Day 142 The Big Jacket Retires plus Family, Food, and A Great Workout

Day 142

The Big Jacket Retires plus Family, Food, and A Great Workout

Today was one of those long days where you know there's no way to sneak a nap. But the great thing about days like this, they're usually filled with friends and family. Today was Aunt Violet's funeral. It was a sad occasion, but one filled with many family members I haven't laid eyes on in forever. We all got together to say goodbye to our dear aunt and catch up with each other. Several people noticed the weight loss and that felt great. After getting dressed for the funeral, I realized that my jacket no longer fits even a little bit. I'm a really casual guy, and since I hardly ever feel the need to wear a jacket, I only have one and it's really big. It was custom made for me when I weighed over 500 pounds. But now at under 400 (I'm anticipating my results tomorrow) it fits like a king size sheet on a full size bed. I decided to wear it anyway and at the reception I pulled it around me to demonstrate the big difference. It's a dramatic difference. I think it's time to retire that jacket. I would say give it away, but it has too much sentimental value to me. It's been with me for six years and countless comedy performances, remote broadcast, and unfortunately a few funerals. When I wanted to look semi-dressed up, I just put on the jacket, and walla! Like magic I was ready. But today when I put on the jacket I looked like the lead singer of the Talking Heads in the “Burning Down The House” video from the early 80's. It feels really good to reach a point where I have to buy new clothes. Soon other garments will have no choice, they'll have to go too.

A few family members fixed an amazing Italian dinner for everyone. Two giant trays of lasagna and a couple of pots of spaghetti with meat sauce plus bread, salad, green beans and someone brought pizzas. I couldn't help but notice the absence of fried chicken. It may have been the first family occasion without a bucket or sack of fried chicken. It was a fantastic change of pace! The desert table was loaded up with all kinds of cookies and cakes too. It would have been really easy to over do it, but I stayed focused and made it through exactly how I planned. I made a small plate with one piece of lasagna, some green beans, and a couple of spoon fulls of spaghetti. My best educated guess came in at 450 calories total. I passed on the bread and deserts. My Aunt Margaret (who prepared the wonderful lasagna) immediately noticed the small portions of food and commented “That's not very much food.” I told her I was counting calories, and she told me I was looking great. It was a nice portion, really it was. It was a normal portion. Now if we would have had a dinner like this 143 days ago, I probably would have loaded the plate to capacity and returned for more. But I knew exactly what to do. I enjoyed the meal at a slow pace, then I excused myself from the table and starting visiting with people. I took the focus off the food and put it squarely on catching up with family. It worked like a charm. I long for family get-togethers like this, I would just like them without having a funeral first. When I was a kid everybody got together for big dinners all the time. And if we didn't, we had a reunion. Maybe my generation in the family should start organizing something like that again. The older generation spent many years doing it, it's our turn! I'd love to help! Our dear Aunt Violet spent a lot of time and energy helping organize those family reunions and get-togethers. Some of my fondest childhood memories involved the food, music, and great conversation those family events held. I want to hear Uncle Bob sing some of his original stuff again. It's been too long since I heard “Five Foot Three.”

Tomorrow brings a milestone weigh day. I'll officially pass the 100 pounds lost mark and I'll be in the 390's! So maybe it wasn't that bad to only lose 9 pounds last time. It was tough hitting 99, when I just knew I would hit 100 pounds lost, but it has certainly set up tomorrow's weigh day to be something really special.

When we arrived back home tonight, we were all tired, but a good workout was a must! So we headed to the Y and got it done real good! My endurance and stamina is improving dramatically. It wasn't that long ago that 2.9 mph was really tough, now if it isn't 3.4 to 3.6, then I can't get what I need on the treadmill. The great thing about that is, it shortens my mile time by nearly three minutes. And my 5K time by nearly nine minutes. This from a guy who could barely walk a couple of blocks in the beginning! It's a gradual ascent, it doesn't happen overnight, it takes starting small and doing it over and over and naturally the workouts get longer and easier. That first night of walking 142 nights ago, I really thought I was going to drop over with a heart attack. At less than a quarter mile my chest was pounding, I was sweating profusely, and I could barely breath. And I was taking it as easy as I could! Any easier and I wouldn't have got out of the car. I've come a long way in 142 days. I'm proud of my success, I'm proud of my family's success too, and I'm proud of this daily blog. There's still a ways to go and I sincerely thank you for reading along the way. If you would like to be included in the mass text weigh day update, just drop me an e-mail to seanboy105@hotmail.com with your cell number. I'd be thrilled to add you to the list! If not, you can be sure to find the weigh day results right here in tomorrows edition. Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean