August 5th, 2014 That Amazing Happenstance

August 5th, 2014 That Amazing Happenstance

I sacrificed some sleep last night to finish what I consider to be one of the top two blog posts I've ever composed as far as impact level on my life. It was worth it to me to get that out on the screen while the experience was still fresh. What I experienced last night at the pool will undoubtedly ripple through the rest of my life. I'm already making plans for swimming to be a regular part of my exercise plan. The next trip and all others after will not include pictures or videos, it'll just be me walking through the locker room door as confident as the big mystery man did last night, right in front of me. I'm still reeling from that amazing happenstance.

It could not have been planned any more precisely. It was exactly what I needed in the very second I needed it. Right when I stopped the video recording--my finger still touching the red button, he walks right in front of me, through the door and toward the hot tub. He instantly, in a micro-second, had my attention , respect and admiration, and I wanted to be like him. So I was.

He hasn't a clue any of this happened. We didn't speak, we didn't look one another in the eye, it was just him leading by example and me gaining strength from his confident stride. It was as if he was divinely and quite literally placed in my path in the most perfect of moments. It was a universal harmony.

I've had a lot of time to process the experience of last night. And I must say, it was a crash course in perception Vs. reality. The perceived reality requires an extremely narrow focus, because if we broadened the mind with any extra details containing even a shred of truth, our focus couldn't contain itself. I did my best not to to be self-critical for having such a narrow self-centered focus in this regard, although I couldn't help but wonder how a critically injured or badly burned person would have received the writings. Can you imagine? Try to expand and imagine if you will, someone living after a horribly tragic occurrence and how their reality was instantly and forever changed in the moment of their happening. Then, after overcoming and accepting where they're found, they read about this guy who looks fine and still is mentally and emotionally paralyzed over stretch marks, a scared right leg, excess fat and man boobs. That's perspective.

I'm not minimizing my experience or my past hangups at all. They were very real, I made them critically important and they were truly powerful to me. I'm simply saying, through this experience my mind has been broadened outside of myself and what I've found is a treasure chest of gratitude for the incredible blessings in my life.

If I had to pick one word to describe the entire experience: Transformative. 

I made getting a nap this afternoon imperative. I took a good hour and forty-five before getting up for a snack and preparations for my Tuesday night support group conference call with Life Coach Gerri and four other amazing people. My entire swimming challenge was inspired by this small, yet powerful group last Tuesday. Our call tonight recapped the challenges and experiences of others in the group, each slightly different in circumstance, yet remarkably similar in dynamic. At the risk of sounding like a sales pitch, Gerri and I will kick off another 6 week group in three short weeks. We are even considering adding an additional daytime group on a different day of the week. More details coming soon!

I had a wonderful workout at the YMCA tonight. The pool was already closed but I gazed down from up above in the cardio studio, fondly remembering the events of last night as I did a sweat dance with the elliptical.

My food was excellent today. In fact, I took some advice and added some all-natural peanut butter to my list of calorie dense-incredibly nutritious foods I can turn to when I need to bump up the calories. This is a big leap for me because jars of peanut butter are on my personal list of banned things. My track record with peanut butter isn't a good one. I've eaten almost an entire jar with a sleeve of saltines--on more than one occasion. Or, I would get a jar, telling myself I would be responsible and then repeatedly go back for one "responsible" serving after another.  But here's the deal--the only peanut butter I've ever purchased before last night was the kind filled with additional sugar. I'm addicted to sugar. I now abstain from sugar. The all-natural peanut butter I purchased has two ingredients: Peanuts and salt. That's it. Believe me, I'll be paying close attention to how I handle having the jar around. So far I've enjoyed a half serving last night and a 3/4 serving tonight. I'm hoping without the added scoops of sugar, I'll not feel compelled to binge like before.

Food Tweets today:

Late breakfast! Out of eggs! 4oz lean beef, mushrooms, mozz, pita, apple, pear. 462 cal. pic.twitter.com/U83v1NlMCJ
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) August 5, 2014

One of my favorite lunches! Bean and cheese tostados with jalapeños, cantaloupe (125g), peach. 479 cal. pic.twitter.com/BXYfqte1uh
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) August 5, 2014

Snack: Simply scrambled eggs w/salt and pepper. 2 whole, 2 whites. Loving the local farm source for my eggs! 174 cal. pic.twitter.com/RehKTXxFag
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) August 5, 2014

Talapia Loins (8oz total), avocado (75g), light sr crm (15g), lettuce, tomatoes, pear, La Tiara shells (3). 525 cal. pic.twitter.com/7Ipqm605hG
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) August 6, 2014

Small green apple with 24grams all natural peanut butter (Ingredients: peanuts and salt). 234 cal. #lastfoodofday pic.twitter.com/Pu53K2R93o
— Sean Anderson (@SeanAAnderson) August 6, 2014

I closed the Calorie Bank and Trust at 1,921 calories with a Net Calories after exercise of 1,236. Yay me! I did it--I managed to hit my Net calorie goal of at least 1200! Talk about dense calories--the natural peanut butter you see in the above tweet is 24g, or 3/4 of a serving--and 158 calories!! Good calories, though--very good.

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

The Thing About Focus

The Thing About Focus

I'm ready to amp this amp as I head into March.  I've been rocking my Calorie Bank and Trust to the tune of 1700 or a little less each day. I haven't fully committed to an exercise schedule and it's okay, but that's about to change! My goals for the upcoming week include being better prepared for lunches at work, exercising of some kind each day, increased writing and more water! I can do this. These are things in need of my focus. And when I apply myself toward this positive focus, incredible results follow.

A very important element for me and any of us, is to be very careful of the thoughts and things we lend our focus.  I'm a huge believer in the law of attraction. Basically, what we focus on the most is what we get more of along the way. I have numerous things in my life where I can dissect the dynamics and follow it back to where my focus was strongest. Most times, a negative focus is grounded in fear.

Fear of regaining can be paralyzing. And when you're in the middle of regaining it feels like the focus is hijacked into a very negative and dark place where nothing is working anymore.  I had "505" tattooed on my arm as a reminder of where I've been and a nod to never go back.  BUT... if I could go back in time, I would change the number to 230. And I may still have "-275=230" added.  Why? Because as I was losing and after hitting goal, I spent a whole lot of focus on the number 505. I named my start up "505 Industries," the tattoo of course and several other thoughts and practices were centered around that number. It got to the point to where I started seeing 505 everywhere. My purchase at the store would come up $5.05, I would notice the clock at 5:05 all the time and when the security code on one of my cards showed up 505, I smiled and thought, "How perfect?"

But how could I break away from this five hundred pound identity if I'm choosing to constantly focus on the number 505?  I can tell you with absolute certainty, had it not been for the support of people like you--I'd be back to 505 or beyond.  Changing our focus isn't easy. And changing our deep seeded identity is where it gets extremely challenging.

In my opinion, in order for us to eventually, slowly but surely, accept a new identity--we must focus on where we are and where we're headed, not where we've been. You've heard people say "never look back" and I agree. Then someone pops up with, "Don't ever forget where you came from!" And then what?  Well, we don't have to forget where we came from and we likely couldn't if we tried, but we can keep that identity from being our main focus.

This focus on where we're headed puts the law of attraction to the test. Long before I watched "The Secret" documentary on Netflix, I experienced this powerful dynamic. As I started losing weight back in 2008, I employed the law of attraction without realizing what I was doing. Everyday I would look in the mirror and smile at myself. I was complimenting myself for doing a great job and then I would intensely focus on where I was headed. I would envision how my appearance would change.  And no, simply doing this isn't the only thing needed---but what happened was, it affected every choice I made. I was locked into my transformation. I was focused on the positive changes coming my way in regards to physical and mental health and of course, appearance. I was imagining the possibilities and with each passing day, week and month--those possibilities were happening.

An entire book could be written about this topic of focusing and then another book could be written on the effects of the transformation as it applies to our identity and how it affects our relationships with others and more importantly, how it affects our relationship with self. I imagine if I search a little, I could find some good books already written on these topics!

I'll tell you right now, the big guy in some of the photos below--I never properly dealt with losing him. The truth is, I never lost him--it's me, but the identity and all of the personality and heart invested in that existence was transformed right along with my body and wardrobe.  It felt like "old Sean" died. It wasn't until the last year or so that I fully understood why my ex-sister in-law cried the first time she saw me after hitting goal. She was mourning the loss of  "old Sean." I did recognize this then, but I didn't fully get it until about a year ago.  So the work continues.

For me to understand that the positive effects of being at a healthy body weight far outweigh the attachment to my old identity, takes a committed and consistent focus.

I want to live as long as God plans for me to live. I want to be healthy and experience life to the fullest. And doing this means letting go and allowing myself to transform without focusing on negative emotions tied to my previous normal.  There were many positive and wonderful qualities in that guy, but the lifestyle was one that isn't conducive to longevity.  Instead of focusing on a perceived "loss," I must continue to focus on a hybrid version of me--one that combines the positive qualities of the past with the lifestyle and focus of today, giving me the best shot at a longer and healthier life.

Where is the focus? That's a question I must keep on the top of my mind. As long as I remain attentive and aware of this focus, I can continue making positive strides toward my goals.

Join me on facebook at www.facebook.com/seananderson505 (notice the 505) and on twitter @SeanAAnderson and My Fitness Pal: SeanAAnderson.

Tuesday evening starts the 6 week group teleconference coaching sessions with my good friend Life Coach Gerri Helms. Gerri has maintained her 100 pound weight loss for 21 years and has helped countless people identify and reach their goals in weight loss and other areas of life.  The 6 week session is $60 dollars and includes the weekly call, additional text support when needed, a private Facebook group for conference members only and an incredible chemistry for support from the group. For an average of only $10 per week, it's a bargain! If you're interested in signing up, it's not too late! We keep the group small, so space is limited. Send an email to me right away to sean@transformationroad.com and I'll reply with a link for you to click and register.

I've included several pictures below. I am focusing on where I'm headed, not where I've been. I am focused on a future where I speak and write for a living and one where I experience the positive effects of living at a healthier weight everyday.

Attitude. Perspective. Focus. It's powerful, my friend.

Thank you for reading,
Strength,
Sean










big face






Stand-up comedy head shot and stage profile shot










This idea of focus, attention and the law of attraction, has me questioning if I should ditch the before picture and old size 64's for future speaking engagements.