Day 250 Trusting Myself With Pasta and Let Me Tell You All About It!

Day 250

Trusting Myself With Pasta and Let Me Tell You All About It!

Any Friday can be one of the longest days of the week for me. Today was a long day. It was good, but long. I started the day at 4:45am and didn't get home for the night until 11:30pm. I did come home for a couple of hours in the late afternoon/early evening, long enough to prepare a wonderful dinner of salad, spaghetti with a beef and mushroom marinara, and garlic toast. Wow that dinner sounds dangerous huh? It wasn't. It's funny, because if you've read some of the early post in this blog, you might remember me talking about how “I avoid pasta because it's too much of a wild card in the calorie department.” I was straight up scared of pasta. Because I love it and I have a history with it. A history of eating wayyyy too much, way too often. It's very different now. For one, I have a food scale, so when a package of pasta says so many calories for this many ounces, I can measure it and see the amount I'm consuming without guessing at the calories. But the biggest difference for me has nothing to do with accurate calorie counts and everything to do with complete portion control over my plate. Yes I avoided pasta dishes before because I was afraid of what the calorie count might be and unsure of an exact number, but mainly I was afraid of my portion control abilities. I use to completely fill a normal size plate at least a couple of times and you can bet I was going to have at least two slices of bread, maybe three. This evening I enjoyed a normal portion of spaghetti and one slice of bread, and I was very satisfied. I did not reach for more. My plate checked in at 450 calories, and I needed to keep it under 500, so I was done! This whole eating responsibly thing is becoming habit, it's like I'm a completely different person, it feels great!

Dr. Amy Cox of the Ranch Wellness Center was my co-host this morning on my radio show. It was a great show and a lot of fun. Dr. Amy has asked me to speak at her 2nd Annual Optimal Health Challenge seminars, especially the first one. The first meeting focuses on the mental aspects of making positive changes for your health. I'm thrilled and honored to be a part of this exciting program. It's so hard to believe that 250 days ago I was a 505 pound mess of a man, and now I'm being asked to speak at seminars focusing on Optimal Health. It's a testament to how far we can come in a relatively short time when we make an iron-clad decision to change and we pursue that change with passion and an honest, consistent effort.

I had an opportunity to give a private “mini-seminar” to a couple of teenagers today. I stopped by a friends dock at the lake and found a co-workers kids and one of their friends swimming. One of the kids and the friend are overweight and have been for some time. The great thing is, they're both very active and into football, so they're planning a summer of weight training and working out. They were shocked at the difference in me and I was more than happy to explain some of the fundamentals I've learned along this journey. After talking to their mom and talking with them for a few minutes, I gathered that their biggest challenge was the food part. They've got the physical exercise part. So I gave them a quick little overview on metabolism, utilizing the wood burning stove analogy and the art of portion control. I also talked about the mental aspects when it comes to food. They listened intently and even asked questions, so I know they were genuinely interested. These kids have the opportunity to put obesity behind them at an early age. With the proper knowledge and understanding, they can do it and be free for the rest of their lives.

I just can't help talking about the changes and the simple steps I've taken to get to where I am now. If you ask me to tell you, get ready, because we're going to be chatting for a little bit! I recently jogged into Wal-Mart for a few quick items, and ended up running into an acquaintance who quizzed me about what I'm doing, and I stood there by the potatoes for 45 minutes as they listened close to just about every facet of this journey. Sometimes I have to remind myself to be brief, sometimes a condensed version is the best version for the circumstance, but as long as they're really interested and listening with the look that says “tell me more,” I just have to do it. I can tell when someone is interested or just being polite and could really care less. I have a pretty good filter for that. If I sense they're only interested in small talk, I don't spend the energy, but if I sense that they could really benefit and want to benefit from what I might say, then we're going to talk my friend.

I spent some time with a friend this evening and didn't get home until 11:30pm. I still needed to hit the trail for a good walk and write this blog. Irene and I switched vehicles this evening, so I had to workout without my iPod! I hate that! I know I endured the first three months worth of workouts without any musical accompaniment, but I'm hooked on it now. It was very different not getting into the rhythm of my favorite songs out on the trail. I was forced to hear every strange sound the midnight hour offers on a dark lonely walking trail. I spook myself too easily sometimes. It's really funny. I sometimes look like Curly from the three stooges out there...But only when I'm alone. When I'm with someone else, I'm not scared of anything. Makes perfect sense. When we're alone we feel the most vulnerable. It's natural. How we stay focused and on track, even when no one is watching, that's a real indicator of where we are mentally on this journey. Getting real and honest with myself about my behaviors has been a wonderful experience.

I have a remote broadcast at Wal-Mart in the morning from 9am to 1pm. Every time I do one of these, I'm hoping that guy comes back that made the rude comment to me about the rice krispy treat. Remember that one? “Are you gonna sit there all day and eat those...?” Some people. I've lost a bunch more weight since then. Come on back Mr. Inappropriate talker! Let me enlighten you...No, probably wouldn't be worth my time.

Thank you for reading my daily blog. We're on a wonderful journey here, thanks for coming along! Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean