WHAT I ATE TODAY
Meal 1
2 cups of corn flakes
1 ½ cups of skim milk
Calories: 320
Fat: 0 grams

Meal 2
1 footlong Subway Club
Calories: 640
Fat: 12 grams

Meal 3
1 bag of beef jerkey
Calories: 300
Fat: 2 grams

Meal 4
1 bag of pretzels
Calories: 160
Fat: 0 grams

Meal 5
2 slices of wheat bread
3 slices of turkey
Calories: 210
Fat: 6.5 grams

Total calories: 1,630
Total fat: 20.5 grams

My take: Good day.

Uggh.

Perhaps it is kind of funny that three straight days of work leaves me exhausted. Actually, one straight day of work leaves me exhausted, three leaves me wondering how many prescription pills it would take to knock me out for a day.

But that’s ok. I can handle that, because everything else is A-OK. Though I am struggling, currently, to keep my eyes open less than an hour after I left the office.

But you don’t care about that. This blog isn’t called “Dan Nied’s Fortress of How His Job Makes Him Tired.” No, that title wouldn’t even make sense.

But what might make even less sense, or perhaps it will make so much sense that it will blow your mind, is what I am about to say next.

I love negative comments.

Of course, that’s not true. I actually hate them. However, I value them almost as much as the positive comments.

Every time I post a new entry on Blogcritics, I am guaranteed to have at least two or three comments. There are a handful of regular commentators, though only one that I can think of who doesn’t know me through a much deeper spectrum. And I will say that most of these comments are purely positive — especially if they come from the regulars — and I read each one with giddy excitement.

But then there are the fairly frequent negative comments that tell me why I haven’t lost more weight, why I am fucking up so much, how I am obviously not dedicated to the Fortress, and how I will likely gain back every pound I lose. Of course, sometimes people just call me crazy.

And while these comments often chip away at my psyche immediately after their readings, they also might be the most valuable ammunition I have to beat my current fatness.

Encouragement serves to strengthen your methods, and motivates you to keep doing the things that brought you the accolades. Because I know I am doing many things right in the Fortress, I accept every encouraging comment as if it is owed to me, and wonder why more people don’t see my genius.

Criticism, on the other hand, makes you think twice about your methods. So when someone takes the time to tell me what I am doing wrong, I have to think about it a little longer. While it might seem that I dismiss every bit of criticism that I receive, and never enact any of the suggestions, that simply isn’t true. In fact, I read every critical comment several times through, and either nod or shake my head at each point. I’ll admit that I often find myself nodding more than shaking.