Day 22 Excuses or Solutions

Day 22

Excuses or Solutions?

Someone very dear to me is slightly struggling to stay completely on track. She's not doing bad at all, but she knows when she's over done it and she's sounding defeated tonight. We all know if we've over done it, and if you have an experience like that, you have to have a long hard talk with yourself. You have to think about what's at risk here. You have to think about what you'll gain by doing this and how bad it could get and what you could lose if you don't. Consequences...we've discussed that word before. Close your eyes and daydream about it, think hard, and see what you could miss someday if you don't grab control now. And then dream of the things you will enjoy if you do. The risk are different for everyone. For younger people doing this, it may not feel like a life or death thing. It's still just as important, because eventually it can become that serious. It may just be that you want to get it off now so you can feel good and be healthy and prevent obesity related problems down the road. But for people like me and the very dear person I spoke of above, this is a life or death mission. I know it sounds over-dramatic, and believe me I'm one of the least dramatic people you'll ever know, but it's really that serious. I started at 505 pounds. That's a deadly weight at any age! The person I spoke of is older, has 100 pounds to lose and she has the power to extend her life by an extra 10 to 20 years, 10 to 20 good years! I want you to be here to see and hold your great grand-children, I want you to be here to watch your grand children grow into adulthood, I want you to be there when I call you to talk, I want you to discover aspects of life that maybe you thought were gone forever, because as much as you refuse to believe it, they're not. I want you to live as long as you possibly can because I love you and I know you love me. Do you want it? You've told me before that my weight scares you...Your weight scares me too. I can tell these things to you in private--in person and on the phone, but I'm writing it here so you can read these words everyday, and really take them to heart. I'm a mommas boy, I love you mom, and I refuse to leave you behind in this journey.

Sometimes when the stress level goes way up and troubles rain down we search for a comfortable place to shield us from the storm. When our nerves are on edge we look for something to make us feel good again. We find comfort in food because it taste good and so many of our good memories are surrounded by good tasting food. Some people handle stress differently, instead of eating they go for a long walk and a good workout. For me and a lot of people the short term solution to feeling better is eating. It's a hard habit to break, but it's crucial to the life saving weight loss we desperately need. Instead of excuses why we can't possibly stay on track, we have to discover solutions to how we can. We have to understand that every choice is an important one. Remember that one bad choice often leads to another and it works the other way too. One good choice often leads to another. That's why I end every one of these blogs with “Good Choices”, because in the end we are the sum of our decisions, we can either be the victims of our poor choices or the champions of our good choices. “But you don't understand what I'm up against here”...No, maybe I don't know exactly what you're feeling inside and how it's effecting you, but I do know this: Overeating and making bad portion and exercise choices aren't going to make it better. I'm learning to love myself enough to make the good choices everyday. I said I'm learning, because I don't know everything, I'm not a doctor, I only know what I've put myself through all of these years. I only know and learn from what I've personally experienced over more than two decades of failed attempts. I've made excuses for years why I can't do this. Now I'm making solutions and good choices to show myself I can.

As we were getting ready for our evening walk, Courtney opened the patio door and discovered that it was pouring down rain. “What are we going to do now?” We're going to get wet! And we did. Walking in the rain felt so good tonight. I really thought that we would be the only people out there, but as we walked I could see some people coming from the other direction. As they got closer I realized it was Taylor Coon and a couple of his friends! Taylor is a regular reader of this blog and he is doing extremely well! He lost a whopping 10 pounds his first week, and now after nearly two weeks he's starting to notice that he may need some new clothes soon. I'm very impressed with Taylor's dedication and the way he's embraced counting calories and exercising. He understands that you can still eat and lose weight, and he's a perfect example of it working to perfection. It was the first time I'd actually met Taylor in person. He graduated high school with my daughter and she told him about this blog after he expressed a desire to lose weight. It was nice to meet you Taylor and keep up the great work my friend!

The days are starting to move quickly and in only a week it'll be time for me to weigh again. I really look forward to that day. When you're completely dedicated and working at it everyday, weigh day becomes exciting! After all these years of avoiding scales and mirrors, now they're becoming two of my favorite things.

Good Choices,
Sean