75 Pounds - Worth it?

[Iowa Boy]

Let me start by saying that I wear the pants in the family. Let there be no doubt about that! Now that I've cleared that up, I'll tell you what has been going on.

I've been lurking for some time, and have come close to pulling the trigger on a compact tractor a couple of times, but something always gets in the way. We need the money to fix the car, we need money to buy clothes for the kids, we need money to buy food for the table, stuff like that.

My wife, wonderful woman that she is, has been very supportive in my efforts to lose weight, but over the years her support has not been enough. I tip the scales at about 305 lbs, up from 225 when I married her 15 years ago. Today she told me that if I get down to 230 by next spring, I can purchase whatever tractor I want (currently thinking about anything from a Kioti CK20 to a Kubota B3030 and everything in between).

It seems like a good offer, and I am going to go for it, just to let her think she has the control in our relationship. Wish me luck.

Joe

 

[jcmseven]

I think any motivation that can be used when one encounters a difficult challenge such as substantial weight loss is a positive thing. I say sounds good to me, but what if you lose a lot of weight, but not the full 75?? Are you going to still be able to get a tractor, just a less expensive one???

John M

 

[BTDT]

Welcome to TBN. I'm glad you cleared that up, we don't need any girly-men here. Well, if you lose the weight, it will make it easier to get on and off the tractor, but then you may need to fill the tires to regain the added weight for traction purposes. Seems she got you on a technicality. If she had said loose 75 or 100 pounds, you could have just divorced her (if she weighs 75 or 100 pounds), but she gave you a specific weight to reach (230), so I guess she wins. Good luck and keep us posted. BTW, where are you located?

 

[john_bud]

I would go for a L3840 with HST, the larger loader (with extra valve), 3 hydraulic outlets and filled tires.


Then again, nobody would make that bet with me. I went from 225 to 185 from Jan 1st to the super bowl one year. It was a weight loss bet with a group at work. (made 140 bucks...) Not really that hard. Just went to 500-800 cal a day and did 1 hour of snowshoeing at lunch every day, 1 hour of bike in the basement every evening.

The biggest thing is to get rid of every last bit of high fat, high carb, high calorie food. Eat salads with no dressing - just veg.

jb

 

[crbr]

Let me start by saying that I wear the pants in the family. Let there be no doubt about that! ..........
My wife, Today she told me that if I get down to 230 by next spring, I can purchase whatever tractor I want (currently thinking about anything from a Kioti CK20 to a Kubota B3030 and everything in between).

Wish me luck.

Joe

I knew it was a fib the minute I read the first sentence...


Go for it... Leave the sugars and starch alone. You'll see orange all winter. Come next spring, you, Mr. Slim-N-Trim will have a new Kubota... :clap: :tiphat: :cheers:


You'll do just fine, but be ready to buy new clothes too...

 

[shane]

Oh man! I'd do it for a tractor and I only weigh 160. She didn't say you could not put pounds back on. Think how much fun that would be as well as having a new tractor . Seriously, use the tractor incentive to lose the weight and then keep it off so you can use the tractor for many, many years.

 

[WayneB]

Take the plunge....................go for it! Easy to say and we all know it will be a major effort on your part. You will need tons of support and the people here can provide some too!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Let me start by saying that I wear the pants in the family. Let there be no doubt about that! Now that I've cleared that up, I'll tell you what has been going on.

I've been lurking for some time, and have come close to pulling the trigger on a compact tractor a couple of times, but something always gets in the way. We need the money to fix the car, we need money to buy clothes for the kids, we need money to buy food for the table, stuff like that.

My wife, wonderful woman that she is, has been very supportive in my efforts to lose weight, but over the years her support has not been enough. I tip the scales at about 305 lbs, up from 225 when I married her 15 years ago. Today she told me that if I get down to 230 by next spring, I can purchase whatever tractor I want (currently thinking about anything from a Kioti CK20 to a Kubota B3030 and everything in between).

It seems like a good offer, and I am going to go for it, just to let her think she has the control in our relationship. Wish me luck.

Joe

I'm trying with all my might NOT to go in to a "Dr. Phil mode" on this one, so excuse me for doing so.

The simple fact that you've repeated the "she's not in charge" statement tells me maybe she IS.....? And the fact that you need to be bribed to do what will keep you ALIVE longer tells me maybe she SHOULD have some degree of control until you get your priorities in line.

I've been married (VERY happily) for almost 40 years now. We arrived at this point in our married life by NEITHER one of us feeling we needed to prove WHO was "in charge". If your wife has concern for your health and well being, you need to listen to what she has to say VERY CLOSELY. If she goes along with the program and lets you buy a new tractor, so much the better. Being married isn't about controlling someone. Granted, some marriages end up that way, but they aren't HEALTHY, HAPPY ones in most cases. Marriage a mutual partnership. Neither should have more control nor should either NEED control over the other. It's been my finding that you CAN'T control another person. You can MANIPULATE another person, but they don't always react the way you think they will in most cases. Then your attempt to control spirals out of control further. In an attempt to control and manipulate someone, generally they won't be a happy camper. When 50% of a marriage partnership is unhappy, the other 50% probably won't be for long, if ever at all.

DO THE RIGHT THING. LOOSE THE WEIGHT without condition. Or at the very least, TRY in ernest. You'll find then that you will earn respect from your partner, who will in turn, respect your wants and decisions. You might even respect YOURSELF more. The way to initiate those steps is to start by respecting your wife more, and NOT be so concern over who's "in charge".

And from a purely selfish point of view, who stands to GAIN the most by you LOOSING the weight? YOU DO, simple as that........ Now go do it!

 

[daTeacha]

Start shopping now for the tractor of your dreams. That way, you will be constantly motivated for the weight loss and will be educating yourself about tractors at the same time.

I had a tractor (B7100) and felt I would be safer with a larger, heavier machine on the ground at the new place. I had strict limits regarding height, width, and price. Even with that, I spent over a year reading, looking, visiting, thinking, comparing, sitting on, etc. I got impressions of dealers, tractors, FELs, tranny's, colors, etc. I feel I ended up with a good choice, but still wonder about HST over gear now and then, and also still think I should have gotten the bigger engine every once in a while.

You can use your weight loss time well and end up with a perfect tractor. Go for it! To make it simpler, set up a bank account for the tractor. Every time you lose 5 lb or whatever weekly goal you set, put some money in the tractor fund. If you gain some back, take the money out. You will definitely want to keep the money in there!

 

[randy41]

get this in writing

 

[scott_vt]

It seems like a good offer, and I am going to go for it, just to let her think she has the control in our relationship. Wish me luck.

Joe

Afternoon Joe,
I wish you all the luck in the world !

Honestly you havent been married long enough to realize she is in control !
You will figure it out eventually ! As Farm mentioned, its a mutual relationship that works !

 

[Ford850]

Dear Dr Junk,

Well said!

 

[bluetc30]

if not anything else your health get the tractor and avery 10 pounds after that you can get an attachment. good luck

 

[Harvey7]

I quit smoking just over six years ago, put on 30 lbs, I have about 20 back off and it's not easy. Eat right and get some exercise, you'll have a nice orange tractor in no time.

 

[Soundguy]

Glad to hear it.

go for it.

I dropped 30# last august.. feel much better. i think you will too.

What another poster said.. try to cut as far back as possible on starch and refined sugars. Cut out fat too. lean meats are good.. Try to fill up on raw vegies for snacks.. especially the non starchy ones.

Eat fruits too.. they have some sugar.. but i made it a daily part of my diet to eat 5 servings of fruit/vegies .. besides.. it's good for ya anyway.

Try to cut back on hidden calories.. like adding mayo to tuna fish... 2 tablespoons may is huge amount of calories. i got used to eating tuna plain / drained.. in water too.. not oil.

Get a good bulky fiber source.. i found i like dpuffed rice. yes.. adds small carbs.. but ya gotta keep fiber up.

You can get 5 and 10 cal jello snack cups.. as well as 5 cal/serving sugar free home-made jello for snacks.

Low fat /no cholesterol yogert is available in 40-45 calorie servings from dannon.

low or no fat cottage cheese is available from MANY people.. even store brands.

1st week is hardest... Hide the farm animals.. you get to feeling like running one of them down and eating them in the pasture.. but gets better after that.

Drink lotsa fluids... This is also a great time to get off or cut down on caffein and cholesterol.. etc.

Plan your meals.. eat your large meal either for lunch or breakfast.. not dinner. Try to eat fruit before 8pm..

vegies like celery really help.. virtually no calories.. but good filler.. and nice to chew.

Strawberies good in fiber.

Don't forget the yellow and orange vegies.. some starch and sugar.. but good source of nutrients.

Lastly.. I switched to alot of salad eating.. at least 5 x per week if not more. I went to red wine vinegar ( NO OIL ) as my salad dressing. It's only 5 calories per serving. Sometimes you can find balsamic in same 5-10 calorie range. Helps not putting 240 calories of dressing on a very low calorie salad.

Lots of diet and low ( 10 ) calor drinks out there.. most of them even taste good (wink).

good luck!!!

Soundguy

Let me start by saying that I wear the pants in the family. Let there be no doubt about that! Now that I've cleared that up, I'll tell you what has been going on.

I've been lurking for some time, and have come close to pulling the trigger on a compact tractor a couple of times, but something always gets in the way. We need the money to fix the car, we need money to buy clothes for the kids, we need money to buy food for the table, stuff like that.

My wife, wonderful woman that she is, has been very supportive in my efforts to lose weight, but over the years her support has not been enough. I tip the scales at about 305 lbs, up from 225 when I married her 15 years ago. Today she told me that if I get down to 230 by next spring, I can purchase whatever tractor I want (currently thinking about anything from a Kioti CK20 to a Kubota B3030 and everything in between).

It seems like a good offer, and I am going to go for it, just to let her think she has the control in our relationship. Wish me luck.

Joe

 

[gordon21]

Posted by Soundguy: "Glad to hear it. go for it. I dropped 30# last august.."

Iowa boy: You got a raw deal with your wife. Soundguy has 11 tractors at last count and he only lost 30# AFTER he got his tractors!!!!!! Don't sign anything yet. Go back and renegotiate ASAP.

Get the Tractor/FEL now. (because she loves you).
Get 2 attachments for $1000 or less each after 50#
Get a backhoe after the last 25#

 

[texasjohn]

Iowa... you can see that you have lots of folks pulling for you.

I think this is a win-win situation for everybody. I've lost about 40 lbs in the last couple of years... did an Atkins type of diet... droped real Cokes and went to the Splenda ones.. Splenda, good stuff. Truly, the high protein, very low carb diet was much less of a hassle than I imagined it would be. Suggest you get a book and read up on it, although there are many diet plans out there.. whatever works for you is the one you should stick to.

Meanwhile, you can check out the tractor and implements and build your wish list... what a deal! Lurking with a purpose!

Like the Red/Green show says.... "We're all in this together. I'm pulling for 'ya."

 

[putt_putt_green]

I made same deal with my wife, but mostly because I want to lose some weight, and having an incentive to lose the weight helps. I've got 10 pounds to go. Started with 20 pounds to lose. Whenever I'm over the goal weight, she gets the keys. If I'm under, I get the keys.

 

[crbr]

I'm trying with all my might NOT to go in to a "Dr. Phil mode" on this one, so excuse me for doing so.

The simple fact that you've repeated the "she's not in charge" statement tells me maybe she IS.....? And the fact that you need to be bribed to do what will keep you ALIVE longer tells me maybe she SHOULD have some degree of control until you get your priorities in line.

I've been married (VERY happily) for almost 40 years now. We arrived at this point in our married life by NEITHER one of us feeling we needed to prove WHO was "in charge". If your wife has concern for your health and well being, you need to listen to what she has to say VERY CLOSELY. If she goes along with the program and lets you buy a new tractor, so much the better. Being married isn't about controlling someone. Granted, some marriages end up that way, but they aren't HEALTHY, HAPPY ones in most cases. Marriage a mutual partnership. Neither should have more control nor should either NEED control over the other. It's been my finding that you CAN'T control another person. You can MANIPULATE another person, but they don't always react the way you think they will in most cases. Then your attempt to control spirals out of control further. In an attempt to control and manipulate someone, generally they won't be a happy camper. When 50% of a marriage partnership is unhappy, the other 50% probably won't be for long, if ever at all.

DO THE RIGHT THING. LOOSE THE WEIGHT without condition. Or at the very least, TRY in ernest. You'll find then that you will earn respect from your partner, who will in turn, respect your wants and decisions. You might even respect YOURSELF more. The way to initiate those steps is to start by respecting your wife more, and NOT be so concern over who's "in charge".

And from a purely selfish point of view, who stands to GAIN the most by you LOOSING the weight? YOU DO, simple as that........ Now go do it!

She's still in charge, that Mrs. Iowa Boy....

 

[schmism]

its amazeing how the CFO can change the opion on tractor stuff....

I want the backhoe for utility jobs...

when it came time to plant the garden and she wants a HUGE one... and the discussion came up about a tiller vs other impiments that could be made to work....

needless to say she approved the $1300 tiller with out batting an eye (im still working on the BH....)