you. Look into it and see, but don’t expect it to be all the answers that you need.”

When it comes to weight loss, seems like everybody wants to be an expert. Everybody wants to tell you this is exactly how you lose weight. My understanding is that nothing works exactly the same for everybody and if I knew all the answers, I wouldn’t be in this situation, to begin with. Ultimately, everyone has to decide what works best for them.  When I lose this weight,  I want to do whatever I can to help others to do the same. But I will never be so presumptuous to assume that my way is the only way or even the best way. It is only the way that worked for me.

What I’m going to be doing because I don’t know how to get to this my goal exactly is I’m going to continue to read, research and talk to everybody I know who’s actually lost weight. I will find out what worked and try to apply it to my life. I have to do so with the understanding that there is no simple answer. Dieting and exercise are indeed an integral part, but even that is more complicated. I mean, what do you eat? What do you not eat?  How much do you eat? As far as the exercise what exercise do you do, how much do you do, when do you do it? There’s a lot of open-ended questions. My plan is, at least at the beginning, is to try some options.  I’m going to try some methods that people have lost weight for 30 days. I want to see what kind of results I get. Not just if I lose weight, but how do I feel how do I feel physically and emotionally from doing this process. Even if it does work for me, it certainly doesn’t mean it will work for everyone.

The truth is this is a path we must take individually, and together. Because the road to weight-loss is ultimately a lonely one, it is especially vital that we are here for each other. I won’t be able to give you all the answers (or maybe even any), but I am here on this journey with you. We may be alone, but we can be alone together.  Sure it is a paradox, but Buddha loved paradoxes.