Day 222 Fifteen Hundred Calories For Now and A 10K Cut Short

Day 222

Fifteen Hundred Calories For Now and A 10K Cut Short

Just the other day a new reader asked why I chose 1,500 calories a day. The reader wasn't saying if they thought that number was too low or too high, but if I had to guess, they probably thought it was too low. Over the years I've been given weight loss plans by doctors that were actually less. I can remember a 1000 calorie plan and a 1200 calorie plan. 1,500 calories is only 500 less than the recommended daily allowance of 2,000, so really it isn't that low. Of course it's extremely low compared to what I was consuming before this journey. I wish I would have kept track back then so I could see a typical day worth of calories at over 500 pounds and nowhere near starting this journey. It was pretty much anything goes for so long, let me think, maybe I can remember a typical day: Breakfast was always feast or famine. If I had time, I'd grab some biscuits and sausage gravy through the drive thru at McDonald's. I might even grab an extra biscuit and strawberry preserves. If donuts were made available at the station I would have a few as a snack mid morning. Lunch might be a giant double cheeseburger and large fry with a real Coke or if I was eating lunch at home, maybe a big giant heaping portion of leftover spaghetti with a couple slices of white bread to “clean” the plate. Afternoon snack might have been a leftover donut or two at the studio or I might even sneak through a drive thru for a filet-o-fish or a bean burrito with sour cream. If we were eating at home, a typical meal would be three homemade burgers, two with buns and one just to dip and a whole mess of french fries with a bowl of fry sauce, a loaded mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise. Before bed I might have two or three bowls of cereal or a couple of big bowls of ice cream. Of course not everyday was four to five thousand calories, but many were like what I just described. I was never hungry, never had time to be hungry. What's funny, now that I'm consuming 1,500 calories a day and spreading it out with calories every three hours or so, I'm still never hungry! I was in big time denial too! I can remember on several occasions saying “I don't understand why I'm so big, because I really don't eat that much.” Really? And I was serious! Oh the lies we convince ourselves to believe, amazing. Every now and then someone will hear me say that I'm doing 1500 a day and they'll let me know that they think that's way too low. My answer to that is really simple. I logged every bite for over a month recently and had a professional, a registered dietitian evaluate my daily foods, and she never said “you're not eating enough.” She even complimented my lack of “empty calories.” She did say that I wasn't getting enough fiber, but we don't want me to get started on that topic again. I've had several doctors visits where I talked about what exactly I'm doing with food and exercise and not once has a doctor stopped me and said... “Whoa, did you say you're only eating 1,500 calories a day? That's not near enough!” The only expert that has ever expressed concern about my calorie intake being low, did so in regards to weight training. And when I get really heavy into weight training I may need to bump up the calories to give my body more fuel for the muscles. Right now we're in losing fat mode. Yes, I'm doing some weight training, but right now it's mainly just waking up those muscles and letting them know what's up. There will be some massive changes in my body over the next year or so and weight training will be a big part of that. So the calorie limit may be increased later, but right now 1,500 is just fine for this stretch of my journey.

I decided tonight that Courtney and I would do a 10K at the trail. I actually decided this morning. Last night's 5K was good, real good, but I wanted to push a little further and a 10K works well. Courtney didn't even blink when I sprung the 10K idea on her. She's completely game for whatever I decide. We grabbed our iPod's, she helped me wrap my legs for support and I wrapped her left foot and ankle, and we were off to the trail. The temperature was still in the low 80's when we started and it made for a little more sweat than usual. Sweat is good right? Oh yeah it is! However, it wasn't long before I started having my doubts as to whether or not I could finish the full 10K. Lately I've noticed my shoes not being as supportive as they should be. They've been in service since day 49, so now they've “turned” and the support isn't what it was before. I noticed a little discomfort in my right foot last night because of this shoe problem and tonight I noticed it even more. The top side of my right foot was really straining to keep up with the declined support of these tired shoes. So rather than risking a foot injury, we called it good after doing a 5K. Now I need to do some shoe shopping. Seriously, it's time to replace this worn out pair. After 173 days of continuous service and surviving the last 100 plus pounds of weight loss, they're ready to retire. I've included a picture of these shoes in tonight's bonus picture blog. Be sure to scroll down and take a look at how badly “turned” they've become. They have been great shoes, no complaints here! If you're getting out there and working yourself, I hope you have a good pair of supportive shoes, it's very important!

Tomorrow morning I'm doing a special remote broadcast at US Cellular from 11am to 3pm. Remote broadcast use to be such a hassle when I was so large. I never enjoyed meeting listeners for the first time at events like this because then they would know the truth about me! How could I hide behind a microphone on their radio, creating an illusion of perfection if they actually get to see an imperfect 505 pound me? I may never be perfect, but I'll tell you this...at 350 something I don't mind meeting every last listener I have on KLOR. My confidence level has dramatically increased and it shows in everything I do. If you're in the area, stop by, I'll truly be happy to meet you! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to scroll down and take a look at the Day 222 Bonus Picture Blog. Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean