The Bad News is... for the first time since moving to Powell River 7 1/2 years ago I am sick. Very sick. This flu has kept me from exercising since February 9th, and the end is not in sight.
The Good News is... I have started to lose weight and see results. I am 5.8 pounds lighter than I was on January 4th, and the clothes I have been wearing are starting to hang on me, necessitating a shift to smaller clothes in my closet, which houses a wide range of sizes.
The Bad News is... fellow blogger Bethany is also sick with the flu. I tried to offer words of encouragement and tell her to hang in there, but my comment would not post.
The Good News is... Bethany seems to be self-motivated.
The Bad News is... if this disease doesn't kill me, boredom may. When my brain wasn't functioning at a level high enough to read or write, I spent my time thinking about my bucket list... the things I would like to do before I get too old to enjoy them (at which point I may as well have kicked the bucket.) Sadly, I will not fully enjoy any of those things unless I am able to feel good about the way I look, even if I just look good "for my age."
The Good News is... this is something over which I can exercise control. So I went online and found a calorie counter that I can post on the desk top of all my computers (both jobs, home, laptop) and keep track of what I eat. More importanly, as I went through the list to delete food I will NEVER eat (some meat and vegetables are too nasty to ingest), I became very aware of what I should and should not consider eating. I also had a paradigm shift. Rather than focusing on staying within a certain calorie intake limit, I decided to eat the least number of calories possible, while eating 5 or 6 times a day, and enjoying a balanced diet.
The Bad News is... good intentions are useless unless they are translated into good actions. Time will tell.
The Good News is... I am determined to keep fighting until I have won the battle of the bulge, so I might as well get it over with sooner than later , and start on that bucket list.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
First month of Donate the Weight
After 1 month I have lost a total of 2.6 pounds. Not exactly what weight loss-dreams are made of! My clothes fit me better, so I know there have been some changes to my body, but the process is painfully slow. If it's due to the fact that I've been building muscle to burn fat, and muscle weighs more than fat, I am totally ready to see the muscle start doing its thing!
Shirley said it took her 6 weeks to start seeing results, after which she sometimes lost 10 pounds a month. So I'm hangin' in there. Actually, I'm committed to this process no matter how long it takes, as I am determined to win this battle. In the meantime, exercise and a proper diet can only make me healthier.
Zee pointed out that Shirley was not hampered by motion sickness, and she did more than just work out three times a week. So I guess I have to step it up (no pun intended). I will walk/run the three kilometers to work and back on those days that I don't need my car to go to the gym, and on the days I have my car I will take a lunch break and walk to the bank, post-office etc. I'm not looking forward to it, but I'll do it.
I've been drinking 8 glasses of water (most) days, and am eating 5 or 6 times a day, consuming only whole grains, lean protein, fruit, vegetables and healthy fats, with nothing after 6:30 (even though I can barely drag myself off the sofa by 6:30 after returning from the gym on the days I work out). But perhaps I am eating too much of those good things. So I'll start tracking everything I eat and see exactly how many calories I'm actually consuming on a daily basis. Zee suggested I take CLA, and since there is not a weight loss aid available that I have not tried at one time or another, I'll check my abandoned stock of remedies to find some CLA.
Yesterday I found and purchased a proper size exercise ball for my height. The balls at the gym are bigger than I am, and trying to use them is difficult at best. I inflated and tried the new ball, and it is a vast improvement. It will be a welcome relief not to be floundering around the exercise floor like a beached whale as the ball escapes my grasp or wobbles around the room while I teeter on the edge. Sometimes I catch a gimpse of myself and am grateful for the fact I am of an age where looking ridiculous no longer inhibits me the way it once did.
Shirley said it took her 6 weeks to start seeing results, after which she sometimes lost 10 pounds a month. So I'm hangin' in there. Actually, I'm committed to this process no matter how long it takes, as I am determined to win this battle. In the meantime, exercise and a proper diet can only make me healthier.
Zee pointed out that Shirley was not hampered by motion sickness, and she did more than just work out three times a week. So I guess I have to step it up (no pun intended). I will walk/run the three kilometers to work and back on those days that I don't need my car to go to the gym, and on the days I have my car I will take a lunch break and walk to the bank, post-office etc. I'm not looking forward to it, but I'll do it.
I've been drinking 8 glasses of water (most) days, and am eating 5 or 6 times a day, consuming only whole grains, lean protein, fruit, vegetables and healthy fats, with nothing after 6:30 (even though I can barely drag myself off the sofa by 6:30 after returning from the gym on the days I work out). But perhaps I am eating too much of those good things. So I'll start tracking everything I eat and see exactly how many calories I'm actually consuming on a daily basis. Zee suggested I take CLA, and since there is not a weight loss aid available that I have not tried at one time or another, I'll check my abandoned stock of remedies to find some CLA.
Yesterday I found and purchased a proper size exercise ball for my height. The balls at the gym are bigger than I am, and trying to use them is difficult at best. I inflated and tried the new ball, and it is a vast improvement. It will be a welcome relief not to be floundering around the exercise floor like a beached whale as the ball escapes my grasp or wobbles around the room while I teeter on the edge. Sometimes I catch a gimpse of myself and am grateful for the fact I am of an age where looking ridiculous no longer inhibits me the way it once did.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
How to Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day
Shirley came to the office yesterday and offered me some encouragement. I told her I was struggling with the need to drink 8 glasses of water a day. She suggested I set my alarm to ring every hour throughout the day, at which time I should drink a glass of water. Works like a charm.
Of course, instead of using the washroom two or three times a day I am running to it every couple of hours. But I just think about the fact that the water is flushing out my system. (No pun intended.)
The one thing I hate about getting older is the need to get up in the middle of the night to use the washroom. But this way I don't have to drink any water in the evening, so my sleep won't be interrupted any more than usual. :))
Of course, instead of using the washroom two or three times a day I am running to it every couple of hours. But I just think about the fact that the water is flushing out my system. (No pun intended.)
The one thing I hate about getting older is the need to get up in the middle of the night to use the washroom. But this way I don't have to drink any water in the evening, so my sleep won't be interrupted any more than usual. :))
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