Looking Ahead On Weight and Fitness

I have gotten swept up in the end of the year chaos and holiday events, so I wanted to just touch base on my health happenings.

I'm still seeking balance with my weight.  I find myself eating back my exercise calories so I'm glad that I lowered my overall calorie goal.  Unfortunately, I'm not seeing the scale go down any farther.  That tells me something right there, so I will really try and regain my diet discipline.   Today is a new day!  I'm going to weigh and measure more, to achieve accuracy.

I wasn't able to get in to have my RMR checked before Thanksgiving, but I'm going to call today and try to get it scheduled in the next few days.  It will give me more data that will help me set my calorie goals in MyFitnessPal.  It is another piece of the maintenance mystery.

I'm pushing myself farther and steeper on my hikes, and I've stepped up my running frequency to almost daily.  I find myself taking about 1 day off per week.  I never thought I'd find myself wanting to jog in the rain, but it happened a couple of days ago.  It was a misty rain, so it felt peaceful, and I wasn't soaked through to the bone or anything.  Maybe this is the mythical runners high, but I do feel uplifted when I start and finish my jog/walks (that pesky middle part isn't too bad, until it's bad - LOL).  As of now, I run twice as far as a walk.  I either time myself or use visual markers, so it's nothing too scientific, yet, but I have an app, and I'm tracking my pace.  It would be nice to work up to 3min/1min intervals.

Yesterday I signed up to run the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in Phoenix, which will be in January.  I'm super excited that I'll get to meet up with Martha (aka OptifastMom) on the day that we pick up our bibs.  I was inspired to to try running through her blog.  Thanks, chica!

So now I have to train in earnest.  I've set a very modest goal for this race -- basically I want to finish it before they sweep up the stragglers.  I have 4 hours before that happens, but I think I can do it in about 3 hours if I keep training and if I can stick fairly closely to my 2min/1min, run/walk intervals (but I'm aiming to work up to 3min/1min for most of it).  The music should be a huge boost as well. There will be live music playing throughout, but The Wallflowers are playing a concert after the race, and I love them.  It should be a fun party.  Music is one of my greatest joys.

I think a long and winding race is a very fitting way to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of starting my weight loss adventure.  It has been challenging in spots, and I wasn't sure I'd reach the "finish line" to a normal weight.  But I did it, and it has been one of the greatest things I've ever done for myself.

You never really finish the weight race because of the maintenance part of the equation.  I've settled in on the realization that this awareness will be a part of my life forever.  I don't expect to arrive at the stage where I "don't even have to think about my diet anymore" anytime soon.  Hopefully I will get there in the future, but as of now, I don't consider this stage a "timed" race.  I merely have to get through to the finish line each day, and keep tweaking my diet when necessary.

Page One of a New Chapter

Today is my first official day as a self-employed person!  I left my job so that I could pursue my own private practice and have a more flexible schedule to accommodate my family and just feel less stressed.  I don't think that it has hit me yet, but I'm sure I'll get used to this pretty quickly!

Last summer I joined the YMCA near my work, and arranged my schedule to leave the house every morning at 5:30am, drive the 40 minutes to the gym (without the stress of rush hour!) and work out before work.  There is a water aerobics class at 6:20am so this was perfect timing and the perfect exercise for my low calorie intake.  It was a win-win situation on all levels.  I really noticed that exercise helped me cope with my job pressures, and I no longer had to sit in traffic and worry about arriving to work on time.  It was wonderful!  When I gave my notice in January, one of  my immediate concerns was getting out of my newly-established exercise routine.  I immediately got online and looked up gyms near my home, and specifically, near my oldest son's high school.  I learned that my local YMCA has water aerobics as well as Restorative Yoga at just the perfect time after I drop the last kid off at school.

I've envisioned this plan for the last 5 months, and today I put it into practice.  I dropped my son off, then headed to the Y.  I would be the "new kid" again, emphasis on the kid, since I'm usually the youngest person in these classes.  I tried deep water aerobics today and LOVED IT!!  There is something wonderful about exercising in the water, and especially in deep water with a flotation belt.  The ladies are sassy, the music was tuned in to a radio station that I listen to all the time, so it was '80's all the way through.  I feel like I'm off to a good start in this transition, but I'll have to keep it up so that it get's established.  I have been slacking off exercise for the last 2 weeks, so getting back to it felt really urgent to me.  I could feel myself slipping back to a place that I didn't want to go.  I feel very aware that my diet and exercise require vigilance and commitment if I'm going to make a real lifestyle change.  I'm still a "noob" as my son would say, when it comes to this weight loss and switch to a healthier life.

That's my story for now.   My youngest son smiled at me this morning and said "now you get to be in the garden all day!"  He knows that this is my happiest place.  I've got a cucumber and a zucchini to pick, and some housework to do, but I'm going to take some time to breathe today, and embrace this new direction for my life.  I am very, very thankful.

Week 7 Weigh-In

230.5

Tonight's weigh-in represents a big health milestone.  I've officially lost 10% of my starting weight.  It brings with it lots of health benefits.   My blood pressure is down to normal, my bum Achilles tendon is feeling much better, I have more of a spring in my step, and I'm not suffering anymore from sciatica when I walk down the hall.

I owe this to my body, which has put up with years of abuse and kept on functioning despite it.  I've decided that my body deserves better treatment.  It deserves to be nourished properly, exercised, taken in for check-ups now and then.  For year's it's been telling me how much it suffers, and I wasn't listening.  I'm listening now, and determined to give it the life that allows it to thrive, and in return, allows me to thrive.  There is a lot I want to do, and I can't do any of it if my body isn't feeling well.

I'm so glad that I didn't give up on losing weight.  At my age, I was in a situation where if it went on any longer, my body just wouldn't be able to sustain my weight without serious health repercussions.  Optifast isn't a magic bullet to weight loss.  It's incredibly effective and the impact on my health has been very, positive.  The real work will happen when I transition to food, but I'm going to be patient and try and learn as much as possible about controlling emotional eating, and showing my body the care it deserves.