LadyM, I am grateful for your friend and agree. I would remind you that during this time you have also received some good health news, and stress relief because of that is valid, too. Approaching the healthy habits without THAT much urgency is a wonderful gift, and I hope you don't beat yourself up because you took a little time to breathe. Please don't consider this a "false start" at all, but a reassessment time to receive a blessing, get more facts, and then begin again. You will be marvelous.
Kathryn, so right that we must make sure we are okay as a priority, not an afterthought.
Something I have not been able to express well later was said in our minister's sermon yesterday and touched me. The upshot was this - if I really understand that there will be needs, then I will improve my own ability to be able to meet those needs. So it is important for me to learn, examine, discern potential needs and then get ready - get myself ready. Anyway, it "spoke" to me that if I have intentions of being a strong future person who can help in as-yet-unforeseen difficulties, then I'd better get busy on my preparations. Even if what is someday most needed by someone younger is a good talking-to, well then, I'd better get my lung capacity up.
Today was 25 minutes of T-Tapp. I got it done early. Drank a whole pint of water during. Even though it was morning I just felt so hot. Temps are really up, and so is humidity. I had not put my hair back and I won't make that mistake for the rest of the summer - it became like an airless tent! I need a scrunchie for exercise these days!
LadyM: your restaurant experience was similar to one I nearly had. We were going out to a fancy steak place that thankfully was a chain so had the menu online. I was being 'good' so checked before hand and discovered the steak was the least calories. Not the broiled fish, but the steak! I have no idea what they coat that fish in but it was almost twice the calories. Thankfully, I caught my mistake before I went and had the steak and grilled veggies plus some of their amazing potato. I had planned for it so it was fine (and it was before I was doing lower carb.)
Did low protein today and ended the day with 50% carbs, 30% fat. Way short on protein but still within the calorie count so won't sweat it. I knew I had the calories to have pizza today and I know how much dh likes it so I decided to have it today rather than have to go over some other time. We biked up to it and ate in a park before biking to the grocery store and home.
Just finished my morning workout at the high school track. Got in two miles.
Went to my workout last night. It was killer, but I didn't wimp out. Lots of running ....200 meters at a time. Plenty of bicycle sit-up, box jumping...I am doing baby ones... And box step ups. We stretch before and after class.
I am the oldest one by far, but there is such a free feeling as I don't even consider my age while I'm in class. Love it...
Have class again tonight. Can't wait to see what's in store for me
Live Boldly, Take Risks, No Regrets...Jilliam Michaels
When the weight started to fall off me, even when I was well over my calorie intake for the day, I warned dd to watch her weight because she can't afford to lose weight.
She is doing high protein to improve the quality of her eggs (which are obviously poor since only one of twelve survived the IVF process.) But she also needs to keep her weight up since low weight in the mother also is a barrier to getting pregnant (she is about 5'1" and weighs 105.)
She's been eating higher calorie but obviously not enough because she's lost 2 lbs in the last week. So now she has to regain that and then figure out how to maintain it.
I'm down another pound for sure (I've had the same reading 3x, including once after pizza and once after breakfast.)
I did a lookup on my records and realized I still have 17 pounds to lose to get to where I was before I got hepatitis. That sure was the beginning point of all my current troubles since it not only included weight gain but also left me unable to move enough to get the weight off and the extra weight further damaged my knees. Sigh....
What can I say. Me too. Followed a link for one of the metabolic disorders, that comes by many names. Still haven't sorted out my Zn and B6 needed supplimentation.
Just begin. Living this day, today Take a reality check; Remember to breathe; Do what I am able to do. Look for the good in all.
I am getting out to jog less this week. It is a busier week. I did go Monday and Wednesday and I will go today before work if I have time, which is doubtful. I need to get the house ready for houseguests, and I'm going in to work early to talk with my supervisor.
My scale continues to show a very slow dip in my weight, though. I'll take it. I'm foraying lower into the 140s - but only first thing in the morning w/out clothes. But more importantly, I've noticed 2 more things with my increased jogging. (1) I haven't had leg or foot cramps at night for probably over a month and (2) I haven't had any budding UTIs for many months. I think I would get very mild UTIs fairly regularly in the past. I attribute these 2 improvements to consciously drinking more water as I am exercising more.
Hmmm...I've heard that adage too, Kathryn, and I think it's a bit too simplistic, actually, as you've pointed out. It's just a bit too black and white in reference to a way of ordering one's life that is not black and white at all, nor simple, nor a "one size fits all" matter. What does it really mean to put God first? I don't think it means neglecting yourself or others. I think caring for yourself and others are part of his priorities. I think putting God first means inviting him into all aspects of your life all the time, and often we invite him in to ask for help. As Harriet also pointed out, often, I think we are called to be others-oriented, and yes, (I believe) we are never called to care for others solely in our own strength. I think we do well to tend our selves in regards to all our needs, physical, spiritual, social, and emotional, etc. and to invite him into those tending processes and to rely on his strength. There are times when we need to only receive care and not worry about caring for others, as in the case of a serious illness or trauma - and that can be really hard for some people. I came to that point with the moms group last spring as I dipped toward serious burn out there, and the other women leaders in the group gladly jumped in to help me - once I expressed my need. There can also be times where a need of ours will be put on the back burner for a time as a sacrifice that is made for others. In a small way, when those women helped me, they made sacrifices by spending more time on moms group matters than they would have done otherwise. They prioritized my needs (or the group's needs) over their own. I think there are seasons of life, and God knows all this and is greater than all this.
WTG on the jogging and continued weight loss, Helia. I enjoyed your reflections on putting God first.
My running has been put on the back burner for now because I have been working so much. Since my job requires lots of physical activity, I've been gradually dropping pounds and am now very close to being at the weight I was when I got pregnant with our first child. I'm not sure what my goal weight should be though. It's tempting to keep going lower.
I also enjoyed Ramblin Rose's story about the black jeans. Wish I had saved a pair of mine to try on now. I did find a pair of non-stretch jeans which are size 2 in the back of the closet and they fit perfectly now. Love the non-scale victories!
Lynlee: I've never looked at a chart of where calories come from for Ketogenic diets. That's scary. I'm shooting for 30% fat (generally recognized as the recommended amount but looking back I was closer to 20% before), 45% carbs (before I was closer to 60%) and 25% protein (before I barely made 20%.)
My system is still twitchy enough from the gall bladder removal that too much fat makes me feel sick. I've hit that about 3x in the past 2 weeks, far more often than I normally do which makes me think that instinctively my low fat diet helped me feel healthy. So, after those bouts of not feeling well due to indiscriminate addition of fat, I'm choosing fats very cautiously and trying to only have those that further my protein goal.
The weight loss continues steadily. Yesterday I finally acknowledged another pound down since I give it 2 - 3 weigh-ins before I 'own' it, and yesterday's reading was after breakfast. Today's reading is down another pound but I won't log that until I see it multiple times. Ate a lot yesterday (over 1600 calories) but much higher protein than usual. To keep that up, I'd have to do a lot of grocery shopping, yesterday it just happened that my leftovers gave me snacks and additions to meals that upped the protein. It could have been way lower in calories and carbs if I passed on the brownie and Baked Cheetos but I felt like them so I'm guessing my body wanted simple sugars too and I had moved enough that they didn't mess negatively with my total calories in/out.
Despite protein before bed and two advil instead of one, and a heating pad, I still didn't have a good night's sleep. Counting the days until dh leaves to see if that makes a difference. Not sure what I'll do with the data if it does. In the 'olden days' he was traveling 3 - 5 months of the year without me so I had lots of time to refill my sleep bank. Now we are together almost all the time and I think that's part of the reason I'm getting so cranky - I'm just overtired. Of course, menopause could be part of it as well.
Please don't consider this a "false start" at all, but a reassessment time to receive a blessing, get more facts, and then begin again. You will be marvelous.
