Hold those abs!

I made a pretty new skirt and had T take some pictures. I didn't like the way they looked, so I had him count to three and pulled my abs as tight as possible.  The result, below, is hilarious.  Here's incentive to keep working my goals, anyway!

Slimmer This Summer

I'm joining Angela Pea at Keeping the Faith,  Debbie at Debbie Does Dieting, and many others in the "Slimmer This Summer" challenge. I'm starting late but here goes.

Basic plan:

1. Blog our goals!! 

a) Exercise:  My initial goal is just to walk daily without beating myself up, wear a pedometer and record total miles. 

b) Watch my food intake, recording it daily, and hope to lose at least 5 pounds by the end of 11 1/2 weeks.  

c) Drink the minimum 1/2 gallon of water daily, plus herb teas and limited fruit juice.

d) Measurements? Weight? I'd like to lose at least one dress size, take the elastic in on all my skirts, and lose at least 5 pounds. I know muscle tone makes a big difference to my size and how I look.

2. Tracking and journaling is essential. Besides the daily food track, I will update my progress weekly on  my blog. I'll link it up to the challenge.

3. Don't quit!  No winners or losers. If I have a bad week, I'll get over it and get back on track. That's what I'm here for, to stay on track!   Challengers should have fun with this. 

4. Support other challengers. I'll comment on at least two other blog posts each week. 

Real Age

I took the Real Age quiz and I am 55.5!  Today I feel more like 85.

Seriously, that's gotta change. I have good health habits overall, except for that diet/exercise bit.

But we walked yesterday, twice as far as I did the last time, which still isn't very far. The main thing is to get back into the daily habit and work up from there.

We saw fireflies!  We had to call our 22-year-old son to come out and see because he has never seen them before.  They don't live very far west of the Mississippi, so we didn't have them in Utah.

One landed on the porch while I was watering my flowers and I got to get a close-up look at it. It would lift its wings a tiny bit and glow like crazy.  After a while the light died down, I guess because it was sitting still for a while, and it just looked like any other bug. 

Image from Wikipedia.    In case you want to know more.

Does This Make Me Look Fat?

We were at the fabric store and I found one of those pre-made panels with an elastic waist that you sew into a skirt. This one was really cute, so I wrapped it around me, and asked my sweet husband the terrible question: "Does this make me look fat?"

Of course he was the good husband and said something wonderful  --  not! No, indeed! He was the honest husband and said yes!  So I was surprised, but I laughed and gave him a second chance, saying "Well, of course, everything makes me look fat because I am. But does this make me look fatter?"

So now, he decides to say no! Way not to dig yourself out of a bad comment. I threatened to hit him over the head with the bolt of fabric. Probably would have, but he was in too deep!

Too bad about all that; it was a cute skirt and probably would have looked fine on me but I can't buy it now!  It makes me look fat!

Size Lament

I've been thinking about losing weight, but I've got some cute clothes now and I really don't like shopping, especially more than once in a season. So, I got an idea. I'll sew! I can make some cute, elastic waist skirts. One pattern, several designs and fabrics. Cute, easy, inexpensive. When I lose weight I can just tighten the elastic.   

I found two patterns I really like, and the one above is even on sale! 

 

This one is only $3.99.  There's a fabric store that carries them less than a mile from here. 

So, I clicked on the link to look at a size chart and about went into shock.

Size 22-24?  But I wear an 18! This is not wishful thinking--all my clothes in 16-18 fit me!  So what's up with a 22-24?  

Just to feel better, I went to a local department store website and this is what I found:

Okay, now I wear an 18-20.  That's getting better.

But at a Woman's "plus size store" I found this chart: and I'm 16W.

Now, if I sew can I really follow their size chart?  Or will I end up with a huge skirt?  Oh the frustration!   I don't know what I will do now.  Make one, I guess, and play it by ear from there.

I QUIT!

I quit! I quit exercising, watching my intake, doing much of anything. I basically became a lump on the chair, for most of the winter.

and now I am paying the price. I am just as tired, hurt just as much, if not more, am close to that big 200 on the scale, and sick of myself.

Today I walked to the grocery, less than a mile round-trip, and I was aching by the time I got home. I get short of breath and my heart pounding with a little exertion but I think I have a respiratory infection. My chest feels all clogged. Down deep, down below the throat it feels yucky.

I guess I need to see a doctor--and then start seeing exercise as a medical necessity.  That's what got me out the door to the grocery; I needed to pick up a prescription and some stamps.  Too bad I can't pay for a gym membership with my Health Savings Account. 

When I got there, the Rx wasn't ready, so I get to go again tomorrow.  Another excuse to walk.  Maybe I'll go find a doctor too and see what I can do about this icky cloggy feeling.

I'd Walk a Mile...

You can see how out of shape I've gotten--again! I look fat! But I'm trying again!   Wait--I'm still in denial! Why is it so hard to say "I am fat." ??  I realized I said "I look fat!" 

Saturday we went to one of our city's many park trails. This one is exactly a mile long, with increments of 0.10 miles marked. It has "fitness stations" along the way--a pull-up bar, balance beam, sit-ups ramp, and so forth. Some of them are missing, but I at least tried the ones that are there.

It was a perfect day in the city. 83 degrees, light breeze blowing--who could ask for more. Some people were really pumping it up out there, but most were strolling like us.

Trees are budding, the grass is green, and a pretty little creek/canal runs through the middle of the park.

 

I thought it would be nice to put my feet right there where the soft silt has collected, but then I thought again. The water was likely cold, the creek had litter and who knows what else in it, and it was probably mud not sand.  I just decided to imagine it instead.  I sound like an Aesop's fable of some sort; I just can't remember which one.