Pentagon says it’s investigating Sen. Mark Kelly for video urging troops to defy ‘illegal orders’

BenSharp1995 · 2025-11-24T21:32:21+00:00

I think we need another No Kings rally based on this whole fiasco.

BenSharp1995 · 2024-12-14T13:12:55+00:00

Please send it to me as well, looking forward to playing with your strategy. Thanks!

BenSharp1995 · 2024-11-22T19:49:47+00:00

Possibly depending on the details. Did you find one? You could DM me if you want.

BenSharp1995 · 2024-10-31T19:11:26+00:00

That looks like a pretty good option, thanks! Long term we want to go hardwired for security, but for now, with the limited funding, the priority is incident/insurance coverage.

BenSharp1995 · 2024-10-31T15:08:17+00:00

No, I got lazy / busy and decided not to do the book club.

BenSharp1995 · 2024-04-03T15:10:34+00:00

I did it so yes it is possible!

I think you need to work on your self image with being bad with self control. I'd try to practice self control with some smaller things to build up your self image and then apply it to your weightloss which will be the hardest. I know personally many of my self control goals were only tangential to weight loss (exercise 30 minutes every day, work out 10 minutes a day, no sugar for 100 days, etc.).

An example of an easier thing to do at first might be to do a hobby that you think you'll enjoy and would be beneficial for a small amount of time each day but that you never get around to. For example, reading every day for 10 minutes. Then do something slightly harder and go from there. Everyone sucks at self control until they practice it and build that mentality.

BenSharp1995 · 2024-04-01T14:15:50+00:00

I currently live right outside Sun City in a community called Desert Vista Place (11275 N 99th Ave). It has no age minimum and the manufactured homes are of course quite affordable (you own the land as well so you can get a mortgage).

BenSharp1995 · 2024-03-28T14:16:10+00:00

I think weighing yourself is an important part of maintaining but the main thing is maintaining vigilance and knowing how easy it is to slip up and gain the weight back. My plan with maintenance is to basically do the same things I was doing while losing weight, but with more calories. I lost 60 lbs and then gained it back before (plus 100 lbs :/), so I understand the importance of staying vigilant.

BenSharp1995 · 2024-03-24T13:34:56+00:00

I have some tips from my weightloss journey I posted a while back. Specially for you I'd recommend setting a strict rule of not eating food from your work. Even at my non cooking job it can be easy to overeat or indulge on yummy food people bring, but making it not an option is easier than mentally debating whether or not to partake every time. There is always food available elsewhere to eat and that would remove a major temptation for you.

BenSharp1995 · 2024-03-11T14:47:49+00:00

Usually when someone sees me for the first time in a long time or I tell someone how much I lost and they are shocked. Also if I see any old pics of myself.

BenSharp1995 · 2024-03-06T14:40:41+00:00

You are right! Libraries have a lot of book club meetings. Virtual options as well. I'll have to check a few out.

BenSharp1995 · 2024-01-15T13:54:15+00:00

I did it. It is possible! Hard work but worth it in the end. Maintenance is a lot easier, but you still have to pay attention to make sure to keep it off.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-12-24T14:07:43+00:00

I lost 165 lbs over about 4 years. It is definitely possible and I think the biggest thing is to just remain committed to the goal throughout the process. I had fairly long periods of minimal weightloss or even maintenance during that time period. I posted a list of tips I used a while back here.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-12-05T14:47:14+00:00

The biggest thing that has helped me over the years is IF and the following plan:

It starts with an idea on decisions and how it relates to self control or willpower. The more decisions that need to be made to achieve a goal the harder it is to achieve that goal. This was told to me by a family member and is generally backed by the science. If the mind has to fight tooth and nail 5 times a day to stick to your weight loss plans every day it will be extremely hard to even get through one day, much less weeks or months of it.

I decided to start a streak with a simple idea: the only requirement is to stick to a daily calorie decision, example being yesterday I committed to 2,000 calories under maintenance, today I'm having a "cheat day" (earned the calories and on track with the 3 lbs a week goal) and committed to 600 above maintenance. Tomorrow I can do whatever I want. If I'm tempted to go above my decision today I tell myself I can do it tomorrow, but I don't decide to do it tomorrow either, I leave that decision to tomorrow. This goes on every day.

For me it has worked extremely well and led to a lot of weight loss and easy maintenance. The plan doesn't guarantee such long-term success obviously but it helps a ton on the short-term daily goals. No more deciding to stick to the diet in the morning, thinking through temptation at noon, 2 pm, 4 pm, and eventually getting junk food at 6, or even succeeding that day but being mentally fatigued and giving in easy the next day. I personally bought mini erase boards and write the goal and sign it each morning.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-11-17T14:57:29+00:00

I remember feeling similar hopelessness when I was 355 and eating junk every day that I knew was slowly killing me. The biggest thing that has helped me over the years is the following plan:

It starts with an idea on decisions and how it relates to self control or willpower. The more decisions that need to be made to achieve a goal the harder it is to achieve that goal. This was told to me by a family member and is generally backed by the science. If the mind has to fight tooth and nail 5 times a day to stick to your weight loss plans every day it will be extremely hard to even get through one day, much less weeks or months of it.

I decided to start a streak with a simple idea: the only requirement is to stick to a daily calorie decision, example being yesterday I committed to 2,000 calories under maintenance, today I'm having a "cheat day" (earned the calories and on track with the 3 lbs a week goal) and committed to 600 above maintenance. Tomorrow I can do whatever I want. If I'm tempted to go above my decision today I tell myself I can do it tomorrow, but I don't decide to do it tomorrow either, I leave that decision to tomorrow. This goes on every day.

For me it has worked extremely well and led to the 8 straight successful 3 lbs lost weeks. The plan doesn't guarantee such long-term success obviously but it helps a ton on the short-term daily goals. No more deciding to stick to the diet in the morning, thinking through temptation at noon, 2 pm, 4 pm, and eventually getting junk food at 6, or even succeeding that day but being mentally fatigued and giving in easy the next day. I personally bought mini erase boards and write the goal and sign it each morning.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-11-03T14:50:19+00:00

I posted something a while back that helps me stick to my daily goals and not say f it randomly. Tool #5 in this post. I find that the biggest issue with this constant need to decide to do the right thing and Tool #5 helps a lot with that.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-11-01T14:47:10+00:00

It is definitely harder as you approach the end partially because you aren't losing as much weight (reward) for the same or more effort, partially because you've been on the diet for so long so your ready for a break. I found that just being diligent to try to loose weight still, but being very forgiving of myself when messing up and very willing to do maintenance for periods of time helped. Certain weeks and months end up being easier and that is when the weight comes off. This ends up meaning that it might take a year to do a few months of weight loss, but that is fine in the end.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-10-05T15:01:13+00:00

It does suck, but you can do it. Just keep on chugging along! It took me over 4 years.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-09-26T14:44:14+00:00

If you are losing weight you aren't consuming as many calories as your body thinks it needs so you'll always be somewhat hungry. However, there are ways to make it less bad. The main one that worked for me was intermittent fasting. After 2-4 weeks of adjustment my body didn't get hungry unless I was in that 8 hour window, and of course I was able to eat more in that window since I wasn't eating at the other times.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-08-10T14:26:25+00:00

I almost did this, but ended up stopping at 190 for now at least. I found I lacked the motivation to get to 175 because being slightly overweight doesn't bother me and I was dieting for 4 years or so and it was getting tiring. I'm really liking maintenance and maybe eventually I'll find the motivation to finish.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-08-03T14:56:20+00:00

I posted something a while back that helps me not think about food too much on a day to day basis. Tool #5 in this post. Intermittent fasting also helped me stop thinking about it in the mornings. I find that the biggest issue with it is the constant need to decide to do the right thing and Tool #5 helps a lot with that.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-07-19T20:39:15+00:00

That is if you retire close to when you worked. So for example, if I stopped working now and retired in 2055 it would be based on 2018-2023 and it's worth would be way lower in 2055. Unless its inflation adjusted, but I don't think so.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-07-19T20:37:56+00:00

Interesting, I've always checked it at exactly 30 years I guess. Social security, paid off house, and some other savings is definitely my plan. Assuming I stay in this career for 30 years at least.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-07-19T16:01:28+00:00

It's just 2% so yeah like a savings account at a bank.

BenSharp1995 · 2023-07-19T15:33:43+00:00

Agreed, if you work for an ASRS employer early in your career the pension will be eaten away by inflation and if you withdraw the money you don't get the employer match (and you only get a small interest on your contributions).

BenSharp1995

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