Day 15 Ice Cream Dreams and Serious Decisions

Day 15

Ice Cream Dreams and Serious Decisions

Today on my lunch break I drove to the bank. On the way to the bank I noticed the Blue Bell Ice Cream Truck at the grocery store. I couldn't see the driver real clearly, but I think he was sitting in the cab eating some Moollenium Crunch...It's ok, they get to do that. He'll sell the rest! Then I arrived at the bank to do my business. As I sat in the drive through lane the Blue Bell truck appeared again, this time I think the driver gave me a shout...”hey, Sean...we miss ya man!” Or maybe that was all in my head. After the bank I had to go to the convenience store to get gas. And guess who was there? The Blue Bell truck! Was this guy chasing me around town? Was this some kind of payback for all the ice cream trucks I chased as a kid? Leave me alone Blue Bell man! One pint of that Moollenium Crunch is more than half my calories for an entire day! I can't do it! Sorry, go peddle your creamy, delicious, naughty deserts somewhere else! I'm not saying I'll never enjoy a little Blue Bell again...I will, as a matter of fact Blue Bell has a line of mini-sized ice cream sandwiches and ice cream bars that are really low in calories, and would take care of any ice cream craving. Ice Cream is one of my biggest weaknesses, just ask my family. They have discovered many failed past weight loss attempts of mine because I gave in and bought a half-gallon. They always knew that if I bought a half-gallon, daddy was off the wagon again. Nothing else said “giving up” like a big bowl of ice cream in front of the TV at midnight. You might be thinking... “what about a serving size?” “that wouldn't be so bad, would it?” On an ice cream bender a serving size to me was nearly a quarter gallon...That's a big bowl of ice cream, and clearly not on my calorie counting list. I don't even know how many calories it must have been. If I were really going to town on the stuff, I could put away a half gallon by myself in a 24 hour period. It's a big addiction. I can't think of any other food that I devote as much passion. If I do have Blue Bell anytime in the near future it will have to be in a very controlled form. Like one of those mini-ice cream sandwiches, maybe. I haven't been without ice cream during this first 15 days of this life change, I've had a 150 calorie soft serve cone from McDonalds probably five times. Usually at the same time in the evening when I have enough calories leftover. And it's usually the same people handing it to me through the drive through window. They must think... “man, that guy really loves his ice cream”...and they would be right. What would shock them is that I'm dropping weight everyday at the same time! I really hate pulling up next to vehicles at the red light while I lick my ice cream cone. I look like a monster sized little kid enjoying every little lick nice and slow. Maybe I should have Irene drive next time and I can sit in the back! Enough ice cream talk...I mean I'm strong and determined and all, but I'm only human!

Tomorrow is a very exciting day for me. It's weigh day! I can't wait to hop on those scales! How much will I have lost? I don't know! But If I had to guess, I'd say at least 10 pounds and maybe as high as 15. Irene is guessing at least 20 pounds. I don't know...I know it's something good, because I can feel the difference already. And before anyone says “that's too much to lose so fast!”...Remember, I started at 505 pounds...It's going to come off much quicker in the beginning, and then it will come off at a little slower pace as I get smaller and smaller. It's all relative to your size. If I only had 40 pounds to lose I might expect to lose only 4 to 6 pounds. But I have well over 200 pounds to lose...so it's going to fall off quickly at first. I'm definitely not starving myself! 1500 calories a day is only 500 less than the “recommended daily allowance 2000 calorie diet”. That's right, look at a nutrition label, all of those daily percentages on the back are based on a 2000 calorie diet! It says it right there! So 1500 a day and exercise is good, real good for me.

What I like most about this way of losing weight? It's completely natural. I'm not taking any “magic” pills or taking any kind of drugs to help me fend off the cravings. It's just me and my decisions. That's it. Everyday I decide to enjoy 1500 calories. Everyday I decide to exercise. Everyday I decide to drink enough water. Everyday I decide to write about my daily progress and this helps me get up the next day and make the right decisions all over again. You see, I've always known how to lose weight, but I kept letting my head get in the way. I kept making excuses. I kept gravitating to the line of least resistance. And at that line anything goes. It's real easy to make bad decisions. How many times have I been told by a doctor that I was flirting with death at this weight? Many. But it didn't make me cry until a doctors visit on June 10th of this year. And still, after my flood of emotions that day, after a family group hug where all of us were crying our eyes out...still I made bad decisions. What clicked three months later? What made September 15th the day? Let's just say that there comes a time when enough is enough. The family is tired of hearing “someday” and enough is enough. There comes a time when you realize that you might have waited too long to save yourself, but never go there, don't believe it. That road is a dead end my friend. Because if you get started right now, this minute, maybe you still have a chance to make the right decisions. The decisions that can save your life, your family, and everything that's important to you. That's what I decided on September 15th.

Good Choices,
Sean