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