The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser

Today, I maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I remained abstinent from refined sugar, I exceeded my daily minimum 64oz water goal,

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Thursday, 5 March 2015

Home » » March 5th, 2015 Means To An End?

March 5th, 2015 Means To An End?

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March 5th, 2015 Means To An End?

Making sure I'm eating things I naturally enjoy has been a constant since Day 1. My initial weight loss trek involved sugar in moderation. This significant recovery from regain/relapse doesn't involve sugar. Still, I eat what I like and nothing I don't. As long as it doesn't contain sugar.

I avoid other things, too. Just because I like chicken fried steak doesn't mean I eat it. I love fried things, always have. Aside from my sugar abstinence, I choose differently now based on calorie budgeting. It doesn't mean I won't occasionally eat something deep fried, or regular bread or a roll of some sort or a starchy vegetable, It's just rare because I don't like trying to fit it in my budget.

I enjoy what I eat. That's an important element for me. If I didn't, this would get real bad, quickly.

I tried a popular 'Nutritional System' over twenty years ago. I remember filling out this long questionnaire about my preferences before my in-office counselor filled a bag with my pre-boxed and dehydrated food supply. It was determined I had what they called a "high flavor set-point." I'm not sure if I know what that means, other than, I like my food rich, tasty and delicious. But doesn't everybody?

In hindsight, it seems a little crazy to make this "high flavor set-point" determination and then hand me a bag of what I considered barely edible items. Was it doable? Yes. Edible? Of course--I ate it all. But was it truly enjoyable? Not even close. It was a means to an end. In the portions handed me, I could absolutely lose weight. However, I wasn't learning anything about how to handle real world-real food situations.  

I remember my dear, sweet mom losing 100 pounds in her mid 30's by eating one can of tuna and one salad each day, every day around the same time. She'll tell you, it got old real fast. It was a means to an end. She stuck with it and it worked. But what it didn't do was prepare her for a return to eating with a broader variety, after the success.

I'm in awe of what mom accomplished. It was long before tracking apps, blogs, Twitter and all the other conveniences available today. She was operating on pure will power. It was solid determination to reach a goal using a simplified approach. And she did it with little to no support. To me, that's incredible.

I'm looking at what I do and asking, are there things I'm doing that might be considered a means to an end? I do believe I can eat the way I eat for the rest of my life with few issues. The parts I question have more to do with the structure of my support and accountability system. Do I plan to Tweet every meal the rest of my life? Is writing this blog something I'll do every night, as long as I live? 

I have zero intention of stopping these things anytime soon. But the question concerns me every now and then. Developing a sustainable approach is important. These things are critical to my success but are they sustainable for life in their current form?

And that's the key phrase: "...in their current form."

To me, this is all about making my recovery a top priority each and every day for the rest of my life. Some of the fundamental elements I choose may modify slightly or completely change along the way, but what I pray I never change is the importance level I place on my continued recovery. It's a non-negotiable commitment.  However the individual elements evolve over time, is fine, as long as my non-negotiable commitment to taking care, remains.
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Today was a great food day. Exercise was weight training and elliptical. I'm in contact each and every day with support buddies. Today was a fairly busy support day. The great thing about active support is, it's always a win-win. If I'm giving the support or receiving the support, doesn't matter, it's strengthening my resolve each and every time.

The weekend is upon us. I hope to spend some time with my daughters and grandson Noah, and hopefully make a trip to see mom before the weekend is finished. I did stop by and see Noah briefly, late this afternoon. He blew me kisses, waved bye bye and when asked, gave me a five slap on the palm of my hand! It was the cutest thing! He knows exactly what "give me five," means. I am long over-due for some quality time with that little man!

photo ddfbf105-9b0d-47c7-8071-06a6be469caf_zps7axlynff.jpg
#throwbackthursday Oh, wow. Okay, then! Showing off some birthday cash in a wild and wacky way.

My Tweets Today:


























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