A lesson learned, reality bites...

So, I've been home for a couple days now and need to catch you all up on how the week ended. I had my fitness review early Friday morning and the net results of almost two weeks at the Fitness Ridge Resort were: Chest (-1.5"), Belly (-4"), Hips (-2"), and Weight, (-14 lbs).

I must admit, at first I was a bit disappointed with the weight loss. After all, you watch a show on T.V. and the contestants are losing 10 to 20 lbs in a week or so. And so I started spinning myself in the ground, but quickly was able to remember some of the things I said I learned in earlier blog posts. I worked hard for two weeks and lost 14 lbs...one pound per day! I don't know exactly what I expected going into this deal but it is safe to say that my expectations prior to coming here were unrealistic. My new, more realistic goal is to lose 2 to 3 lbs in a week. Why? Because I can do this without depriving myself to the point of rebellion and rebellion leads to binges, negative thought processes and ultimately, failure. In retrospect, I am happy with the results because they equaled the effort I put forth and guess what...the numbers led to that exact result.

So, I loaded up my bike, as shown in picture 1, and started my way out of Ivins, through Santa Clara, down the boulevard and onto I-15 South. I loved the ride home! The temp was in the 70's, no real wind to speak of and interestingly enough, my bike seemed to ride down the road as if it were about 15 lbs lighter, or so. :) As I cruised down the road, wind blowing through my scalp (yes, that was a poorly executed bald joke) I thought about having one week home and then coming back again for two more. I hadn't even seen my family yet and was already missing them again. Ultimately, this is the reason I began this blog. I knew from the outset if I could find a way, any way out of this, I would. So, by letting you all (friends, family, clients, etc.) in on what I was doing, feeling and what I had committed to, I felt this would handcuff me in to finishing what I had started. I knew this would help me keep focus in case I lost sight of my original focus, which was to get healthy for me and my family. And, it has worked. I thank you all for your texts, e-mails, comments and phone calls!

When I arrived home, I pulled my bike into the garage and with a big smile, walked into the house. You've heard of muscle memory, right? Well, I'm not exactly sure what I experienced but as I walked in and took my shoes off, I immediately walked into the kitchen and to the fridge. My mind said no, but my legs kept walking and before I knew it, I was staring into the belly of the dragon...okay, a little to melodramatic I know! I was confused! I had just spent two weeks and more than a few bucks learning some good schtuff, yes schtuff. That was the first moment I realized, oh crap...this might be difficult to put into action. I was able to shut the fridge, but then my legs carried me to the pantry. I must have stared into the pantry for 5 minutes before I was able to pry my hands off the door and walk away. Rach wasn't home, I needed something else to occupy my mind and so I went outside and mowed the lawn.

I get this isn't going to be easy. I get that I am going to have to re-train my thought process, change my focus and be aware of my actions as they relate to my thoughts and feelings. I talked a lot about being aware and knowledge being power...well this is part of it. And so, I will say it again and again until it sinks in; I choose to be healthy, I choose to be be more active with my wife and kids, I choose to go swimming without a shirt on (for the record, I've never swam with a shirt on because I vowed to not be "that guy", I choose to enter the ocean without the possibility of being boarded by an enemy ship or harpooned my a Japanese Whaler, I choose a little hunger over gluttony and ultimately, I choose to put myself in the best position possible to see my kids graduate, marry and share stories with my grand kids while growing old with my bride!

P.S. I head back to Fitness Ridge for one more two week stay, next week.