Sunday, September 11, 2016

September 11th, 2016 In Those Moments

September 11th, 2016 In Those Moments

Before getting into tonight's edition, I just want to pause for a second to remember the significance of today. We will never forget that day as long as we live. To anyone directly affected by the events of 9/11/2001, I pause in remembrance and respect.

Mom and I planned a nice outing together and it worked out wonderfully. She's clearly getting stronger and that's a relief.

I've written many times about my "rails" of support--and it's worth repeating, without the rails I lean on each day, I wouldn't have made it through last week. We often hear the expression "off the rails," but rarely are the rails defined. What are the rails?? It's not the same combination for everyone because we're all different. My rails:

Morning prayer/meditation time. Staying connected via text/call/messenger/facebook or whatever other means, with solid support connections. These people are like-minded--traveling the same road, facing the same challenges, leaning on their own set of rails--and basically, they get me and I get them. Developing these contacts, in my experience, is monumentally important. Weighing and measuring my food. Logging everything in MyFitnessPal. Tweeting pictures, descriptions and calorie counts. Maintaining this blog daily. Remaining abstinent from refined sugar. Maintaining the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget.

On the surface, this list might look burdensome--maybe even a source of stress and anxiety. It's actually the opposite. I've had the same set of rails going on 2.5 years. Many are similar to the rails other people maintain, yet--I've made these my own, just as they've done with theirs. These rails are a source of peace, calm and stability. Letting go of them would surely bring chaos and instability back into my life. When I'm under exceptional stress, anxiety and emotionally challenged, it's a warning sign for me to hold onto my rails a little tighter because it's about to get bumpy. That's the perspective that makes it possible to get through without losing myself, again. Because remember, I've gone back the other way--a long way back, and somehow, by the grace of God, I made it back again, where I am today.

And you know what's interesting? Even still, my brain will occasionally do its best to convince me of old beliefs and thought patterns--that excess food will help, that diving face first into a binge will somehow make things easier, better--and it's in those moments, I must get super honest with myself and take advantage of this higher awareness that says, turn to support--not the food.

I pushed mom around in a wheelchair today. She's getting stronger, but still, she's a fall risk. It felt great being able to do that for her. Because, if I hadn't made it back from relapse/regain, I'd likely need someone to push mine.

Another day has passed. I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget. I remained abstinent from refined sugar. I exceeded my daily water goal. And I stayed connected with solid support via text.

I also enjoyed a nice conversation with my support buddy Jon in Wisconsin, who's about to celebrate 1,000 days of abstinence from refined sugar! Jon maintains a blog on Spark People. His username is WEWRTFO, so if you're on Spark People--check him out! He recently started blogging what he calls "SAS." I asked him what that means and he said, "Sean Anderson Style." I'm honored, Jon. Basically, he committed to blogging each day, for 48 days straight, come what may--that's SAS. He accomplished this goal with his post, just yesterday. Very cool. Oh, by the way--after starting well over 500 pounds, he's set to cross into the 290's on his 1,000th day, Tuesday.

I'll do my sincere best to have another on-plan day, tomorrow.

photo IMG_4651_zpshoa7xhwa.jpg
Mom was so happy to get out of the house. We took every precaution needed...and we had some fun zooming around Walmart.

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Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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2 comments:

  1. dupsterSeptember 12, 2016 at 8:54 AM

    It's like you say--Those things we have committed to, to maintain our weight losses are not a burden, they are not stressful, they are what we lean on to stay strong. Yesterday I discovered someone on Spark, who is also from Lincoln, where I live. She is blogging 30 days straight on the topics that someone has suggested, and it sounded like such fun, I've decided to take the challenge too. If someone would like to see our list of topics, here's the link: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=6233372

    Today's topic: Write ten facts about yourself. They can't be simple, like "I like cheese." They have to be long and you must explain each fact."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cathy CallowaySeptember 14, 2016 at 6:14 PM

    Great analogy, Sean. BTW your mom REALLY looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete

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