Day 55 Corvettes and Cheesecake

Day 55

Corvettes and Cheesecake

My day started with a Corvette Show at the local Chevrolet Dealer. After surveying all of the cars I have to admit I'm not quite ready to try to fit into one. Even had I asked to try out the position behind the wheel, I don't think these Corvette enthusiast would have been real enthused about the idea. And that's probably a good thing right now. I would not want to break something on a Corvette. I have some friends that own one and I'm sure that after another 100 pounds or so, they'll let me sit behind the wheel and see what it feels like. The dealership had these big all-beef jumbo hotdogs. I had mine without the bun because I knew that it had to be 250 for just the dog. I also had a ½ serving of barbecue potato chips for 75. No problem. Oh, and did I mention that they had four giant trays of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies? I didn't have one, but let me tell ya, they looked really good. I could have had one, I mean based on the size and flatness in comparison with the bank cookies, they were in the neighborhood of 150 each. But I decided to save those calories for later. A bunch of people noticed my weight loss. I haven't been on that showroom floor since I started, and immediately people were asking me about the change in my appearance. That's very cool. Positive feedback feels really nice. I put on a shirt for the event that I haven't been able to wear in years! So I started the day with a bunch of positive energy. I was talking to one of the sales guys about what I'm doing everyday and as I talked another of the sales staff, a guy that is very thin and fit, is scarfing down cookie after cookie. The thin and fit guy told us that he eats as much as he wants and never gains a pound. In fact he eats a pint or two of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream every single night before bed. For a super premium ice cream, that's like almost two thousand calories for a bed time snack! I can't imagine how fast his metabolism must be. He joked that maybe he has some kind of worm or disorder that prevents him from gaining weight. Some people just lucked out when it comes to metabolism. I use to say half-jokingly that “I hate those people”, I wouldn't say hate, that's a pretty strong word. But envy? Maybe that.

Staying positive is a very important element in my success on this journey. I try to avoid people who like nothing more than a good negative conversation. As soon as a conversation turns negative, I get out as soon as possible. I'm not saying that I'm the most positive person in the world, I'm certainly not, but I'm a firm believer in the concept of whatever you put in your head, that's what you're going to get out. Positive thoughts bring positive actions and positive actions produce positive results, it's really simple if you think about it. I'm a firm believer in the power of suggestion too. If you tell yourself something negative enough times, you eventually gravitate toward it and become it. It works the other way too. Stay positive however you can and it will make a huge positive difference in what you do. And that really goes for anything, not just losing weight and exercising. Oh, and that power of suggestion thing is powerful, especially when the negative is coming from someone close to you. Never accept or tolerate verbal abuse. Verbal abuse is a poison that will slowly kill your spirit. And it can come from someone who loves you very much. Sometimes they may not even realize they're doing it. Maybe they're just naturally critical and negative about everything and everyone...maybe deep down they don't like something about themselves , and putting down or “joking” in a negative fashion at your expense makes them feel better. If you're trying to accomplish a life saving and extending goal like losing weight, you have to stand up to and point out when it happens, then declare that you're not going to accept that negativity anymore. “But I'm just kidding, wow...lighten up” may be the response you get, don't accept that. Just tell them that you realize they may not be intentionally trying to harm you, but they are every time they put negative things into your head. I'm very lucky that I'm surrounded by love and support and that's not an issue for me, but some people who read this blog are dealing with these issues everyday.

About the time I started this mission on September 15^th, one of the sponsors of my radio show started having me rave on air about the new item in their coffee bar, Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake. The Anderson family loves cheesecake, but it's one of the things I haven't had so far because it's such a bad calorie value. I'll have some eventually I'm sure, but it will be a small portion and every calorie will be noted! It feels kind of awkward to go on and on about how good the cheesecake is at this place and then minutes later be talking about my weight loss blog. But hey, it's my job! And that Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake is amazing I'm sure! But it brings me to a really good point. One of the reasons counting calories and exercising works so well for me is because I'm not restricted. I can use my calories any way I want. I can blow them all at once if I want to, I wouldn't do that of course, but I'm just saying nothing is out of bounds. And that freedom keeps me from feeling deprived. I may not have the calories today to share a piece of cheesecake with my wife or daughters, but one of these days I will. That's how I handle sudden cravings. I just remind myself that I will have whatever I'm craving soon, just not today. Then later I'll find the calorie content and decide if I want to put it in my calorie budget for the day. Cheesecake is like an obsession with Courtney, she even wanted cheesecake instead of a birthday cake, so I know that when I'm ready to enjoy a slice, I'm not going to have a problem finding someone to share the experience with.

Day 55 is history. Another successful day of losing weight in the books! Can't wait to get caught up on all my e-mail and messages tomorrow! Thank you for reading and remember, if you're on the same journey let us know how you're doing by leaving a comment to this blog! We can all support each other all the way to our goals! Good night and...

Good Choices,

Sean