Day 217 Time To Talk and The End of The Hotel Room Snack Buffet

Day 217

Time To Talk and The End of The Hotel Room Snack Buffet

Irene and I had a wonderful time in Oklahoma City this weekend. We proved that you don't have to spend a fortune to have a great time! Saturday night we decided to get our workout in at the pool. It really wasn't a pool designed for exercise. The deepest part was four foot, and they had large water toys built in to the pool. So it was kind of hard to do laps, but we managed to somehow exercise amid the crowd of kids playing water basketball. We also spent some time in the hot tub. That thing was probably the biggest hot tub I've ever seen, seating maybe a dozen or more. It was very relaxing, and had it not started foaming like someone had dropped shampoo, we probably would have stayed down there longer. The best thing we did was talk. We talked about the many changes we've experienced over the last seven months, we talked about what we expect over the next seven months and several years, and of course we reminisced about our early years and all we've been through. It was a wonderful time to communicate and relax, and that's mostly what we did.

Our food selection and food priorities were very different. First of all, before any hotel stay in the past, we always had to go to a store to stock up on “goodies” for the room. It was a completely normal thing to spend twenty bucks on junk to keep in the room. Our selections always included chips, dip, Nutty Bars, bagels, cream cheese, and of course plenty of sugary soft drinks. We didn't do that at all, didn't even desire to do that. We had bottled water, some flavoring packets, sugar free gum, and the complimentary coffee. There wasn't a need for a “fourth meal” at 1am like so many hotel stays before. We didn't order pizza to the room either, or run to a fast food place late. At dinner last night, we both watched our portions and left the restaurant feeling satisfied instead of stuffed. Out of habit we actually packed some Zantac antacid pills, but neither one of us needed them and they remained unopened. It's amazing how we always viewed our old habits and behaviors as normal, when they were anything but normal. The trade off of a much healthier existence and transformed body feels much better than any in room snack buffet. We took advantage of the complimentary breakfast this morning and again our selections were vastly different. We enjoyed fresh fruit, some cereal, and a cup of coffee. I grabbed an apple to have later and we were good to go!

Fitting in a booth that at 505 pounds would have been impossible was a tremendous feeling. I never thought I would say this, but I love booths! We always had to select restaurants based on seating arrangement, but not anymore, not at all. I don't think there's a booth out there that I couldn't fit in now. Not having that often times embarrassing problem is an amazing freedom.

I'm looking forward to getting below 350 and in not long breaking into the 200's. That will be very strange and wonderful! My mom recently recalled the day she realized that I was 300 pounds. I was just 16 years old and my weight was scaring her to death. She told me that day that I just couldn't get any bigger. I did get much bigger. But the gain was slow and steady, the kind that sneaks up on you and then slaps you in the face with a shocking number when you finally check. I'll never forget the first time I weighed in at over 500 pounds, it sent me into panic mode. Not enough to focus on any real changes, just enough to stress me out, and of course that always would lead straight to more food. It was certainly a vicious cycle all those years.

Tomorrow we'll be back into our regular routine and that will be good. I can't wait to get back into the YMCA tomorrow. Tuesday evening is another “Lose To Win” Seminar, and I'm presenting a little longer presentation. Tomorrow evening I'll be preparing the structure of what exactly I want to communicate at that seminar. I need to have structure in what I'm presenting, or else I'll just end up saying the same things over and over, just in a different way. I hope you had a good weekend, and I sincerely hope you have a fantastic Monday. Thanks for reading, good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean