Tuesday, February 17, 2015

February 17th, 2015 Key To Progress: Consistency

February 17th, 2015 Key To Progress: Consistency

I often write about how imperfect of a journey I lead. If you're a regular reader here, you've read about how I don't get enough sleep, I eat out too much, I often eat too late in the day, I don't push myself hard enough in the exercise department and my time management skills leave a lot to be desired. And I don't write about any of that in a negative way.

I'm simply trying to illustrate how the success we enjoy isn't dependent on perfection. It's dependent on consistency. Besides, perfection is relative to the individual. One persons perfect is another's perceived bad day. Consistency is key to progress. I proudly proclaim I'm consistently imperfect and for me, that's perfect. I woke up today, logged into MyFitnessPal and realized it was Day 300 of this turnaround adventure.
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Initial weight loss: -275 pounds. Relapse/regain: +164 pounds. Weight loss since turnaround started: -129 pounds. This is from where the 240 pounds lost number comes.

300 days in a row of logging everything in MFP. I'm super proud of this. I'm just as proud of 300 days straight of tweeting every bite, everyday--with the photo, description, various measurements and calorie counts. When someone asks me the common question: "What did you eat to lose all that weight?" I can give them way more than they were expecting. Because it's all there. Everything, everyday. And to think I was so reluctant at first to commit to the Twitter feed--it was extreme--but you know what? It's been a big blessing to me in so many ways. An extreme blessing, if you will.

When I drive by the walking trail on my way to and from work everyday, I can't help but be reminded: This is where it all started September 15th, 2008. I claimed my piece of the old trail today.

The backhoe operator hadn't heard from the person in charge of the project (the one I spoke with about this deal), so he hadn't a clue as to the why behind my strange request for a small chunk. I didn't have time to explain it to him. I grabbed my piece of it and quickly moved on. Now, I'll clean it and proudly display it in my apartment. It wouldn't mean anything to anyone else but me, and to me--it's something special. 
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I can imagine the backhoe operator getting home and his significant other asking, "How was your day?" And he replies. "I was ripping up the old walking trail on 5th street, when this vehicle came rolling up with a guy asking if he could have a chunk of the trail. The crazy fella took pictures of it, too. It was a strange deal. I can't figure out for the life of me why he would want an old chunk of asphalt."

It was a great food and exercise day. I did the weights followed by elliptical at the Y. One of my goals every Tuesday is to get my workout finished before my Tuesday night weight loss support group conference call. I met that goal successfully. I finished my 300th consecutive day of this turnaround by finishing with exactly 1,700 calories. It took some math and some precise measuring of my #lastfoodofday, but I did it. Not that I'm obsessive about being exact--I'm not. I was just having fun with the numbers.

That reminds me, tomorrow is weigh day! I'll head into the doctors office mid-morning for my tri-weekly weigh in and we'll see what the scale has to say. No matter what it says, I'm confident I'm doing the right things for me.

My Tweets Today:
























Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean

13 comments:

  1. Yay you got part of your walking trail that's so cool

    Congrats on 300 days you are a rock star

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    1. Thank you, TR! I was very happy to get it! Awe, shucks--ty!

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  2. Great blog, Sean. So true about consistency. I totally get why you wanted a piece of the trail! I'm glad you got it!

    Dede

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    1. Dede, thank you! It is all about consistency!! I can't wait to get it displayed! I'm thinking about taking it to a trophy shop and having it mounted on something with a description of why it's important.

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  3. Awesome! (*pat on back*)... You are truly inspiring...you may have heard that many times but it's true for me...Thank you for your commitment to writing every day..Keep it up!

    Take care,
    Vi.

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    1. Thank you for your commitment in reading each day , Vi! You're very welcome. As I've said many times--what it does for me--to do this diary each and every night--is amazing. It keeps me centered and focused. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

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  4. Consistency in the new normal. So many want the old normal with result of slipping back. Biology, hormonal balance, disease states.

    So many think it's weight maintenance Disneyland and return to the fictional world of little bites, calories in calories out of all food.. I know that once I respected my hormonal functions and the knowledge that my body would fight biologically to return to the overweight state, it was less Disney and just meal-in-meal out work.

    Just consistency in the new normal- food, exercise, thinking, habits. Weighing in consistently. It's a lot of work. And to others, it may seem super boring.... sure, Yeah. But rewarding.

    Here's to doing what works, no matter what. Onward. Cool on having a piece of the trail.

    Looking forward to your weight check today.

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    1. Karen, so very well expressed. Thank you! It's very rewarding. And you're so right--if given the opportunity, I know my body would go right back. The chunk O trail is pretty cool, indeed!

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  5. Hi Sean, I am a new follower. I'll read all your posts you sure look like you have a great and inspiring story.

    Congrat on your 300 days!

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    1. Welcome, Richard! Thank you! Going back and reading from day 1 in the archives was once not too big of an undertaking--now, with nearly 1,100 individual blog posts--it would take a very long time to complete! Some have. I couldn't imagine! I hope you find my story helpful and inspiring to you.
      Thank you for the congrats!

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  6. Congrats on your 300th day!! Fantastic..! Did I ever tell you that I got to day 298 and my husband took me away and I didn't log into to MFP until after midnight? I lost my streak! OH I was so mad! LOL Errr...
    Oh well... .life went on.. imagine that! LOL
    Glad you got your part of the trail.... :)
    GL on your WI..
    Rosie

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    1. Rosie--I'm so sorry the streak was sacrificed!! I can imagine--that must have been very disappointing. I see others on there with 1,500 days, 1,200 days--and 700 days--and I think, someday--I'll be there! :) Day 300 is significant to me--a nice number. Day 365 will be the next big milestone.
      The trail--yeah, I suppose I'm a sentimental kind of guy. Stuff like that means a lot to me. The weigh in was incredibly good!! Details coming in tonight's post! :)

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  7. I'm so inspired by your consistency! I feel like a failure in all your consistent areas but I'm not giving up. Sitting here with my foot up gives me lots of time for reflection and I'm making mental plans. It's amazing how badly you want something when you cant have it as right now I so badly want to just get some exercise by going for a nice long walk. Same thing goes with foods so I'm making sure nothing is off limits but is it worth the calorie value?? Thanks for helping me get to this point Sean!

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