Day 204 The Cream Always Rises To The Top and Pardon Me While I Dream A Little

Day 204

The Cream Always Rises To The Top and Pardon Me While I Dream A Little

For those that may have thought that I was a shoe in to win the overall biggest loser prize in the “Lose To Win” Challenge, let me remind you of something very important. After losing 137 pounds so far, I've settled in to a very nice, normal pace. I've lost 14 pounds so far in the challenge and I personally know of five people who have bested that, there's probably 50 to 100 more that might have, who knows. And that's awesome! Congratulations to everyone! I have no complaints about averaging 3 to 4 pounds per week. I'll take that every week of the year. Congratulations to everyone that participated in the mid-point weigh-in! The prize money is within anyone's reach. But more important than the money, so many are learning that a life free of obesity and all of it's horrible effects is completely possible. I really don't care about the money, it pales in comparison to the rewards I'm reaping everyday and will for the rest of my life. My hope is that more and more people feel the same way. Will I give it my all? Yes, you better believe my “A game” is on, my team deserves for me to give it everything I've got. You'll be hearing about many more 5 and 10K's in my near future! Brandon called me today and told me to call him the next time I go out for a 10K and he'd join me. That's team work my friend. I didn't ask Brandon permission to mention his mid-point weigh-in results, so I can't reveal that, but let me say this, it's jaw dropping. He's losing weight at the pace I was in the beginning of this journey. And he understands why, because when you have a bunch to lose it's naturally going to go fast at first.

Brandon, Irene, and I talked about the possibility of “cheaters” trying everything imaginable to win the money in the “Lose To Win” Challenge. Sometimes money, or more specifically, the pursuit of money brings out the worst in people. But I decided today that those who may have shoved weights in their pockets at the initial weigh in, those people do not have what it takes to do this. The only weigh-in someone like that could gain an advantage is the first one, after that it's up to them to shed the weight. And if their moral fiber is thin enough to try something like that, they haven't the necessary honesty and work ethic to complete the task. Their goal isn't good health. Their goal is fast cash. And guess what? They can't hang with those of us who are committed to this journey for the right reasons. If you're doing this for the right reasons, you know it, and that makes you part of the cream my friend. And the cream always rises to the top! I'm completely confident that when the awards ceremony is held in mid May, the big cash winners will be people who really worked hard to make a difference for themselves and everyone around them. You'll be able to see the difference in their appearance and in their eyes. The eyes give away so much information and on that night you're going to see many happy eyes. What excites me most isn't the results in mid-May, it's several hundred people in one community making a change that will dramatically improve the rest of their lives. Yeah, this goes way beyond May my friend and way above anyone trying to artificially manipulate their results.

I stopped logging my daily foods on Fitday.com. I did log every bite, everyday for a month, and it's given me a nice breakdown of what I typically consume. It breaks it down, goes way beyond calories, it covers everything. If you've read some of the early days of this journey you know that I have never been a “write down everything you eat” kind of person. It's very easy to keep track of my intake, especially now that I'm making an effort to eat something every three hours. I always have an accurate count in my head. You might be different and really need to write everything down. For me, I did it to give myself and a few experts an accurate representation of what I'm eating on a daily basis as far as fat, protein, carbohydrates, and calories. Initially I was told to do it for a week and I completed a month. I stopped doing it to save time. Time seems to be a very precious commodity in my world these days.

I tried to wear my baggy 8XL wind pants this evening. The only way I can keep those giant things up is to wear a belt around the waist. Irene wouldn't let me, she insisted I wear the new size 48 jeans. I did, and I was happy about it! I feel so wonderfully “thin” in those things. Everyone yells “throw the old stuff away, give it away, do whatever, just get rid of them.” And I understand that way of thinking. But I've always had a very limited wardrobe, so something makes me want to keep them around and make them work. Like wearing a belt to hold up pants that are 15 sizes too big. That's kind of crazy, I know. I'm getting there mentally, slowly but surely. There will be a bunch of new clothes in my future for sure! And I may get rid of some of the old stuff, and I may keep some as “visual aids” for when I speak to people in the future about losing weight.

Thank you Toby for the wonderful compliment you left on Saturday's Myspace edition of this blog. It was very nice: ---“10K is awesome Sean! Keep up the good work. I really do think you need to start thinking about writing a book about all of this. I would be one of the first people in line to buy it!”--- Sharing my story is something I plan to do for the rest of my life. I look forward to the day when that's all I do. I want to write for and speak with people that feel the way I did for so many years. I feel it's my responsibility and honestly, I feel it's my calling. I'll never take credit for anyone's success but my own. A friend and co-worker today attributed part of her success to reading this blog everyday. Oh no you don't! It's all you lady! You're the one that's taking the action and doing what needs to be done. All I can do is set the best example I can everyday and continue sharing in these pages. Will I ever make writing and speaking a career. Without a doubt, yes. A little pre-mature to start thinking that way? Perhaps. But maybe not. If you've read this blog long enough, you know I'm a realist. I don't get carried away with pie in the sky dreams of being an author and motivational speaker. But do I dream about it occasionally? Sure, but only because it's a very real possibility. This blog is only the beginning. I've read compliments like Toby's from others and it just re-affirms my desires. Thank you for the boost of confidence!

Irene and Courtney experienced wonderful success on the scale today too! I'm so very proud of them. I heard from several friends about their fantastic mid-point weigh in and it makes me so happy. You can do this and you're proving it everyday! Thanks for reading, I can't thank you enough for the support. Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean