WoW helped me get back on track

This is the last thing I would have thought I'd admit to anyone, but here I am blogging it for the world...World of Warcraft is one of the bigger reasons I started back on lo carb and weight loss. Weird, huh? '

We own a computer service and one of the many things we offer is a game room where people come in and play WOW and other online games in groups. I was incredulous... people would pay for this? But, they do. They love our ultra fast slick looking gamers computers and super speed internet, comfy chairs, snacks (NOT lo carb lol) and the chance to play in the same room.

Ok, I thought it was good advertising for the computers we build, something fun for DH to do while those lo-o-o-ng boring diagnostic programs run. But I would never play. I think the last game I played besides spider solitaire was PONG (look in ancient history guys) when I was a teen.

After a year of teasing my dh about the silly looking swords, strange creatures, etc. I finally agreed to sit down and play. The first thing I did was create a dwarf who looks remarkably like I did when I was in good shape. I had a laugh over that one, but I nearly cried the first time she ran down the road. She could run, leap, jump, cavort, all the things my weight, my fibro,and my arthritis haven't let me do in years. When I started I was barely walking because of joint pain and fat: my obsessive running was Yeaaaaaaaaaaaars ago.

It took about 5 seconds to lose the feeling of operating a cartoon and to just enjoy the thrill or running again. How pathetic, I thought.


Pretty soon I was hooked on the game and the rewards -- love that ding! and the chat. But the best thing was still STRENGTH ( I have a very hard hitting little Paladin who can wield that hammer or sword with the best of them). I was always stronger than anybody else my size, I had more endurance, and I loved the Martial Arts. Even on the college fencing team, my style was much closer to that of my stocky little dwarf than those elegant fencers you see on TV. I thought How cool is this? At least here I am strong again.

OK, people don't swoon for the dwarf girls.They are cute, very celtic, very stocky. ... Short and well clothed. The guys all love those tall skinny blood elves, or the Dranei chicks with the cute blue tails and the sexy hips. The humans and the others don't wear nearly as many clothes and look an awful lot like the fashion industry standard of beauty. But I started thinking of myself as strong and sexy at least while I was playing Oonagheen,

My DH seems to have never lost that vision of me in real life or WOW, but my own self image was waaaaaaaaay down in the pits.

I leveled really fast and started making friends. All of them accepted the "toon" me at face value. Some even said I was cute or sexy. I laughed, but it started to make a tiny bit of difference in how I viewed myself.

My dh has a bunch of high level toons, but he created a cute, Dranaei warrior to play with my character. Ok the face is weird, but I only come up to his waist so I don't see it too much. It was fun to see him hovering around me, especially if some of the male players got too close. He does this in real life too, after 20 years, but somehow it seemed more obvious in WOW world.

Here I was spending time at the keyboard, not exercising or dieting, but I was getting really good at what I did in WOW world. People start asking me for help. Wow, I'm accomplished And cute? What a deal.

I ended up making small changes in exercise like taking more steps, and very small changes in lowcarb lifestyle and I suddenly started "leveling" in the real world almost as fast as in WOW. My son and I made a deal, where we get so much game time if we exercise or play outside with the giant poodle. That's good for both of us even though he's got the energy of a fell imp and the body of a 6 year old blood elf !

Pretty soon I started back on lowcarb lifestyle seriously, no cheating, no sense of being on a diet or deprived. Just strong with a positive attitude. I feel terrific!

Now I m not going to give all the credit to WOW. It's just a game, after all. But its funny what small things can change your mood and attitude. I'd been praying for help with the fat thing--- sometimes our answers come in strange ways.

Gotta log so I can exercise my stronger and healthier real body, then run get out my stocky, strong, beautiful, healthy, and accomplished Paladin. Keep yer feet on the ground!