Day 492 Satisfied? Yes and No, Plus--Weigh Day Eve Ramblings

Day 492

Satisfied? Yes and No, Plus—Weigh Day Eve Ramblings

My strong point over the last 492 days has been staying within my calorie budget. I starting treating my calories like cash from Day 1. It was my daily allotment from the “Calorie Bank and Trust,” mine to spend however I wish. When the calories are gone, they're gone. This bank doesn't have an ATM anywhere, so I seriously have to budget those allotted dollars, uh--calories, so they'll last me all day and evening. This mental game has been very effective for me. I should have developed something similar along the lines of weight training---But there I go again, expressing regret over where I could have been physically had I only started weight training sooner. Am I ever satisfied? Well, yes and no. Yes, I'm happy that I weigh less now than what I did as a fifteen year old. And no, because I know the potential that lies within this frame holds the key to the most dramatic transformation possible.

I try not to waste too much time obsessing on coulda, shoulda, woulda's, there's nothing positive in that way of thinking. But I share these feelings anyway, because I know that someday someone might be starting their own similar journey, and they may read. My hope is that they don't do what I did, they do it better—improve upon what we've accomplished, and realize that weight training is a vital component to our overall goal, something that should be incorporated from an early stage. What matters for me now is this: I'm doing it. I'll catch up, I'm fine. I feel great. And the real exciting part about this transformation? It's far from over.

I started the morning with my “mini-workout” in the living room floor. I rushed through, only 15 minutes worth today, but it was a good start to what would be a challenging Tuesday. I enjoyed steel cut oats for breakfast, then packed a banana and an apple for the trip to work. My day was interrupted with some unexpected family issues that completely and understandably disrupted my groove. By the time 7:30pm rolled around I was sitting at a low 575 calories for the day, total---and no additional workout, yet.

I prepared a strange dinner, but it was good. I resisted the temptation to “just grab something,” opting instead for a big grilled chicken breast and a healthy portion of steel cut oats with banana slices—both prepared at home. It was flat out stick to your ribs kind of food, which is fine, as long as it doesn’t attach itself to my rear-end, we’re good. I was still short on my calorie budget today. Dinner only took me to 1100, then two hours later I bumped it to 1450 with a three whole egg omelet with extra cheese. I don’t like eating for the sake of pushing my calories up, and since it was getting horribly late, and I still hadn’t workout out…I fell short of my intended goal of 1800. I must adjust my approach during the morning and day. I need to time my calories and hit certain calorie levels earlier, so I’m not scrambling to get the calories in my body late in the evening. Thank you for the wonderful suggestions on this topic!

The workout tonight was late and severely rushed. I really let the circumstances of the day effect my schedule in a really bad way. I know I’ve done it way too much, but considering what time I have to get up during the week, I have no business working out at 11:30pm. That’s crazy.

Tomorrow is weigh day! Plus tomorrow afternoon I’ll be talking to that reporter from the Tulsa World, wish me luck for a good one on both of these events. It’ll be a great day, I just know it will! I’m anxious to see what two weeks of an elevated workout schedule and increased calories will do for me on the scale. I can’t wait to report my results. I’m still holding on to that number going down. I have more fat to lose---I mean, take a close look my friend, yeah…we have work to do. It will be strange to arrive at the point where I’m actually wanting the scale to move the other way, a result of muscle gain. I still want the scale to go down from fat loss, but we’re not far from that magical point where gains are celebrated with measurements and healthy strength and definition. We’re excitingly close to that point.

I received another wonderful e-mail weight loss update from a reader--- I love occasionally sharing these because they inspire all of us---and they just make me happy. I’m so happy for Brenda, she’s seriously breaking free with an attitude and clarity unlike any other attempt in her life. Her transformation will be jaw-dropping proof that yes; this can be done—even if you’ve struggled for years. Never give up hope my friend---a wonderful future of freedom awaits! Brenda writes: Hey Sean, I just wanted to let you know that I weighed in this morning and I am down another 7.5 pounds! That's 28 pounds total. It feels SO good! Thanks for all your inspiration. I wouldn't be here without you. I have 148 pounds to go so I will need you to keep inspiring me... no pressure. --Brenda

Thank you for reading. I’m so grateful for the outpouring of support shown me along this road. In the beginning I didn’t realize how important this diary would become to my development and understanding of myself and my habits. And it never ceases to amaze me when someone says they’ve read every single day and it's important to them too. Even my boring—long winded-rambling parts? Well, bless you my friend! I can’t thank you enough. I sincerely hope that my experiences help you with yours. Goodnight and…

Good Choices,
Sean