8/30/2012: Day 29 of 30
Morning weight: 175.6
Calories consumed: 1453
Morning Exercise: StairMaster, 100 floors, 24 minutes; Row machine, 1500 meters, 8 minutes; Elliptical Machine, 2500 strides, 20 minutes
Evening exercise: None - I spent the evening baking cookies for Steven's wedding.
Alcohol consumed: None
We're in Oregon, about 15 minutes from Steven's home in Eugene. This will probably be my last update until we get home on Monday. I imagine it'll be pretty hectic for the next 24 hours.
Have a great weekend!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
August 29th, 2012: Day 28 of 30
8/29/2012: Day 28 of 30
Alcohol consumption: None
Friday is the last day of the 30 day plan and my goal is to weigh 175.0 pounds on that day. Unfortunately, I weighed 175.8 pounds again this morning (morning of Day 29 - Thursday). I am definitely in one of those holding patterns again. The first time I weighed 175.8 pounds was Monday of this week and since then my weight has bumped up for a day, but it hasn't gone below that mark. Who knows how long this plateau will last? It would be kind of fun if I got to see 175.0 on the scale before we leave for Oregon tomorrow, but if I don't, I don't. I've still achieved my goal for this 30 days, which was to stay on track through a fairly stressful month. On day 1 of the plan I weighed183.6 pounds, so I have lost 7.8 pounds so far this month. I may lose a little more by tomorrow morning and I may not, but either way, 7.8 pounds is right at my average rate of weight loss per month. That was the goal of the plan, to stay on track, not accelerate my weight loss, so I am pleased with my results.
Ruth and I have started talking about using September - December to train for a triathlon in Florida. I don't know if she has a particular one in mind, but since I am already running, swimming and cycling; though not on the same day, it seems like a feasible idea. We'll have to firm up our plans, but I am willing to commit to participating in a triathlon. My biggest concern will be training for the bike ride, since I am not much of a ride-my-bike-in-the-snow kind of a person. The weather here can be pleasant enough to ride outdoors through about the first half of December, though. If need be, I can bring my bike back indoors and put it on the trainer. I don't like that much, but at least it will keep me conditioned to being on the saddle until it's time for the race. Ruth, my answer is yes, I will compete in a triathlon with you this winter. I find the whole idea of swimming with a mass of people in open water a little scary, but I'll probably live through it!! I've cycled in big events and run in big events, the only thing I haven't done is swim in big events. It should be interesting.
I'm looking forward to getting the books that we ordered. There's a good chance we will get them today. Here's to hoping that there is plenty of good stuff to talk about in "Aging Well!"
Morning weight: 175.8
Today's calorie count: 1485
Today's calorie count: 1485
Morning exercise: 50 minute jog - 4 miles
Evening exercise: League bowling - probably doesn't count as exercise, but it is fun. I bowled like crap. It was our first week in a new league and my scores were pretty embarrassing. Sometimes I feel like I am getting the whole bowling thing figured out and other times, like last night, I feel like I should just give it up. But it is fun...and it can't be that hard to get consistent, can it? Maybe I need to take lessons.
Evening exercise: League bowling - probably doesn't count as exercise, but it is fun. I bowled like crap. It was our first week in a new league and my scores were pretty embarrassing. Sometimes I feel like I am getting the whole bowling thing figured out and other times, like last night, I feel like I should just give it up. But it is fun...and it can't be that hard to get consistent, can it? Maybe I need to take lessons.
Alcohol consumption: None
Friday is the last day of the 30 day plan and my goal is to weigh 175.0 pounds on that day. Unfortunately, I weighed 175.8 pounds again this morning (morning of Day 29 - Thursday). I am definitely in one of those holding patterns again. The first time I weighed 175.8 pounds was Monday of this week and since then my weight has bumped up for a day, but it hasn't gone below that mark. Who knows how long this plateau will last? It would be kind of fun if I got to see 175.0 on the scale before we leave for Oregon tomorrow, but if I don't, I don't. I've still achieved my goal for this 30 days, which was to stay on track through a fairly stressful month. On day 1 of the plan I weighed183.6 pounds, so I have lost 7.8 pounds so far this month. I may lose a little more by tomorrow morning and I may not, but either way, 7.8 pounds is right at my average rate of weight loss per month. That was the goal of the plan, to stay on track, not accelerate my weight loss, so I am pleased with my results.
Ruth and I have started talking about using September - December to train for a triathlon in Florida. I don't know if she has a particular one in mind, but since I am already running, swimming and cycling; though not on the same day, it seems like a feasible idea. We'll have to firm up our plans, but I am willing to commit to participating in a triathlon. My biggest concern will be training for the bike ride, since I am not much of a ride-my-bike-in-the-snow kind of a person. The weather here can be pleasant enough to ride outdoors through about the first half of December, though. If need be, I can bring my bike back indoors and put it on the trainer. I don't like that much, but at least it will keep me conditioned to being on the saddle until it's time for the race. Ruth, my answer is yes, I will compete in a triathlon with you this winter. I find the whole idea of swimming with a mass of people in open water a little scary, but I'll probably live through it!! I've cycled in big events and run in big events, the only thing I haven't done is swim in big events. It should be interesting.
I'm looking forward to getting the books that we ordered. There's a good chance we will get them today. Here's to hoping that there is plenty of good stuff to talk about in "Aging Well!"
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
August 28th, 2012: Day 27 of 30
8/28/2012: Day 27 of 30
Alcohol consumption: None
No new news to report today. We made some decent progress at work yesterday, getting everything together for the compilation. I'm starting to feel a little more grounded, already, so that's good.
Other than that, it was just another day...
Morning weight: 176.4 - but I was back down to 175.8 this morning. The little jump in weight felt like water retention.
Today's calorie count: 1424
Morning exercise: 100 floors on stair master (24 minutes), 1500 meters row machine (8 minutes), 20 minutes on stationary bike, level 11
Evening exercise: 30 minutes modified strength training. My personal training session with Jeremy is on Thursday this week, since neither of us could do it on Friday. I forgot about that when I was planning my weekend exercising, or I would have done strength training on Sunday and Tuesday instead of Monday and Wednesday. I don't want to do my strength trainings too close together, so since I lifted weights on Monday and I am going to do it again on Thursday, I decided to make my evening exercise on Tuesday strength training, to split the difference. I have a decent set of free weights at home, so I was able to do most of last Friday's strength training session at home, with the exception of the 2 exercises that required machines.
Evening exercise: 30 minutes modified strength training. My personal training session with Jeremy is on Thursday this week, since neither of us could do it on Friday. I forgot about that when I was planning my weekend exercising, or I would have done strength training on Sunday and Tuesday instead of Monday and Wednesday. I don't want to do my strength trainings too close together, so since I lifted weights on Monday and I am going to do it again on Thursday, I decided to make my evening exercise on Tuesday strength training, to split the difference. I have a decent set of free weights at home, so I was able to do most of last Friday's strength training session at home, with the exception of the 2 exercises that required machines.
Alcohol consumption: None
No new news to report today. We made some decent progress at work yesterday, getting everything together for the compilation. I'm starting to feel a little more grounded, already, so that's good.
Other than that, it was just another day...
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
August 27th, 2012: Day 26 of 30
8/27/2012: Day 26 of 30
Alcohol consumption: None
Twenty-seven days ago I left my sister a voice mail and told her how worried I was about the transition to my new job and the emotions I knew I would be experiencing with regard to Steven getting married. I have had a tendency to eat myself through transitions and always (I was going to say almost always, but, in fact, I believe it is always) gain weight when I switch jobs, move, etc... Then when I am settled into the new job or home, I start focusing on my health again and lose most of the weight that I gained through the transition. There was no way I could let that happen this time. As I said above, this time is different. This is for life...not for looks.
Hours after receiving my voicemail and before I even had a chance to talk to her, Ruth had posted a 30 day plan on my blog. My first thought, beyond being impressed with my sister's immediate response to my plea for help, was, "Well, I was talking about the next year when I was talking about 'this transition,' I'm not sure a 30 day plan is going to cut it." Then, after giving it just a little thought I realized a 30 day plan was just fine. What the heck, if I can cut this next year into manageable 30 day chunks, I can get through this without taking a hit to my Get Fit Initiative. It took me all of about 5 minutes from the moment I first read the 30 Day plan to decide to embrace the 30 Day plan, in its entirety, without alteration. Today I am beginning day 27 of that plan, and it has helped me tremendously. The extra discipline that the plan provided has made a big difference over this past 4 weeks. It has been what I have fallen back on, when I just wanted to stay in bed or sit on the couch. In a way, the plan is my crutch. "Oh, I can't slack off today, there's the plan. I have to stick to my plan!" I have a few days left on the 30 day plan, then I will need a new one for September. I've ordered some new books and I hope they will be here before we leave for Oregon on Friday. The next one that I am going to read is Aging Well. I look forward to sharing what I learn from that book with all of you.
I'm looking forward to September and the cooler weather. I am really looking forward to our vacation!! But before all of that I am looking forward to seeing Steven, Elizabeth, and my new granddaughter, Ellia, this weekend. There is a lot going on!!! I just gotta stick to the plan and everything will be just fine.
Morning weight: 175.8. I can't remember the last time I weighed less than 176 pounds. It's been a while. I think it must have been when the kids were little, somewhere around 1993-1994. I had actually lost a lot of weight right around then. But somewhere in the mid-90s I did the ol' gain-it-all-back-plus-some trick and I don't think I've gotten below the mid 170s since then.
My Get Fit Initiative feels very, very different than anything I've ever done before. I think part of the reason for that is because my goal is so long-term. I have a relatively short weight loss goal - get to 150 pounds by February 4, 2013 (It looks like I will be about 8 weeks ahead of schedule!), but my true goal is to be as healthy as I can be when I am 60, 70, 80, 90 and beyond. When I go to the gym in the mornings or go for a swim in the evenings I don't think about the calories I am burning/weight I am losing, I think about making my body (and brain) stronger, fitter, and younger. I am thinking way beyond how I will feel at 150 pounds, I am thinking about how I will feel on February 27, 2014, after I have been exercising every day for 2 whole years. When I re-read "Younger Next Year" I was reminded of the fact that this is not a quick fix. I was reminded that it will take about 2 years of exercising an hour a day six days a week before I will be as fit as I am going to get. I find that incredibly exciting. I am only about 1/4 of the way to being really fit. I feel so much better already that I can't help but look forward to how good I am going to feel in another year or two. This isn't about being thin, this is about being healthy. This is about feeling good for the rest of my life. This is about living large until I'm not living anymore. I've dieted before, and I've lost weight before. But I have never made this commitment to my future before. It feels completely different. I give a lot of the credit for my change in mind set to "Younger Next Year." Every day I have a choice to make, decay a little or grow a little. Honestly, I think about that every single day...probably several times a day. When I get right down to it, it's almost impossible to say to myself, "Hey, I want to start decaying. I don't think I'll exercise today so I can let the cycle of decay start all over again." Yeah...I don't think so. That just doesn't sound like such a smart thing to do. An hour of exercise a day seems like a small investment to make for a sound body and mind, today, tomorrow, next year, and in the decades to come.
My Get Fit Initiative feels very, very different than anything I've ever done before. I think part of the reason for that is because my goal is so long-term. I have a relatively short weight loss goal - get to 150 pounds by February 4, 2013 (It looks like I will be about 8 weeks ahead of schedule!), but my true goal is to be as healthy as I can be when I am 60, 70, 80, 90 and beyond. When I go to the gym in the mornings or go for a swim in the evenings I don't think about the calories I am burning/weight I am losing, I think about making my body (and brain) stronger, fitter, and younger. I am thinking way beyond how I will feel at 150 pounds, I am thinking about how I will feel on February 27, 2014, after I have been exercising every day for 2 whole years. When I re-read "Younger Next Year" I was reminded of the fact that this is not a quick fix. I was reminded that it will take about 2 years of exercising an hour a day six days a week before I will be as fit as I am going to get. I find that incredibly exciting. I am only about 1/4 of the way to being really fit. I feel so much better already that I can't help but look forward to how good I am going to feel in another year or two. This isn't about being thin, this is about being healthy. This is about feeling good for the rest of my life. This is about living large until I'm not living anymore. I've dieted before, and I've lost weight before. But I have never made this commitment to my future before. It feels completely different. I give a lot of the credit for my change in mind set to "Younger Next Year." Every day I have a choice to make, decay a little or grow a little. Honestly, I think about that every single day...probably several times a day. When I get right down to it, it's almost impossible to say to myself, "Hey, I want to start decaying. I don't think I'll exercise today so I can let the cycle of decay start all over again." Yeah...I don't think so. That just doesn't sound like such a smart thing to do. An hour of exercise a day seems like a small investment to make for a sound body and mind, today, tomorrow, next year, and in the decades to come.
Today's calorie count: 1619
Morning exercise: Strength training - see Friday August 24th
Evening exercise: 30 minute (2 mile) brisk walk with Jack
Evening exercise: 30 minute (2 mile) brisk walk with Jack
Alcohol consumption: None
Twenty-seven days ago I left my sister a voice mail and told her how worried I was about the transition to my new job and the emotions I knew I would be experiencing with regard to Steven getting married. I have had a tendency to eat myself through transitions and always (I was going to say almost always, but, in fact, I believe it is always) gain weight when I switch jobs, move, etc... Then when I am settled into the new job or home, I start focusing on my health again and lose most of the weight that I gained through the transition. There was no way I could let that happen this time. As I said above, this time is different. This is for life...not for looks.
Hours after receiving my voicemail and before I even had a chance to talk to her, Ruth had posted a 30 day plan on my blog. My first thought, beyond being impressed with my sister's immediate response to my plea for help, was, "Well, I was talking about the next year when I was talking about 'this transition,' I'm not sure a 30 day plan is going to cut it." Then, after giving it just a little thought I realized a 30 day plan was just fine. What the heck, if I can cut this next year into manageable 30 day chunks, I can get through this without taking a hit to my Get Fit Initiative. It took me all of about 5 minutes from the moment I first read the 30 Day plan to decide to embrace the 30 Day plan, in its entirety, without alteration. Today I am beginning day 27 of that plan, and it has helped me tremendously. The extra discipline that the plan provided has made a big difference over this past 4 weeks. It has been what I have fallen back on, when I just wanted to stay in bed or sit on the couch. In a way, the plan is my crutch. "Oh, I can't slack off today, there's the plan. I have to stick to my plan!" I have a few days left on the 30 day plan, then I will need a new one for September. I've ordered some new books and I hope they will be here before we leave for Oregon on Friday. The next one that I am going to read is Aging Well. I look forward to sharing what I learn from that book with all of you.
I'm looking forward to September and the cooler weather. I am really looking forward to our vacation!! But before all of that I am looking forward to seeing Steven, Elizabeth, and my new granddaughter, Ellia, this weekend. There is a lot going on!!! I just gotta stick to the plan and everything will be just fine.
Monday, August 27, 2012
August 26th, 2012: Day 25 of 30
8/26/2012: Day 25 of 30
Alcohol consumption: None
I went shopping this weekend for a dress for Steven's wedding. The wedding is going to be on the beach so I wanted something that was fairly casual, yet pretty, flattering, and nice enough to honor the occasion. I started out at Macy's and didn't see anything that I even wanted to try on. Then we started to wander through the mall and I saw an Ann Taylor's. I love Ann Taylor's and I haven't been able to fit into their clothes for years. So I dragged Jack into the shop hoping the clothes would fit. Sure enough, all of the size 12s fit pretty well. The skirts were even a little loose around the waist. I tried on a few 10s, and they fit OK, but were a little too snug. I stuck with the 12s. I found several dresses I liked and then had Jack photograph me in the different outfits so I could see how they looked on me in photos. That made my decision much easier to make! One of the dresses that I really liked made me look really washed out in the pictures. I ended up getting a slim blue skirt (close to royal blue, I'd say) and matching shell, with a darker blue cardigan with a floral pattern on it to go over the shell. It's very pretty, flattering, and not too formal for the beach. I think it will be perfect!
We had a busy weekend between getting ready for our vacation next week, getting ready for Steven's wedding this week, my 5k, and going to Jack's niece's baby shower in Exelscior Springs yesterday afternoon. I continue to feel tense about the next week and a half because there is a lot for me to get done at work in addition to going to Oregon on Friday, getting home on Sunday and leaving for Maine next Thursday. But as I was showering this morning I realized that we leave for vacation next week!!! Next Week!!! Yeah!!!! I am really looking forward to having two whole weeks to get away from it all and just enjoy each other's company and the great outdoors. We set up our new tent yesterday, for practice, and it's awesome!! I think we will be very comfortable in our little home away from home on the shores of Moosehead Lake!!
Morning weight: ??? I didn't weigh myself Sunday morning! Shocking, isn't it? I haven't forgotten to weigh myself in months. I was supposed to meet Julie at the corner of College and Antioch at 7:00am for the 5k we were running in so I set my alarm clock for 5:45. Well, setting one's alarm clock and turning on one's alarm clock are two different things. Needless to say, it didn't go off and I woke up at 6:32am. I had exactly 28 minutes to get dressed and drive to Overland Park. In my flurry of activity to get out the door, I forgot to take a minute and weigh myself. This morning (8/27/12) I weighed 175.8 pounds, though, so I am still right on my trend line and on track to reach my short-term goal of 175.0 pounds by this Friday, for Steven's wedding.
Today's calorie count: 1563
Morning exercise: Head for the Cure 5k - jogged about 38 minutes
Evening exercise: 48 laps of 25 meter pool, freestyle. (about 32 minutes)
Evening exercise: 48 laps of 25 meter pool, freestyle. (about 32 minutes)
Alcohol consumption: None
I went shopping this weekend for a dress for Steven's wedding. The wedding is going to be on the beach so I wanted something that was fairly casual, yet pretty, flattering, and nice enough to honor the occasion. I started out at Macy's and didn't see anything that I even wanted to try on. Then we started to wander through the mall and I saw an Ann Taylor's. I love Ann Taylor's and I haven't been able to fit into their clothes for years. So I dragged Jack into the shop hoping the clothes would fit. Sure enough, all of the size 12s fit pretty well. The skirts were even a little loose around the waist. I tried on a few 10s, and they fit OK, but were a little too snug. I stuck with the 12s. I found several dresses I liked and then had Jack photograph me in the different outfits so I could see how they looked on me in photos. That made my decision much easier to make! One of the dresses that I really liked made me look really washed out in the pictures. I ended up getting a slim blue skirt (close to royal blue, I'd say) and matching shell, with a darker blue cardigan with a floral pattern on it to go over the shell. It's very pretty, flattering, and not too formal for the beach. I think it will be perfect!
We had a busy weekend between getting ready for our vacation next week, getting ready for Steven's wedding this week, my 5k, and going to Jack's niece's baby shower in Exelscior Springs yesterday afternoon. I continue to feel tense about the next week and a half because there is a lot for me to get done at work in addition to going to Oregon on Friday, getting home on Sunday and leaving for Maine next Thursday. But as I was showering this morning I realized that we leave for vacation next week!!! Next Week!!! Yeah!!!! I am really looking forward to having two whole weeks to get away from it all and just enjoy each other's company and the great outdoors. We set up our new tent yesterday, for practice, and it's awesome!! I think we will be very comfortable in our little home away from home on the shores of Moosehead Lake!!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
August 25th, 2012: Day 24 of 30 and Week 26 Photo
Julie and I jog/walked in the Head For the Cure 5K this morning with another fellow blogger/runner/Weight Watchers enthusiast, Rachel. It's been quite a while since I was in a race. In fact, I think that t-shirt I have on is from the last race I was in which was San Francisco's Bay to Breakers in 2004 or 2005. This was Julie's first ever race, so she was a little nervous about the whole thing, but we had a blast.
Julie's been on her own amazing weight loss/get fit journey over the last few years. She's started jogging very recently, but mostly on the treadmill at home. She's done very little jogging outdoors. So Julie set the pace for our run this morning, and we alternated between jogging and walking. Her walking pace is so fast, we estimated about 4mph, that even when she was walking I kept jogging, just slowly, so I ended up jogging most of the course. Her jog is actually a pretty quick pace, too, faster than my normal speed. So we moved right along with her alternating between walking and jogging and me alternating between a slow jog and a quick jog. When/if she decides she's a runner and wants to run the whole distance, I'll be struggling to keep up with her. We had a great time.
8/25/2012: Day 24 of 30
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| 8/26/12: End of Week 26 |
Julie's been on her own amazing weight loss/get fit journey over the last few years. She's started jogging very recently, but mostly on the treadmill at home. She's done very little jogging outdoors. So Julie set the pace for our run this morning, and we alternated between jogging and walking. Her walking pace is so fast, we estimated about 4mph, that even when she was walking I kept jogging, just slowly, so I ended up jogging most of the course. Her jog is actually a pretty quick pace, too, faster than my normal speed. So we moved right along with her alternating between walking and jogging and me alternating between a slow jog and a quick jog. When/if she decides she's a runner and wants to run the whole distance, I'll be struggling to keep up with her. We had a great time.
8/25/2012: Day 24 of 30
Morning weight: 176.6
Today's calorie count: 1566
Morning exercise: None - Day Off.
Evening exercise: 4 mile brisk walk with Jack
Alcohol consumption: None
I don't have much time to chat this morning, but I did want to say that everything is fine. I know yesterday's post was a little emotional, but the emotional part of my day was good emotional, not bad emotional. And to end any speculation, as far as I know, nobody is pregnant!! It'll all make sense soon.
Have a great day!!!!
Evening exercise: 4 mile brisk walk with Jack
Alcohol consumption: None
I don't have much time to chat this morning, but I did want to say that everything is fine. I know yesterday's post was a little emotional, but the emotional part of my day was good emotional, not bad emotional. And to end any speculation, as far as I know, nobody is pregnant!! It'll all make sense soon.
Have a great day!!!!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
August 24th, 2012: Day 23 of 30 and Let the Emotional Rollercoaster Begin!!
8/24/2012: Day 23 of 30
Morning weight: 176.2
Today's calorie count: 1700 - Exceeded 1600 calories for two days in a row. I am not happy about that, but at the same time I have to own up to the fact that I emotionally ate last night. Not a lot...not like I would have three or four months ago, but I did emotionally eat. Hmmm...I feel a little bit better about it already, just remembering how much I ate the last time I let my emotions rule my eating compared to last night.
I just checked my old posts - keeping a blog is kind of handy! - and this is what I wrote on May 23, 2012, which is the last time I let my emotions override my discipline:
"5/23/12: Food and Wine Therapy; and I'm Counting Calories Again
As I've mentioned in a couple of my recent posts, I've been a little blue lately. Last weekend I started taking some proactive steps to make changes to what is causing my blues, but last night I treated the symptoms with food. It started at work with a few mini-Peppermint Patties from a co-worker's candy jar. I thought once I got home I'd be fine, but I wasn't. After eating a couple small handfuls of Jack's dark chocolate M&M's and the last five cookies (Pepperidge Farm Milanos) in the house, I opened the bottle of red wine that has been sitting in the wine rack for about a month. I told myself I wouldn't eat much dinner, but yeah, that didn't work out too well, either. I made chicken quesadillas, which aren't that bad as far as calories go since we use 60 calorie tortillas, with homemade guacamole. I was only going to eat half of one, and really, after half I was satisfied. But I finished the thing and had another glass of wine, to boot. The end result? I was full. And I gained weight this morning. And I've decided that I should stop being lazy about counting calories. I'm not sure if calorie counting would have stopped me last night or not, but it would have at least been one more speed bump in the road and I can use all the speed bumps I can get."
Last night was definitely better than May 23rd. At least I didn't start out with candy, switch to cookies, move to wine, and then overeat at dinner to the point of feeling too full. I think that the fact that I am counting calories and posting those calories every day did help. I was thinking about the fact that I would have to fully disclose every calorie as I was eating last night and there is no doubt that fact moderated my behaviour.
I had a very emotional day yesterday. I wish I could talk about it in detail, and soon I will be able to, but my emotions were set in motion (I never realized the symmetry of those two phrases "emotion" and "in motion" before, but it makes sense because my feelings are definitely "in motion" today!) by other people's life events and I am not privy to talk about them yet. It's hard, not being able to share this news just yet, but I respect their privacy and need to wait until they make their news public. So, not only am I emotional about the event, itself, but I can only discuss it with a very few people at this moment in time. Oh, I am pretty much just a mess of mood swings lately.
Late in the day yesterday I also found out, after a very long and trying conversation with Castle's CPA firm, that a project I am working on at work just got a whole lot harder than I thought it would be. Not impossible, still doable in the short period of time that I have to do it in, but disappointingly harder. I took the job at Castle knowing that they really needed help getting their books straight, and I also knew that my first project would be to get the compilation complete, but I did think I had the final "to-do" list for the compilation and yesterday afternoon I found out I didn't. In fact, I found out that there are some very significant entries that have never been made properly, like earnings from a pass-through entity that have not been booked and another pass-through entity that was formed and never recorded on the books at all. Ugha Muggha...OK...deep breath...I knew there would be surprises!
The long and the short of it is that by the time I got home from work I was emotionally and physically exhausted. And it was late. And I was hungry. Tired, hungry, emotionally wrought out, evening, Friday...that all adds up to my worst case scenario when it comes to food.
Jack and I had plans to go to dinner and the movies. The movie didn't start until 8:00, so it was still a little early to leave for dinner because we would have time to kill between dinner and the movie, but I knew I needed to eat dinner right away to avoid snacking before dinner and getting in even worse shape, emotionally. We decided to go to Sweet Tomatoes, mostly because nothing else sounded good. A salad seemed like a good way to get to chew a lot without consuming a lot of calories. At the same time I was somewhat nervous about the breads and muffins that are in too abundant supply at the hot food counter. I made a nice salad, heavy on the dark greens and colorful veggies and light on the dressing. I did not add any of the high calorie stuff like sesame seeds, raisins, or croutons. I picked up one of their small bran muffins (My Fitness Pal has them in their database at 130 calories) and a small chocolate muffin (180 calories). I cut off a very small chunk of the chocolate muffin and put the rest on Jack's plate and I ate the bran muffin. After finishing my salad and bran muffin, I was not quite satisfied, so I got myself about a 1/3 cup serving of nonfat frozen yogurt (110 calories) and, yes, I picked up another chocolate muffin. This time I ate the whole thing. Oh, and then that nice young man brought the freshly baked, still warm from the oven chocolate chip cookies around. I ate one of those. My Fitness Pal tells me that chocolate chip cookie had 75 calories in it. I think that's high. My chocolate chip cookies have 50 calories each in them and this cookie was smaller than mine, but I entered 75 calories into my diary, anyway. Trying to be honest here.
I stopped eating after that. I did not drink any alcohol last night. If I had not made a commitment not to drink I may have suggested going somewhere for dinner where I could have had a glass of wine, but that didn't happen, so that's good. I did not eat to the point that I felt full. I just wasn't hungry anymore. I didn't get a big bowl of frozen yogurt or eat brownies until I didn't want anymore. I ate a little bit of yogurt and one small brownie.
This morning I regret letting my emotions control my food choices last night. On the other hand, when I think back to May 23rd, and read that post, I realize how much more in control I was last night than I was last time my emotions bested my self-discipline. It's progress. I can't beat myself up too much. But still, food doesn't make anything better. It's silly to allow my emotions to dictate something as important as what type and what quantity of calories I consume. I know better. I will do better.
I just checked my old posts - keeping a blog is kind of handy! - and this is what I wrote on May 23, 2012, which is the last time I let my emotions override my discipline:
"5/23/12: Food and Wine Therapy; and I'm Counting Calories Again
As I've mentioned in a couple of my recent posts, I've been a little blue lately. Last weekend I started taking some proactive steps to make changes to what is causing my blues, but last night I treated the symptoms with food. It started at work with a few mini-Peppermint Patties from a co-worker's candy jar. I thought once I got home I'd be fine, but I wasn't. After eating a couple small handfuls of Jack's dark chocolate M&M's and the last five cookies (Pepperidge Farm Milanos) in the house, I opened the bottle of red wine that has been sitting in the wine rack for about a month. I told myself I wouldn't eat much dinner, but yeah, that didn't work out too well, either. I made chicken quesadillas, which aren't that bad as far as calories go since we use 60 calorie tortillas, with homemade guacamole. I was only going to eat half of one, and really, after half I was satisfied. But I finished the thing and had another glass of wine, to boot. The end result? I was full. And I gained weight this morning. And I've decided that I should stop being lazy about counting calories. I'm not sure if calorie counting would have stopped me last night or not, but it would have at least been one more speed bump in the road and I can use all the speed bumps I can get."
Last night was definitely better than May 23rd. At least I didn't start out with candy, switch to cookies, move to wine, and then overeat at dinner to the point of feeling too full. I think that the fact that I am counting calories and posting those calories every day did help. I was thinking about the fact that I would have to fully disclose every calorie as I was eating last night and there is no doubt that fact moderated my behaviour.
I had a very emotional day yesterday. I wish I could talk about it in detail, and soon I will be able to, but my emotions were set in motion (I never realized the symmetry of those two phrases "emotion" and "in motion" before, but it makes sense because my feelings are definitely "in motion" today!) by other people's life events and I am not privy to talk about them yet. It's hard, not being able to share this news just yet, but I respect their privacy and need to wait until they make their news public. So, not only am I emotional about the event, itself, but I can only discuss it with a very few people at this moment in time. Oh, I am pretty much just a mess of mood swings lately.
Late in the day yesterday I also found out, after a very long and trying conversation with Castle's CPA firm, that a project I am working on at work just got a whole lot harder than I thought it would be. Not impossible, still doable in the short period of time that I have to do it in, but disappointingly harder. I took the job at Castle knowing that they really needed help getting their books straight, and I also knew that my first project would be to get the compilation complete, but I did think I had the final "to-do" list for the compilation and yesterday afternoon I found out I didn't. In fact, I found out that there are some very significant entries that have never been made properly, like earnings from a pass-through entity that have not been booked and another pass-through entity that was formed and never recorded on the books at all. Ugha Muggha...OK...deep breath...I knew there would be surprises!
The long and the short of it is that by the time I got home from work I was emotionally and physically exhausted. And it was late. And I was hungry. Tired, hungry, emotionally wrought out, evening, Friday...that all adds up to my worst case scenario when it comes to food.
Jack and I had plans to go to dinner and the movies. The movie didn't start until 8:00, so it was still a little early to leave for dinner because we would have time to kill between dinner and the movie, but I knew I needed to eat dinner right away to avoid snacking before dinner and getting in even worse shape, emotionally. We decided to go to Sweet Tomatoes, mostly because nothing else sounded good. A salad seemed like a good way to get to chew a lot without consuming a lot of calories. At the same time I was somewhat nervous about the breads and muffins that are in too abundant supply at the hot food counter. I made a nice salad, heavy on the dark greens and colorful veggies and light on the dressing. I did not add any of the high calorie stuff like sesame seeds, raisins, or croutons. I picked up one of their small bran muffins (My Fitness Pal has them in their database at 130 calories) and a small chocolate muffin (180 calories). I cut off a very small chunk of the chocolate muffin and put the rest on Jack's plate and I ate the bran muffin. After finishing my salad and bran muffin, I was not quite satisfied, so I got myself about a 1/3 cup serving of nonfat frozen yogurt (110 calories) and, yes, I picked up another chocolate muffin. This time I ate the whole thing. Oh, and then that nice young man brought the freshly baked, still warm from the oven chocolate chip cookies around. I ate one of those. My Fitness Pal tells me that chocolate chip cookie had 75 calories in it. I think that's high. My chocolate chip cookies have 50 calories each in them and this cookie was smaller than mine, but I entered 75 calories into my diary, anyway. Trying to be honest here.
I stopped eating after that. I did not drink any alcohol last night. If I had not made a commitment not to drink I may have suggested going somewhere for dinner where I could have had a glass of wine, but that didn't happen, so that's good. I did not eat to the point that I felt full. I just wasn't hungry anymore. I didn't get a big bowl of frozen yogurt or eat brownies until I didn't want anymore. I ate a little bit of yogurt and one small brownie.
This morning I regret letting my emotions control my food choices last night. On the other hand, when I think back to May 23rd, and read that post, I realize how much more in control I was last night than I was last time my emotions bested my self-discipline. It's progress. I can't beat myself up too much. But still, food doesn't make anything better. It's silly to allow my emotions to dictate something as important as what type and what quantity of calories I consume. I know better. I will do better.
Morning exercise: Strength Training as follows:
Do the following set 4 times:
---12 Leg presses: 110 pounds
---12 split squats, each leg: Stand on one leg with the other leg bent and resting on a stool behind you. Do a squat on one leg. Hey, this is hard!!! Uses the stabilizer muscles in the foot and ankle, as well as the quads in the leg doing the squat.
Do the following set 4 times:
---16 cable pull downs: 50 pounds. This exercise is done with a machine. Facing away from the machine, get on your knees. Grab the handles that are above your head and pull down so that your arms form a W. This works the back muscles.
---20 push up rows: 15 pounds in each hand. Get in a push up position, on your toes with feet spread a about shoulder width apart. Hands are grabbing 15 pound dumbbells rather than resting on the floor. Alternate rows with each arm, pulling each dumbbell up off the floor.
Do the following set 4 times:
---20 leg lifts
---30 second side planks, each side
---16 toe touches (what I would call old fashioned sit ups, with legs straight rather than bent)
Do the following set 3 times:
---12 walking lunge/side arm raises with 5 lb dumbbells in each hand.
Evening exercise: none - day off
Alcohol consumption: None
Emotions, emotions, emotions!!! Mood swings, aren't they great? Sometimes it's hell being a woman!!
Again, I am grateful for my plan, grateful for the people in my life that support me, and grateful for the opportunities that I have. I'll make it through this in one piece and stay on track. It just won't be easy.
Friday, August 24, 2012
August 23, 2012: Day 22 of 30
8/23/2012: Day 22 of 30
Morning weight: 176.6
Today's calorie count: 1655 - I need to be more careful. The goal is to eat between 1500 - 1600 calories a day.
Morning exercise: Cardio at the gym: 1500 meters (about 8 minutes) on the row machine, 20 minutes on the stationary bike, 50 floors (12 minutes) on the Stairmaster. I usually do 100 floors on the stairmaster but my body just wouldn't go yesterday morning. Everything was in slow motion and I had to push hard to get the 50 floors done. Jack thinks it may have been the 46 laps I swam the night before, which is possible. I was pretty wiped out after I got out of the pool Wednesday night. They say half the battle is showing up, though, and I showed up!
Evening exercise: 30 minute, 2 mile, brisk walk with Jack
Alcohol consumption: None
Everything is feeling good and feeling on track. I am sticking to the trend line on my chart, in spite of the peaks and valleys on my progress line. My goal line is 1.5 pounds a week, but about 2 months ago I noticed that I was slowly moving away from my goal line at a gradual but steady pace. When I "connected the dots" on my progress line and flattened out the humps and dips there was a very distinct trend line of about 1.8 pounds a week. I very lightly drew my trend line onto my graph to chart my progress against it, curious to see if I would start losing weight at a slower pace as I got closer to goal. So far, that has not happened. I am still right on my trend line, which has been steady from mid-April through today. Every now and then I will drop a lot of weight in one week. Every now and then I will gain a pound, but my progress line always ends up right back on my trend line. It's actually kind of comforting because I can pretty accurately predict where I will be a month from now. I may not be able to tell you what I will weigh tomorrow, but I can be pretty confident about what I'll weigh at the end of September.
If I stay on my trend line I will be to my goal of 150 pounds before Christmas. There are some obvious hurdles along the way. I'm not going to count Steve's wedding in Oregon as a hurdle because that is just three days and my focus is going to be on Steve, Elizabeth, and Ellia. I've already made a decision not to drink any alcohol over the wedding weekend and I don't think it is going to be a particularly food centric event. Therefore, I am not particularly worried about staying on track for that weekend.
Vacation will be a bigger challenge. Jack and I will be on our vacation from September 6 - September 18. There will be several days of driving and it will be hard to get exercise in on those days. We are going to be hiking a lot while we are in Maine, so that is great! No worries about getting in exercise there. But I am a little concerned about the food. It's going to take a tremendous effort on my part to stay disciplined with food while on vacation. I have been debating with myself about what my weight goals should be while we are on vacation. Should I try to maintain my weight, should I be OK with letting myself gain a couple of pounds, or should I continue to stick to plan and try to stay on my trend line?
As I am writing this it seems clear to me that there is an obvious answer. Stick to plan and stay on my trend line. Food is just food. It's fuel for my body. It's the gas that makes my motor go. I don't need to eat more of it just because I am away from home and in a new place. I am excited about going on vacation so that Jack can show me West Point. I am also excited about taking Jack to Maine and I hope he finds Moosehead Lake as beautiful and wonderful as I did. I am looking forward to exploring wilderness trails, finding interesting junk shops to wander through, and meeting interesting people. Yeah, we might stop at a roadside stand for a lobster roll, but I don't need to overeat. I am starting to feel really good in my body. I have a lot of energy and I am getting more comfortable with my size. I don't feel bloated and sickly, I feel fit and healthy. One day of overeating will make me feel puffy. Why on earth would I want to feel anything but awesome while I am on vacation? I want to enjoy every minute of our trip, I want to squeeze every drop out of it. To do that, I have to be in top form. And to feel my best I have to eat right, exercise, and get plenty of sleep. I do that every day at home. I am going to do it on vacation, too!!! OK...decision made. I'm sticking to plan while on vacation. I plan on coming home, weighing myself on September 19th, marking my chart, and being right on my trend line!! Wish me luck!!
After vacation will come the holidays....Thanksgiving....Christmas. But again...it's just food. I can do this!
Jack says I've been sighing a lot this morning. I know it's true. There's just a lot going on. The new job, where I feel inadequate because I have no idea what I'm doing. Steven is getting married. Carla is making big, important, life decisions. We're getting ready to go on vacation. It seems like a lot of stuff. All good...just lots going on. I told Jack that I am really glad that my fitness plan is so solid right now. It's a daily ritual that keeps me moving forward on a steady and true path. There are so many other aspects of my life that are in a state of flux right now and that are impossible to pin down, that it is a relief to have my fitness plan there, providing steady and reliable support and results. And Jack, of course, he's right there, too. So, amidst the chaos there is order and discipline. With everything swirling about about me, there is the solid core of me taking care of my health and happiness and Jack standing right beside me, along the way. Life has a way of throwing buckets of new stuff at us from time to time, but with someone to love and a solid health and fitness program in place, it's a lot easier to stay the course. I'm sure there will be moments of weakness, here and there, where I may lose my way for a minute or two; but the path is so clearly marked at this point that I know I won't be able to lose it. As long as I can see the path, I'll always be able to get right back on it again. I am confident of that!!
Everything is feeling good and feeling on track. I am sticking to the trend line on my chart, in spite of the peaks and valleys on my progress line. My goal line is 1.5 pounds a week, but about 2 months ago I noticed that I was slowly moving away from my goal line at a gradual but steady pace. When I "connected the dots" on my progress line and flattened out the humps and dips there was a very distinct trend line of about 1.8 pounds a week. I very lightly drew my trend line onto my graph to chart my progress against it, curious to see if I would start losing weight at a slower pace as I got closer to goal. So far, that has not happened. I am still right on my trend line, which has been steady from mid-April through today. Every now and then I will drop a lot of weight in one week. Every now and then I will gain a pound, but my progress line always ends up right back on my trend line. It's actually kind of comforting because I can pretty accurately predict where I will be a month from now. I may not be able to tell you what I will weigh tomorrow, but I can be pretty confident about what I'll weigh at the end of September.
If I stay on my trend line I will be to my goal of 150 pounds before Christmas. There are some obvious hurdles along the way. I'm not going to count Steve's wedding in Oregon as a hurdle because that is just three days and my focus is going to be on Steve, Elizabeth, and Ellia. I've already made a decision not to drink any alcohol over the wedding weekend and I don't think it is going to be a particularly food centric event. Therefore, I am not particularly worried about staying on track for that weekend.
Vacation will be a bigger challenge. Jack and I will be on our vacation from September 6 - September 18. There will be several days of driving and it will be hard to get exercise in on those days. We are going to be hiking a lot while we are in Maine, so that is great! No worries about getting in exercise there. But I am a little concerned about the food. It's going to take a tremendous effort on my part to stay disciplined with food while on vacation. I have been debating with myself about what my weight goals should be while we are on vacation. Should I try to maintain my weight, should I be OK with letting myself gain a couple of pounds, or should I continue to stick to plan and try to stay on my trend line?
As I am writing this it seems clear to me that there is an obvious answer. Stick to plan and stay on my trend line. Food is just food. It's fuel for my body. It's the gas that makes my motor go. I don't need to eat more of it just because I am away from home and in a new place. I am excited about going on vacation so that Jack can show me West Point. I am also excited about taking Jack to Maine and I hope he finds Moosehead Lake as beautiful and wonderful as I did. I am looking forward to exploring wilderness trails, finding interesting junk shops to wander through, and meeting interesting people. Yeah, we might stop at a roadside stand for a lobster roll, but I don't need to overeat. I am starting to feel really good in my body. I have a lot of energy and I am getting more comfortable with my size. I don't feel bloated and sickly, I feel fit and healthy. One day of overeating will make me feel puffy. Why on earth would I want to feel anything but awesome while I am on vacation? I want to enjoy every minute of our trip, I want to squeeze every drop out of it. To do that, I have to be in top form. And to feel my best I have to eat right, exercise, and get plenty of sleep. I do that every day at home. I am going to do it on vacation, too!!! OK...decision made. I'm sticking to plan while on vacation. I plan on coming home, weighing myself on September 19th, marking my chart, and being right on my trend line!! Wish me luck!!
After vacation will come the holidays....Thanksgiving....Christmas. But again...it's just food. I can do this!
Jack says I've been sighing a lot this morning. I know it's true. There's just a lot going on. The new job, where I feel inadequate because I have no idea what I'm doing. Steven is getting married. Carla is making big, important, life decisions. We're getting ready to go on vacation. It seems like a lot of stuff. All good...just lots going on. I told Jack that I am really glad that my fitness plan is so solid right now. It's a daily ritual that keeps me moving forward on a steady and true path. There are so many other aspects of my life that are in a state of flux right now and that are impossible to pin down, that it is a relief to have my fitness plan there, providing steady and reliable support and results. And Jack, of course, he's right there, too. So, amidst the chaos there is order and discipline. With everything swirling about about me, there is the solid core of me taking care of my health and happiness and Jack standing right beside me, along the way. Life has a way of throwing buckets of new stuff at us from time to time, but with someone to love and a solid health and fitness program in place, it's a lot easier to stay the course. I'm sure there will be moments of weakness, here and there, where I may lose my way for a minute or two; but the path is so clearly marked at this point that I know I won't be able to lose it. As long as I can see the path, I'll always be able to get right back on it again. I am confident of that!!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
August 22nd, 2012: Day 21 of 30 - Day One on the Job and Lots on My Mind...
8/22/2012: Day 21 of 30
Morning weight: 176.0
Today's calorie count: 1607
Morning exercise: Strength Training - same as day 16 except I could do 6 push ups in each set from my toes before finishing the set from my knees.
Evening exercise: 30 minute swim. 46 laps of 25 meter pool, freestyle.
Alcohol consumption: None
 |
| Going to Goodwill! |
I cleaned out my closets over the weekend and this is the pile of clothes that are now too big for me to wear, which is most of the clothes that I own! I can now fit into the smallest clothes in my closet, size 10 pants, but they are snug. I did wear a pair of size ten pants to work last week. They looked good, but I did bring a skirt with me just in case I ripped out a seam (which I didn't, but I did get tons of compliments on my new slim figure)!!
I went shopping this weekend to buy a few things for work/play. That's one of the perks of the new job, the dress code, if you can call it a dress code, is pretty casual. Jeans are totally OK. I have several skirts in my closet that I am still wearing. They are a size 14 and are getting too big, but they are still serviceable. I figure I can still get one more dry cleaning out of them. That's one of the nice thing about skirts, as they get looser they just ride lower on my hips, but at least I can still wear them while I continue to lose weight. The jeans and pants I bought this weekend were a size 12, which I am fitting into very comfortably, now. I only bought 2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of pants to get me through the next couple of months, until I have to buy smaller clothes! Luckily, we had received a 20% off coupon at Kohl's, so with Kohl's standard sales and the coupon they were pretty inexpensive.
The bigger shopping front news is that I finally went bra shopping! Until Monday I was still wearing the same bras that I was wearing before I started losing weight. Believe me, after losing 47 pounds I needed new bras. In fact, my bra size went from a 42DD on February 27th to a 36DDD now!! Wow!!! Before trying on bras I thought I was probably a 38DD, so I had the cup size right but I was actually smaller on the band size than I thought I would be. I am guessing that by the time I have lost another 26 pounds I will be a 36D - a very reasonable size. That will be a much lighter burden to carry around!! I'll be able to wear the three new bras I just bought until I get to my goal weight, but they weren't cheap. Good bras are so expensive. I paid $60 each for them. Three bras (Macy's) cost me more than 4 pairs of pants, a shirt, a sweater, a fleece V neck top and 3 pairs of fleece pants (all of which I bought at Kohl's). The fleece shirt and pants are for our camping trip to Maine next month. I know it will be chilly in the mornings and evenings at the camp site, so now Jack and I both of fleece jackets and pants to wear while sitting around the camp fire. They'll also be perfect for warm pj's this winter. It's OK if my pajamas get a little too big for me!!
My first day at work was pretty much what I expected. I am the first Finance Director that they have hired and the woman that has been doing the job, Kate, will still be there, but in a different capacity. Her new title is Business Director and she will be mostly in charge of HR and Customer Service/Marketing, I think. She is one of the co-owners of the company. The transition is going to take a while, as she slowly gives up responsibility and I take it on. Right now we urgently need to complete the 2011 compilation, so I started working through the list of questions from the CPA yesterday. This is always a difficult transition, coming into an organization at this level. The people that work for me have to invest time in training me, which can be resented to some extent, so earning their trust and respect as quickly as possible is important. It's unfortunate that I have to dive right into this compilation so quickly, because that is forcing me to dig through dirty laundry on my first day, but we'll make it through this. I also find it difficult not knowing anything. It just takes time, I know, but I feel clumsy when I can't use the computer systems, don't know my fellow employees, and don't know all of the numbers on the financials. Therefore, I am feeling sort of tense right now and will probably be tense for a while. One of the big challenges I face is not eating to relieve the tension. I have 9 days left of the 30 day plan, and then I will need another short term plan to get through September. This weekend I will need to buy a new book (I'll probably get Aging Well) to read and blog about. It's important for me to keep my head actively engaged in the game!
Maybe I am also feeling the Mommy Blues a little bit as Steven's wedding is quickly approaching. Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly happy and excited for him. I don't know Elizabeth well, but I love what I know. She is a wonderfully loving, kind, and intelligent woman. She shares Steven's love for English and is every bit as intellectual as he is, which I think is something he really needs in a partner. I am also impressed with Steven and how he has grown since he and Elizabeth have been together. I think part of the transition in Steven has come about because Elizabeth has a three year old daughter, Ellia. All of a sudden, Steven is becoming a dad! There is nothing like being a parent that changes one's perspective of the world. I love my son, dearly, and I am happy for him and his bride. I couldn't be more pleased. But, it is another transition. He's moving on to a completely different stage of his life and all Momma gets to do is watch and pray for their happiness.
I don't talk about my husband much, I guess because he's such a steady influence in my life. That steadiness doesn't provide much to write about, which is a good thing! But when I think about what I hope for, for Steven and Elizabeth, it makes me think about Jack and me. Jack and I got married 3 1/2 years ago after being friends for 5 years and dating for another year after that. In spite of getting married somewhat later in life, Jack and I have something that I hope that Steven and Elizabeth, and every other couple I know, can have. There are so many songs and poems and stories written about love, and none of them quite capture the essence of it. How do you talk about love without sounding silly and sappy and all that nonsense. I have to say, prior to Jack, I didn't believe all those silly love songs. I didn't think it was possible to love someone as completely as I love Jack, or to be loved like he loves me. I thought that kind of, "we're one," love would make a person clingy and dependent and needy and weak. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's a funny feeling to have someone else be part of me, but Jack is, in fact, part of me. I tell him that I feel like I have a little Jack DNA in every cell in my body. No matter where I go, no matter how far away Jack is, I feel like he is right there with me. And not in a dependent, I need Jack, sort of way. It's a comfortable, safe feeling of not being alone in the world. It's knowing that, no matter what, he's there for me and I am there for him. It's warm and uplifting. His love steadies me when the seas are rocky, lifts me up when I am feeling down, soars with me when I'm on cloud nine. It's truly amazing to love and be loved by Jack. My fervent wish and hope for Steven and Elizabeth is that they have that same deep love for one another. They have all of my love and support!!! Congratulations Steven and Elizabeth!! Love one another with everything you've got, and it will all work out, no matter what hurdles you have to jump over along the way!!
I guess I better head out to day number 2 on the job. Another perk, the official start of the day is 9:00am. I'll probably get there most days around 8:30. It's kind of nice to have a longer morning at home, though. You know how much I like my mornings!
Have a great day!!!!!
I went shopping this weekend to buy a few things for work/play. That's one of the perks of the new job, the dress code, if you can call it a dress code, is pretty casual. Jeans are totally OK. I have several skirts in my closet that I am still wearing. They are a size 14 and are getting too big, but they are still serviceable. I figure I can still get one more dry cleaning out of them. That's one of the nice thing about skirts, as they get looser they just ride lower on my hips, but at least I can still wear them while I continue to lose weight. The jeans and pants I bought this weekend were a size 12, which I am fitting into very comfortably, now. I only bought 2 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of pants to get me through the next couple of months, until I have to buy smaller clothes! Luckily, we had received a 20% off coupon at Kohl's, so with Kohl's standard sales and the coupon they were pretty inexpensive.
The bigger shopping front news is that I finally went bra shopping! Until Monday I was still wearing the same bras that I was wearing before I started losing weight. Believe me, after losing 47 pounds I needed new bras. In fact, my bra size went from a 42DD on February 27th to a 36DDD now!! Wow!!! Before trying on bras I thought I was probably a 38DD, so I had the cup size right but I was actually smaller on the band size than I thought I would be. I am guessing that by the time I have lost another 26 pounds I will be a 36D - a very reasonable size. That will be a much lighter burden to carry around!! I'll be able to wear the three new bras I just bought until I get to my goal weight, but they weren't cheap. Good bras are so expensive. I paid $60 each for them. Three bras (Macy's) cost me more than 4 pairs of pants, a shirt, a sweater, a fleece V neck top and 3 pairs of fleece pants (all of which I bought at Kohl's). The fleece shirt and pants are for our camping trip to Maine next month. I know it will be chilly in the mornings and evenings at the camp site, so now Jack and I both of fleece jackets and pants to wear while sitting around the camp fire. They'll also be perfect for warm pj's this winter. It's OK if my pajamas get a little too big for me!!
My first day at work was pretty much what I expected. I am the first Finance Director that they have hired and the woman that has been doing the job, Kate, will still be there, but in a different capacity. Her new title is Business Director and she will be mostly in charge of HR and Customer Service/Marketing, I think. She is one of the co-owners of the company. The transition is going to take a while, as she slowly gives up responsibility and I take it on. Right now we urgently need to complete the 2011 compilation, so I started working through the list of questions from the CPA yesterday. This is always a difficult transition, coming into an organization at this level. The people that work for me have to invest time in training me, which can be resented to some extent, so earning their trust and respect as quickly as possible is important. It's unfortunate that I have to dive right into this compilation so quickly, because that is forcing me to dig through dirty laundry on my first day, but we'll make it through this. I also find it difficult not knowing anything. It just takes time, I know, but I feel clumsy when I can't use the computer systems, don't know my fellow employees, and don't know all of the numbers on the financials. Therefore, I am feeling sort of tense right now and will probably be tense for a while. One of the big challenges I face is not eating to relieve the tension. I have 9 days left of the 30 day plan, and then I will need another short term plan to get through September. This weekend I will need to buy a new book (I'll probably get Aging Well) to read and blog about. It's important for me to keep my head actively engaged in the game!
Maybe I am also feeling the Mommy Blues a little bit as Steven's wedding is quickly approaching. Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly happy and excited for him. I don't know Elizabeth well, but I love what I know. She is a wonderfully loving, kind, and intelligent woman. She shares Steven's love for English and is every bit as intellectual as he is, which I think is something he really needs in a partner. I am also impressed with Steven and how he has grown since he and Elizabeth have been together. I think part of the transition in Steven has come about because Elizabeth has a three year old daughter, Ellia. All of a sudden, Steven is becoming a dad! There is nothing like being a parent that changes one's perspective of the world. I love my son, dearly, and I am happy for him and his bride. I couldn't be more pleased. But, it is another transition. He's moving on to a completely different stage of his life and all Momma gets to do is watch and pray for their happiness.
I don't talk about my husband much, I guess because he's such a steady influence in my life. That steadiness doesn't provide much to write about, which is a good thing! But when I think about what I hope for, for Steven and Elizabeth, it makes me think about Jack and me. Jack and I got married 3 1/2 years ago after being friends for 5 years and dating for another year after that. In spite of getting married somewhat later in life, Jack and I have something that I hope that Steven and Elizabeth, and every other couple I know, can have. There are so many songs and poems and stories written about love, and none of them quite capture the essence of it. How do you talk about love without sounding silly and sappy and all that nonsense. I have to say, prior to Jack, I didn't believe all those silly love songs. I didn't think it was possible to love someone as completely as I love Jack, or to be loved like he loves me. I thought that kind of, "we're one," love would make a person clingy and dependent and needy and weak. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's a funny feeling to have someone else be part of me, but Jack is, in fact, part of me. I tell him that I feel like I have a little Jack DNA in every cell in my body. No matter where I go, no matter how far away Jack is, I feel like he is right there with me. And not in a dependent, I need Jack, sort of way. It's a comfortable, safe feeling of not being alone in the world. It's knowing that, no matter what, he's there for me and I am there for him. It's warm and uplifting. His love steadies me when the seas are rocky, lifts me up when I am feeling down, soars with me when I'm on cloud nine. It's truly amazing to love and be loved by Jack. My fervent wish and hope for Steven and Elizabeth is that they have that same deep love for one another. They have all of my love and support!!! Congratulations Steven and Elizabeth!! Love one another with everything you've got, and it will all work out, no matter what hurdles you have to jump over along the way!!
I guess I better head out to day number 2 on the job. Another perk, the official start of the day is 9:00am. I'll probably get there most days around 8:30. It's kind of nice to have a longer morning at home, though. You know how much I like my mornings!
Have a great day!!!!!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
August 21st, 2012: Day 20 of 30
8/21/2012: Day 20 of 30
Morning weight: 177.2
Today's calorie count: 1527
Morning exercise & evening exercise: Mid-day 21 mile bike ride, about 2 hours
Alcohol consumption: None
I haven't started reading a new book yet, but will soon.
My new job starts tomorrow!!! Today I got a haircut, rode my bike, talked to both of my kids for a while, and made Jack his favorite BBQ chicken for dinner.
I hope I can sleep tonight!!!!
August 20th, 2012: Day 19 of 30 and Conclusion of Younger Next Year
8/20/2012: Day 19 of 30
Morning weight: 178.0
If you read yesterday's post you know that I gained 1.8 pounds over the weekend as the result of Friday night's very salty salad at The Other Place (EB&T's going away party) and a very late and also salty dinner at Sullivan's Steak House Saturday night (Castle Creation's welcome party). Now that the celebrating is over, that temporary weight gain is coming off. Monday morning I lost the first pound and (spoiler alert for Day 20 post) this morning I was back to 177.2 pounds, exactly where I started off the day on Friday morning. It feels great to have recovered so quickly. I believe the reason that I did recover quickly is because I didn't overeat or drink alcohol at either occasion. My calories consumed for both days was less than 1600. I am sure the weight gain was water retention from a) too much salt and b) eating so late in the evening on Saturday. If I had consumed tons of extra calories or if I had had several drinks, I'd be fighting carb cravings right now and be white knuckling it, for sure.
While I'm talking about salty food at restaurants I am going to put in a plug for Seasons 52. We have one on the Plaza and I know there are several other Seasons 52 restaurants around the country. If you happen to have one near you and you want to have a nice dinner out, I recommend trying this restaurant. They specialize in seasonally inspired, healthy dishes that are made from natural, fresh, wholesome ingredients. They focus on keeping calorie counts for each dish reasonable (come on, people, anybody can make anything taste good with enough heavy cream and butter) and creating delicious taste combinations. For me, it is a much more enjoyable experience to eat at a restaurant like that than to go to a restaurant that stuffs as many calories as possible onto a single plate. Try Seasons 52 and let me know what you think!
Today's calorie count: 1554
Morning exercise: Strength Training - Same as day 16 of 30. The only difference is that I was able to do 2 push-ups from my toes before going to my knees, in each set, instead of 1.
Evening exercise: 30 minute (2 mile) brisk walk with Jack. The weather has cooled off a bit and an evening walk with Jack is really quite nice!
Alcohol consumption: None
Younger Next Year pages read: Finished the book - 42 pages.
Notes from the book (Quotes and very near quotes in italics):
I finished reading Younger Next Year for the second time yesterday. I am glad that I read it again and I am grateful for Ruth's recommendation to read the book and to blog about it. In reality, I've now read it three times, because when I sat down each day (well, almost each day) to blog about the book, I had to read through the pages again to make sure I didn't miss anything important. I now, finally, understand why we had to write book reports in school! The book made a much bigger imprint on me as a result of my blogging than it would have if I had just read it again, for my own benefit. I couldn't skim through any of it. I had to absorb what I was reading so that I could be thoughtful about what I wrote. Great advice, Ruth!!
The first part of today's reading was the end of Harry's chapter about the Limbic brain, the Thinking brain, and the importance of Caring and Connecting. Harry talks about the links between isolation and depression and the converse, the links between connection and optimism. He reminds us that most isolation is decay and that most decay is optional. The other choice, the choice we can make if we choose to do so (redundant, huh?) is growth.
Attitude counts and optimism is a learned skill. You can decide to be optimistic with remarkable success. Women who are optimistic about mother-hood before pregnancy have a much lower risk of postpartum depression. Optimistic women have lower mortality rates from cancer and heart disease. If you approach illness with a positive, optimistic attitude, you have lower blood pressure, better immune function. You recover from bypass surgery faster and better, you get out of bed sooner after back surgery and you go back to work and regular exercise sooner. Anger doubles your risk of heart disease. But perceiving your work as satisfying cuts your risk of heart disease in half.
Harry sites a longitudinal study that I have read about before that was done with a group of nuns. Basically, the nuns wrote autobiographical essays very early in their careers. 70 - 80 years later those essays were compared to the life-span of each nun and the surviving nuns' health and attitude. The nuns that wrote the most optimistic essays in their early 20s were 2 1/2 times (that 250%!!!!) more likely than the most pessimistic nuns to survive from age 75 to age 95. In addition to that, the researchers could predict the risk of Alzheimer's for each nun, based on the essay that each nun wrote when she was a very young woman. Harry asks you to Consider Sister Mary, who was highly optimistic and involved in her community throughout her life. When she died at the age of 101, her autopsy showed fairly advanced Alzheimer's lesions in her brain, but her cognitive testing had been normal and she had shown no signs of dementia in her daily life. It appears that somehow her optimism and involvement protected her from the disease itself. This amazing study sites several other examples of the power of a positive attitude, but in my opinion Sister Mary's example says everything I need to know. Attitude counts. Optimism is a learned skill. Make becoming optimistic one of your jobs, like exercising and connecting to others. It may be tough, but is it worth it? Is defying Alzheimer's and dementia worth it? Hell Yes!! My grandmother had severe dementia for the last 10 - 15 years of her life. So severe that she had to have help walking, eating, and using the bathroom. There was nothing wrong with her body, nothing. It was her brain. It no longer communicated properly with her nervous system and she couldn't make her muscles do what she wanted them to do. She drank too much in her old age, too, which accelerated her dementia. But it was dementia, just the same. If you can prevent dementia by working every day to have a positive attitude and being optimistic, it is worth every bit of effort you put into it. But I guess that's just my opinion.
In one survey, the majority of people felt that the best years of their lives came somewhere after age sixty. After! I can see that. I was looking forward to the second half of my life before I re-read this book, now I am positively pumped!! Bring it on World!! I'm ready for you!!
In order to stay connected and optimistic you need to matter to others; it's our limbic imperative, and it's deadly serious. You need to connect to people who need your help, your nurturing and your support. And you need to get at least a little dose of all of those back in return. Without this give-and-take, you decay.
Harry gives some advice on how to stay connected. One option is to keep working in some capacity as long as you possibly can. For some of us that is an economic necessity, yet even for those of us that need the money, the benefits of work go way beyond the paycheck. Work provides structure, an opportunity for social interaction, and - with any luck - makes us feel valued. A second option is to build connections and communities through fitness activities. Join a cycling, walking, skiing, or tennis group. A third option is volunteering. Giving back to the community can be very rewarding and builds tremendous limbic connections. And, finally, Harry speaks briefly about spirituality. He states that Spirituality is too profound and too personal for us to give you any advice on which road to take, but we do know that for limbic reasons alone you should be on the journey. The growing number of reasonably well done studies on spirituality all point to its importance in our lives for both mental and physical health. People who search for meaning in their lives and their experiences survive loss better, cancer better, heart disease better, and have healthier immune chemistry, lower C-6 markers of inflammation and lower risks of stroke and Alzheimer's disease. People who report that faith is an important part of their lives have mortality rates a third lower than average. They have lower blood pressures and lower blood sugar levels, spend fewer days in the hospital and report substantially higher levels of life satisfaction and emotional well-being. You can decide for yourself how much of the positive effect stems from the increased social connections offered by organized religion and how much from something ineffable, but the simple message is that it is important to look for the meaning in your life's experience.
In conclusion the book's final chapter is titled, Relentless Optimism. We have every reason in the world to be optimistic about the second half of our lives. So much of the decision - growth or decay? - is ours to make. I get to decide, every day, if I want to decay a little or grow a little. For me, that is a very easy decision to make.
For the first time in my life I am looking forward to getting into very good shape. I mean, I am looking forward to getting into excellent shape. I've lost 50 pounds before...hell, I've lost 75 pounds before. But I have never lost a lot of weight and then spent the next year getting into the best possible shape I can get in. In the past, I've lost a lot of weight and still been disappointed in my soft gut, the wiggle waggle between my thighs, the fat on my back, and the flapping under my arms. I've sighed in disgust and moaned in despair and thought, "I'll never look good!" Well... let me tell you, I am working hard to banish those thoughts from my brain, forever! Do you know what I think is beautiful? Fit is beautiful! Healthy is beautiful! Active and engaged is beautiful! The great outdoors is beautiful! The oceans, prairies, mountains, and deserts of this great nation are beautiful! Being able to ride my bike 100 miles in one day or hike a long trail is beautiful! Doing it with people I love is even more beautiful! And not hurting at the end of the day is even more beautiful, yet!!
I have never in my life had so much optimism and excitement for getting fit. I can't explain it, really, but as I said a few posts ago I have started thinking beyond Goal # 1, which is to lose 74 pounds and get to a healthy 150 pounds. I've built a support system that is way too important to me to give up, just because I reach that goal. (I have 27.2 pounds to go. I should be there by the end of the year.) So what's next? How will I engage that support system in 2013? What will my new goals be? What will I work towards? And the answer is I am going to work towards getting very fit. I discussed this with Jeremy last Friday and he suggested that my 2013 chart should be a Body Fat % chart and I think that is an amazing idea. I can't even imagine what my body is going to feel and look like if I work for a year on physical fitness, after I'm at a healthy weight. I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be a very gradual bit of additional weight loss throughout the year, but that won't be the goal. The goals will be physical. Obtain a healthy Body Fat %, be able to do a dozen pushups from my toes, be able to do a pull up, complete a triathlon, run a half marathon, perhaps? Thinking about, dreaming about, and planning for these goals excites me. It makes me happy. It makes me optimistic for this second half of my life!!
By the way, Appendix #1 in the book is Harry's Rules. They go as follows:
1. Exercise six days a week for the rest of your life.
2. Do serious aerobic exercise four days a week for the rest of your life. (Shouldn't that be 1(a)?)
3. Do serious strength training, with weights, two days a week for the rest of your life. (and 1(b)?)
4. Spend less than you make. (I guess I need to make more money!!)
5. Quit eating crap!
6. Care.
7. Connect and commit.
And that's a wrap on "Younger Next Year," authored by Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D. I hope you found some of the posts about the book interesting and, perhaps, inspirational. I have had such a great experience blogging about the book that I think I may have to find another book and do it again!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
August 19, 2012: Day 18 of 30
8/19/2012: Day 18 of 30
Morning weight: 179.0
I gained a pound, but we're not going to freak out about it. Last night was my welcome to Castle Creations dinner with all of the Directors and their spouses. Dinner started at 7:00 and we did not leave the restaurant until 10:00. Drinks, then appetizers, then salads, then dinner, then desserts takes a while. The good news is I was incredibly disciplined and while I am sure everyone else ate and drank at least 2000 calorie meals I kept mine to 550 (best guess). I did not drink any alcohol, while most of the others were drinking before, during and after dinner. When appetizers came out I had 2 bites of calamari (44 calories - all calories are my best estimates), a bite of a crab cake (18 calories), a piece of ahi tuna (20 calories) and two bites of bread (23 calories). The entire appetizer course took about an hour, I was hungry, and the little tastes of a variety things, that were all very tasty, made the hour go by without too much discomfort. Then came the salad course and that is when the salt hit my plate big time. The chef at this restaurant was way heavy handed with the salt. I was counting on the salad course to fill me up a little bit, but there was so much salty dressing and cheese on my salad that I only ate half the Caesar salad. I counted that as 210 calories. Then came the dinner course. I ordered the sea scallops, because I love them and they are amazingly low in calories. The sides were family style, so that worked out OK. There were 5 large scallops on my plate, but again, the salt was crazy. I moved the scallops out of their sauce onto the edge of my plate, and they were a little better. I counted 155 calories for the scallops. For sides I had a couple of tablespoons of sweet potato casserole (49 calories), 2 tablespoons of creamed spinach (18 calories) and about a cup of asparagus (Yeah! The hollandaise sauce was on the side! - 14 calories). I had decaf, black, no sugar or artificial sweeteners, for dessert.
The weight gain, I am sure, was caused by eating so late. I was still eating dinner an hour after I am usually in bed. And the salt. When I woke up this morning my hands were all puffy. They reminded me of surgical gloves that someone blew up. All day I have been careful to avoid salt and drink plenty of water. It will take a couple of days, but this pound from today and 8/10ths of a pound from yesterday will be gone soon.
I am very, very glad that I have decided to be so disciplined. That discipline made it very easy to make good choices both Friday and Saturday nights. I can't imagine how many calories I would have consumed if I had said, "It's a celebration, I can eat whatever I want." Way too many. And I'd be looking at a lot more than a 1.8 pound setback from 2 nights of back to back special occasions.
Today's calorie count: 1577 (Ruth and I have decided that with the amount of exercising I am doing - 6 days a week for an hour in the morning and 6 days a week for at least 15 minutes and more often than not 30 minutes in the evening - that a reasonable amount of calories is between 1500 and 1600 calories. I am being careful not to eat less than 1500 calories so that I have the fuel I need for my workouts.)
Morning exercise: None - day off. I traded today for Tuesday because Jack and I needed to put together shelves and rearrange all the boxes in the basement, which took several hours. Since I am off on Tuesday, I am going to go for a two hour bike ride, then.
Evening exercise: 30 minute swim. This was very, very difficult for me. From now on my goal will be to swim twice a week in the evenings.
Alcohol consumption: None
Younger Next Year pages read: None - I would normally be reading now instead of blogging, but my eyes are very tired today and I was having trouble focusing on the print. I hope to finish the book over the next couple of days.
And that's that.
Morning weight: 179.0
I gained a pound, but we're not going to freak out about it. Last night was my welcome to Castle Creations dinner with all of the Directors and their spouses. Dinner started at 7:00 and we did not leave the restaurant until 10:00. Drinks, then appetizers, then salads, then dinner, then desserts takes a while. The good news is I was incredibly disciplined and while I am sure everyone else ate and drank at least 2000 calorie meals I kept mine to 550 (best guess). I did not drink any alcohol, while most of the others were drinking before, during and after dinner. When appetizers came out I had 2 bites of calamari (44 calories - all calories are my best estimates), a bite of a crab cake (18 calories), a piece of ahi tuna (20 calories) and two bites of bread (23 calories). The entire appetizer course took about an hour, I was hungry, and the little tastes of a variety things, that were all very tasty, made the hour go by without too much discomfort. Then came the salad course and that is when the salt hit my plate big time. The chef at this restaurant was way heavy handed with the salt. I was counting on the salad course to fill me up a little bit, but there was so much salty dressing and cheese on my salad that I only ate half the Caesar salad. I counted that as 210 calories. Then came the dinner course. I ordered the sea scallops, because I love them and they are amazingly low in calories. The sides were family style, so that worked out OK. There were 5 large scallops on my plate, but again, the salt was crazy. I moved the scallops out of their sauce onto the edge of my plate, and they were a little better. I counted 155 calories for the scallops. For sides I had a couple of tablespoons of sweet potato casserole (49 calories), 2 tablespoons of creamed spinach (18 calories) and about a cup of asparagus (Yeah! The hollandaise sauce was on the side! - 14 calories). I had decaf, black, no sugar or artificial sweeteners, for dessert.
The weight gain, I am sure, was caused by eating so late. I was still eating dinner an hour after I am usually in bed. And the salt. When I woke up this morning my hands were all puffy. They reminded me of surgical gloves that someone blew up. All day I have been careful to avoid salt and drink plenty of water. It will take a couple of days, but this pound from today and 8/10ths of a pound from yesterday will be gone soon.
I am very, very glad that I have decided to be so disciplined. That discipline made it very easy to make good choices both Friday and Saturday nights. I can't imagine how many calories I would have consumed if I had said, "It's a celebration, I can eat whatever I want." Way too many. And I'd be looking at a lot more than a 1.8 pound setback from 2 nights of back to back special occasions.
Today's calorie count: 1577 (Ruth and I have decided that with the amount of exercising I am doing - 6 days a week for an hour in the morning and 6 days a week for at least 15 minutes and more often than not 30 minutes in the evening - that a reasonable amount of calories is between 1500 and 1600 calories. I am being careful not to eat less than 1500 calories so that I have the fuel I need for my workouts.)
Morning exercise: None - day off. I traded today for Tuesday because Jack and I needed to put together shelves and rearrange all the boxes in the basement, which took several hours. Since I am off on Tuesday, I am going to go for a two hour bike ride, then.
Evening exercise: 30 minute swim. This was very, very difficult for me. From now on my goal will be to swim twice a week in the evenings.
Alcohol consumption: None
Younger Next Year pages read: None - I would normally be reading now instead of blogging, but my eyes are very tired today and I was having trouble focusing on the print. I hope to finish the book over the next couple of days.
And that's that.
8/19/12: Week 25 Photo
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| 8/19/12: End of 25 Weeks |
I did swim for the first time today. I swam for 30 minutes, but I was concentrating so hard on living through it that I didn't count my laps. I'll try counting them next time so that I will be able to tell if I am improving.
I wiill post about Day 18 of 30 in the morning.
Till then...
8/18/2012: Day 17 of 30
8/18/2012: Day 17 of 30
Morning weight: 178.0 (8/10ths of a pound gain - in spite of getting in all my exercise and eating less than 1600 calories the day before. I chalk this up to the dinner I ate at my going away party Friday night. It was a chef's salad at The Other Place. I had the dressing on the side and didn't use much of it so my best guess on the calorie count was that I was fine on calories, but the salad was salty. I am pretty disciplined about the amount of salt I eat, and while eating the salad I noticed that it was much saltier than what I normally eat. I am very sensitive to salt and am pretty sure that the overnight gain is related to the salt in that salad. I drank only water, by the way. I was not even tempted to have an alcoholic beverage Friday night!)
Today's calorie count: 1568
Morning exercise: None - weekend routine, exercised in the afternoon
Evening (afternoon) exercise: 63 minute jog, about 4.9 miles. Average HR 139, Max HR 153
---I paid more attention to how I was feeling while running than I normally do and I realized that the first 47 minutes of my jog were actually pretty pleasant. I felt good, I didn't feel like I was torturing myself, I was enjoying being outdoors. All in all, a decent experience. After about 47 minutes, though, it got pretty tough. The last 16 minutes of the jog required me pushing through the point of not wanting to do this anymore and it was a lot of work. That's not bad, though. I think it is safe to say that 25 weeks ago I couldn't jog five minutes without drawing on every bit of inner strength I had! Progress, Grasshopper, Progress!!
Alcohol consumption: None
Younger Next Year pages read: 20
Notes from book: (Quotes and very near quotes in italics)- Finally, I am going to catch you up on the last 20 pages that I read!!! Not that it is all that exciting, but a 30 day plan is a 30 day plan, and this is part of the plan, after all!!
These pages were the beginning of Part Two of the book called, "Take Charge of Your Life." The book now moves away from talking about exercise and diet and starts to talk about the other important things we need to do in order to be Younger Next Year.
Chris gets the first chapter of this section and talks about the importance of caring. In fact, Harry's Sixth Rule is: Care. Chris' words: Care is a triple-barreled message, a Gatling gun of advice. First, we urge you to care enough about exercise and nutrition so that you have a decent body and a good attitude going into the Next Third. (They often refer to life after 50 as the Next Third. Personally, I refer to it as the Second Half, but each to his own!) But that's only part of it, and not necessarily the most important part. With exercise, you have given yourself a great set of wheels. But that doesn't amount to much unless you go out on the road. The rest of the book is about life on the road. Once you've taken charge of your body, you have to think about taking charge of your life.
It is important as we move into and through the second halves of our lives not to become withdrawn and not to turn into home-bodies, but to continue to reach out and care about others. Connect and Commit is Harry's Seventh Rule. It means rededicating yourself to family, friends, and companions. Join groups, get involved in your community, whether it is work or play. There is a tendency to do less of this as we age, and that is a huge mistake. Humans are built to be involved with and to care for one another, and that does not change one bit as we age. The book claims that being involved, connected, and caring about others is essential to healthy living. In fact, it goes as far as to say, If we don't exercise our social skills - if we let ourselves become cut off and increasingly solitary as we age - we will become ill and die. I've read many references to studies not included in this book that say exactly the same thing. There is also the importance of going beyond caring for those in your circle and community, and caring for the greater good. Harry and Chris believe that we were built to aspire to things beyond the interests of ourselves or our immediate pack...to "care" in the exalted sense about larger than human goals. There is at least a possibility that this "higher caring" is what being a human is all about. They then go on to say that this "higher caring" is a very personal thing and a serious discussion of "higher caring" is beyond the scope of the book. But they do say that finding the selflessness within you - getting that one right for you - may trump everything else. Caring at every level is one of the most important things you can do in the Next Third of your life.
Getting practical, Chris then recommends keeping a journal (how about a blog?). He suggests that if you are going to have a life that you and others care about, it must be an examined life, and that means writing it down. He recommends that three things go in the journal every day: 1) What I ate (I log all of my food in My Fitness Pal), 2) what I did for exercise (goes in My Fitness Pal and this blog), and 3) what I did with my life - sexually (Well, I think I'll keep that to myself), socially, morally...whatever you care about. By journaling or writing everything down, it's a symbol that someone cares, even if it's just you. He finishes the chapter by saying, whether you try the log or not, remember: The great trick in life is to care.
When Harry gets to take a stab about the importance of caring, he gets to the biology of it all and talks about the Limbic Brain and the Biology of Emotion. He tells us that, Staying emotionally connected turns out to be a biological imperative, a critical part of the good life - and a real challenge as we age in our society. He says that it all comes back to the biology of connect and love.
Basically, Harry tells us that the survival of social animals, such as humans, chimps, wolves, and dolphins, is dependent on being part of a group. There is no such thing as a solitary human in nature, because isolation is fatal. We were designed to be emotional creatures, which is to say that we are mammals.
Mammals have a second brain that sits on top of the primitive brain, it is often referred to as the emotional brain but its real name is the limbic brain. It is the part of our brain that runs our emotions and, according to Harry, in many ways it is the most important brain that we have. Complex emotions, from the limbic brain, are the reason mammals succeeded. We are emotional creatures from start to finish.
Our deepest and most primitive emotions, fear and aggression, have control centers in our primitive brain. Killing prey, territorial defense, fight or flight, sexual predation and ruthless self-interest are the legacy of our earliest ancestors. The great differentiator between mammals and earlier creatures is the ability to create positive emotion. Reptiles run purely on negative reinforcement. Mammals invented love, joy, pleasure and play, all of which are enshrined in our DNA, in the chemical and neurological pathways in our limbic brains. The survival of humans was dependent on this ability to live and thrive as a group. Reptiles are hardwired for individual survival...many of them eat their own young, for instance. While humans still have that hardwired instinct for personal survival, we also have the concern for the survival of our children and the ability to sense emotions in others. Our limbic brains give is the ability to love our young and work in groups, two essentially critical items to our very survival as a species.
Our third and final brain is the subtle, thinking, calculating, problem-solving, tool-using, social-climbing, chatting, linguistic neocortical brain: the thinking brain. The physical brain speaks the language of sensation and movement. The emotional brain speaks the language of feelings and mood. The thinking brain the conscious, thinking brain, our brain, your brain, speaks the language of...language. With the development of the thinking brain we not only had own brain maps of the environment, we had access to other people's brain maps, too. Collective activities like hunting, foraging, raising children and teaching each other how to make things took priority in early communication. This ability to be part of a tribe allowed humans to expand to every climate on earth.
These three brains are intricately wired together. We are primitives, mammals and humans all at once. Our thoughts (thinking brain) and emotions (limbic brain) are partners in the never ending dance of life. Thoughts and emotions alternate the lead, but most of the time our emotions, not our thoughts, take that lead, and our thoughts follow. According to Harry, Emotion literally precedes thought at the neural level. So a positive emotion will tend to generate a positive thought in response, which will loop back through the limbic system to generate a positive feeling. The same loop works for negative emotions and thoughts. Therefore, it is possible to train yourself to live in either an optimistic or a pessimistic frame of mind regardless of your external circumstances. How you view your life has a surprisingly large role in determining how your life goes, so there is a real premium on having positive emotions. You can help create these positive emotions by reaching out to good stimuli: exercise, decent sleep, rational diet, love and play. Happiness comes primarily from building connections, from giving and getting love and friendship, and that just takes good old-fashioned work- hard, but deeply satisfying work. Connect and commit, in other words to generate positive emotions and drive away despair. Study after study show that social connections are a more powerful factor in health and mortality than smoking, alcohol, exercise, nutrition or age. Interestingly, staying physically active increases your likelihood of staying socially connected. In a study of 6,500 older adults there was a linear relationship between levels of walking, biking or gardening and the number of social contacts.
To sum it up so far, exercise 6 days a week; don't eat crap; care about your life, the life of those around you, and the greater good; connect and commit, and keep an optimistic outlook on life. Yeah...it all makes sense to me!!
Morning weight: 178.0 (8/10ths of a pound gain - in spite of getting in all my exercise and eating less than 1600 calories the day before. I chalk this up to the dinner I ate at my going away party Friday night. It was a chef's salad at The Other Place. I had the dressing on the side and didn't use much of it so my best guess on the calorie count was that I was fine on calories, but the salad was salty. I am pretty disciplined about the amount of salt I eat, and while eating the salad I noticed that it was much saltier than what I normally eat. I am very sensitive to salt and am pretty sure that the overnight gain is related to the salt in that salad. I drank only water, by the way. I was not even tempted to have an alcoholic beverage Friday night!)
Today's calorie count: 1568
Morning exercise: None - weekend routine, exercised in the afternoon
Evening (afternoon) exercise: 63 minute jog, about 4.9 miles. Average HR 139, Max HR 153
---I paid more attention to how I was feeling while running than I normally do and I realized that the first 47 minutes of my jog were actually pretty pleasant. I felt good, I didn't feel like I was torturing myself, I was enjoying being outdoors. All in all, a decent experience. After about 47 minutes, though, it got pretty tough. The last 16 minutes of the jog required me pushing through the point of not wanting to do this anymore and it was a lot of work. That's not bad, though. I think it is safe to say that 25 weeks ago I couldn't jog five minutes without drawing on every bit of inner strength I had! Progress, Grasshopper, Progress!!
Alcohol consumption: None
Younger Next Year pages read: 20
Notes from book: (Quotes and very near quotes in italics)- Finally, I am going to catch you up on the last 20 pages that I read!!! Not that it is all that exciting, but a 30 day plan is a 30 day plan, and this is part of the plan, after all!!
These pages were the beginning of Part Two of the book called, "Take Charge of Your Life." The book now moves away from talking about exercise and diet and starts to talk about the other important things we need to do in order to be Younger Next Year.
Chris gets the first chapter of this section and talks about the importance of caring. In fact, Harry's Sixth Rule is: Care. Chris' words: Care is a triple-barreled message, a Gatling gun of advice. First, we urge you to care enough about exercise and nutrition so that you have a decent body and a good attitude going into the Next Third. (They often refer to life after 50 as the Next Third. Personally, I refer to it as the Second Half, but each to his own!) But that's only part of it, and not necessarily the most important part. With exercise, you have given yourself a great set of wheels. But that doesn't amount to much unless you go out on the road. The rest of the book is about life on the road. Once you've taken charge of your body, you have to think about taking charge of your life.
It is important as we move into and through the second halves of our lives not to become withdrawn and not to turn into home-bodies, but to continue to reach out and care about others. Connect and Commit is Harry's Seventh Rule. It means rededicating yourself to family, friends, and companions. Join groups, get involved in your community, whether it is work or play. There is a tendency to do less of this as we age, and that is a huge mistake. Humans are built to be involved with and to care for one another, and that does not change one bit as we age. The book claims that being involved, connected, and caring about others is essential to healthy living. In fact, it goes as far as to say, If we don't exercise our social skills - if we let ourselves become cut off and increasingly solitary as we age - we will become ill and die. I've read many references to studies not included in this book that say exactly the same thing. There is also the importance of going beyond caring for those in your circle and community, and caring for the greater good. Harry and Chris believe that we were built to aspire to things beyond the interests of ourselves or our immediate pack...to "care" in the exalted sense about larger than human goals. There is at least a possibility that this "higher caring" is what being a human is all about. They then go on to say that this "higher caring" is a very personal thing and a serious discussion of "higher caring" is beyond the scope of the book. But they do say that finding the selflessness within you - getting that one right for you - may trump everything else. Caring at every level is one of the most important things you can do in the Next Third of your life.
Getting practical, Chris then recommends keeping a journal (how about a blog?). He suggests that if you are going to have a life that you and others care about, it must be an examined life, and that means writing it down. He recommends that three things go in the journal every day: 1) What I ate (I log all of my food in My Fitness Pal), 2) what I did for exercise (goes in My Fitness Pal and this blog), and 3) what I did with my life - sexually (Well, I think I'll keep that to myself), socially, morally...whatever you care about. By journaling or writing everything down, it's a symbol that someone cares, even if it's just you. He finishes the chapter by saying, whether you try the log or not, remember: The great trick in life is to care.
When Harry gets to take a stab about the importance of caring, he gets to the biology of it all and talks about the Limbic Brain and the Biology of Emotion. He tells us that, Staying emotionally connected turns out to be a biological imperative, a critical part of the good life - and a real challenge as we age in our society. He says that it all comes back to the biology of connect and love.
Basically, Harry tells us that the survival of social animals, such as humans, chimps, wolves, and dolphins, is dependent on being part of a group. There is no such thing as a solitary human in nature, because isolation is fatal. We were designed to be emotional creatures, which is to say that we are mammals.
Mammals have a second brain that sits on top of the primitive brain, it is often referred to as the emotional brain but its real name is the limbic brain. It is the part of our brain that runs our emotions and, according to Harry, in many ways it is the most important brain that we have. Complex emotions, from the limbic brain, are the reason mammals succeeded. We are emotional creatures from start to finish.
Our deepest and most primitive emotions, fear and aggression, have control centers in our primitive brain. Killing prey, territorial defense, fight or flight, sexual predation and ruthless self-interest are the legacy of our earliest ancestors. The great differentiator between mammals and earlier creatures is the ability to create positive emotion. Reptiles run purely on negative reinforcement. Mammals invented love, joy, pleasure and play, all of which are enshrined in our DNA, in the chemical and neurological pathways in our limbic brains. The survival of humans was dependent on this ability to live and thrive as a group. Reptiles are hardwired for individual survival...many of them eat their own young, for instance. While humans still have that hardwired instinct for personal survival, we also have the concern for the survival of our children and the ability to sense emotions in others. Our limbic brains give is the ability to love our young and work in groups, two essentially critical items to our very survival as a species.
Our third and final brain is the subtle, thinking, calculating, problem-solving, tool-using, social-climbing, chatting, linguistic neocortical brain: the thinking brain. The physical brain speaks the language of sensation and movement. The emotional brain speaks the language of feelings and mood. The thinking brain the conscious, thinking brain, our brain, your brain, speaks the language of...language. With the development of the thinking brain we not only had own brain maps of the environment, we had access to other people's brain maps, too. Collective activities like hunting, foraging, raising children and teaching each other how to make things took priority in early communication. This ability to be part of a tribe allowed humans to expand to every climate on earth.
These three brains are intricately wired together. We are primitives, mammals and humans all at once. Our thoughts (thinking brain) and emotions (limbic brain) are partners in the never ending dance of life. Thoughts and emotions alternate the lead, but most of the time our emotions, not our thoughts, take that lead, and our thoughts follow. According to Harry, Emotion literally precedes thought at the neural level. So a positive emotion will tend to generate a positive thought in response, which will loop back through the limbic system to generate a positive feeling. The same loop works for negative emotions and thoughts. Therefore, it is possible to train yourself to live in either an optimistic or a pessimistic frame of mind regardless of your external circumstances. How you view your life has a surprisingly large role in determining how your life goes, so there is a real premium on having positive emotions. You can help create these positive emotions by reaching out to good stimuli: exercise, decent sleep, rational diet, love and play. Happiness comes primarily from building connections, from giving and getting love and friendship, and that just takes good old-fashioned work- hard, but deeply satisfying work. Connect and commit, in other words to generate positive emotions and drive away despair. Study after study show that social connections are a more powerful factor in health and mortality than smoking, alcohol, exercise, nutrition or age. Interestingly, staying physically active increases your likelihood of staying socially connected. In a study of 6,500 older adults there was a linear relationship between levels of walking, biking or gardening and the number of social contacts.
To sum it up so far, exercise 6 days a week; don't eat crap; care about your life, the life of those around you, and the greater good; connect and commit, and keep an optimistic outlook on life. Yeah...it all makes sense to me!!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
August 17, 2012: Day 16 of 30 and Progress Update
8/17/2012: Day 16 of 30
Morning weight: 177.2
Today's calorie count: 1595
Morning exercise: Strength Training:
Repeat the following set 4 times:
Evening exercise: 28 minute brisk walk - did not wear heart rate monitor
Alcohol consumption: None
Younger Next Year pages read: I am going to catch up on Younger Next Year tomorrow. Today, I want to share my progress results to date.
First, here's a new picture of my chart! Can you see the stair steps in my progress line that I was talking about? In spite of the plateus and occassional upward jags, my trend line has been amazingly consistent for the last 25 weeks. This chart is my major inspirational tool. It is the size of two posterboards taped together. As you can see, I take my picture every Sunday (the same one I post on this blog each week) and glue it to the chart. I love watching the line go down. I hate seeing the line go up! That's part of the inspiration. I also love really looking at the pictures and seeing the progress. What a difference 25 weeks can make!! If any of you are considering a weight loss plan or Get Fit Initiative, I encourage you to make yourselves a chart. Pin it to your bathroom wall so you see if every single day, several times a day. You'll see, it works!
We did measurements at my training session yesterday. Here are my March 7th stats compared to my August 17th status. (I started my program on Feb 27th with a 3 for $99 training package. I signed up for my first 10 session package on March 7th, so that is when we took my first set of measurements.) I am also including the photos taken on the days closest to those two days.
WEIGHT
March 7th: 220.4 (Actual start weight on 2/27/12 was 224.0 pounds)
August 17th: 177.2
Pounds lost to date: 46.8
BODY FAT %
March 7th: 39.9% (Ugh!!!)
August 17th: 32.11% (Still Ugh!! but better)
% Body fat lost: almost 7%
CHEST MEASUREMENT (Directly under pits, above boobs)
March 7th: 40.5"
August 17: 36 1/8"
Inches lost: 4 3/8"
WAIST MEASUREMENT (at Belly Button)
March 7th: 39"
August 17th: 32.5"
Inches lost: 6 1/2"
HIP MEASUREMENT
March 7th: 49"
August 17th: 41.5"
Inches lost: 7 1/2"
I am very pleased with my progress! If my trend line continues (and I see no reason why it won't) I will be to my goal weight of 150lbs by the end of 2012.
It helps me tremendously to have firm goals and as I am rapidly approaching the completion of my first goal, I have started to think ahead to 2013. There are many, many things that have helped keep my head in the game over the last 25 weeks. Two of the biggies have been my chart and my trainer. When I reach 150, my head needs to stay in the game. I will still have a long way to go when it comes to getting as fit as possible. So I have decided that I am going to continue to work with Jeremy once a week throughout 2013. He and I talked about this yesterday and we decided to make my 2013 goals fitness goals. I am going to create a 2013 graph with a weight line on it and will continue to track my weight line twice a week throughout 2013. But I am also going to have a % Body Fat goal line on my chart. One of my fitness goals will be to reduce my body fat to a certain % (I don't know what that number is - Ruth, any thoughts?). I'll also set goals like being able to do 12 push-ups from my toes, one pull-up, and things like that. Perhaps I'll add completing my first triatholon to that list. Anyone willing to do a triatholon in 2013 with me? I feel a sense of relief, already, knowing the direction that my 2013 goals will take. I don't have firm numbers set yet, but I will by the end of the year. There's time for that, but I needed my brain engaged in the idea of 2013 goals, now.
Gotta run for now..but we have 4 whole days to get caught up!!! Enjoy your weekend.
Morning weight: 177.2
Today's calorie count: 1595
Morning exercise: Strength Training:
Repeat the following set 4 times:
- 12 Wide Squat Jumps: Place an elevated board between your feet (I used two risers) so that your legs are more than shoulder width apart. Do a body weight squat. From the squat positions, jump up and bring your feet together so they land on the board.
- 12 Dead Lifts with 15lb dumbbells in each hand: Dead lifts were described last Friday.
- Stairs: Run up and down 30 step flight of stairs once
- 12 Push-ups: Do as many as possible on toes (1 only, for me) and complete the rest on knees
- 20 lunges with 12lb ball held over your head (alternate 10 each leg)
- 16 each side Reverse Wood Chop with 12lb ball: Bend kness, so you are about halfway to squat position. Hold ball high and to the right of your body, swing ball down and across body until it is in front of left knee, twisting and crunching torso on the way down. Raise ball back to original position and repeat 16 times. Switch sides.
- 30 seconds stair touch: Alternate tapping stair with toe, hopping back and forth from foot to foot as quickly as possible
Evening exercise: 28 minute brisk walk - did not wear heart rate monitor
Alcohol consumption: None
Younger Next Year pages read: I am going to catch up on Younger Next Year tomorrow. Today, I want to share my progress results to date.
First, here's a new picture of my chart! Can you see the stair steps in my progress line that I was talking about? In spite of the plateus and occassional upward jags, my trend line has been amazingly consistent for the last 25 weeks. This chart is my major inspirational tool. It is the size of two posterboards taped together. As you can see, I take my picture every Sunday (the same one I post on this blog each week) and glue it to the chart. I love watching the line go down. I hate seeing the line go up! That's part of the inspiration. I also love really looking at the pictures and seeing the progress. What a difference 25 weeks can make!! If any of you are considering a weight loss plan or Get Fit Initiative, I encourage you to make yourselves a chart. Pin it to your bathroom wall so you see if every single day, several times a day. You'll see, it works!
We did measurements at my training session yesterday. Here are my March 7th stats compared to my August 17th status. (I started my program on Feb 27th with a 3 for $99 training package. I signed up for my first 10 session package on March 7th, so that is when we took my first set of measurements.) I am also including the photos taken on the days closest to those two days.
WEIGHT
March 7th: 220.4 (Actual start weight on 2/27/12 was 224.0 pounds)
August 17th: 177.2
Pounds lost to date: 46.8
BODY FAT %
March 7th: 39.9% (Ugh!!!)
August 17th: 32.11% (Still Ugh!! but better)
% Body fat lost: almost 7%
CHEST MEASUREMENT (Directly under pits, above boobs)
March 7th: 40.5"
August 17: 36 1/8"
Inches lost: 4 3/8"
WAIST MEASUREMENT (at Belly Button)
March 7th: 39"
August 17th: 32.5"
Inches lost: 6 1/2"
HIP MEASUREMENT
March 7th: 49"
August 17th: 41.5"
Inches lost: 7 1/2"
 |
| March 11th, 2012 |
 |
| August 12th, 2012 |
I am very pleased with my progress! If my trend line continues (and I see no reason why it won't) I will be to my goal weight of 150lbs by the end of 2012.
It helps me tremendously to have firm goals and as I am rapidly approaching the completion of my first goal, I have started to think ahead to 2013. There are many, many things that have helped keep my head in the game over the last 25 weeks. Two of the biggies have been my chart and my trainer. When I reach 150, my head needs to stay in the game. I will still have a long way to go when it comes to getting as fit as possible. So I have decided that I am going to continue to work with Jeremy once a week throughout 2013. He and I talked about this yesterday and we decided to make my 2013 goals fitness goals. I am going to create a 2013 graph with a weight line on it and will continue to track my weight line twice a week throughout 2013. But I am also going to have a % Body Fat goal line on my chart. One of my fitness goals will be to reduce my body fat to a certain % (I don't know what that number is - Ruth, any thoughts?). I'll also set goals like being able to do 12 push-ups from my toes, one pull-up, and things like that. Perhaps I'll add completing my first triatholon to that list. Anyone willing to do a triatholon in 2013 with me? I feel a sense of relief, already, knowing the direction that my 2013 goals will take. I don't have firm numbers set yet, but I will by the end of the year. There's time for that, but I needed my brain engaged in the idea of 2013 goals, now.
Gotta run for now..but we have 4 whole days to get caught up!!! Enjoy your weekend.
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