Day 407 Great Reader Question and Sean--Shut Up and Workout Already, Geez!

Day 407

Great Reader Question and Sean—Shut Up and Workout Already, Geez!

I was up at 4am, showered, dressed, drinking coffee, and cooking an amazing egg white/mushroom/mozzarella breakfast wrap for 230 calories. I love these things and the high fiber content of the whole-wheat flat bread wrap is a wonderful bonus. I grabbed a banana and an apple for later on the way out the door shortly after 4:30am. It was an early start with plenty to do today. It was easy really, because I’ve been getting to bed relatively early considering my history as a night owl. Getting more sleep has been a wonderful thing lately. I really am trying to get my sleep schedule in order because I realize how important it is for overall health and well-being.

Occasionally I like to share e-mails I receive from readers. Understand, I would never share anything too personal from an e-mail, but a topic like this is wonderful to write about---and sharing the e-mail exchange is convenient for me. I received a very nice e-mail from a new reader, Amy H from the weight loss blog “No To The Deuce.” She's doing fantastic, check her out!

Amy had a wonderful question: I'm a relatively new reader to your blog (only about 2 months or so). I understand you keep your calories within a certain limit, but I wonder if you worry about the content of your calories. I only ask because it is something that I struggle with. I, too, keep track of my calories (loosely) and have been having success on the weight loss front (my blog is No to the Deuce). I sometimes think I'm not getting enough fruits and veggies everyday and wonder if just keeping track of calories without paying attention to what's in those calories is wise. Do you try to get a certain amount of fruits and veggies in your diet, or do you only watch your total calorie intake? Just curious. Really enjoy your blog, Amy H.

My reply: Great question. One of the reasons my journey has been so successful is because I've kept it very simple. Especially in the beginning, anything went---it didn't matter---if I wanted to eat 1500 calories worth of lasagna, I would---and did one day! It didn't matter to me what I enjoyed, as long as I didn't exceed 1500.

What happens is this: We gradually evolve in our choices. It's a very natural way to change. In the beginning, I might eat a 110 calorie pack of Funyuns as a snack mid-morning. Now, 9 times out of 10, that snack is fresh fruit---either an apple or banana, sometimes both. But this was a very natural evolution of my habits---fueled by my desire to get the best "calorie value" for my calorie "buck."

Too many times in the past I would immediately try to implement these changes from Day 1---and it wasn't natural, so I failed horribly. This is why I believe eating "whatever you want" is imperative to success. It's too easy to get caught up in fat grams, fiber grams, how many ounces of water I should drink, the sodium, the cholesterol, anti-oxidants, good fat vs. bad fat, and a bunch of other variables along this road. People that make it complicated like this, usually fail. I speak from experience. If someone/anyone can let go and uncomplicate things...and just eat whatever in limited amounts (1500 calories a day)---and let their journey and growth happen naturally instead of forced---then success comes easily.
Already today I've had fresh mushrooms (in my amazing egg white breakfast burrito), a banana, and an apple.

It is important to eventually work more and more fruits and veggies into our day to day lives, but it's not imperative for consistent weight loss. I've certainly proven that. It is incredibly healthy to do it, yes, and my eating habits are slowly evolving into a much healthier pattern...but again, naturally and easily. I hope that answers your question,
My best always, Sean

Wednesday is weigh day and I’m really regretting not having a more disciplined workout plan in place. I’ve proven to myself that a limited number of calories alone can give me positive results on the scale, but I certainly understand the importance of consistent exercise. Consistent exercise is what has made me so successful so quickly. And I’m sure you must be tired of hearing me complain about my struggle to return into that workout groove, but I’m just being honest. I’m still struggling. It was worth it though, changing up my schedule, the late hours, it was all totally worth it. The schedule I’ve kept for the last couple of months has been absolutely nuts and the workout schedule has suffered greatly. My average weight loss per day has declined, but is still steady, which is surprising and kind of lucky I think. And that continued success has contributed to my lack of discipline in returning to a consistent workout schedule---because, hey---I’m still losing, I’ll get back in there, be cool. But it’s not cool at all. I’m actually very upset with myself for this discrepancy in my performance and consistency. I’ll get it back, I will…and we’ll get to where we’re headed in grand fashion as always.

I feel so wonderful these days. Despite the previous paragraph, I’m feeling on top of the world physically. This is what I’ve dreamed of, and it’s happening, it’s really me I see in the mirror. I sometimes can’t believe what I’ve done. And I’m most proud of how it’s affected the ones I love. After hating the way I looked and felt my entire life, I’m finally experiencing the magic of loving ones self. It’s a beautiful thing. Thank you for reading. Goodnight and…

Good Choices,
Sean


My grandpa is on the far right. This picture was taken during the end of World War 2. Perhaps celebrating victory? Who knows, whatever the occasion...it's a treasured family picture recently discovered by my Aunt Jean at grandmas house. Today would have been my grandpas birthday. We all miss him dearly. I really wish he could have witnessed my transformation. It's a form of "calendar regret." Had I only done this sooner. You can't go back and change the past, but you can move forward changing the habits and behaviors of the past. My grandpa would be so proud. And really, I know he is proud of me. I loved that man so much. Happy Birthday Grandpa!