Friday, December 25, 2015

December 25th, 2015 Especially On Christmas Day

December 25th, 2015 Especially On Christmas Day

It's days like today when I must put a little more focus on acknowledging the many blessings and love in my life. I have a tremendous amount of things to be grateful for every day. And especially on Christmas day.

Today had the potential to be tough in a few different ways, but it wasn't. We all gathered at Irene and Allen's place in a small town about twenty-five miles away from where I live. Irene and Allen prepared most everything. A few others brought some things, and I prepared macaroni and cheese. The mac and cheese is my dish. It's rich. 

I chewed gum while preparing this dangerous dish and made it out without so much as a lick. I prepared way too much. I made two pans full. Only half of one was consumed. My share? 1/2 a cup. That's a victory for me.

My plan today was fairly simple: I decided my maintenance budget of 2,300 calories was sufficient, so there wasn't a need to add calories on this day as in years past. I weighed and measured everything on my plate--and one plate was the plan. I wasn't going to eat for sport today. I decided it was going to be a fairly normal food schedule for me. A good breakfast, Christmas dinner, a nice dinner late and some fruit at the end of the day. This structure is important to me. I didn't pick up any sugar free desserts. The sugar free desserts seem to upset my stomach.

I maintained the integrity of my budget, remained abstinent from refined sugar, logged everything in MyFitnessPal and did my accountability Tweets. I'm food sober. And that feels wonderful, liberating, actually. Maintaining the fundamental elements of my recovery is key for me in maintaining my weight loss. 

My focus was clearly on family, visiting and enjoying Noah as he discovered this thing called Christmas. He was so excited all day long. It was so much fun to witness. 

It's amazing to me how a shift in perspective and focus can dramatically reveal how a day like today can be exceptionally special without stuffing myself silly. I spent years missing out on the most important blessings of this day because my focus was always about what I would eat and how much I could eat. I made food the shining star and it cast a shadow on everyone and everything else.

Food was certainly a part of today's festivities, but it wasn't the star of the show. That would be Noah. 

The food was great, everybody loved it and still, not a single one of us needed a before dinner medication to help regulate the effects of over-indulging or an after dinner antacid. That's a big deal. There was a time when we'd pass that stuff around like candy.

We snapped several pictures too!
photo Amber and Court_zpsapn7z5cr.jpg
photo amber_zpstuywflp4.jpg
photo momatchristmas2_zpsqf5pqrhc.jpg
photo Mom_zps60obq0lo.jpg
photo Momatchristmas_zpsf992ttqb.jpg
photo noah_zpszeecoynd.jpg
Noah flipped, as expected. It was late this evening when we realized he never took a nap. He was too wound up in the festivities of the day.

I took a 10-15 minute snooze on Amber's shoulder before getting up and setting out on a good walk. The plan was a 5K. My uncle (mom's brother) joined me once again for our traditional holiday exercise. I say traditional--it's seven years old, I suppose it is becoming somewhat of a tradition. This evening's walk fell a little short of the planned 5K, but it was good--We had to get back before Amber and KL were scheduled to leave for his parent's house a few hours away and Irene had to leave for work.

I made my way home feeling incredible about how the day came together. I made support interactions important today, too. Interacting with others who are on this road, even when we're all at different mile markers, often gives valuable perspective. And it's all about perspective.

A friend tipped me off that my favorite grocery store was the only one open tonight. Perfect! I grabbed a coffee and a few grocery items. I found some fresh salmon priced to move ($2.12!! 75% off!!) and immediately decided it would be dinner instead of the planned grilled chicken breast

It was a beautiful Christmas.

My Tweets Today:


































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. UnknownDecember 26, 2015 at 12:31 AM

    Looks like you had a amazing day in every way. Merry Christmas Sean! Wishing you another year of successful healthy living.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 26, 2015 at 9:55 AM

    Merry Christmas Sean; reading your posts is always a delight in some way. I enjoyed your food pictures too and the MFP calorie counts. It all helps us out here...Your life is a testimony to being an inspiration to others. It isn't all about you...You continue to share and be a blessing to others, your family and your friends and even those who don't know you. Thank you for sharing who you are! I wish you a happy new year! You set your goal on this journey, you pursued it with a vengeance and you made it!!! And now, you are maintaining and holding at that point of living a healthy lifestyle. I am so proud of you and your accomplishments!

    ReplyDelete
  3. NancyDecember 26, 2015 at 1:29 PM

    You are our proof that it CAN be done! Weight taken off and maintained!!!! The "forever" weight loss that we are looking for.... requires a whole lot more than just cutting back on food and moving more. You inspire me with knowing one can make it through special occasions as well as the holidays - holding it steady. Thank you for all you do Sean! Have a Happy New Year and looking forward to your daily posts!
    N~

    ReplyDelete

I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. Thank you for your support!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)





Copyright © 2008-2020 Sean A. Anderson

The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser. All rights reserved.