Middle Age Metabolism

A year ago, we bought new bathroom scales. Wonderful Guy determined he needed a more accurate reading than my old fashioned scales gave in their relative approximation. Relative approximation worked just fine for me. Relative approximation was...friendly.

The shiny new digital scales were decidedly unfriendly to me. This new evil thing came into our home and was set up in the evening after a dinner out. I stood on the screaming mean beast to see that it was working, after it was all programmed (programmed!) and…

Oh. My.

The reading was more than my old friendly scales had ever told me I had weighed. This was beyond being comfortable with who I was and where I was at age-wise. All rationalization aside, this trend had to be stopped.

I cannot tell you all what I did differently or changed. I continued to exercise 5-6 days a weeks pretty vigorously, walking, bicycling, either in (stationary bike/elliptical) or out, for at least 30-45 minutes. Often longer. And I know what ‘they’say, but I had picked up eating breakfast as part of ‘healthy start’ to my day. I had not done that before, and I dropped that now, returning to past habit.

I quit eating cottage cheese at lunch, which I had been having only ¼ cup every day. I cut out the evening snackage, almost completely. Not all, but by and large, I seldom eat after finishing dinner. And I watch my portions. I seriously watch my portions. I quit eating when I was full. I tried to eat at home whenever possible, avoiding eating out. When I was out, I didn’t order when I wasn’t hungry, just because the opportunity was there. And I didn’t eat everything in sight.

Somehow this all added up. Or subtracted off, as it were. I noticed I dropped some pounds. And I continued to drop through Spring. Mostly.

I have reached a plateau that I have been at for months. It seems this is going to be my weight and I can live with it. I thought I would like to loose a few more, but mostly because that would make it a round number, and I like the tidiness of that. This has resulted in a whole lot of clothes fitting me better (older clothes I hung on to) and a lot of others being just a bit too big (which are now dried in the dryer).

But this plateau? It takes work! Always with the portion control. Consistent with the exercise. And vigilance. I will gain a pound or two just. Like. That.

If I drink a couple of glasses of milk? (2% - that was another change I made about 4 years ago, use to always – ALWAYS drink whole milk….I love milk!) That will do it.

Scarf down some rolls with butter with a meal when out? Might as well just tuck them into the waist band.

Drink a margherita? (And I just love a good Margie.) Well, I will be wearing Lake Superior in water wgt the next morning…2 lbs easy. Seriously.

Talking to an old college friend a few months back, she said ‘remember when, if we wanted to lose a couple pounds, we would just skip lunch?’

Not anymore, girlfriend. Not anymore.

And with this week's commuting, I have a total of 470 miles on the bike for the summer. For a total of 17,000 calories. The math of middle age metabolism is way off!