Day 369 Good Friends, Good Food, and A Good Friday

Day 369

Good Friends, Good Food, and A Good Friday

Once again I noticed something strange at work today. The other morning a sales rep showed up with a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The box said 190 calories for one. I passed. And so did a bunch of other people at the studio. Four days later, that box of a dozen Krispy Kremes still contained seven. Wow, somebody throw them in the trash already! It's delightful to see this kind of change around the studio, it's a much different environment these days. There was a time when it was all about the food. We would spend a half hour deciding what we would eat for lunch, somebody would “fly,” and sometimes the boss would buy. We would sit around the conference table and stuff ourselves with all kinds of calories. And if we had a new restaurant on the air, we had to try out the food, and a bunch of it by golly! Doughnuts never stood a chance in that building before. A box would last maybe a couple of hours, three or four at the most, or even as little as thirty minutes. Now a box of doughnuts spoils before even half of them are gone and I can't remember the last we all gathered for a lunchtime feast at the conference table. It just doesn't happen anymore. I'm not taking complete credit for this change in behaviors around me, it's not just me, it's everyone being more aware of what they consume. It's a wonderful thing.

In Thursday night's edition I quoted Zaababy's blog (www.zaaisshrinking.blogspot.com). She mentioned how a good friend of hers has exercised without changing her eating habits and hasn't lost an ounce. While she has stuck to 1500 calories a day and done the same exercise and lost nearly fifty pounds. She deduced that you can't lose weight by exercise alone. I know what she meant, and I'm sure you did too, but I certainly wanted to address the particulars briefly. If you have the kind of eating habits that made you morbidly obese, the kind that took me to over 500 pounds, and you simply add a little walking to the day, I seriously doubt it will be enough to lose weight. But if your food is under control already and you exercise without the need to cut down in the food department, then yes, you can lose weight with exercise alone. Another reader sounded as if she was offended at the proclamation that you can't lose weight with exercise alone. That other reader talked about how she lost 40 pounds with exercise alone. And that's completely possible, absolutely---Hey, she's done it! But you must remember, we're talking apples and oranges here. Everybody is different. The person who loses weight without changing their eating habits, relying solely on exercise to burn the fat, is obviously already eating responsibly to a degree. They must be, one would think! The bottom line is: Both of them deserve congratulations. So congrats to you both! When I noticed the comments the two left for each other on my blog, I wanted to say “Ladies, ladies, please...you're both right. You're both right for the individuals you're talking about.” Zaa's friend can exercise all day long, but with horrible food behaviors, she'll never see the scale budge. While Ashley's workouts are enough to drop the weight without changing what I would assume are pretty decent eating habits. (with a big Sean smile) Can't we all just get along? ;)

I was busy at the station this afternoon until shortly after 5pm. No play rehearsal tonight, but we had friends scheduled to arrive at 6:30pm. I called them and requested they arrive around 7:30pm because I wanted, no check that, I had to have a nap. And that's exactly what I did, Irene too. We napped until nearly 8pm. Our company was left outside for a while ringing the doorbell and knocking on our doors and windows trying to wake us from our required slumber. We felt bad about them having trouble getting inside, but Rachel and Neal understand what our schedules demand, and they were completely understanding about the situation.

Usually we grill on the patio when they come over, but this time they insisted on taking Irene and me to dinner out, their treat. Courtney was working at the radio station so it was just the four of us. We enjoyed JW Cobbs, and it was the first time Rachel and Neil had ever been there. They love it too! They both could see how the place is loaded with good and bad choices. I explained to them our strategy at a restaurant. My drink order is always water with extra lemons. We order from the senior menu or the kids menu if it's allowed. If not, we'll order a regular meal and split it in half. Gravy is always on the side and low calorie veggies are always picked as a side. Well, I guess it depends on how many calories we want to “invest,” we've picked corn or fried okra before—but it's always a small serving and it's always counted. We stay clear of the bread, and if we do enjoy a roll---it's always half or a quarter, not the whole thing. We don't usually do desert either, at least not at the restaurant. Rachel and I did have a junior frozen yogurt twist on a cake cone (“cake” cone sounds horrible, it's not---in fact it's the lowest calorie cone you can use) from Braum's ice cream and dairy store. The desert was under 150, small, cute, tasty, and completely satisfying without breaking the calorie budget.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments and suggestions offered after I revealed my insecurities about my appearance now. I'm very fine with it, and I realize that I have work to do, BUT---I would have to be completely blind not to realize that I look light years better than I did at 505. And all of the things I don't like about my appearance right now are things that I control through weight training and continued success. I'm getting there!

I put on some slacks and tucked in a shirt and guess what? It really doesn't look bad! I was surprised. My fears and all that anxiety about tucking during the play just melted away like my fat. I just might become a “tucker” after all, hmm...very different outlook on everything!

After our dinner (oh by the way, I had the senior portion fried catfish!---I've had it several times in the last year.) we returned home to play cards at the dining room table. Our guest brought some adult beverages and we chose to imbibe a little. I was sitting at 1100 calories for the day, so with 400 left I enjoyed a few zero calorie ice teas flavored with 100 calories worth of vodka. We're typically not drinkers, never have been, we don't keep a bar or any alcohol in the house, ever, but occasionally we cut loose a little and enjoy a drink. My addictions have luckily never been alcohol or drugs, just nicotine and ice cream. All of it can be deadly when abused. And all of it can be enjoyed (except maybe nicotine) in responsible portions. We had fun. I still don't care for drinking my calories, just don't like it at all. But for special occasions with friends, I'm flexible in a reasonable way.

I read a comment left on my wife's blog (www.livinlarge09.blogspot.com) from a wonderful blogger who admitted that he sometimes waits until 12:01am to eat anything extra so he can use calories from the next days budget. I use to do this during past weight loss attempts, not this one...Anyway, it made me think of Day 24's blog posting titled “Calories On Credit” and “The List.” You guessed it, here comes another excerpt: I know it might sound harsh and a little extreme, but it goes back to my calorie/money analogy. If you have 1500 dollars to spend everyday (wouldn't that be nice) and you spend it all, but then you really want something, you just can't. The money is gone for the day. Could you have managed it better throughout the day? Perhaps, but the choices have been made already and you'll get another load of cash, er calories in the morning! I have to be that strict, because when you start making deals with yourself, and you start buying calories on credit, it can signal the beginning of the end. Buying “calories on credit” is when you say to yourself...”I know that I'm out of calories today, but I'm just gonna eat 200 more, then I'll eat 200 less tomorrow”...OR... “I'll go ahead and eat an extra piece, but I'll exercise 15 minutes longer to make up for it”. I've always been a pro at rationalizing bad choices. I can convince myself that the worst choice possible is a fantastic idea! And that can be very dangerous, because at a certain point it just becomes lying to yourself, and when that starts, it's really over unless you regain total control that very minute, I mean NOW. Blogger friend, there are many things that have gone into my success over the last year, and rock-solid calorie budget integrity is a vital component. Hope you don't mind me sharing my opinion. I didn't mention you by name, but you're no “fool.” You're doing an amazing job and I love reading your blog. I just read what you wrote and it reminded me of me from way back.

I'm taking Irene to a concert at the Poncan Theatre Saturday night. KLOR is sponsoring the “Pioneering Women of Rock and Roll” concert with Wanda Jackson and Becky Hobbs. I'm getting on stage and introducing the artist. It should be a blast! After the show, we plan on running script lines again most of the night. Have a wonderful Saturday! Thanks for reading. Goodnight and...

Good Choices,
Sean