August

My last post was in February and indicated I was entering a plateau period, both in weight loss and in motivation. I sounded hopeful that things would turn around. Oops...they didn't.
March I went to Florida and was very disappointed when I put on 5 pounds. That surprised me because both of my daughters prepare health conscious meals. Jen carefully watches fat and sugar. Jan is very conscous of portion sizes. Neither girl has bought into the idea that if people are present you have to make big meals with lots of food AND dessert.

As I look back on this summer, my travels, and other things I have discovered a few things.
1) Exercise is crucial not only to weight loss, but even to maintenance. When I visit my kids, I don't get in the walking that I do at home. The same was true of winter time. I lose weight best when I can get outside to walk. I enjoy it more than walking inside, like with the 'mall walkers'. 10,000 steps is crucial for weight loss. 6,000-8,000 is needed for maintenance.

2) There is a change. This all started last summer because I had a hard time keeping up with Jen when we were at a theme park. I recognized she wasn't going that fast, but I was walking really slowly. This year I notice that when walking with a group I now have to slow myself down. I've picked up my pace. Apparently you can teach an old dog new tricks. It is one change I am really pleased with!

3) I lost 15 pounds and put 5 back on. I am still 10 pounds lighter than last year. I have 10 pounds to go, but I want to lose 15 simply because I usually put 5 back on when I try to maintain.

I've been walking a lot this summer. I added the townships walking path to my routine. On a good week I do 2 miles minimum every day, and often 3-5 miles a couple of days a week. I haven't lost any weight, but I've enjoyed it.

The quest goes on. I don't give up even if I don't see change. I know if I give up, the weight goes back on and THAT is defeat.

Running in Place

It's the holiday season. That's a fact I can't ignore. Tonight I'm going to my 3rd holiday party, and the scales haven't budged. Actually, they have. I bounce between 137 and 139. Mostly it sits at 138. It's been that way since early November. It's annoying. If I allowed myself to think about it I would be totally depressed!

When I was sharing my woes with a friend she said, "Losing weight during the holidays? Really? I think maintaining it is an accomplishment." I started thinking about that, and realized she is right. I really want to lose 5 more pounds before Christmas, but that's because my kids are coming. The truth is, they will be impressed with what I've already lost. If I can just get past New Years without regaining anything I will have conquered the holiday season.

New focus? Not really. Same plan, same hopes, but I will accept the reality. I will stick to the meals I've been eating during the day. I will continue to workout. I will walk even when it's cold and snowy...but probably not cold and windy. That wind really bites! I will go to parties and do my best to watch how much I eat and drink. I will try to pick only the diet friendly stuff.

But I will NOT drag myself down when I goof and over indulge. I will hug myself when I do well, and kick myself in the butt when I screw up. I will continue to weigh myself and measure myself. To do anything else would be to give up and that is the biggest NOT in my list. I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON MYSELF.

Catching Up

I am so behind on tracking my progress. It has been a busy two weeks. Our church had it's first Pumpkin Patch and I worked it most week days. Last Sunday was my birthday and I celebrated it by getting sick. (Not a good plan!) This week was spent working the Patch and trying to get my stomach back to normal.

When I think of the contestants on Biggest Loser I remember one who had to be taken to the hospital and was only allowed to walk when she returned to the ranch. She wasn't able to work out. So she walked. The alternative would have been to go home. She had to find the way to lose enough weight to stay. This week I maintained what activities I had to but walking wasn't one of them. It was so easy to rationalize not going out. My stomach was queasy. I'd 'better not push it today'. The big difference between Miggy and me was that she had only one thing to do and that was lose weight. She HAD to do it or she would go home. Once again, it is obvious that I am not  a 'competitor'. I never have been. I'm just me. I can make excuses with the best of them. Jillian would walk out on my if she was my trainer!

The news wasn't all bad, though. I really had to watch what I ate. Indigestion set in if I ate 1) a lot, 2) anything rich (like toast with butter), 3) a lot... (oh yeah, I said that). I ate a lot of cereal, soup and Italian ice. Well, if my exercise level was low, so was my calorie intake!

I'm back to normal, and the pumpkins are gone so it's time to pay attention to what I'm putting in and how much I'm working out!

The good news?? I did manange to lose a pound. Next week's goal is 139!!!!! I can't wait until I reach it. It will be the first time I was under 140 since 2006 and then it was for about 2 weeks. The scales like to tease me. It shows me a number and then bounces up a pound for the next 2-3 days. It has hinted at 139 already, but I know it is just playing games with my mind. But by Friday, it should be there!!!

I can't wait! See you then.

Results day in Iowa

10 days in Iowa now. Time to do a status update. I don't have my scales available but I brought my measurement tape. My jeans help keep me honest as well. After they were washed the fit was still good. I can't have put too much weight back on. This morning when I measured myself I did see a little change. My butt's the same, (YEA!) and the rest of me shows the normal weekly shifts. Hmmm 
On the positive side, I have kept snacking to a minimum. I've stuck with my normal breakfast. Dinners have been very healthy, low-fat, and made with natural ingredients. Janice did a great job of pre-planning meals for us and they were in the freezer. All we had to do was pull them out and heat them up. They consist of fresh veggies from the summer, and low-fat meat. The portions are excellent, so I'm not guilty of overeating.

Exercise has been sporadic, but I've kept my pedometer on so I know what I've done. Actually, that just means I know what I haven't been doing! I've only achieved 10,000 steps one day since I've been here and that was the day I managed 2 walks! I've managed to walk 3 days and I've managed to do a weight's workout 3 days as well! Those are the pluses.

I'm ok with 'pluses'. Why look too deeply, you know? But then there's that truth factor.
So here are the negatives.

I've only used the weights 3 times. There is no excuse for that. On any given day I can find time for that part. I don't want to do it everyday, but I should have been able to do it every other day, or 3 times a week, at least. I have only myself to blame. My excuse is simple. I don't like to do it in front of other people. I get self-conscious. So if no one is here, I do it. Otherwise, I should just go off to my room and get it done, but I don't.

Dinners always have carbs, either as a side dish or as part of the main dish. The garlic mashed smelled awfully yummy, so I had a scoop. Sometimes a double scoop. So much for willpower! This is the problem of eating out. I can control what I fix, but it is hard to ignore what is offered to me.

I have reverted to bad habits and caved in when someone offered me sweets. Last night it was 2 large, fresh chocolate chip cookies totalling 44 carbs. (I mean, who would have said no. Certainly not me! FRESH and WARM!) Today it was 2 hotdogs when 1 would have been enough.
I will be here at least 1 week more. I will try to get my weights workout where it should be.

I can say I have met expectations. I knew I would exercise less, and I did. I knew I would eat more carbs, and I did. And if there is one thing I am REALLY good at it is losing all sense of willpower around sweets.
If there was one thing I would like to change about me, it would be my sweet tooth.

If there is one thing I don't do actively enough it is to visualize positive results. I can avoid making pancakes, but if someone is serving them I can't seem to walk away. So I am.....

Still working at it!

Conquering Killer Hill

I am a little stunned. I am really getting stronger. I didn't want to walk this morning, but I knew I had to. Yesterday I barely made 3,000 steps between a doctor's appointment that took hours and errands I needed to do. Today I had to pick up the pace again.

I left the house and started out, but as I walked I realized it was the perfect time to take the dog. The air was still relatively cool and by afternoon it would be back in the 80's. I went ahead and walked the half-mile loop and picked up the dog on my way past the house.

Maggie was just what I needed. She started out almost at a trot. I had to hurry to keep up with her. My route today was the mile and half route that involves the steep hills. I've come to recognize them as Killer Hill and Canyon Hill. I should add here, that I was a Floridian for almost 30 years. FLAT terrain is what I consider normal. So while the local residents may see these hills as just hills, to me, they are really big. The road I was on ends in a turnaround at the top of Canyon Hill. Killer Hill is fine starting out. The first time I encounter it I am going down. I like down! Down is fun. Down isn't stressful. And I have a fantastic view of the hills in the distance.

But once I get down, I have a short level area before the hill begins to climb up to the turnaround. It is the only way out of the canyon, thus the name. Once I'm at the top of Canyon Hill the process reverses itself...down Canyon Hill and up Killer Hill, named because, by now, I'm dead!

I don't understand how it happened, but today I ran! Maggie and I started down Killer Hill at a fast walk. About half way down I started to jog. Maggie trotted. I looked ahead to the level area and where the road begins a gradual incline. (This is like a foothill to Canyon Hill.) There was a bull dozer about half way up the incline. "Maybe I can make it to the bulldozer... don't even think it... you know how you are on running. You'll get to the bottom and quit... just run till you stop". This is how I encourage (?) myself. I continued to jog. Head down, seeing only my feet, pant, pant.... huff, huff, one foot in front of the other... pant, pant, ...."wait... Did I just pass 2 pickups? There weren't any pickups near the bull dozer.... where is the bull dozer?"

I glanced up and saw the trucks. I looked around. The bull dozer was 30 feet behind me! Holy COW!!!! How did that happen?

At the top of the foot hill, I stopped and let the dog off the leash. We were past the construction and it was open road from here. Maggie loped off and I kept walking. Head down...seeing only my feet... climbing Canyon Hill. My mind kept thinking about stuff as my feet kept moving, one step in front of the other. When I looked up again, I was at the top of Canyon Hill. I am always excited when I make it up without stopping. My heart was pounding, water was running off my face, but I was still moving.

After doing a few laps around the turnaround to catch my breath, I started back down. Once again, I started to jog and kept jogging after I reached the bottom. Maggie caught up with me and I put her leash back on as we began Killer Hill. We weren't moving very fast by now, but we were moving and we never stopped. The last stretch up to our house is the perfect cool down. Neither of us are moving very fast. In fact, I'm always walking ahead of the dog on the last part, but we keep going.

I looked at the clock when I walked in. 50 minutes, 2 miles, 5,000 steps, and I had run much more than I've ever done before.

Could I ever get like the Biggest Loser contestants? Imagine me, a runner. It's still a pipe dream, but for the first time I see a little light at the end of that pipe.