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!
Showing posts with label self care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self care. Show all posts
August 14, 2009
October 2, 2008
Dealing With The Stress
The ups and downs at work continues. It appears that perhaps the end of all the unknowing is around the corner. Time will tell. The end of last month has turned into the middle this month, but then again....the first of the week is now Friday, so maybe the middle of the month is really November 7th... or even later. I know, it makes no sense, and I can't be more specific.
In the meantime, I go from day to day, thinking I am going to be able to wait this thing out, then swinging to doubting if the deal is going to be enough soon enough.
Mostly, I am somewhere in the middle, and handling pretty well…mostly...I think. Probably one would get a better, and more objective, opinion from Wonderful Guy. I might really be freaking out. I don’t know.
I know this. I am not obsessing about the need to know the future like I have done in the past. I am trying to work each day as if…as if I knew everything was going exactly like it needed to be. As if it was all going to turn out exactly like it needed to be.
I am trying to do that, not always 100% successful, but working at it. It’s a better place to be than continually worrying about things I can do nothing about. Better to take the steps I can take, to do the things I feel led to do, ask the questions to find out the facts I need, then make the decisions that are right for me, regardless of what is right for others.
Mostly.
In the meantime, I go from day to day, thinking I am going to be able to wait this thing out, then swinging to doubting if the deal is going to be enough soon enough.
Mostly, I am somewhere in the middle, and handling pretty well…mostly...I think. Probably one would get a better, and more objective, opinion from Wonderful Guy. I might really be freaking out. I don’t know.
I know this. I am not obsessing about the need to know the future like I have done in the past. I am trying to work each day as if…as if I knew everything was going exactly like it needed to be. As if it was all going to turn out exactly like it needed to be.
I am trying to do that, not always 100% successful, but working at it. It’s a better place to be than continually worrying about things I can do nothing about. Better to take the steps I can take, to do the things I feel led to do, ask the questions to find out the facts I need, then make the decisions that are right for me, regardless of what is right for others.
Mostly.
January 25, 2008
TGIF
So glad it’s Friday. It’s been an unusual week for me, and I prefer my quietude and routine!
That’s ironic.
Not so long ago, my life was crazy wild and too, too busy. And not so much in a good way. I spent all my time and energy doing everything I thought I needed to for everyone else, and I didn’t know it should be any other way. Some of it I needed to do as a mother, and I don’t regret nor resent those efforts. I suppose some of it was necessary as a wife, too. I no doubt overdid some in that wifely role. As a minister’s wife, I always claimed I defined that role for myself (very liberated!), and took on only what I choose for myself to do. Unfortunately, I had no healthy boundaries, and that leads to unhealthy choices. So mother of 3 daughters, plus working full time, plus doing the minister’s wife thing, plus being a wife the only way I knew added up to no time for me, except for an occasional soak in the tub, behind a closed door. Then again, I didn’t know there was suppose to time for me. I felt guilty about taking time for me. I was all about giving myself and time and energy to others. Until there was nothing left, except resentment and anger when no one seemed to appreciate my sacrifices.
Not anymore. I choose what I do, then I do it gladly. Like helping the Only Step-Son. Or taking food to the recovering Middle Daughter tonight! Or the Youngest Daughter with her sewing. And I take time for myself without guilt (mostly!). No more over committing. When I took a position on a service board, I gave up hand bells. Would have been easy to be involved in both, but I knew where that would lead me. This is one lesson I have learned.
So we are closing on the end of January. It has been bitter cold this past week, and even though this weekend will be unseasonably warm, the wind will blow. It won’t be enjoyable for me to be out. With the end of this month, then the short month of February, and a trip scheduled for the end, March will soon be here, and March is almost spring! (in a snowy kind of a high altitude way.) I might be rushing time, but I am getting cabin fever, itching to garden, itching to hike, itching to ride my bike.
That’s ironic.
Not so long ago, my life was crazy wild and too, too busy. And not so much in a good way. I spent all my time and energy doing everything I thought I needed to for everyone else, and I didn’t know it should be any other way. Some of it I needed to do as a mother, and I don’t regret nor resent those efforts. I suppose some of it was necessary as a wife, too. I no doubt overdid some in that wifely role. As a minister’s wife, I always claimed I defined that role for myself (very liberated!), and took on only what I choose for myself to do. Unfortunately, I had no healthy boundaries, and that leads to unhealthy choices. So mother of 3 daughters, plus working full time, plus doing the minister’s wife thing, plus being a wife the only way I knew added up to no time for me, except for an occasional soak in the tub, behind a closed door. Then again, I didn’t know there was suppose to time for me. I felt guilty about taking time for me. I was all about giving myself and time and energy to others. Until there was nothing left, except resentment and anger when no one seemed to appreciate my sacrifices.
Not anymore. I choose what I do, then I do it gladly. Like helping the Only Step-Son. Or taking food to the recovering Middle Daughter tonight! Or the Youngest Daughter with her sewing. And I take time for myself without guilt (mostly!). No more over committing. When I took a position on a service board, I gave up hand bells. Would have been easy to be involved in both, but I knew where that would lead me. This is one lesson I have learned.
So we are closing on the end of January. It has been bitter cold this past week, and even though this weekend will be unseasonably warm, the wind will blow. It won’t be enjoyable for me to be out. With the end of this month, then the short month of February, and a trip scheduled for the end, March will soon be here, and March is almost spring! (in a snowy kind of a high altitude way.) I might be rushing time, but I am getting cabin fever, itching to garden, itching to hike, itching to ride my bike.
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Needles of Iron
