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!!
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