Had a great time skiing. Spent hours and hours on the slopes and was not sore!

Days Left:592 (no change)

While I was away for the weekend, I read the best article on weight loss that I have read in a really long time. It used a company with a really high rate of turnover and how a CEO handled it as a metaphor. It identified 3 things to be successful in a weight loss journey.

Days Left:592 (countdown on hold for now)

The article talked about a company being in business for 30 years but continually losing its best employees. The CEO criticized the employees and said they are stupid and weak for leaving. However, the carpet was stinky, the desks were broken etc...

Basically it was saying dieter aren't the problem; it is the process.

Want to know the first thing the article listed?

Days Left:592 (countdown on hold for now)

The first thing the article listed was exercise. I was particularly happy to see this because it is the only thing I have been successful at lately.

Days Left:592 (countdown on hold for now)

With regards to exercise, the article specifically mentioned something called the catching point. Supposedly at that time, food preferences will change and metabolic activity is better. I would like to think I have reached that point. However, I cannot say my food preferences have changed. I do think within the last couple of weeks something has changed. My heart rate drops fairly quickly when exercising. This is a good sign for cardiac fitness.

Want to know the next thing list in the article? Great! I will share that tomorrow...

Days Left:592 (countdown to resume on April 1)

The second thing the article listed was getting enough and good quality sleep. I do think that sleep is underrated for its impact on weight loss. The article specifically highlighted that good quality sleep helps one avoid the energy seeking diet. That has been one of my biggest issues. Eating because I want more energy.

Getting to bed at a reasonable time was one of my daily mini goals. I tracked four daily mini goals for years and stopped doing it in February without a conscience thought. Such a frustrating thing, the ability to go back to old habits in the blink of an eye.

One more "scientifically backed" thing for losing weight....

Days Left:592 (countdown to resume on April 1)

Hi, came across your post. I am encouraged by your determination in losing weight. Your weight lose journey is incredible.

The last thing in the article is no surprise- diet. Although it had a bit of a twist. It didn't recommend a particular way of eating. It said that once the first two items are in check (fitness/sleep), the diet will naturally change to a nutrient dense seeking diet rather than an energy seeking one.

I've got number 1 (exercise) covered. I need to get better sleep though.

Days Left:592 (countdown to resume tomorrow)

Here is title of the article in case anyone wants to look it up to read it for themselves. The article was from 2018 but I just came across it recently. If I saw it in 2018, I am sure I read it then too- LOL! I am going skiing again this weekend.

3 research-based things a doctor says should be part of your weight loss efforts

Days Left:592 (Happy Early April Fool's Day- I was off a day. Countdown to resume tomorrow (for real))

Ah, time to come clean and tally up the damage. I am up 4 pounds from my currently posted side bar. In a minute I will change my current weight from -28 pounds to -24 pounds. For my current weight I use my 'official' weight. If I have seen the weight at least twice during my weekly weigh-in, it becomes official. At least this is true when I am losing weight. When I am gaining, I really drag my feet on changing my official weight. I am 6 pounds up from my unofficial monthly weight. My monthly weight is just whatever weight I see on the last or first day of the month. If they are different, I just use the one that best fits my mood. I will also decide if I should change my ten pound incremental loss notes.

This is so tough. I worked really hard to get to 30 pounds down and it was a real milestone for me personally. For three months, I really had intended to work even harder but it all backfired on me. Looking to get my stuff together to continue losing weight.

As of today and if I can stick to my plan, I have 644 days left on my journey. In theory, I will be at my goal weight on January 5, 2023.

If I had been able to stay on my journey, I would only have 420 days left and at my goal weight on May 26, 2022.

Time for me to put up my "Gone Skiing" sign until I return in a few days.

639....

Skiing went well and I bought a season pass for next season. It was so warm skiing and the temperature was in the sixties (F). The ski place has a cafeteria and a restaurant. This go around I ordered from the restaurant more. I could get the option of fresh fruit rather than a mountain of fries as a side.

638....

I know it seems like I am really focused on my weight. However, my true goal is to be healthier and losing weight is the key to improving my health. I know I will never be 95 lbs again which is fine. I am no spring chicken- LOL. Getting healthier is really important to me and I am really frustrated with myself for not being more successful at achieving this goal.

Remember how I said I was going to regroup and try harder. Yeah, me too. Am I doing it? Not really - sigh....

I am still showing up at the gym and ice rink though. In a typical week, I spend 6 hours walking, 1.3 hours on the elliptical and 1 hour ice skating. If I could only stop eating candy and cookies!



Exercise
Calorie Deficit

637...

Only cookies today- no candy. A victory? Who knows.

I went ice skating again today. On Tuesday, I did 25 laps and had the entire rink to myself. Having the rink solo is a side effect of the pando. Part of me feels really guilty for enjoying it. Today I did 20 laps and was really short on time. 20 laps is my goal. So Tuesday was a bonus! The most I've done recently was 40 laps.

So I use to ice skate a lot when I was younger. About ten years ago, I stopped skating because my skates really hurt. My skates have a custom modification for me because my feet are deformed. So, trying other skates was not an option and I just stopped skating. About three years ago, I decided I really wanted to skate again. I would go to the rink with one goal- not to get hurt. I am really slow at healing. If I injured myself, it would be a long road back.

The very first visits, I would only do one lap. I literally had to pull myself along the boards to do the lap. Eventually, I was able to no longer depend on sides of the rink and would gradually add one more lap each time. Just before the pando hit, I was at roughly 12 laps per visit. When I was doing so few laps, the staff at the rink were really kind. They either let me in for free or would charge me the junior rate. It was much appreciated. Even though the cost was not very high, $8, it was hard to spend that for a mere five minutes on the ice.

Exercise
Calorie Deficit

636...

Well, I was wrong. I had a couple of little extra snacks today thinking these won't hurt my progress. They did- double lie to myself. One, the snacks weren't so little. Two, they hurt my progress. Damage done. This is a new minute and I am trying to stop the slide.

Exercise
Calorie Overage

635....

It was a candy and doughnut day. That is to say, it was a day of bad, bad dietary choices. I'll face the music on the scale tomorrow. I solemnly swear to eat more veggies tomorrow!


Exercise
Calorie Overage