This fall, don't fall

It's crazy, but our nice consumer driven world which brings us each shopping season earlier and earlier every year, has finally unleashed the beast of fall upon us. I am so ready for fall. I love the, well I love the food, and the drinks (the beer is the best). 

So, needless to say, fall is challenging for a food addict! All those calories, especially those calories that add up pumpkin spiced latte after pumpkin spiced lager. The message is: "this fall, don't fall." Don't give up your summer resolves for health and wellness. It is not time to start storing up fat for the winter. We don't have to hibernate like animals. 

What are some tips to keep us motivated through this upcoming season that is already here? 

1. Continue to track everything!

Chances are, especially if you've just begun tracking, once you search for and enter the calories for that first fall treat, you will know exactly the impact it has on your daily food plan. It will help you to limit or cut out the potentially problem food from your diet. 

2. Get back on track!

As the academic world heads back to school, head back to the gym if you've left. I know you're busy, I'm busy. But so is food addiction, and so is laziness, if you allow work and study to control your life. If you fall, get right back up. Get back on track. You need a healthy body to meet life's challenges. 

3. Keep calm!

That is to say, find some quiet time away from the hustle and bustle of work. It's not going to be summer anymore, so you might explore some indoor options for relaxation and stress relief. Have you been to Church lately? 

4. Reach out!

We are all going through stress, and our stress response naturally wants us to reach out for something to help us. It's better to reach out to a friend than for that extra slice of pumpkin cheesecake. Tell someone about your struggles, even with food. Keep accountable throughout this tough season! 

Mass Appeal

It's funny appearing on a show called Mass Appeal, partly because I say Mass, and partly because there's nothing very appealing about carrying an excess amount of mass. Shedding it is newsworthy, though! Thank you so much to the crew at TV22 for their interest and especially their hospitality on set.

I was interviewed by Seth in a quick 4 minute segment. It's pretty nerve wracking to try to get most of the story out in those few minutes, but I think we did a pretty good job. 

http://wwlp.com/2015/08/10/weight-loss-faith/

I wish I could have gone into detail about the faith aspect, as well as speak a little about my training routines, but you can read all about that through this blog. I was very humbled when Ashley, the other host of the show, began to recount a lot of my stories that she had read. Shout out to her! If I can inspire at least one person through this blog to begin the journey, I'll have done my job. Thankfully, I know that is already the case! 

In other news, a friend of mine with advanced staged cancer can no longer ride his bike. He decided, since I was looking to start training for long distance riding, to give me his 2004 Fuji roubaix. It's a sweet bike!

All I needed was a new rear tire. The peeps at the bike exchange I took it to were gushing over its quality. One girl asked me "you're sure you didn't pay your friend for that?" When I told her no, she said "you have a really really good friend." He certainly is. Whenever I ride it I'll think of him and those suffering cancer. It's providential, actually, that three of the interviewed people on the show Monday were cancer survivors, including myself. Get out there and live life to the fullest. 

In loco isto dabo pacem

"In this place, I will give peace"

On a day off during the week, I got up to Bath, Maine to see my friends the Finns and and old friend Ana Lisa from college. It's a joy that my friend Patrick will be entering St John's Seminary, my alma mater, in the fall. We all had a great time reminiscing about our alma mater, Franciscan University, and talking about the Lord's blessings amidst trials. 

We took to the sea to the Cap'n Fish Whale Watch in Boothbay Harbor. Go figure that we would see a bunch of fin whales with the Finn family! 

We came back and had Mass on the Finn family dining room table, agape style, as we pondered the mystery of the Lord's dwelling place.

It was then that we shifted gears to the traditional Finn family lobster dinner. I look forward to it every summer. 

This morning before the crack of dawn we drove Ana Lisa to Portland and then took in a great breakfast, or I should say "beck"fast at Becky's Diner. 

Patrick and I then got to what is probably my favorite place in the United States, Portland Head Light. 

I was inspired to workout there, and somehow managed to master a time delay shot for a workout selfie. 

Praying and working out here feels amazing. It's a beautiful interplay of the divine and human. Perhaps that's why Henry Wadsworth Longfellow likened this place to the great St Christopher. It's a place that bears the Christ and his peace. 

XLT Westfield 7/27

Tonight I had the awesome grace of being the speaker at XLT Westfield, the praise and worship with Eucharistic adoration and speaker event that I helped start with youth minister Tim Hourihan at St Mary's Parish. I'm so thankful to God for the fruits that this ministry continues to bear, especially for the amazing sounds of Soul Motive, the worship band of youth and young adults that is seriously like hearing a recording every time you hear them. 

Tonight I got to witness to the Lord's power, giving the congregation a crash course in the 12 steps, and a couple pointers that they could take with them when they left: a daily plan of life, Sacraments, the Word of God, Grace, power, and reaching out to a community of witnesses. The message strongly resounded as the band started singing "You are not alone" by Kari Jobe, helping us to understand that with the Lord and his Church we are never alone, and do not have to go it alone.

We got the opportunity to lay it all down before the Bread of Life, giving to the Lord all the things that have left us powerless, have made life unmanageable, and have left us feeling alone. To be in his presence, we felt and knew that God loves us, "oh how he loves us!"

From the response, I am glad people left with a renewed sense of the Lord's power. It was great to see the new Diocesan youth minister, Gina Czerwinski present in the assembly, as it showed the Diocese's interest in these events growing. I am so grateful to be able to witness in this way, for it has helped me to keep in mind the grace of God for recovery in my own life.

CatholicTV and Steubenville East

Yesterday I had the great pleasure to share my story live on CatholicTV's "This is the day" program with Fr Robert Reed and co-host Kate Andrews. I was welcomed to the studios in Watertown, Ma by a very hospitable staff, especially the program director Bonnie Rodgers. The entire process of live tv is definitely a feat, and they all made it feel so simple. It went by quickly. 

I'm very humbled to share this message with the public, but also excited for the possibility of future ministry not only to my brother priests, but also what looks like a budding ministry to the youth and young adult population. I am currently in talks with several youth ministers throughout the country, one as far away as Hawaii, who would like to share our journeys of health and wellness to a population which is increasingly leading unhealthy lifestyles. Please pray for this initiative.

(Link to the interview on CatholicTV)

http://youtu.be/SCEBZBzDdo4

While on my way back to Springfield, many of my friends were gathering for the opening night of the Steubenville East youth conference in Lowell, Ma. I stopped by to catch up and to attend my first youth conference. The beautiful thing about those conferences is the amount of confessions and the need for priests at that event. It was needed for me, as I was able not only to hear confessions for an hour and a half, but to go to confession myself. I left fully energized for my weekend.

Home in Springfield, I'm happy to gather with some of the men of the parish in a budding men's ministry for a summer bbq. These men are young fathers who come from different cultures and backgrounds, but all have their Catholic faith and our parish in common. It's my certain prayer that they continue to grow in their faith together and foster the future of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.  

The Bike trail and some new events

I've found a new love. It's the bike trail. I knew when I wanted to start training for a triathlon that I needed to transition from spin to biking outdoors. Now that I've purchased a bike and a friend loaned me a bike rack, I've hit the bike trail a couple times. It won't stop at a couple. 

Being outdoors during the summer is so amazing. Driving to discover new trails has also brought me together with parishioners who are biking enthusiasts. 

I even got my mom in on the action! 

I will say that after being out a couple times, I need a smaller and faster bike. But we'll get there! 

In other news, I am rededicating my energy towards my 12 step program, which has suffered a little because of ministry and trips. I am eager to continue the steps and to stay true to the eating behaviors that have gotten me to where I am today. There is no room for complacency. I must seek progress, especially on the spiritual side of things. 

I'm happy to announce a couple events which have been confirmed. I will appear on Catholic TV's This is the Day next Friday live at 10:30am. Also, I will be  the opening speaker at the Maine Catholic Men's Conference in Augusta on October 10th, a venue which will be shared with the great professor and philosopher Peter Kreeft. I am deeply honored to be able to share my story in these capacities!

Hello again, ready for summer!

Hello again! It's been so easy to neglect writing this finishing entry in the summer challenge. I guess that's part of the whole reason for this blog: it's easy to give up your initiatives, and to lack motivation. But the work of recovery demands the rigorous honesty of assessing the situation and the simple willingness to start again.

Here's the story of how I'm staying motivated despite a little detour.

I turned 30! At the end of May I headed south to Florida for a birthday celebration with friends. What's awesome is that on the 3rd day of vacation, I hit the 50% mark of loss, which is to say I weighed in at 232lbs! 

To underestimate this importance is to really give a negative spin towards the little hiatus I've taken in writing. My friends took me to Busch Gardens so I could ride roller coasters. I haven't been able to ride certain theme park rides for years because of my weight. When I look at the advantage list that I first wrote in treatment, I am so glad to check this off as a fulfillment of that original hope. 

(Sheikra at Busch Gardens Tampa)

Having accomplished these things, I feel in a certain way that my original goal since starting this journey has been met. I am so excited to share this news with you.

(Ringing in my 30th birthday with friends)

It's then that the 30th birthday came, I celebrated well with friends, and became a little less resistant with regard to the food for celebrations. I was also stressed at home, with some uncertainty with regard to where I would be serving for the future. My recent doctors visits also enter in, as we still have not determined the reason for why I am experiencing swelling in my leg. 

I remained really active during my vacation, also taking on biking outdoors frequently. I made the decision that upon return I would buy a bike. 

Coming home, I stepped on the scale. Whatever the factors, I had to deal with an 8 pound weight gain in the space of a week. After some water weight came off immediately, I estimate that there was still a 5-6 pound weight gain for the week. I felt discouraged by this, but did not give up tracking or reaching out to friends. 

I got right back on track, though I didn't take directly to writing about it. I had to connect with the idea that my recovery is still a process, my struggles are real, and I need to work through them. Writing exactly what I was feeling would take some time because various stress factors were still presenting themselves. I can say that after returning to my regular diet and exercise regimen, I have lost all the weight I gained. I have now crossed the 50% mark, weighing in at 229. When I started this process, 230 was my goal weight. I am so happy to have made that goal.

(Out biking, helmet on backwards)

I bought that bike, and have been out with friends biking. Little things to humble me: I found out I had my helmet on backwards, and recently the ball of my left foot has been aching so much I can't work out the way I would like. Nevertheless, the idea on the horizon would be to train for a triathlon. 

My weight goals have not been met yet. It's a struggle when I continue to assert this with some people. The reality is that I at least can stand to lose another 30lbs before we start talking about skin surgery. It's increasingly becoming an issue, as working with my trainer is helping to unearth those muscles and show the difference between what I hope will remain and what that excess skin looks like. 

I have to say that despite this pain in my foot, I feel the fittest I have ever been. I'm excited for the training with Erica to continue, because I have experienced lately a great surge in my muscular development. I have reframed this little blip in my weight as an important reminder that I need to remain faithful to my 12 steps and eating behaviors everyday. 

Just as "one day within his courts is better than a thousand elsewhere": Nothing tastes as good as abstinence feels! 

(Me and my niece at Six Flags)