Day 600 Sixty-Six Minute Spinning and Austin Was Totally Shocked

Day 600

Sixty-Six Minute Spinning and Austin Was Totally Shocked

Amber woke me up at 6am, "Dad, can you fix me an omelet?" My pleasure sweety! The pictures of omelets past and her memories of my omelet making talent has had her wanting one lately. She's been hired as a summer camp counselor and today she was making a trip to Oklahoma City for training. I prepared her a hearty omelet with three eggs and cheese. It was a 300 calorie omelet. I always tell her the calorie count of what I give her, and I'm pretty sure she appreciates the information. She's sometimes amazed, "this is only 300 calories?" Yes baby!

I could have returned to bed but decided instead to stay up and catch the 9:30 spinning class at the YMCA. It's scheduled for an hour instead of the normal 45. Sure...I can handle this! I arrived at 9:10 am and was lucky to get one of two bikes remaining. This hour long class is very popular! The first 15 minutes is always the hardest. Today, it was the last 6 minutes. The class was supposed to end at sixty minutes, but Frank pushed us for an extra 6 minutes. As we approached the 60 minute mark, I was so relieved to have made it...OK--we're done, right? Hello---what's the deal? Then Frank shouted "only one more song on the CD, let's finish it out!" OK, I made it this far, I guess I can survive through one more song. I felt absolutely incredible after class. The way I feel after a good workout is hard to describe, it's such a wonderful and natural high. It makes me feel like I could do anything.

I had grocery shopping to do immediately after the YMCA. I stocked up on all kinds of stuff. Now that Amber's home, I'll be cooking for more than just me and occasionally Courtney. Evidence of my evolving good choices is all through my grocery cart these days. I look down and sometimes can't believe it's me buying all that produce. I hardly ever bought fresh produce back "then."

I had a remote broadcast this evening at the 77 Speedway North of Newkirk, Oklahoma. I arrived and found my contact, Austin Graves, who spent the better part of ten minutes with his jaw dropped in total amazement at my transformation. It's been a year since we've seen each other and the last 130 pounds of this nearly 250 pound transformation, has obviously been the most dramatic. He just kept on complimenting and congratulating. It really was incredible, he made me feel so good. Austin remembers 505 pound Sean. The Sean that fell on the staircase on the way up to the press-box...yeah, he remembers how I didn't even know if I could get up there, I was so big and that experience was so embarrassing. Austin recalled that evening as we both jogged up the stairs to the speedway press-box tower...it's so wonderfully different now.

I headed to Stillwater tonight to stay the evening and Mothers Day with mom. I really stop and think when I drive. I turned the music off and allowed my thoughts and plans to move around in my head. I feel good, I have clarity and confidence...this is the greatest time of my journey so far. I tell you, Austin's genuine disbelief and celebration of my accomplishment really lifted me up high. It made me feel incredible all the way to mom's place.

I visited for a while with grandma, Kelli, and Keith, before mom and I headed out to the store and for coffee at a popular little diner. We had a great visit tonight. We talked about little tweaks mom can do to get better results. More water and less peanut butter was our conclusion. Peanut butter is such a wild card. It doesn't take much to make up a 90 calorie tablespoon, and it's real easy to think you're getting a hundred calories, when you're really getting two or three hundred. The calorie count isn't counting on a heaping spoonful, just a spoonful. I know it's good for you, but seriously--I have to be very careful around that stuff because I love it too much. I actually bought a jar at the store earlier today...hmmmm, crunchy, my favorite! I was thinking of others when I bought it, now I'll have to police myself very carefully in the kitchen.

Thank you for reading! Day 600!!!! Wow, that looks very cool to me. I remember when Day 100 looked like forever. We've come a very long way! I'm so happy, a very real kind of happy. Goodnight and...

Good Choices,
Sean