Day 592
Little To Complain About and Video Time: The Lose To Win Kick-Off Presentation
The feedback from yesterday's post was phenominal. You helped me understand better where exactly I am, and it's a pretty good place. Thank you! When I start feeling the emotions that produced yesterday's post, perhaps I should step back, reach out to friends privately, and fully evaluate the situation. Because really, if you widen the scope---I have very little to complain about. I'm blessed and luckier than most. I should count my blessings more often.
Today was a good Thursday in the food and exercise department. It's a positive thing to correct quickly in the midst of what I was feeling. The "old Sean" would have continued spiraling out of control in not only the exercise department, but the food as well. "Old Sean" would have been on his way back to the prison that is morbid obesity, actually, it would have happened some time ago. We've had several days and moments like that, it's a part of life, right? Being able to recognize an elevated threat level and throwing up the "Steel Curtain Zone" in time to beat it, is a fantastic sign of real and lasting change. Basically, I'm learning to accept that it isn't always going to be a bed of roses. And when things are less than perfect, I must remember that the issues will pass and I will recover. I've said it from the very beginning: Nothing, no person, place, thing, circumstance or emotion will steal this away from me. This is my time. I'm alive and well, and living better and healthier than I have since childhood. It's comforting to feel this way. It's a reassuring confidence that doesn't have to try very hard to make me smile. I'm smiling much more than I ever did at 505.
I stayed off the bike tonight because of the 40 mph plus winds. I made my way to the trail and put in a very nice 5K. Jogging with a 40 mph wind at your back is very cool, thanks Mother Nature for the push! I walked into the wind and jogged with, a nice outing indeed. I met a nice older man on the trail tonight. He told me he was 81 years old, and there he was---walking for his health, and doing wonderfully. I want to be like that someday, don't we all!
The "Lose To Win" kick-off videos are posted below. After watching these---I cringed at all of the things I didn't cover. So much left unsaid, but it's alright. Maybe someday, when this is all I do---we'll make sure to cross every T and dot every I. I'm my toughest critic. I give it a B-. It was cool to see me looking like a normal sized guy on that stage. I've ran into a few people who were there and they all were very complimentary on the presentation. Tonight, while grocery shopping, I ran into one of the attendees. She told me that my theme of "Choose Change before Change Chooses You" served as a topic for discussion at her Weight Watchers meeting in Pawnee Oklahoma tonight. She said they even wrote it on the board in big letters. That's very cool. I hope you enjoy the 3 part presentation below. Special thanks to Gayle Williams of Womyn Aloud Productions for processing the DVD and preparing the files for You Tube uploading. I'm so glad I have good friends that know how to do stuff like this! I'm clueless!!!
I'll be in the mid-day spinning class at the YMCA tomorrow at 11:15am. I'm taking a long lunch to accomodate. I certainly can't do that every week, although I'd like to...(hint hint--Mr. Blue Blazes). We're going to make it around here! Thanks for reading. Goodnight and...
Good Choices,
Sean
OMG. In the video, when you said "258 lbs." it finally clicked in my mind. That's what my own scale said this morning. The 258 really had NOT fully registered in my mind until this moment. I don't even remember the last time I weighed 258 and yet it didn't actually hit my conscious awareness (what an incredible achievement this is) until I heard you say it about yourself. THANK YOU!!!!! I finally realize the significance of what I am accomplishing.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you.
I quoted what Shannon said to you about exercise in my own post today - so important for people to learn to live a real life in the midst of this journey. What is it with the wind? You and I live very far apart in different parts of the country but we have had almost hurricane force winds here for 3 days!
ReplyDeleteBravo, Sean! You did an amazing job of making the case for lifestyle change, not just weight loss, real with your personal stories and revelations of continuing temptations and your admission of being addicted to food. Thank you for your inspiring, heartfelt presentation. I'm really proud of you!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED the videos and the grand entrance! What a great way to grab their attention, and get the message out that they can do it, too. Excellent and powerful stuff!
ReplyDeleteLoretta
=^..^=
Hope you don't mind a little constructive critique...your best *stuff* on stage happens when you refer to your family and other personal honest, stories from your life. The part about your grandma, for instance, saying "Don't lose another pound" or the part about talking to yourself in the ice cream isle at Walmart ("on sale, $2.99")...wow, powerful. The painfully honest parts, even when spoken in humor, come through the most poignantly. The generalities, notsomuch. But it's all good. You have a great stage persona. Why aren't you doing stand up again, already? America loves a rags to riches story. It might as well be yours!
ReplyDeleteTop notch Sean...really.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great message, Sean! I wish I had met you 20 years ago (ummm, but what did you weigh 20 years ago?...you know what I mean).
ReplyDeleteOBESE ... what obese? dude you don't even look overweight!! wish i could attend the seminar. and FYI i started smiling again after i lost the poundage :) . it happens naturally now,earlier all of the smiles were forced ones.
ReplyDeletecheers!!
keep smiling
I know you haven't had the bike that long, but you look like a pro! What a great video! And it was so cool to actually hear your voice. This is powerful stuff Mr. Anderson = )
ReplyDelete