Day 7 Weekend Conquered

Day 7

Weekend Conquered

Today was a lazy Sunday around the Anderson household. I grilled lunch outside. Small hamburgers—about 250 calories each—plus a bun—110. With mustard and pickles it was well below 400 calories, and for an extra 120 calories---a serving of baked crinkle cut french fries. See, this calorie counting thing isn't that bad! It gets better...For dinner I made sour cream chicken enchiladas with chicken rice and southwestern corn. I know---two starches. Whatever—It's the calories that concern me. And it was good. We each had one enchilada on our plate, and the entire plate was only 460 calories! Normally I would have had at least three of those things, plus maybe chips and salsa. No chips, and two less enchiladas, and guess what? We were all fully satisfied. Portion control is so important and this meal proves that again. I have nearly 300 calories left for the day, Irene has at least that much, and Courtney has 200 left. So guess what were having after our vigorous walk? A Junior Banana Split from Sonic!
That's right, I said it! I looked it up at sonicdrivein.com, those little taste of paradise are only 180 calories!! And they're only 99 cents. See for yourself...just go there and click on nutrition at the bottom of the page. I love counting calories.

One thing that is so important is eating slow. I'm not normally the fastest eater, but I'm not the slowest either. A recent study showed that it takes twenty minutes for the stomach to realize it's full, I heard it on Paul Harvey News Saturday. Eating slower and enjoying every bite makes for a much more enjoyable meal and before you know it, a much smaller portion has made you full.
I'm going to try to stop mentioning 2004 in this blog. I think I did that enough yesterday. We can't change our past, but we can learn from the mistakes of the past and improve our lives now. That's what yesterdays blog was all about. So instead of 2004, I want to talk about 1985. It was bedlam in Stillwater,
I was 14 years old. OU and OSU were playing the Ice Bowl that night at Lewis Stadium, and the Anderson family was ready to go out for dinner while the entire town watched the game. I had been on a real good calorie counting diet. I had lost probably 20 pounds up until that point. Even at 14 I was trying to lose the weight. And I ate slow back then too! I remember eating a bean burrito from Taco Bell with a knife and fork! I also remember the night of the Ice Bowl in Stillwater, because it was that night that derailed me from losing weight at 14. We went to “Yer Mothers” restaurant on the strip in Stillwater. They had an unbelievable special: 99 cent Chicken Fried Steak Dinner. It was a big chicken fry, gravy, potatoes, toast...The whole deal for 99 cents. I couldn't resist. None of us could. I had one. And instead of getting back up and getting after it the next day, I just gave up. I had blew it completely. I threw away all that hard work over a 99 cent chicken fried steak dinner. The reality of it was, I went over my calories, but not enough to gain any weight...I probably wouldn't have lost any either that day, but it didn't have to end it all.

I'm really not worried about that now and you shouldn't either. But I learned a valuable lesson: If you happen to over-eat one day, don't throw all your hard work down the drain. Give yourself a good talkin' to, and get back on immediately. Not tomorrow...NOW. And perhaps go out and exercise extra. I haven't experienced an over-eating situation in these 7 days, and when you're completely focused and determined, you shouldn't have these instances, but...We all have holiday parties, family get-togethers, cook-outs, etc. And it can get very easy to over do it, especially when someone else is planning the menu. I'll keep thinking about my motivating thoughts and it will not be be a problem. You too, ok?

I made a trip to Wal-Mart this evening. Normally I drive around the parking lot until a space opens up as close as possible to the front doors. I've driven around that lot for ten minutes or more before, just to save a few extra steps. That's crazy! Today I found myself doing that exact same thing again! Old habits die hard huh? When I realized what I was doing, I immediately drove out to almost the Murphy Oil station and easily found a space. It was a nice little hike to the store, but really it wasn't that bad. We all have those moments when we know that it's time to really do something about losing weight and getting in shape. It's funny because one of mine happened just a couple of months ago in the Wal-Mart parking lot. I found a space not too far from the front doors that day, I got out at the same time a nice, little old lady was getting out of her vehicle. We were almost side by side. As we walked I noticed she was starting to get ahead of me! I was walking as fast as I could, and she was beating me!!! She was at least 80 years old and she had more spring in her step than me, a 36 year old man. I tried to catch her, and almost did, but as if she knew of the race I had created in my head, she accelerated as she approached the door, leaving me in her dust. “Wow”, I thought...”Did I just get beat by her?” Yes, yes I did. I don't remember what I was going to Wal-Mart for that day, but I'll never forget the realization that I really needed to do something soon. Oh, yeah, I remember...Ice cream and Coke-A-Cola. That's what I was after, and yes, even after getting beat by the nice older women, I still bought what I was after. Well, I did say “do something soon”. I've used the word soon way too much in my life. “I'm going to do that soon”...What is “soon”...How much time is “soon”. When does “soon” end? Not soon enough, I know that! My “soon” ended a week ago. Soon is here and NOW my friend.

Good Choices,
Sean