Day 70 Setting The Pace and "Wanna Bet?"

Day 70

Setting The Pace and “Wanna Bet?”

I changed the title of the blog from last night. “Popcorn Rage” didn't make sense really. It rhymed with “stage”, but that's about it. I don't feel any rage against popcorn. I like popcorn, I just don't trust popcorn, unless I prepare it or at least witness the preparation. If coconut oil is involved count me out! If a bunch of butter is involved count me out. There's a short list of foods you will rarely see me eat. After all my talk about eating whatever I want, this might be confusing, but let me explain. Counting calories does allow me to eat anything. But it also forces me to make wise calorie choices. I can use the 1500 a day any way I want, but if I use them too fast and all at once then I'm really making it hard on myself the rest of the day. That's why I steer clear of: Movie popcorn, peanut butter, real mayonnaise, deep dish or “pan” pizza, egg nog, real pop, vitamin water (I'm still upset about that!), alcohol, butter, garlic butter dipping sauce, ranch dressing, bacon, cookies, A bowl of ice cream, and several more that I can't think of right now. I do enjoy Miracle Whip, thin crust pizza, and ice cream in controlled portions. The list of foods I do eat is much longer, just re-read day 50 of the foods I have enjoyed on this mission.

We had planned to workout at the YMCA today, but since they close at 5pm, and our schedules didn't fit, we ended up pounding out the steps on the Hutchins Trail. It was a great workout. It's all about the pace. If I push the pace up a mile feels like much more. I'm very happy about my progress, especially when it comes to exercise. It gets easier and easier and then I have to make it harder and harder to feel like I've had a workout. The added mobility and easier breathing is such an amazing thing. Speaking of exercise, Candi has decided to join us on our Thanksgiving Day 5k walk around Boomer Lake in Stillwater. If you plan on being in the Stillwater area on Thanksgiving and you want to join us, then let us know! It'll be a fun way to work off the stuffing and gravy!

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. When Thanksgiving would approach on past weight loss attempts I feared it. But my plan is solid. I'll have 1,000 extra calories that day, I'll walk a 5k in the afternoon, then at least another mile later that evening. So bring on the pie! I believe you have to have a plan going into the holidays because it's way too easy to throw your rhythm into a tailspin. Everybody has the cookies and fudge and pies and cakes and wow, it can be a real tight rope, but if you have a plan and stick to it, you'll get through it without falling. I can't wait to write the Thanksgiving Day blog Thursday night. I'll tell you all about it!

After the show last night the producer/director suggested some different wardrobe ideas for next season. I told him that I was losing weight and I'll have many new wardrobe choices come March. I'll have lost well over 100 pounds by then, probably close to 150, so I'll be able to wear just about anything I want by then I'm sure! That's really exciting. Clothes and I have had a love/hate relationship my entire life. I've never dressed the way I really want to, I just wear what fits. Often times I cling on to whatever I think makes me look smaller. When I was in school and it was coat weather, I use to wear my coat all day, because I thought it made me look better. I'm pretty sure I invented the fashion trend of wearing an “over shirt”, you know a t-shirt underneath with a button down collared shirt un-buttoned over. I use to get ribbed about that, and now guys all over the planet do it, and they're welcome. Weird, I know. I think I did that because it covered up my boy boobs. But now even men without excessive chest fat wear the “over-shirt.” I've always been self conscious about my chest. I do have nice pectoral muscles buried under the fat, I can flex and feel them. I'm doing it right now. I also have six pack abs hiding under my belly fat. I've almost felt them before. So losing this weight is like slowly opening up a bunch of presents, say over the course of a year or so... with every month that passes, I discover new feelings, new abilities, new muscles, and new looks staring back at me in the mirror. It's a wonderful bunch of presents!

I ran into a long lost friend of mine the other day and when I told them about my current weight loss they quickly reminded me of the weight loss disaster of 2004 (read Day 6 for an account of that meltdown), they said “I thought you were doing it a few years ago”...and they said it with a very skeptical tone. I understand this reaction, it's a kind of “I'll believe it when I see it” type of attitude. If anyone deserves to feel this way about my weight loss it would be Irene. She's been by my side for 21 years total, and she's witnessed first hand all of the failed attempts. But ask her today if this time is for real. She'll tell you yes. It is for real because I'm breaking down all the barriers, I'm blowing through the psychological roadblocks, I'm leaving excuses in the dust, and I'm writing about the experience every night. Everything is different about this time. I'm discovering and confronting my eating triggers, I'm learning how to handle the challenging days (just go back and read Days...uh, too many to list—But there have been some really challenging days!), I'm realizing the changes in me daily, and I'm encouraged by all of the positive feedback from my wife, my kids, my family members, my co-workers, my friends, and everyone that reads this blog. There are even complete strangers in different parts of the world that read this blog everyday, and when I look at the numbers of readers everyday that really becomes a huge motivating factor. I'm for real this time. And if anyone doesn't believe me, let's put a little money down on it. If I fail you win, when I reach 230 I win. You first might want to go back and read every blog entry starting with day one, and if you still want to bet, we'll do it, you name the price to play! I doubt I'll have any takers. You know I'm for real this time. I must turn in for the night. It's been a very busy but fun weekend. Nice workout tonight, perfect on my calories too, I think it's a nice time to call it a day. Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean