Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Day 163 The Insane Search For Anything That Works and An Unlikely Dinner

Day 163

The Insane Search For Anything That Works and An Unlikely Dinner

I searched for years, well, not really actively searching everyday, but curious always at least, wondering what really works? I was conditioned by our culture and society from an early age to believe in order to lose weight, you had to have a plan. Not your own sensible plan, because that would be too simple and free, and we know that if it's free it can't work, no, no, no...we gotta pay to lose weight if we expect results. We need someone else's plan! A plan or product someone else designed and now charges large amounts of money for. Now if this plan is all about learning portion control, self-analysis, and exercising, then great...sounds good, but kinda boring...and boring doesn't sell. I want amazing success claims! I want you to tell me that I can basically sleep and gorge all day long and still lose weight. I always thought that the secret must be in a product or system somewhere on a store shelf near me. When I would run into someone who had lost weight, my first question was always: “How did you do it?” This is often the first question that comes to mind for anyone. I always wanted to hear about a miraculous new product that would magically melt away my fat in the middle of the night while I slept regardless of my food intake or lack of exercise. As crazy as that idea sounds, that's exactly the message I've watched before on an infomercial in the middle of the night. Perhaps you've watched the same one. Did you notice the fine print too? “Product to be used in conjunction with a regular diet and exercise regimen.” Really? I have to make an effort? Then why would I want to take these again? Do they even contain anything other than a placebo and a slick marketing campaign that targets the desperate and dangerously overweight at 2am? But for years I had an open mind and a willing ear to listen to anyone that had any information on what worked. As long as that solution didn't involve certain things, like personal responsibility, educating myself on portion control, understanding, analyzing, and reconstructing my behaviors and please don't say exercise! Noooo! I can't move! What? You want me to kill myself? Listen, I understand the hopeless feelings that consume grotesquely obese people. I've been one for years. The dream is a miracle cure, that never comes along. Oh sure, people lose weight on all kinds of products and systems. I'm not saying you can't lose weight on some of these things. People do everyday, but it's like spending money on cleaning up the mess from a broken sewer line, but not fixing the broken sewer line. Sorry, that's a gross but effective example...but you see what I mean, right? That's why so many people gain back everything they lost and more! They cleaned up the mess caused by the real problem, but they didn't address the real problem. When they repeat the process over and over they call it...”Yo-Yo Dieting.” I've always heard the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result...that's yo-yo dieting! What has driven me to get down to the honest bare truth behind my lifelong battle with obesity? I don't have time to yo-yo any-mo-mo. That was kind of lame, but it made me laugh, so I'm good. I'm learning everyday about food and how to properly handle it, I'm learning about exercise and how to properly do it, and most importantly, I'm learning about me on a level I didn't know existed. For the first time in my life I'm finally finding what I was looking for, and the strangest thing is, it was inside me all along, but I wasn't looking there. It's like searching for your lost car keys for 30 years, then one day finding them in your pocket where they'd always been.

Tonight we made a trip to Guthrie to meet Amber half way from her university. We were switching her vehicles, because her car needed some serious attention. Of course I knew this meant we would be dining out somewhere in Guthrie. Of all the fantastic choices I'm sure Guthrie has available, we chose Pizza Hut, not that Pizza Hut is bad or anything, they're not. But people don't say “Hey that town has some of the most amazing restaurants, you've got to try their Pizza Hut!” Pizza Hut/Wing Street Wings was the most convenient, right off I-35. And as far as I'm concerned, any choice of restaurants can be a good one or a bad one, it's all in the approach. It's not up to the restaurant what I choose to enjoy, that's up to me! Pizza can be a very healthy thing. The difference between good or bad always starts with the crust. The least calorie pizza is thin crust and Pizza Hut has really good thin crust. Depending on the toppings, I can have a slice of thin crust from a large pizza for anywhere from 180 to 230 calories. I stay away from the high fat meats like sausage and pepperoni, but that's just my personal decision. I stick with veggies on my pizza, always have, even when I would choke down a large oil soaked pan pizza. The veggies made me feel better about it! Tonight I had a couple of small slices and get this: Tomato soup! It was no ordinary tomato soup...it was simply the best tasting tomato soup of all time...That creamy tomato basil soup tasted every bit of the 360 calories (two cups-bowl) Pizza Hut Bistro nutrition facts said it contained. I had the calories to use, and I believe I used them well. I never thought I would ever enjoy tomato soup at Pizza Hut.

My enthusiasm level for the coming months is really a nice place to be. Not too many months ago, I thought I'd never feel this way. Day 163 is history and Day 164 is only hours away. I need to rest! I can't describe how wonderful it is to be able to communicate with you everyday in this blog. I sincerely appreciate your readership. I'm doing it! From 505 to 230 or less...or better...from a certain early death to a healthy new life...I'm getting there one day at a time, one step at a time, one bite at a time. Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean

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