Beginning again---again!

NO COMMITMENT! That has been my biggest problem in the past 4 months.  Today, I begin again. Had we been counting, I bet my number of 'beginnings' is greater than yours!  Seems I'm a winner at failing!  Now if I can only become a winner at losing...weight, that is.
This is not about appearance. This is not about what the doctors say I must do. This is about getting up off the couch without struggling. This is about being able to pick up my grandkids, bags of groceries, and boxes of Christmas ornaments. This is about being strong enough to do the things I love to do...paint, cook, decorate, take pictures, etc.
While I am growing older (you are, too, by the way), I don't need to grow frail. My muscles will never be what they were when I was in my 20s. In fact, according to a leading researcher at the Mayo Clinic, muscle mass, muscle strength and endurance begin to decline in our 30s and there is a rapid decline in our 60s. http://discoverysedge.mayo.edu/wasting_disease/index.cfm
But, rather than sliding down that muscle decline hill, I am going to grab hold of and try to maintain as much muscle as possible. I want to be able to move under my own power for as long as possible. Strong muscles will help me to do that.
AND, I plan to eat whatever will help me lose fat and strengthen muscles.
I don't know if my determination--my commitment--will last a week or a month or if it will fizzle this afternoon, but I'm going to try again anyway. Making a commitment to be a better me doesn't cost anything. Not making that commitment could cost me my health.

after 2 1/2 months

It seems my journey has been 'round and 'round the traffic circle! BTW, if I find the guy who invented those things, I would take some marbles and horseradish and a stapler and...nevermind. That's for another blog.

So, my journey is not leading me anywhere, but to self-recrimination. Good today--lose a pound! Bad today--gain 2! I see a pattern here! What I don't see is a pattern in my everyday. When I get up early, I tend to spend time with the Lord, time on the computer, time with coffee and then get moving. But, I don't always get up early. And on those days, I'm discombobulated all day! So, I think some structure and routine are necessary.

I have also noticed that I eat less and more healthful foods when I plan my meals and stick to the plan. What I have been missing on this journey, it seems, is a map. You see, I thought I could follow my nose. After all, I have been there (fit) before--I should know the way. My biggest problem is that I like to take side trips--to the bakery, to the chocolate shop, etc! I'm traveling this weight-loss road the same way we are traveling the open road--a few days here, a month over there... I keep looking for the place to get off the traffic circle so I can get on the straight and narrow! Wait a second--this isn't a traffic circle---it's a cul-de-sac! Help!

Sugar and sin

Except for the lemon meringue pie and a few bites of Jake's apple strudel...and some ice cream...and a half of a blueberry muffin...and some licorice jelly beans...and a coke, I haven't had any sugar this week! Funny how sweets sneak up on ya! What with the yogurt, salads, baked chicken and other 'healthy' fare I have been eating, I thought I was doing well. However!! when I sat down just now to record what I have been eating, I realized how many times I have given into the temptation to eat the sweet.

Just like sugar, sin creeps in while we are not watching and before you know it, you have given into one temptation, then another and another. A taste of this and a bite of that and before you know it, you are knee deep in lemon meringue pie!

The important thing is remain vigilante. It's why recording what I eat EVERYDAY is necessary. If I evaluate what I eat each day, hopefully, I will be more cognizant of the over-all picture and resist that which I couldn't resist yesterday!

So---here's to another fresh start. Thank You, Lord for forgiveness and another chance to do it right.

Now...do I count ice cream as dairy... or fat...???....or...

Return to Vigilance

Perhaps I shouldn't say 'return'. I'm not so sure I have been to Vigilance. I've driven by--waved to it from Determined. I've spent a night or two in Committed. Maybe this time I'll get up enough steam to make it all the way! :)

In the past 3 weeks or so, my journey has taken a detour! I have listened to my 'insane' brain too often. I DO have a 'sane' brain, at least, I once did. You would think that I'd come across it more than once every few weeks! It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions--"been there, done that!"--well, the path to fit is not paved at all! It's full of pot-holes that are disguised as buffets, Mexican restaurants and fast-food places! Once I hit a pot-hole, I figured--oh,well! Just as soon hit them all! It's been a bumpy ride!

However, today I have done well in avoiding the pot-holes. I have made wise choices--baked, not fried--veggies, not junk--and no sugar, thank you very much. Tomorrow, I intend to do the same. Here's to smooth roads!

Getting the exercise I need has been even more of a challenge. The heat was oppressive so I didn't get out and walk. And my neck has been so stiff and sore, I don't want to move it.

I hear that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. So until my neck feels better, I will concentrate on the 80%--trying to eat small portions of nutritious foods.

If I make it to Vigilance, where do I go from there? :)

Anyone out there with me? Let me know how your journey is going.

Stagnant

Well...it's Monday again and here I sit! I'm the same weight today as I was a month ago! And using the same excuses--it's too hot to exercise and too difficult to eat right without a real frig.

I have been somewhat contemplative lately. While I haven't figured out how to get past them, I have realized some of the things that trigger my eating. "Finding Sarah" and "Why Not?" (Shania Twain's story) have helped me to consider my childhood and the choices I made then compared to young adulthood and the poor choices I made then. I find it easy to ignore the poor choices I make now! (LOL) But the truth is that I am still eating to please my taste buds!

I can't blame my weight and lack of exercise on anyone but me. My problem back then was just not thinking. It never occurred to me that I needed to eat with the purpose of feeding my BODY. Exercise was not what it is today--there were no gyms, no fitness centers. At least, not where I lived.

Each time I have put my mind to it, committed it to God and worked at it (probably 10 times in the past 35 years) I have been able to lose weight--10, 15, as much as 30 pounds--but as soon as I start to look and feel good, the bad eating starts again and the weight comes back.

So, right now, my yo-yo is stuck in the up position! I know I need to get down (weight-wise) but history tells me I'm going to be back up here before too long anyway--so why leave? :)

Sorry--this is not very entertaining. What I face is a mental block and all my contemplation hasn't helped me past it. I suppose I need a Niki sign to wake up to every morning--JUST DO IT! In the meantime, I will try again today to make wise choices in what I eat and try to motivate myself to get out and walk. Here's hoping...

Pain hurts!

There is a reason they call it a WORK-out! Not only does it take effort to do, it takes WORK to even get started! And when I hurt, it takes even more effort. I have to exercise my mind--convincing myself that I will feel better after.

Today, though I was hurting, I walked. I was slow and I only walked a little over a mile, BUT I don't feel better. I DO feel a little smarter.

In considering pain, I see three types--1) the pain felt when working, 2) the pain felt with a physical problem, and 3) the pain felt psychologically.

The pain felt when working-out is about gain--about being stronger tomorrow than today. Our muscles need to be used in order to sustain us. The pain of sore muscles is the 'good' pain of growth.

The pain felt with a physical problem is an alarm that something is not right. That's the pain I am feeling today. Something is not right with my neck. I keep hoping and praying that it will straighten itself out, but it may be time to check with a doc.

The pain felt psychologically can stem from physical pain or it can be caused by emotions. It is too complex an idea for me! I can't get my head around all the ramifications.

What I do know is that I would rather have the growth-pain than the other two. But, usually, if you have one or both of the first two, you have the third also. Depression, anger and fear are all intertwined with physical pain.

And pain hurts! But there is a "balm in Gilead" (Jeremiah 8:22) whereby the pain can be soothed.

Lately, I've been walking 30-40 minutes and then spend hours seeking the "balm" and soaking in it.

May the Lord deal with your pain (and mine) according to His will--using it to accomplish His desires. Amen.

Woo--whoo!! The doc's scale said I've lost 5 pounds! That gives me the incentive to do at least one more 2-mile walk!

My dad used to say that his get-up-and-go had got up and went. That's how I'm feeling lately. Seems like about the time I turned 61, I lost my zip! If I exercise in the morning, I feel better all day and usually get more done. But lately, I'm having trouble making myself exercise every morning. I'm remembering a sign I once had--"Lord, give me a push!"--I need that sign right above my bed!! LOL

I also need to get a grip on why I sabotage myself every evening. I am strong (eating correctly) until about 7 or 8 and then I look for (and usually find!) something sweet. That's when I'm thankful the frig doesn't work--no ice cream!

Plan for today:

2 mile walk

toast

cereal bar

turkey sandwich

fajitas (no rice or beans)

In proofreading, I noticed how much bread I will be eating today. I need to find a farmers' market and get some veggies and fruit! "Man cannot live by bread alone..." A gold star to anyone that can finish that quote--and give the reference!

Let's get out there and MOVE, people!

Does this count?

No 2-mile walks, no exercises for 2 days now--but I feel like I'm running a marathon! Keeping up with my grandsons is an all-day workout! And I love it. It has been a whirlwind of restaurants, swimming, hot dogs, bike-riding, funnel cakes and fireworks.

I don't have any idea how many calories I've taken in (too many) but I'm burning them off in kissing and hugging. Of course, I have to catch them to do that, because they don't stand still for long!

Eating plan for today:

toast & banana

grilled cheese sandwich

spaghetti & meat sauce

watermelon--hey!! It's the Fourth of July-gotta have a watermelon-eating contest!

I'll get back to 'formal' exercise in a day or so as soon as I get the s'mores marshmallow stuff out of my hair!!

Day 14

The end of week finds me weighing about the same as Day 1! :( Not to worry! I plan on staying positive and to keep on keepin' on. I could make a list of reasons I am not losing, but those situations and temptations are going to be present everyday. I am strong one minute and weak the next. With consistency in exercising and eating right, I will have more strong moments and fewer weak moments. Father God, help me to be consistent

BREAKFAST!!! When am I suppose to eat breakfast? I have always waited until after my workout to eat. But, because my workout is not until 9am or so, I'm not eating until 11am. Yesterday, it was almost 2pm before I had anything to eat. That can't be good--I don't care who you are! Calorie-wise, it was an okay day. I had a grilled chicken sandwich for lunch and chicken fajitas for supper. Yes--the sweet tea and the cheese dip added some unnecessary calories. AND--I gotta think that eating the same number of calories over 16 hours would be better than over 6 hours.

The people on the TV show "Extreme Makeover--Weight-loss Edition" (or something like that) inspire me. The woman on last night's episode lost 202 pounds in a year. That's more than I weigh (at least today)! Chris Powell, the trainer/coach, told her that if you don't eat in the morning, your body holds onto the fat. Eating breakfast tells your body that your are going to take care of it and that it can release it's grip on those fat globules!! (That's me editorializing Chris!)

So---tomorrow, I plan on eating a bowl of oatmeal as soon as I get up and exercise an hour later.

Lunch: chicken noodle soup

Supper: grilled chicken & veggies

If you are a praying sort, (and I pray you are conversing with God everyday) please pray for me as eating wisely is more challenging without a refrigerator. (Repairs won't be done until August.)

OH--I added quad stretches to my workout, too. This week I'm doing 12 burpees, quad stretches and a 2 mile walk each day.

What are YOU doing??

A rainy day not only limits my workout, it dampens my motivation to workout. BUT, this morning I did 10-12 burpees. I'm not sure how many because doing them takes up so much of my brain, I can't count! From a standing position, put your hands on the floor and 'jump' your feet to a push-up position. Jump your feet back to their original position, stand and jump. One burpee completed! I used to do these by moving my feet one at a time instead of 'jumping' them backward. So I guess I'm progressing. I think that while you are in the push-up position, you are suppose to do a push-up! Maybe I'll try that next week!

It wasn't much of a workout, but it made me breathe hard. It also made my thighs ache and my head hurt! That must be part of the "no pain-no gain" philosophy.

Now for breakfast: pb & j on toast

Lunch will be grilled chicken & veggies.

Supper will be chicken fajitas. (I may mention this often because the only good restaurant around is a Mexican one. Remember--I don't have a working frig.)

Until next time...don't forget the goal is to do better today (at eating, exercising and everything else) than yesterday.

Glorify God in all you do!

confession time

Lying is not something I'm good at. So, I confess, my eating habits over the past 2 days have been less than ideal! If you can read between the lines, you'll know when I fudge--I don't blog!

I'm blaming the exercise! It's suppose to curb your appetite, but I find myself thinking, "I worked hard, I deserve to eat." Maybe so--but that kind of thinking is not conducive to weight loss!

Breakfast for the past couple of days--and again today: peanut butter/apple butter on toast

Lunch yesterday was late. (Waiting too long between meals is not good for me either.) We went to the buffet at a local casino. Buffets are NEVER worth the calories!

Lunch today: grilled chicken and salad

Dinner tonight: chicken & shrimp fajitas

The positive part of the last few days is that I have increased my walk to 2 miles and I feel strong doing it. The praise music I listen to on my iPhone helps to keep my pace up.

Thank You, Lord, for a time of exercising my body and my spirit!

Day...whatever

I have enough trouble keeping up with blood pressure numbers and weight. I don't know how many days I've done this. What matters is I did it today! I walked 1.5 miles after doing 1 set of 10 and 1 set of 5 of each of the 3 exercises--squats, pushups, backward lunges.

Now to keep my eating on track.

My plan: fruit smoothie, chicken sandwich, grilled chicken and veggies.

Gotta go cook all my veggies because we just discovered that the frig is not working!

But before I go, let me encourage you with a story about a 100-year-old woman. You may have seen her on the Tonight show. She said she doesn't leave her bedroom until she has done her exercising (I think she has a stationary bike). If she can workout every day, so can I. And so can you. Keep moving so you don't seize up!

Help!

It was a little fire--doused by 3 days with family and a pain in the neck (not Jake). I need to get that fire going again. Anybody got a match?

The extreme weight loss TV program last night showed a guy that lost almost half of his 651 pounds in a year. He was motivated and determined and I thought, "I need that." But, 10 hours later, here I sit. :(

Scripture says that without a plan, the people perish. I need a plan! A plan and a match--that's what I need. I think I'll start formulating a plan and maybe it will generate the spark to get the fire going again.

Today's eating plan:

fruit smoothie

pasta primavera (spaghetti with steamed veggies)

chicken sandwich

Now to plan a week's worth of exercise...

I'll let you know how it works out.

Here is an update:

My plan is to do 3 strength-training exercises each day before my walk or bike ride. Over the next few weeks I will increase the number of sets until I get to 3 sets of 10 for each exercise. then I plan to increase the number of repetitions until I get to 3 sets of 15.

I'm not sure if I will increase my walk distance or just continue with 1 mile and try to increase my pace.

Today:

1 set of 10 of each--squats, pushups, backward lunges

1 mile in 19 minutes

(I know---last week it took me 30 minutes but that really was uphill)

I think my little fire is coming back!!

Rainy Day

The sound of rain on the roof is not a bad thing. The standing water that surrounds the RV is! Thank You, Lord for blacktop.

Today may be another day of no exercise, because of the rain and other factors. I'm hoping to get in a bike ride, but the way I ride isn't very aerobic!

Yesterday, I had a banana for breakfast, celery and carrots for lunch--then blew it with hot dogs and s'mores for supper.

I have picked up an attitude from a friend--"There is a quality of life issue here."--that he interjects when he wants pizza. I use it when the grandkids are with us and we cook out!

If you were to see me now, you'd think I were calm and collected. Inside, I'm screaming and anxious because I DON'T HAVE A PLAN for today!! We will probably be eating out for all 3 meals. Please pray that the choices I make will be as healthy as the menu allows.

Did I tell you this might be a long, slow process??

Day 3

WELL!! So much for daily exercise! Because we are traveling to Illinois today, I didn't get to walk. The grandsons are going with us and so I don't think I will get a workout in for the next couple of days. Which means, I need to be extra careful in what and how much I eat.

Yesterday, went well.....until we got to the restaurant! I only had a few fries and I did get my veggies in with some saute'd spinach. My downfall was the FRIED fish sandwich, tasting Jake's mashed potatoes and the "few bites" of carrot raisin cake.

Today is a new day! I had a banana for breakfast and the rest of my day looks like this:

Lunch: carrot and celery sticks & fruit with crackers

Supper: a sandwich from Walmart and/or watermelon

We plan to overnight at a Walmart in Illinois. With the boys---this ought to be FUN! If you don't see a new post on this blog, you'll know why. Check ya later!

Day 2

200 pounds is unacceptable--so is 180 for that matter! But when I make it to 180, I will be excited. That is not to say that I will stop there. My goal is to fashion THIS weight-loss after our RV travels. I may sit somewhere for a week or so, but that is not where I want to live. This is a never-ending journey. The idea is to keep moving and to keep moving forward.

The other programs I have done had a specific time frame and when it was up I went back to eating biscuits and bacon and ice cream. While I refuse to give those things up, they are not part of my weekly plan. Moderation, in this case, means smaller portions, less often. I am also trying to remove as much animal fat from my diet as possible. Although Jake did cook the salmon in butter last night, I want to use olive oil when possible and stay away from dairy products.

Other than a hand full of licorice jelly beans, I stayed on my plan for yesterday's eating. A fruit smoothie, a turkey sandwich (actually only ate half), and salmon and veggies (onions, peppers, mushrooms and green beans). Oh--almost forgot--I had one of Jake's oatmeal raisin cookies--half after lunch and half after supper. The only things I'm drinking these days are water and coffee. I will probably lose 10 pounds just from getting off of sweet tea!

I often pray that God would cause my body to function as He intended it to. What I am realizing is that in order for that to happen, I need to feed it as He intended it to be fed. Father God, help me with that, please.

Today's exercise:

10 thrusters, 10 backward lunges, 10 "counter" pushups and 1.25 mile walk. The walk took 33 minutes. (I think someone hit the incline button on that hill! Sure seemed steeper today.)

Today's meal plan:

fruit smoothie

turkey sandwich

(supper may be a challenge because we will be eating out) salad or grilled chicken & veggies

"For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." 1 Corinthians 6:20

Beginning

With trepidation and excitement, I begin! I begin--AGAIN--for probably the 40th time in 40 years! The beginning is always a good place to start and, not only am I beginning a new exercise and eating regime, I am beginning a new blog to record the ups and downs. Hopefully, the downs will all be on the scale.

Walking, running, and playing are in my blood. The pictures of me as a kid are blurred, not because of time, but because I was usually moving. The only exception was when I was reading or writing. I wrote my first novel (it was three chapters long--almost 4 whole pages!) when I was about 8 years old. But I digress. Because I enjoy movement, the exercise part shouldn't be a problem for me. The eating part (what some say makes up 80% of any weight-loss program) will be challenging.

Besides the re-counting of my exercise and food-intake day-to-day, I intend to record my thoughts and feelings. While walking, my thoughts go into overdrive and I can't wait to write them down. Unfortunately, I am usually so exhausted after my walk that I forget. I forget to write them down or I forget what it was I was thinking about! You may find, as I have on occasion, that what I thought was brilliant at the time, wasn't. Endorphins will do that to you. Be patient with me. Eventually, I will get around to the point.

Now for today's entry:

After missing an 8am appointment :(, I got moving.

10 thrusters, 10 backward lunges and 1.08 miles walking

The walk took 32 minutes, which is slow, but it was uphill both ways! The campground we are in has a few blacktopped roads and I try to stick to them rather than fight the gravel. I made two and a half rounds thru the park, which does have a steep incline.

I feel energized and ready to take on the day.

My plan for eating today:

Breakfast: a fruit smoothie with protein powder

Lunch: a grilled chicken sandwich

Dinner: grilled salmon and a salad

In the next blog (tomorrow?) I will let you know how my plan worked out.

Get on board with me. It won't be a fast trip, but hopefully it will be rewarding for both you and me.

"...do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit...?" 1 Corinthians 6:19