Monday 13 October 2008

intervention needed

Well, something terrible has happened - I don't quite know what it is...well, I know what but not how or why. I've gained EIGHT POUNDS in the last month.

And to that I can only say WTF??!!??!

I have no idea why. The ONLY thing is that my bike was stolen but SURELY, SURELY I could not have been getting THAT much out of my bike rides?

I'm upset and bewildered and kind of panicky. Any encouragement would be gladly accepted right now...

As to details, I haven't changed my diet at all, except in the last week I have gone completely off bread, because I like it too much. Other than that, I am not eating ANY more than I used to.

Saturday 11 October 2008

Encouragement to MOVE!

Hey Everyone,
Today I had an email from Brenda, Susan's sister, who wanted to share what works for her. It gave me the motivation to get moving again because I know that what she said is true, so I asked her if I could post her "nudge" here. She said yes! Here it is:

I bike for 10 k. almost every day and this summer I lost 8 lbs. and I seem to be able to eat anything I want and not gain anything. Maybe what you need is some more aerobic activity? Those hills on my route really make my heart beat faster. I assume that the muscle I have developed in my legs is burning the calories. It's very freeing to not have to worry about what I eat anymore. Once the cold weather hits I plan to put the bike away and take up ice skating at the local arena.

Yes, Brenda, I do need more aerobic activity. Today I intended to take Molson out for a walk in the glorious fall sunshine, but I ended up spending a huge chunk of the day cleaning out our upright freezer and throwing out the fossilized food I found in there! It wasn't exactly aerobic, but I did lots of bending and carrying and stretching.

Wednesday 8 October 2008

Small Changes Make a Big Difference

I got tired of the wonky scale in our downstairs bathroom. It had developed digital dementia and registered random weights; sometimes many different ones within a few seconds!

"Enough!" I thought, and caved in and bought a new Weight Watchers one. It was wonderful not to see blinking, rapidly changing, numbers and not to have to weigh several times to be certain of the truth.

The new scale reads one pound less, which made me like it even more, but for the purposes of this blog I will add a pound when I report in.

On Tuesday I was 150.6. It has been a good week even without startling weight loss, because I kept in my mind as a mantra, "Being faced with the same situation you failed in and doing properly this time," only I just thought of it as doing "differently" rather than "properly."

Small changes make a big difference in the long run.

For a guaranteed smile, go to my friend Kim's fitness blog and check out her latest interview with Bonnie Grove, of Saskatchewan. Bonnie's answers are hilarious.
Fit for Faith

Friday 3 October 2008

"True repentance is being faced with the same situation you failed in, and doing properly the next time. "

I saw this definition on a great blog this morning, and while it wasn't meant in regard to healthy behaviours, I see the application and am encouraged. We keep striving to do better as we face the same situations. I love thinking of it this way. There is so much grace in this definition of repentance, as well as healing.

Thursday 2 October 2008

Still Stopping the Slide

Dear Friends,
It's been a busy three weeks, but the dust is settling and here I am again.

I must confess that the week after I had a bout with a stomach bug and was down to 149.8, I didn't want to confess that once I stopped having the runs as often, I was back up to 152.8. The two weeks since then I have been 151.8, and this week I'm slowly edging down. Maybe next Tuesday I will have something more inspiring to report in terms of weight loss, but the real battle isn't on the scale at all, but in my head.

I was talking to Libby this morning about that; how we seem to hit an invisible barrier that is hard to get beyond. If I really want to get beyond where I am, icecream, high fat cookies, pie and chocolate bars, cannot be part of my every day life and I have to ask myself which I want more, because I can't have both. I do want to shed the 10 pounds that represent icecream, cookies and chocolate. A day every now and then, even once a week, where that rule is broken, won't upset 6 days of a healthier pattern. Can I do it? Do I really want to? Or am I just fooling myself and content to stay as I am.

At this moment at least, I really want to. I can only take it moment by moment and try to make choices that are consistent with my goal, knowing that it will take a lifetime of living this way to stay where I want to be once I get there. So I'm trying. And I'm drinking more water after talking to Libby, who tells me that it really does make a difference.

Shan, I gave up the push ups. How are you doing? I would like to try again; I haven't done a lot of walking either. I do have a new time management plan that I'm working on. This may help with fitting in more exercise more faithfully.