Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

This week, I decided to do something different.  I went to the YMCA to exercise.  We've had a membership for years, and there for a while I was going several times a week.  I could blame my hiatus on covid, but that's a lie, I just stopped going.  So, I decided that it was a multifunctional trip event.  First, it would get me out of the house (bleck), second it would put me around other people (eew, people) and third it would benefit my weight loss/healthy body journey (ok, that's a plus).

The first day, I just rode the recumbent bike for 30 minutes and watched people.  Not watched them in a creepy way, but watched them to see how they used machines, and their routines.  No one spoke to me, not even the front desk person, and I was fine with that.  I scurried back to my humble abode and fixed a delicious breakfast of avocado and egg (with nutritional yeast) on toast and some everything bagel seasoning.

The second day, I did 1000 meters on the rowing machine and then rode the recumbent bike for 40 minutes.  I'd only planned to do 30 minutes, but a grandfather from the kids' little league days recognized me and stopped to chat around my 25 minute mark and...time got away from me.  

The third day, my goal was to use the rower and then move to the bike again.  Unfortunately, someone was camped out on the rower, so I started with the bike and did 6 miles in 30 minutes.  Side note, my right hip/top thigh has been uncomfortable for a bit, as in, I can't sleep on that side.  When I moved to the rower, that same area was very uncomfortable, so after about 200 meters I realized I had to stop.  Not sure what that is about, but I'll research and try to figure it out and do some stretches or something.

The fourth day, I mixed it up a little by going to the Y in the evening.  It's a different crowd there later in the day.  I think I'll stick with the mornings, unless I get a wild notion to do two visits in one day.  I did the rowing machine first (1000 meters in 7 minutes), then 30 minutes on the bike.

Day five, was back to mornings and doing the rower before the bike.  This works best for me.

Day six, yes, I went to the gym on Saturday!  Very few people were at the gym, and those who were there were hardcore, and not just camping out on the machines, but moving through their routine.  I was able to get the rower first, then the bike.  My goal next week is to get to 2000 meters on the rower.

Overall, I was pleased with myself for getting up and going.  I'd like to say I enjoyed it, but days 1-3 were torturous...by the fourth day it was getting more natural feeling.  There was some additional stressors this week and I did some stress eating along the way.  I'd like to say I've gotten past that, but apparently not.  Although, on a positive note, I was binge eating zucchini brownies, so at least there was a vegetable involved.

Here's to health!

The End of an Era

Well, I graduated my last homeschooled child last week.  I'm officially done with that season of my life.  I've been unsubscribing to newsletters and vendors email lists left and right, it's been very liberating.   I have stayed in two local Facebook groups, so that I can help new people navigate the waters.  I don't know if that will be a long term commitment, but for now I feel it's my way of giving back.

Here are two of my favorite senior photos of Lindsey.

So, what does the future hold for me?  No clue.  I have applied for a part time position at our local library.  I've also been binge watching "The Biggest Loser" trying to get ideas and motivation on how to make progress with my weight loss.  I've also ordered several "Biggest Loser" books and cookbooks from the local library. I should get those the first of the week.

Graduation was the last "big" thing I had on my radar, so now I can focus on my goal of getting myself fit and healthy, not necessarily skinny, but healthy.

Weight Loss Wednesday #12

 

Here we are on "Weight Loss Plateau", ahem.  I'm still stuck at 10.2 pounds gone.  I've lost/gained the same 2 pounds for the last couple of weeks.  I guess I'm just not working hard enough, and of course, losing weight after 50 sucks.

Weight Loss Wednesday #11

 

I'm up two pounds this week. No idea why, honestly.  We did go out to dinner for Mother's Day, but other than that, I've been eating pretty clean.    I'm frustrated...sigh.

Weight Loss Wednesday #10

 

I've finally turned the ship around and am heading in the right direction once again.  I'm at a total of 12.8 pounds lost as of this morning.

So, the month of April was basically "lost" in the sense that it was more up than down with way too many celebration foods.   Ordinarily that would have been enough for me to have given up and just gone back to "regular" eating habits.  This time, I realized it for what it was, a setback.  I picked myself up and got back on track.

What's working:  Raw veggies and avocado toast seem to be what my body likes.  

What's not working:  Sleeping has been an issue.  Partly because I'm walking more (minimum of 10,000 steps a day) and my legs ache at night.  Partly because I'm drinking more water and getting up to pee during the night.  Poor sleep slows down the weight loss train, but I'm hoping the steps and water are going to outweigh (literally) the sleep deprivation.

Weight Loss Wednesday #9

 

This week I saw the scale take a huge move back in the right direction.   I'm at a current weight loss total of exactly 10 pounds.

What's Working:  Raw veggies, nuts and plenty of water.

What's Not Working:  Peppers and hummus aren't as tasty as they were at the beginning of April, so I'm shifting to carrots and broccoli.

Press On Through Discouragement

April has been a month full of celebrations. My birthday, Easter, our wedding anniversary and our oldest daughter's birthday all fall within the short month of April.  Staying on track during times of celebration is really hard, because nobody celebrates with broccoli, it's always sugar and fat, and yummy.

Despite the list of celebrations, I tried to make wise choices.  I opted for water instead of sweetened drinks, used a smaller plate and picked restaurants with smaller portions.  To counter act the extra "things" I also increased my daily steps and am consistently hitting between 10k and 12k steps per day.  By the end of April, I was back to eating raw veggies and lean proteins for most meals, and the weight just kept climbing.  I was so frustrated and discouraged.

I kept eating right and drinking water, walking and feeling like a failure all the while. The scale showed I'd gained back all but 4 pounds of the weight I'd lost in the first couple of months.  How in the world is that even possible?

Then a weird thing happened. Warning, TMI...  On Thursday morning, I did all the regular things then headed to the grocery store, where I bought veggies and hummus and all the healthy things.  While I was out, I had to go pee twice, and I wasn't gone that long.  I got home and I continued to run to the restroom.  Friday morning, I literally couldn't go on my morning walk because I was running to the bathroom every few minutes.  By Friday evening, I was back to "normal", and on Saturday when I weighed in, I was showing a 3 pound weight loss from the morning before.

What I realized is that the sugars and salt in the celebratory foods had caused inflammation.  After a couple of days of eating right and drinking more, my body suddenly released all that fluid it had been holding and the scale took a drastic change overnight.  

So, here's the thing, we have to keep making the best choices and keep doing the right things.  The body will respond in time, but we have to not let our "feelings" talk us into giving up when it appears we're stuck and the scale refuses to move, or moves in the wrong direction.

"Do what's right.  Do it right.  Do it because it's right."