You Can Call Me Madcat!

I just wanted to write this somewhere because it’s proof of some sort of change, and I can’t be boring total strangers on the street with it.

I’ve been switching up workouts and doing some time on the treadmill at least once a week. Today I did 30 minutes -two minutes jogging at no incline followed by two minutes walking on an incline as repeated intervals. Ok, to say I’m jogging is really an insult to serious joggers or runners - it’s really a fast shuffly joggy-walk - but the point is what I realized today. A few months ago I did this same interval thing and when checking my heartrate at the end of the jog intervals it would be around 150. Now in those intervals my heart rate tops out in the high 130s or low 140s, and comes back down very fast in the walk interval.

I’m not signing up for the New York Marathon anytime soon, but it shows progress. And progress is good.

Maybe my best approach to this blogging thing is at least try to post on my weekly weigh-in days. I don’t seem to be very good trying to post more often than that. No excuses. It just is what it is.

Weigh-in this morning was 182. That is a total of 8 lbs since I rejoined Weight Watchers on September 9, 2009. So I am averaging about a lb a week. Last time I lost a bunch of weight (oh, kids, there is always a last time at my age) I averaged about a lb a week so I feel I am right on track.
I’ve been averaging 4 days at the gym – between Monday to Friday. If I can, I get there on day on the weekend as well, but sometimes life interferes. This past week I was planning to go on Sunday but ended up hemming drapes for the bedroom instead. Of course, in the bigger scheme of things probably being able to get a good night’s sleep because the drapes block out the huge lights from the construction crane across the road that shine Directly In My Eyes was probably the better use of my time.

A friend even asked me if I was losing weight last night. I haven’t noticed a difference, but it’s nice that someone has.

I won’t say this has been easy, but it also has been less difficult than I have anticipated. I’m wondering why and I have a few thoughts. One is that there is no idea of cheating on this journey. I have to take responsibility for what I eat and why. For example, there is a BIG drawer of Hallowe’en candy a few feet from my desk at work. Last week I looked at them, read the back label, and decided that 2 WW points was really too much for a treat. If they had been 50 calories or less I probably would have had one, but 2 points was too much. Yesterday I did decide to have one, an Almond Joy, and it was overwhelmingly, sickeningly sweet. Now I don’t have any urge to have more. Of course, if someone were to offered me Cheesies I would suggest they pull their hand back fast or they might lose a finger or two. The thing is that even if I wanted them - and I’m just waiting for the craving to go – I would just have some (and only some), take the points hit and move on.

There is freedom in having no forbidden foods.

Tomorrow I am off to my Doctor’s for the results from last month’s physical. Here’s hoping that everything is just peachy. Note to self. I have to remember to order the first dose of my Twinrex vaccine and have the nurse inject me while I’m there.

Darn cold one today. The wind has picked up and the last vestige of Indian summer is gone. Sigh. I like fall, but this is damp cold fall that I’m not that fond of.

We were out for Thanksgiving/ October birthday dinner last night. It was a potluck and every dish was absolutely fabulous. I took some Weight Watchers recipe roasted potatoes. There was lamb and a great leek dish and vegetable soup and a seafood salad. I had eaten very lightly so I didn’t feel too bad about indulging. Something I had, however, had a very adverse affect on my stomach though and I couldn’t really sleep well.

I am back on track today and am going to eat within my base points only (I know I am, because I’ve already written them all down).

Tomorrow is weigh in day and it would be nice to see a number less than 184. Last week I was up two pounds because of water gain and some poor choices, but those pounds are gone. It would be nice to be less than that.

I didn’t go to the gym this morning because I thought that my mammogram appointment was this morning and I wanted to make up some time – but it turns out the test is actually tomorrow. This is what happens when you give me a Monday off for a holiday, I get very confused. So I had a free day with no meetings or anything. I would have liked to go to the gym, as usual this morning, but it’s not a bad thing if I miss a day when I had two good workouts on two of the three days of the long weekend. I was also shocked how packed the gym was yesterday. I suspect it was people paying for their turkey indulgences form the days before.

I’m having a hard time finding time to post here. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just haven’t quite figured out the timing. I’m posting my exercise and my eating on WW online, so at least that is getting done daily. Posting really is the single most useful thing I have been doing. I find myself actually calculating how many points a snack would be before I actually have it and many times it has helped me to walk away from the chocolate :).

I also find it incredibly helpful to post my dinner plans in the morning (if I know what they are) in order to see what to have for lunch. I seem to have more control over lunch and I also like to be able to have something other than salad for dinner because I have run out of points.

I went for a bike ride yesterday and I suspect that it might be the last ride of the season for me (unless it is warmer today). It was really cold and windy and not really a lot of fun. I’m not one of these tough “ride through winter” types. I think I’ll go to the gym today, since the gym is open for holiday hours.

Tonight we’re going to friends for a Thanksgiving/ October birthday dinner potluck dinner. We bought cake yesterday and I’m making roast new potatoes from a Weight Watchers recipe. I will eat lightly today to leave myself some points for tonight. The online tools are good for that.

I saw 183 on the scale this morning after being stuck at 184 since the beginning of the month. That’s progress.