Quick Check in to stay an track

Tonight I snacked on a big bowl of steamed broccoli. I am still full. I also feel like I am coming down with a cold but I want to ignore it. Must catch up on exercise this weekend since I got sluggish this week. The weather will be nice for hiking. Just checking in. Very sleepy.

Nuts

No, not nuts like crazy nuts, thankfully. Walnuts. Too many. After dinner. But not to worry, the rest of the day was perfect. So I will move on. I get the nuts thinking I will have a few because they are good for me, and so on. But I NEVER have been able to stop at a few. Something about me and nuts. Must be the fat or something. Anyway I was a pound down this morning. I weigh every day to keep myself honest. Otherwise I can "pretend" I am losing, or that I really don't need to lose, etc.

I am not feeling like exercising, feel very tired, and a little like I am fighting a cold or maybe it is the drop in food intake. I will get as much sleep as I can tonight and see how I feel tomorrow. I want to eat less AND exercise, not just one or the other. It takes two.

More will be revealed.

The Magic of 3

There is something about getting through the first three days of a change in eating. If I can get those first three under my belt I get the momentum going. I don't feel like I am making a drastic change in what I eat, more about how much I eat, especially in the evening. Ok, wait, the "what" did have to change by cutting out sweets and junk but it does not feel like a big deal. It feels normal, like home. I would like fast results and I know I could get some by cutting carbs way down but I decided to avoid extremes and go with something I can live with in the long term. I may get creative as time goes on, but right now I am just happy to stick within my daily food budget.

It is raining tonight, so I will opt for indoor exercise unless it stops long enough for a walk. I like walking in the cold, crisp night air. I feel a little blah this evening, but I am making sure to do my nightly check in.

Things are going well at home these days. Both kids had fantastic grades. Daughter has been working a part time job at the mall at a pretzel place. I can probably attribute some of this stubborn gain to the nights she was bringing us treats, pretzel dogs, bites, etc. But that's coming to an end because she decided to take a receptionist job at a car dealer working Saturdays only. I like that idea because she will not work school nights, or any nights - and just in time for winter weather. Plus no more fattening food. She stopped bringing things home a while back anyway because neither one of us wanted the calories. Even the dog started turning up his nose.

That's my report. I feel like I am on the right path for now. Time to do some exercises!

No excuses today, either

I am tired, but keeping to my comittment to report everyday. Today I stuck within my boundaries for food. Exercise was less than planned but I still managed a mall walk. I worked late so it has been a long day. I am happy to go to bed knowing that I did not overeat today. I got an apple at the vending machine when I knew I was going to be staying past dinner time. Apples fill me up and keep me satisfied for a while in a pinch. I want to get a very good night's sleep tonight so I can get up and exercise in the morning.

Today Worked

I stayed in my food budget today and I walked tonight. It is almost eight and I feel satisfied. I did a few push-ups this morning. It was not easy and I did not get as low as I could two years ago. Last night I was looking at my exercise blog and felt sad when I read how many push-ups I was doing a day, among other things. I have been reading old posts and going back to when I reached my goal. Okay, I am only about 15 pounds heavier than back then and I can get back there. I did not stay at my normal body mass index very long, only for a few months but I stayed close to it, and then teetered up and down. Now I am solidly overboard with only teetering up and no teetering down and I want to overcome the feeling of being so far away. It's not that far. Not nearly as far away as I was in 2005. I want that excited - anything can happen - feeling back.

So I have been reading blogs. Blogs give me hope and keep me motivated. I don't feel alone anymore. There are so many great blogs with so many different strategies, ideas, recipes and so on. I could browse blogs all night long. It keeps me busy and it motivates me.

I also wrote a list of my "excuses" that I have been using to not get serious again. Then I wrote a counter to each one. It was a good exercise. I wrote the truth about each excuse. The truth is that I want to get back down to that normal BMI and back to that level of fitness. I want to get a little lower than that this time and then stay there. The truth is that I can do it. The truth is that it is not that hard. The truth is that I did it before.

So, no more excuses. I have a goal, I have a plan, I have my mother coming next week (yikes) and the holidays ahead but there is NOTHING that HAS to stand in my way. In fact, I can turn it all to the good. I can be that much happier on Thanksgiving if I don't go into that day (and it is only ONE DAY) feeling already bloated and defeated. I can wake up that day feeling lean on the inside from having some sane eating under my belt. I can wake up that morning with that excited - anything can happen - feeling. I can take a long morning hike with the dog and have healthy indulgences that don't leave me with remorse. And so on...

More will be revealed.

The Joys of Hiking and Having a Plan

I was only going to hike an hour today but I ended up hiking two hours and 5.5 miles because it was such a beautiful day for hiking and it felt so good. This hike has some high climbing which makes for a very good workout, plus some scenic spots to take a short rest. The weather was warmer than I expected. I am looking forward to the colder days. I love warm, cozy clothes and fires in the fireplace! I have decided to limit food intake to 12-1500 calories a day this next week, high on the lean protein and as low as possible on the sugar and no junk. My life is feeling much more balanced and I can pay more attention to food choices and simplify my meals. I can use a zero tolerance attitude again and reap the benefits of doing so. I have gotten into the habit of giving in easily and putting off "getting serious" and the result is a fluctuation without ever getting back down and staying in the range where I feel best. If I want to do that I need to make it a priority, be true to myself and just DO IT. I know how. My body feels so good after a nice long strenuous hike. And I feel so good mentally and emotionally when I stick to a higher protein, low to no sugar food program packed with natural whole foods. I feel calm, confident, stable and hopeful. So this week I am committed to blogging every day before bed to stay accountable and celebrate my success! That's the Plan.

Quick Post

I have had trouble with my wireless signal so I have not been on the internet. The picture that I posted last week was from a scenic drive I took with my Mom last weekend. This weekend I went back to that same area and hiked in the bluffs overlooking the river. Have had some great walks and hikes with the dog in the fall weather.