Day 229 What If It Was Impossible To Cheat?

Day 229

What If It Was Impossible To Cheat?

Here we are on the edge of another weekend. Oh how weekends use to make me so nervous. The change in routine was something I hoped I could handle. After 229 days it's not something I worry about anymore. I've always been a worrier. I worry about a lot of things. When I was over 500 pounds I worried daily that I might die, I worried about what my family would do without me, and I worried about how they were going to find a casket big enough to bury me. I really thought about that, dark I know. Grotesquely obese people die everyday, I'm sure the casket companies have a complete line of giant products to fit giant people. But still I would worry about it all the time. Now I worry about a completely different, much lighter set of worries. I worry about not getting enough fiber (I've had 30 grams today!), I worry about injuring myself while working out (that's why I'm very cautious), I worry about communicating effectively in these writings. I want you to understand way more than just what I've had to eat and what I've done for exercise, because I've discovered that the biggest secret to losing weight isn't about the food and exercise. It's about how we feel, our mindset, and what we learn about ourselves along the way. Not having to worry about my weight and overall health is a tremendous burden lifted, not only off me, but off my entire family. Compared to my worries before this journey, anything I worry about now pales in comparison. I'm a pretty lucky fellow in that regard.

This morning for breakfast I enjoyed a breakfast burrito with egg, cheese, and salsa! This is a new addition to my breakfast options. The only reason it makes my list is because the tortillas are the Mission Carb Balance variety. They each have 7 grams of fiber! Fitness and Life coach Melissa Walden introduced the audience to them at a recent “Lose To Win” Seminar. I've had three of them today. Along with my fruits and veggies, I've had 30 grams of fiber. I need to buy some more steel cut oats, I'm out, and we love those things too! You know I'm all about eating whatever, and I mean whatever I want, as long as it fits in my calorie budget for the day. But I have to say, as I get further along I find myself naturally making better and better choices. If you've read every post of this blog, I'm sure you remember the day I consumed leftover lasagna all day. I've even had a big King Size Rice Krispy treat for breakfast along the way. But strangely, I find myself leaning more toward the oatmeal and eggs, and these high fiber tortillas. I haven't made a point to do it, it's just been the natural progression of my journey.

My number one rule from the beginning has been to keep it simple. And I do, completely! It almost sounds too good to be true. I've lost 156 pounds so far because I've kept everything simple, there's absolutely zero deprivation, and I have the freedom to adapt to any food situation. Nothing is off limits. I've decided that there are no “right” or “wrong” foods, only good and bad calorie values. This makes a huge difference to me psychologically. In the past, one wrong food choice and I was done until next time. Next time might be a week or a month away, in some cases a year or two away. Why I ever allowed one meal or one food item to completely derail my efforts in the past, I have no idea. But I'm not the only one! I've talked with several people who have said the same thing. One double cheeseburger and, “Well, I failed again. Maybe next time I can keep it together, let's go get a banana split!” Not anymore, and that's a major difference in my approach this time. Could you lose weight if it was impossible to cheat? That's why it's so effective. Now of course you have to watch the serving size. You have to be honest about the portions and the calories, but for me there isn't a food that simply eating would be considered cheating. Really, it all comes down to being honest with yourself. Complete 100% honesty is paramount to my success. The rationalizations and excuses that made me feel better about overeating were completely eliminated as soon as I made myself get honest about my habits. Suddenly I was free to excel.

I just finished another 5K tonight. It was a cloudy, cold, and dark walk out there tonight, but well worth it! Tomorrow evening I'll be doing a 10K with Courtney and Brandon. My mom will be here as well, perhaps she'll go along too. She's not ready for the 10K just yet, but she's making some amazing strides in her walking routine. She has walked several days in a row, getting up to almost ¾ of a mile! I'm very proud of her efforts. She told me last night that it's getting easier! YES! That's exactly what I wanted her to realize. It gets easier! If you need convincing, go back in the archives to the very first days and read how I struggled to make it a quarter mile. I thought I was going to drop dead on the pavement, it was horrible. Now I'm walking 3.1 and 6.2 miles on a regular basis? Yes I am, because it becomes easier and easier. I look forward to exercise now and trust me, that's something I never thought I'd be able to say.

Tomorrow morning we're headed to the campus of Northern Oklahoma College for graduation ceremonies. My Aunt Kelli is picking up a degree along the way to achieving her professional degree in psychology. I'm very proud of her for hanging in there and putting out the effort and consistency needed to get it done. And really when you think about it, positive effort and consistency plus time is the key to everything worth accomplishing, from education to weight loss! Our friend Rachel will also be walking across that stage in the morning, picking up her nursing degree. Big time kudos to both of them! It'll be a wonderful day.

Somebody told me today that I have a very plain looking blog. They're right, it's not fancy at all. I have a title, a reader location map, the archives, and the blog. What more do I need? They suggested that if I made it a little more flashy that I would attract even more readers. To be honest, I don't know how to do all that flashy stuff, but even if I did, I wouldn't. That's just my preference. I've read some amazing weight loss blogs recently that are definitely fun to look at with pictures, animation, all kinds of links, and inspiring content. Except for the content part, I just don't know how to add that other stuff. The only thing I might try to add are links to other weight loss blogs. With this blog you get zero flash and all substance and I kind of like that. It may be simple, but the only thing I worry about is: Did I communicate tonight's blog entry effectively? If I can say yes to that question, I'm completely happy. Thanks for reading, good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean