30 min 1,8 miles speed of 3.7
It took a long time to wake up my body, especially to get the heart pumping at a speedier rate. But I was listening to an R&B mix and alternated travelling songs (Hit the Road, Jack) with uplifting (Strength Courage and Wisdom, I Choose). Serendipity at the iPod. Now I am literally dripping with sweat. Off to get ready for work.
- iPhone uPdate
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Week #1 Session #2
Exactly 2 miles in 30 minutes for an average speed of 4.0 mph. Jogs at 5.1 today. Heartrate soared to above 160 bpm when I first sped up. I think it was instrument error but I kind of like the notion of my heart waking up startled and scared: what's this? Fight or flight? Must be flight? But the heart quickly settled down. Under 140 bpm in the jogs and down to 120 bpm on the walks.
(Later edit) The secret to my going to the gym so faithfully, and working so hard there, is the accountability that comes from having an appointment and working with someone there. So I may be doing some very boring posts here, dear reader, but I'm right now wanting to be publicly accountable for keeping up with the prescribed workout plan and getting to the 5k race in April. I ought to post each and every session on the plan - and since I can do it from my phone right there, there is no excuse not to.
There are supposed to be three sessions per week each week.
- iPhone uPdate
(Later edit) The secret to my going to the gym so faithfully, and working so hard there, is the accountability that comes from having an appointment and working with someone there. So I may be doing some very boring posts here, dear reader, but I'm right now wanting to be publicly accountable for keeping up with the prescribed workout plan and getting to the 5k race in April. I ought to post each and every session on the plan - and since I can do it from my phone right there, there is no excuse not to.
There are supposed to be three sessions per week each week.
- iPhone uPdate
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Going for the Epic Win
I'm focused on doing a 5K race in April. This is scary, since I don't know for a fact I've ever run a whole mile IN MY LIFE. But today I began the training, following the regimen of one of the many "Couch to 5K" patterns on the web. In the very first workout, I walked for 90 seconds and ran for a minute, and repeated for 25 minutes total (8 minutes of running is all), plus warm up and cool down. All told, 33 minutes, exactly 2 miles, at an average of 3.8 mph. All the workouts are about 30 minutes, which means I'm expected to be going fast enough at the end to cover 5K in 30 minutes. I think I need to do some arithmetic later to figure out how fast that is. I know it's faster than my current "run" - which is more of a jog at 5 mph.
I want my life to be effortless, or "friction-less" in current internet-speak. I have a treadmill in my basement, and I can wander down to walk at any time, in my jammies and slippers if I want. But to run takes some preparation: shoes and socks, a water bottle, a bra, my heart rate monitor, music. This is so little, but I see it as potentially an obstacle at 5:30 in the morning. We'll find out Friday, when I'm back to work.
For now, feeling good from this little bit of exertion. Excelsior!
I want my life to be effortless, or "friction-less" in current internet-speak. I have a treadmill in my basement, and I can wander down to walk at any time, in my jammies and slippers if I want. But to run takes some preparation: shoes and socks, a water bottle, a bra, my heart rate monitor, music. This is so little, but I see it as potentially an obstacle at 5:30 in the morning. We'll find out Friday, when I'm back to work.
For now, feeling good from this little bit of exertion. Excelsior!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Buckling Down
It has often seemed silly to me to wait for New Year's Day to start a new diet. For me, the main event is Christmas. Sometimes we're travelling and don't get home right after Christmas, and usually the parties and social whirl continues through to New Year's, so Boxing Day isn't necessarily the best kick off time for a new diet. But for me, usually this week "in-between" is a good week to start the planning and even the new habits. Things are slower at home and at work. There are still parties to give and go to, but these parties will have consequences and so need to be tracked and planned into overall strategies. There is time to reflect and to plan.
I did pretty well (so far) at holding the line this holiday season. I tracked. I'm using my new treadmill. I'm keeping up my personal training. I declared Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to be calorie-free days for me. Interestingly, that really translates into deciding that while only two days of free eating have no long-term consequences to worry about so I just wouldn't think about it, my body still feels and reacts to the short term consequences. I can't eat too much sugar without feeling bad. The wine with dinner is great, but two glasses is almost too much for my head. So I ate and drank what I wanted, but what I wanted wasn't as bad as it could be, even though to the outside observer it looked like enough to feed a village for a week.
Monday starts my weight watcher's week, so I'm going to start out tracking today. I'm going to plan to make sure there are healthy choices around, as I clean up and get ready for the next party. My oldest boy is around for a month (hooray!) and he is choosing to eat very vegetable-and-meat centric (he calls it "paleo") just like me, so it will be somewhat more rewarding to share the menu planning for a while.
The sun is shining, it's unseasonably warm, I've got things to do but plenty of time to do them. Merry Christmas every one!
I did pretty well (so far) at holding the line this holiday season. I tracked. I'm using my new treadmill. I'm keeping up my personal training. I declared Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to be calorie-free days for me. Interestingly, that really translates into deciding that while only two days of free eating have no long-term consequences to worry about so I just wouldn't think about it, my body still feels and reacts to the short term consequences. I can't eat too much sugar without feeling bad. The wine with dinner is great, but two glasses is almost too much for my head. So I ate and drank what I wanted, but what I wanted wasn't as bad as it could be, even though to the outside observer it looked like enough to feed a village for a week.
Monday starts my weight watcher's week, so I'm going to start out tracking today. I'm going to plan to make sure there are healthy choices around, as I clean up and get ready for the next party. My oldest boy is around for a month (hooray!) and he is choosing to eat very vegetable-and-meat centric (he calls it "paleo") just like me, so it will be somewhat more rewarding to share the menu planning for a while.
The sun is shining, it's unseasonably warm, I've got things to do but plenty of time to do them. Merry Christmas every one!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Activity versus Eating
I've successfully tracked in WW all this week. My activity is definitely up, thanks to my new toy in the basement. I'm tracking the activity as well, and WW uses this to offset some food consumed. However, it takes a lot of activity to really make a difference.
WW has three kinds of points that can be used as your eating allowance: daily, weekly, and activity. Daily points are always used up first. There are several options for how to use weekly and activity points to account for more than daily points. I've set it up so it uses any activity points earned before any weekly points, and activity I'm earning now - even today and tomorrow - can be used to offset all the food I consumed at the beginning of the week. I entered my gym visit this morning, and those points were immediately applied to Monday's excess, and more "weekly" points were put back in the bank. But all the exercise I've done all week still does not cover Monday's consumption. Wow.
Even so, this kind of feels like cheating to me. I know it is just accounting, and daily numbers matter much less than long term trends. But this is the most generous treatment of activity points. I can exercise tomorrow to offset Monday and Tuesday? I'm going to stick with this for now, but I figure on getting really serious about losing after New Year's. I'm thinking activity points should only be used on the day they are earned, which means any day with a binge will be largely offset by the weekly allowance, which means the weekly allowance will get eaten up faster. So to speak.
WW has three kinds of points that can be used as your eating allowance: daily, weekly, and activity. Daily points are always used up first. There are several options for how to use weekly and activity points to account for more than daily points. I've set it up so it uses any activity points earned before any weekly points, and activity I'm earning now - even today and tomorrow - can be used to offset all the food I consumed at the beginning of the week. I entered my gym visit this morning, and those points were immediately applied to Monday's excess, and more "weekly" points were put back in the bank. But all the exercise I've done all week still does not cover Monday's consumption. Wow.
Even so, this kind of feels like cheating to me. I know it is just accounting, and daily numbers matter much less than long term trends. But this is the most generous treatment of activity points. I can exercise tomorrow to offset Monday and Tuesday? I'm going to stick with this for now, but I figure on getting really serious about losing after New Year's. I'm thinking activity points should only be used on the day they are earned, which means any day with a binge will be largely offset by the weekly allowance, which means the weekly allowance will get eaten up faster. So to speak.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Going Nowhere
Santa put a lovely new treadmill in my basement! So now I can go nowhere at whatever pace I like.
I did a minimal amount of due diligence research before taking the plunge (as it turns out, Santa needed a lot of direction). Consumer Reports had an overview and a buyer's guide and ratings, which I relied on heavily. The main guidance I got from them was this: the lightweight and "portable" ones are really not sturdy. The heavier fold-able ones are sturdy enough for walking, but if you want to run you should not get a folding one. I want to run, and I have the space to keep it.
Then I went to the Treadmill Doctor.com and read their reviews, and figured out my price point. It can go very high very fast, and I put myself at $2K all in - which is the bottom of the high end price range. This would get me a very sturdy, big platform, quiet, with built in heart rater monitor treadmill.
I decided on a Sole77, based on reviews, and traveled up to a big box exercise store that carried them. They didn't have that model in stock, but had others by the brand. Another point Consumer Reports emphasized - try before you buy. Features include how wide the tread is, how big overall the platform is, how the controls are configured, and where the water bottle holders and ipod docks are. I liked the set up and figured out the controls. But it turns out the not very helpful salesman couldn't order the model I wanted, even though the store chain's website said they had them.
Sidenote: for within $50 of the same price of the model I wanted, they had a Sole85 which Treadmill Doctor says is the finest folding model made. If the salesman had been more enterprising, he might have talked me into getting that instead, and I probably would have been quite happy with it. But he wasn't so I went home and went to buy on-line.
I was going to buy via Amazon, but I stopped to read their reviews. They talked about how big it is, how delivery goes over the threshold period, and you have to assemble it yourself. They spoke of issues with that, with time estimates ranging from one to eight hours, and calls to the customer service center. I was within a click of "buy" on Amazon when I decided to try to shop locally one more time.
I briefly considered my friend's advice about Craig's List. There is a big market in lightly used exercise equipment around, as New Year's resolutions fall by the wayside. But the information I had gotten about difficulty in moving it and setting it up, and some comments about needing to adjust the belt, made me shy away. I consider myself handy and more than capable, but I wasn't interested. The fact is, for this purchase, I decided I had more money than time to invest in the project of acquiring the treadmill. I was just anxious to get moving as quickly as possible.
I went to a smaller specialty place and they didn't have the Sole brand. But they did have the Precor S.27, at the same price point, with the same features and good reviews. They would deliver it and set it up for free. I was in the shop a grand total of fifteen minutes, and the deal was done.
In order to make room for the big thing, I had to do some major rearranging and cleaning in my basement, which had devolved to become simply a storage place for all the stuff I don't use but wasn't ready to get rid of. There will be trip to the shelter to donate some winter coats, and I had to scrub the floor from the last flood. Ironically, that work day burned more calories than any day in November! Already the treadmill was making me more fit, and I didn't even have it yet!
So now I have to use the darn thing to justify the investment. It arrived Wednesday, and my girl and I figured out how to push all the buttons and make it work. I'm thinking I may use it some in the evenings, though I'm trading off the exercise for later bed times, and I need to figure that out. This morning I woke with the symptoms of a head cold, but I headed down to the basement in my jammies and slippers, clutching a cup of coffee rather than water, and listened to NPR while I strolled along at a fairly slow pace. Finally the caffeine took hold and I got up to a brisk walk, and felt better for it. Just a few minutes, but so much better than spending the same time sitting on the couch.
I mentioned I wanted to run. I aspire to run in a 5K. This is as huge to me as a marathon is to some people. I can walk forever, but running is a very new experience for me. Right now, two minute intervals are all I can manage, and that at a speed some guys walk but that my short legs turn into a jog. I have tentatively picked out an Earth Day run at the end of April here in Silver Spring. But I'll start on a "couch to 5K" training plan in January, and see how I do. I'll keep you posted.
I did a minimal amount of due diligence research before taking the plunge (as it turns out, Santa needed a lot of direction). Consumer Reports had an overview and a buyer's guide and ratings, which I relied on heavily. The main guidance I got from them was this: the lightweight and "portable" ones are really not sturdy. The heavier fold-able ones are sturdy enough for walking, but if you want to run you should not get a folding one. I want to run, and I have the space to keep it.
Then I went to the Treadmill Doctor.com and read their reviews, and figured out my price point. It can go very high very fast, and I put myself at $2K all in - which is the bottom of the high end price range. This would get me a very sturdy, big platform, quiet, with built in heart rater monitor treadmill.
I decided on a Sole77, based on reviews, and traveled up to a big box exercise store that carried them. They didn't have that model in stock, but had others by the brand. Another point Consumer Reports emphasized - try before you buy. Features include how wide the tread is, how big overall the platform is, how the controls are configured, and where the water bottle holders and ipod docks are. I liked the set up and figured out the controls. But it turns out the not very helpful salesman couldn't order the model I wanted, even though the store chain's website said they had them.
Sidenote: for within $50 of the same price of the model I wanted, they had a Sole85 which Treadmill Doctor says is the finest folding model made. If the salesman had been more enterprising, he might have talked me into getting that instead, and I probably would have been quite happy with it. But he wasn't so I went home and went to buy on-line.
I was going to buy via Amazon, but I stopped to read their reviews. They talked about how big it is, how delivery goes over the threshold period, and you have to assemble it yourself. They spoke of issues with that, with time estimates ranging from one to eight hours, and calls to the customer service center. I was within a click of "buy" on Amazon when I decided to try to shop locally one more time.
I briefly considered my friend's advice about Craig's List. There is a big market in lightly used exercise equipment around, as New Year's resolutions fall by the wayside. But the information I had gotten about difficulty in moving it and setting it up, and some comments about needing to adjust the belt, made me shy away. I consider myself handy and more than capable, but I wasn't interested. The fact is, for this purchase, I decided I had more money than time to invest in the project of acquiring the treadmill. I was just anxious to get moving as quickly as possible.
I went to a smaller specialty place and they didn't have the Sole brand. But they did have the Precor S.27, at the same price point, with the same features and good reviews. They would deliver it and set it up for free. I was in the shop a grand total of fifteen minutes, and the deal was done.
In order to make room for the big thing, I had to do some major rearranging and cleaning in my basement, which had devolved to become simply a storage place for all the stuff I don't use but wasn't ready to get rid of. There will be trip to the shelter to donate some winter coats, and I had to scrub the floor from the last flood. Ironically, that work day burned more calories than any day in November! Already the treadmill was making me more fit, and I didn't even have it yet!
So now I have to use the darn thing to justify the investment. It arrived Wednesday, and my girl and I figured out how to push all the buttons and make it work. I'm thinking I may use it some in the evenings, though I'm trading off the exercise for later bed times, and I need to figure that out. This morning I woke with the symptoms of a head cold, but I headed down to the basement in my jammies and slippers, clutching a cup of coffee rather than water, and listened to NPR while I strolled along at a fairly slow pace. Finally the caffeine took hold and I got up to a brisk walk, and felt better for it. Just a few minutes, but so much better than spending the same time sitting on the couch.
I mentioned I wanted to run. I aspire to run in a 5K. This is as huge to me as a marathon is to some people. I can walk forever, but running is a very new experience for me. Right now, two minute intervals are all I can manage, and that at a speed some guys walk but that my short legs turn into a jog. I have tentatively picked out an Earth Day run at the end of April here in Silver Spring. But I'll start on a "couch to 5K" training plan in January, and see how I do. I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Actually Tracking Versus Just Thinking About It
The special occasions continue to mount. Today was the office holiday potluck. I felt like I didn't do too badly, even if I did visit the dessert table twice. They were such tiny portions I took. But I sat down after dinner tonight (chicken in bottled curry sauce, asparagus, rice) and decided to try to estimate it all. I was appalled! It comes out to 41 points for the day!
Alarmed, I went back to track yesterday (Monday is the start of my WW week) and discovered my two slices of oh-so-good made by my girl pumpkin bread brought yesterday's total to 41 points as well! Jumpin' Jehoshaphat! Some thing's gotta change here!
I do have to note how insulted I am when I read that "free living" people (versus confined in institutions people) are notoriously inaccurate in our food diaries. As possible overcompensation, I try to be really generous in estimated portion sizes for tracking. But the temptation to whittle it down (surely that was only five ounces, not six) and watch the point total shrink in proportion is really strong.
The way WW works is I get a daily total (26 points) and a weekly set of extra points to use when I need them. Any activity I log can be used as extra points. My morning gym appointments get me three points each. Sticking within the daily total is difficult unless I really really focus on major vegetables. I do have some weekly points left, and I can certainly start to get more activity points built up, but I want to try to stay within my limits. Thus, when my girl needed an emergency run for more lip gloss (smooth lips are very important to her), we went all the way to the supermarket to make sure we've got what we need for a leafy-greens-based dinner tomorrow.
Looking at the actual points written down and added up, versus just casting back through the day mentally, has really been a wake-up call. Got to stay grounded in reality. Time to go back to tediously accounting for everything, and even more tiresomely, planning out meals well in advance and making sure I've got all the ingredients on hand. It's the only way to get through this holiday season without having to re-do this whole year's worth of weight loss all over again.
Alarmed, I went back to track yesterday (Monday is the start of my WW week) and discovered my two slices of oh-so-good made by my girl pumpkin bread brought yesterday's total to 41 points as well! Jumpin' Jehoshaphat! Some thing's gotta change here!
I do have to note how insulted I am when I read that "free living" people (versus confined in institutions people) are notoriously inaccurate in our food diaries. As possible overcompensation, I try to be really generous in estimated portion sizes for tracking. But the temptation to whittle it down (surely that was only five ounces, not six) and watch the point total shrink in proportion is really strong.
The way WW works is I get a daily total (26 points) and a weekly set of extra points to use when I need them. Any activity I log can be used as extra points. My morning gym appointments get me three points each. Sticking within the daily total is difficult unless I really really focus on major vegetables. I do have some weekly points left, and I can certainly start to get more activity points built up, but I want to try to stay within my limits. Thus, when my girl needed an emergency run for more lip gloss (smooth lips are very important to her), we went all the way to the supermarket to make sure we've got what we need for a leafy-greens-based dinner tomorrow.
Looking at the actual points written down and added up, versus just casting back through the day mentally, has really been a wake-up call. Got to stay grounded in reality. Time to go back to tediously accounting for everything, and even more tiresomely, planning out meals well in advance and making sure I've got all the ingredients on hand. It's the only way to get through this holiday season without having to re-do this whole year's worth of weight loss all over again.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Every Day is a Special Occasion
Tonight was a business dinner at Cuba Libre, a great new restaurant in DC. I decided to try to handle things right. Last night, I checked out their menu, and decided I would go with one of their fish and citrus items. I decided no drink and no dessert.
I tracked in the morning, and felt really good. But it was a *really* stressful day at work, full of active engagement with others on difficult issues. But the absolute worst and emotional part was witnessing the very public disgrace of a man I like and worked with for years.
So I arrive at the restaurant to find I had not scanned the drinks menu in advance-or, I should say, the mojito menu. They had over a dozen types, all sweetened with their pressed-in-the-restaurant-from-fresh-sugarcane and muddled with their actual Cuban mint. So I went with the classic, upgraded to their best rum. The first sip was heaven, and the last was nearly as good.
The other wrinkle was the other folks decided to go tapas-style, which actually worked out fine. More fried things than I would have gotten, but actually not a huge volume of food.
But then came dessert. I looked at the menu and said "no". Just "no". I felt really strong and powerful and virtuous. "Do you want to split the Fallen Chocolate Souffle?" asked the man next to me. "Sure" I said.
I tracked in the morning, and felt really good. But it was a *really* stressful day at work, full of active engagement with others on difficult issues. But the absolute worst and emotional part was witnessing the very public disgrace of a man I like and worked with for years.
So I arrive at the restaurant to find I had not scanned the drinks menu in advance-or, I should say, the mojito menu. They had over a dozen types, all sweetened with their pressed-in-the-restaurant-from-fresh-sugarcane and muddled with their actual Cuban mint. So I went with the classic, upgraded to their best rum. The first sip was heaven, and the last was nearly as good.
The other wrinkle was the other folks decided to go tapas-style, which actually worked out fine. More fried things than I would have gotten, but actually not a huge volume of food.
But then came dessert. I looked at the menu and said "no". Just "no". I felt really strong and powerful and virtuous. "Do you want to split the Fallen Chocolate Souffle?" asked the man next to me. "Sure" I said.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
My Family Qualifies
I don't think you need to test my family to know where we are on the genetic pre-disposition to weight continuum. But this article from the New York Times holds a kernel of hope - get moving. Which I am very overdue for doing this morning! No more computer!
When Fat Runs in the Family
When Fat Runs in the Family
An Inconvenient Truth
Sigh. I took the time to chart my data, and my assessment of "holding my own through the holidays" seems a bit optimistic when you look at the data for the last six months.
If it weren't for the timely intervention of an extremely nasty stomach bug, it appears I have been headed for disaster. AND, it appears my body has adjusted and has decided to resume the trend. The complacency I felt about eating earlier today is gone. FOCUS. TRACK. PLAN. BRING FOOD TO WORK.
If it weren't for the timely intervention of an extremely nasty stomach bug, it appears I have been headed for disaster. AND, it appears my body has adjusted and has decided to resume the trend. The complacency I felt about eating earlier today is gone. FOCUS. TRACK. PLAN. BRING FOOD TO WORK.
Holidays Around Us
Life continues busy, and I've had an additional challenge in blogging. My mobile blogging app has been unusable since the last post I did. To the extent I was keeping up either this blog or my garden blog, it was almost entirely mobile from my phone or ipad, on the go or on the couch or in bed before going to sleep. The software developer says it will be fixed "soon", and I haven't bothered to research much less invest in a different solution. So just one more obstacle to keeping this up.
The running commentary continues in my head where several interesting topics have come up and been discussed in a witty and informative fashion. I do noodle these ideas quite a bit, but actually setting fingers to keyboard requires thinking things through in a more disciplined and articulate fashion. I miss comments and feedback and knowing someone is listening. I like the short form essay to think through a topic, and go back and polish it just bit before posting. I love comments and feedback and looking at the traffic stats - the thrill of knowing someone is out there. So here I am, actually sitting at an actual computer, checking in.
I am enjoying being the size and weight I am now, which is bouncing around fifteen pounds less (+/- 2 pounds) than I was January 1 of this year. (January 1 happened to be the absolute high point of my holiday weight gain last year - the first few pounds came off very rapidly, so I sort of feel like it's cheating to measure from there but what-the-heck, it is at least technically true.) I am continuing at the gym, but pretty much all other activities except the occasional walk or vigorous chores have disappeared. I'm eating well or not at all for breakfast, scoring 50% or less on where I'd like to be for lunches (trying to either bring lunch or take the time to walk to a good place to buy it, and if I buy it, make sure it is portion controlled). Dinner with the family is definitely getting healthier as the kids are more open to different foods than in past years - hooray! But my big achilles heel is my evenings when I return alone to my house. I'm tired, my ego is nearly depleted (remember this post?), no-one but my dog is watching, and if there are sweets in the house they tend to go in my mouth. I'm dealing with this by having fewer sweets in the house, (since the dog refuses to do anything but cheer me on whatever I do) but this area of weakness should be the subject of further focus next year, when I try to re-energize getting those next fifteen pounds off.
Right now, I know I need to get moving. I wrote about it in October, and it is still entirely true. My magic device continues to document how few calories I am expending. I have put new batteries in my Wii balance board and played around there a bit on slow moving days, but that is truly minimal exercise. I go to the gym, and that is really good. One day a week I am doing a small group session now, saving a bit of expense and also adding a social element that includes a friendly competitive element that makes me work faster.
I am very seriously contemplating buying a treadmill to be able to run at home. My trusty old Nordic Track just isn't entertaining me the way it used to. It is still fully functional at seventeen years old, but when I jog on the treadmill at the gym I am working harder than any other exercise I've ever done. And I'm enjoying it, too. Winter is upon us, so it is dark when I'm not at work and thus jogging outside is not much of an option. Jogging outside also requires a lot more attention to keep from falling or being run over, and what is working for me is getting lost in the ipod at the gym. It's a rotten time to focus on bike riding as well. Going to the gym on days when I don't have a personal appointment is too often just falling by the way-side, and requires more planning and time than something at home.
This will be a four-figure purchase, so not one to make on a whim without research and budgeting. But my original Big Loss was driven by six days a week on the NT. I've just read Half-Assed by Jeanette Fulda, (a quick and easy read about which I may write more later) and her transformation was fueled by the treadmill. Having an expensive item in my basement is likely to guilt me into using it. At least I do have the history of the NT to reassure myself it will not just become an expensive storage rack for things waiting to be donated.
Thanks for reading. I'll try to get here a bit more often.
The running commentary continues in my head where several interesting topics have come up and been discussed in a witty and informative fashion. I do noodle these ideas quite a bit, but actually setting fingers to keyboard requires thinking things through in a more disciplined and articulate fashion. I miss comments and feedback and knowing someone is listening. I like the short form essay to think through a topic, and go back and polish it just bit before posting. I love comments and feedback and looking at the traffic stats - the thrill of knowing someone is out there. So here I am, actually sitting at an actual computer, checking in.
I am enjoying being the size and weight I am now, which is bouncing around fifteen pounds less (+/- 2 pounds) than I was January 1 of this year. (January 1 happened to be the absolute high point of my holiday weight gain last year - the first few pounds came off very rapidly, so I sort of feel like it's cheating to measure from there but what-the-heck, it is at least technically true.) I am continuing at the gym, but pretty much all other activities except the occasional walk or vigorous chores have disappeared. I'm eating well or not at all for breakfast, scoring 50% or less on where I'd like to be for lunches (trying to either bring lunch or take the time to walk to a good place to buy it, and if I buy it, make sure it is portion controlled). Dinner with the family is definitely getting healthier as the kids are more open to different foods than in past years - hooray! But my big achilles heel is my evenings when I return alone to my house. I'm tired, my ego is nearly depleted (remember this post?), no-one but my dog is watching, and if there are sweets in the house they tend to go in my mouth. I'm dealing with this by having fewer sweets in the house, (since the dog refuses to do anything but cheer me on whatever I do) but this area of weakness should be the subject of further focus next year, when I try to re-energize getting those next fifteen pounds off.
Right now, I know I need to get moving. I wrote about it in October, and it is still entirely true. My magic device continues to document how few calories I am expending. I have put new batteries in my Wii balance board and played around there a bit on slow moving days, but that is truly minimal exercise. I go to the gym, and that is really good. One day a week I am doing a small group session now, saving a bit of expense and also adding a social element that includes a friendly competitive element that makes me work faster.
I am very seriously contemplating buying a treadmill to be able to run at home. My trusty old Nordic Track just isn't entertaining me the way it used to. It is still fully functional at seventeen years old, but when I jog on the treadmill at the gym I am working harder than any other exercise I've ever done. And I'm enjoying it, too. Winter is upon us, so it is dark when I'm not at work and thus jogging outside is not much of an option. Jogging outside also requires a lot more attention to keep from falling or being run over, and what is working for me is getting lost in the ipod at the gym. It's a rotten time to focus on bike riding as well. Going to the gym on days when I don't have a personal appointment is too often just falling by the way-side, and requires more planning and time than something at home.
This will be a four-figure purchase, so not one to make on a whim without research and budgeting. But my original Big Loss was driven by six days a week on the NT. I've just read Half-Assed by Jeanette Fulda, (a quick and easy read about which I may write more later) and her transformation was fueled by the treadmill. Having an expensive item in my basement is likely to guilt me into using it. At least I do have the history of the NT to reassure myself it will not just become an expensive storage rack for things waiting to be donated.
Thanks for reading. I'll try to get here a bit more often.
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