Monday, May 24, 2010

Meh.

Last week was a static week in terms of the weight loss. Not surprising, really. I let too many other things consume my attention and my energy and slipped back in to bad eating habits and practically no exercise. What with a couple of graduations this week, an ailing grandmother, and a ton of stuff to do at work, it will take some true diligence not to let the same thing happen this week. I'm trying to break into a new cycle of living, not keep slipping back into old ones. Wish me luck.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Life and stuff


Three weeks in, and I've already fallen off on my commitment to at least weekly posts. Still, it occurs to me that when I began this blog way back in the day, it was supposed to be about whatever was on my mind, not a single topic. And now that I'm on my quest to make some changes physically, I don't think I should give up on that idea and only write about the weight loss saga. So here's some other stuff that's been going on, and maybe just a hint at why I've been distracted from the blog.
My grandmother has been ill for about two months now. Not like life-threatening, hooked-up-to-life-support ill or anything, but just an ongoing illness that we haven't been able to shake. She's elderly, so she stayed with me for the first three weeks, and then we thought she was mostly on the mend, so she went back home, but the family has still been preoccupied with checking in on her, taking her to doctor appointments, etc. Monday, we had to admit her back to the hospital for IV medications, and it looks like they'll need to keep her for about a week or so. Kind of crappy, but if that's what it's going to take to get her better, then that's what we'll do.
I think I mentioned earlier that I was under the weather myself. Well, that's still wearing me down. I refilled the antibiotics and will hopefully completely kick the crud soon.
Work. Most everyone has a job, and it's rarely because we want to work, so I figure everyone understands that just dealing with work can be stressful, annoying, tiring, and just plain sucky. Enough said.
Last week, tornados moved through the area. Fortunately, we had no damage, even though the closest one was just about four miles up the road to the west, and the next was maybe ten miles or so to the east. We were lucky. However, we did lose power for a few days. After not quite twenty-four hours, we broke down and bought a generator, just to get some essential services back. Unfortunately, we're on a well rather than city water, so the essentials didn't include running water. But now that we're through it, husband is on a quest to figure out the best way to get power to the pump so that we will be better prepared in the future. Just dealing with all that consumed a few of my days.
Then there's the kid. He's supposed to graduate high school next week. I say 'supposed to' because while he only needs one credit hour to complete his requirements, he's failing the class he needs. (He's failing a couple of others, too, but I've honestly quit worrying about those.) It's frustrating to watch him make bad decisions that could impact his whole future, especially when his only answer to why he does anything seems to be, "I'm 18; it's my life." Kids. I'm not sure when they realize the sort of hell they put parents through, but I think it's not until they have kids of their own. I mean, I gained a lot of maturity the older I got, and I could intellectually look back at some of the things I'd done as a young person and recognize that it was probably not a walk in the park for my parents, but I think I had to become a mother to really understand. Too bad. Life could be a lot easier on a lot of people if that insight could be gained a little sooner.
But, even in the midst of all that, the quest for more physical fitness goes on. I'll admit, it doesn't go on with quite the gusto I'd be able to generate without some of the drama, but it does go on. After three weeks, I've lost a total of six pounds and about four inches over various parts of the body. I could wish for something slightly more dramatic, but at this rate, I'll more than meet my goal, and that's the whole point. Slow and steady wins the race, as my mom used to say. Probably another thing I didn't listen to at first, but it's never too late to learn.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Week One: Done

It's been seven days since I vowed I was making some physical changes in my life, and I've gotten through the first week on track.  Still under the weather today, so no exercising again (I'm hoping the antibiotics will kick in soon), but I'd still consider it a success.

This morning, the scale shows 4.5 pound loss-- yay, me!  Now, if you'll remember (as I certainly do) three of that was very recent gain from too much splurging, but I'll still take it.  Of course, at 1.5 pounds lost per week, I'll actually miss my goal by 4 pounds, but I'm pretty sure there'll be some weeks I can crank it up and lose two or three real pounds.  That is certainly my plan.

Oh, and I forgot to measure last week, so I've only just done that today.  We'll see how that goes, especially in my legs, which are totally untoned.  And, in addition to more activity, I've also gotten a pair of those Shape Up shoes, that are supposed to help tone you just by walking in them.  We shall see.

All in all, I'd consider this a good start.  On to week two.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

A good sign

After one week of only small changes to my activity level, it's not like I'm all super-athletic or anything, but I've been coming down with some sort of ailment the past few days, and today, it's laid me pretty low.  No exercise for me, and my ever-present pedometer may not make it into the triple digits before I decide I just need to head back to the bed and give the world another try tomorrow.

And what's so good about that?  Well, nothing, really.  But there is a definite sense of something missing today, that there's something sort of intrinsic that I'm not able to accomplish.  I find myself wishing I could get on the exer-glider for even just a few minutes, or maybe walk down the driveway, something.

I think that's a good thing.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

If not good, at least less bad


One of the things I've realized over the years is that I'm not cut out to be a health food junkie—not even remotely close. I've also realized there are some things that I cannot live without, at least not happily. Take Coke, for example. I love an ice-cold Coca-Cola. And if it came from the local Sonic with their scrumptious ice, even better. I enjoy Coke so much, it's almost like a security blanket for me—the thing that lets me smile when I want to cry, shrug when I want to scream, persevere when I want to give up. It helps keep me sane.
Now, we all know Coke isn't really good for you—empty calories, caffeine, etc.—but, dang, I do love it. So, while eliminating Coke from my diet might be a good choice, that's not very likely. Continuing my current consumption, though—maybe three sodas per day—that's a bad choice. So, the less bad choice is to reduce the amount of Coke I drink. On a normal work day, I'd venture a guess that I consume 50-80 ounces of Coke; today I had about 24, yesterday less than 20. I know some folks still think that's too much soda for someone who's claiming to want to lose weight—and I can't say I disagree—but it's a less bad choice that will allow me to continue on my journey. Trying to give up the staple of my mental health regimen would be asking for trouble.
As another example, it was a long and trying day at the office today. What I really wanted driving home was a chocolate chip milk shake. I was sort of hungry and very drained, and a bit of comfort food would've been just what I needed. Now, in the spirit of truth I'll admit that the shop where I like to get these shakes wasn't open, but I still passed by a couple of McDonald's, with their alluring chocolate shakes and wonderful French fries. And I didn't stop at any of the convenience stores to grab an ice cream bar. Didn't even break open the Bryer's once I made it home. Instead I opted for a small bowl of oatmeal. Sure, eating anything at three in the morning probably not the best idea, but oatmeal instead of ice cream is still less bad than other choices.
Here's to less bad choices that allow us to keep going.