Day 252 A Free Day For Me Could Be Too Costly and The Sunday Night 10K

Day 252

A Free Day For Me Could Be Too Costly and The Sunday Night 10K

Recently the topic of allowing a “free day” came up. The only time I've done that was Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I still only allowed an additional 1,000 calories. Some people can handle a free day and then pretend that it didn't happen, I can't. That's just me. And now that I'm so far along on this journey, I seriously don't think I could make myself take advantage of one. I eat everything I like anyway! I've really been analyzing the concept of a “free day,” and I've come to the conclusion that fits me. Every other weight loss attempt found me just waiting for the day I could cut loose. I wasn't learning anything about portion control and eating responsibly. I was simply going through the motions needed to lose weight. I wasn't changing my brain. Back then, one day of eating whatever, whenever, and howmuchever I wanted, and it was over every time, completely off the wagon. I know experts say that an occasional free day is actually good for firing up your metabolism, I eat every three hours, that too will keep your metabolism running hot! If my long term goal is eating responsibly, then why would I want one day to eat whatever? It's something that really depends on the person. My opinion really only fits me because I know me. I know me very well. For some, a free day might mean one meal where they go out and just order whatever without regard to calories. That's not too bad. I guess it depends on what you consider a free day. To me it always meant a half-gallon of ice cream just for starters! I wrote about this on Day 34. On the topic of allowing a “cheat day”: I know that if I do it a little it will lead to a lot. Then the next thing you know I'm buying candy bars and half gallons of ice cream. I'm all about eating whatever you want and still losing weight, I'm proof it can be done, but I do have some boundaries. My wife and kids know that if daddy brings home a half gallon, it's all over. Irene is so good at recognizing when I've fallen off the wagon that she'll let me know she knows long before anyone else has a clue. If you see me drinking regular pop...I'm off the wagon. If you see me loading up a plate at a get together, I'm probably off the wagon. If you see me in the back alley behind the convenience store with a pint of Blue Bell and a plastic spoon, I'm off the wagon. But you will not see me doing any of those things, because I'm not only on the wagon, I'm strapped onto the wagon. If the wagon tipped over, I'd still be on the wagon. If the wagon started rolling down a mountain side, I'd be screaming in terror, but I'd still be on the wagon. What I'm trying to say is...I'm doing this now. And I imagine that some might be wondering when these blogs will stop. I've had so many great starts before, surely I'll mess up and go back to doing whatever sooner or later. Nope. If you stopped reading this blog and came back in two months, you would find Day 94 ready and waiting for you to read. That first sentence sums up why I wouldn't dare allow myself a free day early on this journey. And now after 252 days, I've learned too much about portion control and eating responsibly to ever wrap my mind around the free day concept. It just goes against the mental changes that I've developed, the ones that will keep my weight off for the rest of my life. These changes are the number one difference between this time and all the others.

The decision to walk a 10K today was made a few days ago. We decided to make it to the trail after night fall to avoid the sun, we burn too easily! I was joined by Courtney and her best friend Dylan. I'm sure Amber would have joined us too, but she's visiting at her boyfriends parents house three hours away. And a couple of friends that had planned on joining us had some changes to their holiday weekend plans that kept them away. Dylan is new to the workout scene and he did very good, making it two miles before heading home. Courtney and I decided we were not stopping until we hit 6.2 miles. I have to say it was a little more challenging tonight because of the humidity. We had to stop for water at two and four miles, very unusual, but a good thing never the less. I was really getting beat during the fourth mile, I was ready to call it a night, but just couldn't bring myself to stop. We said we would do it and we were going to get it done. It was a new endurance record for Courtney. I'm very proud of her, even after developing a nasty sore on her pinky toe, she stuck it out. It felt good to cross that imaginary finish line!

My mom is celebrating a big accomplishment. She just finished her first full week of walking everyday. She's already up to a mile too! She's progressing very nicely. I'm incredibly proud of her!

Tomorrow we're heading to Stillwater for Memorial Day. We'll visit family and friends all day and early evening, and I'm sure we'll go out for a Memorial Day dinner. We don't get down to Stillwater enough, so we're going to cram as much visiting in as possible. I better hit the pillow. Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean