200.0

I hate to admit that

a) I had gotten back over 200 pounds.

b) I've been weighing almost every day this week.

Now that the swelling is going down, I am gradually losing the weight I worked off last week!  Today was so cool, because the scale said exactly 200.0 

I hope it never does again! 

Qualog

I commented on a blog and the word verification was "qualog."  Sounds like something nasty and fat. A cross between a warthog and a beached whale.  About how I feel about myself.

Google reveals this definition:
Qualitative research has tremendous potential for breaking new ground in gerontological research. QUALOG, a qualitative analysis program using logic programming and computer support, has been developed. This article describes how QUALOG was utilized to analyze data from a qualitative study of older adult learners.

Google images reveals that it means something in Vietnam.

 

Here is my version, and it's what I don't want to be anymore!

Weekly Update, Slimmer this Summer

I went to camp. I didn't take my pedometer but I wished I had. I forgot that part of my commitment.

I walked. and walked. and walked. Over and over again, until finally Thursday night I couldn't walk to the bathrooms one more time.  I got into my car and drove to a nearby campground with a bathroom with a parking lot attached.  Two leaders quickly joined me, and two of the girls didn't mind a ride either.

When I went later (I always take two bathroom stops at night!) one of the girls offered to be my buddy. She thought it was a fun secret that we slipped over to the "flush toilets" in the car.

I found out tonight that our young women's president (an adult in her 60's) was driving over there every night all week!  I also found out she had blisters from Monday on, which I could have been treating for her with my handy moleskin and lidocaine antiseptic wash.

She's not a whiner.  Sometimes it pays to be a whiner.

When it came time to volunteer to go on hikes with the girls--and this was only Tuesday-- we sat and waited for a short hike to be announced. Passed on the three miler, then on the five miler, then another three. We had heard there were one and a half mile hikes for some of the girls. Then they announced that they needed a few leaders to stay back at the shelter and put up a volleyball net. Our hands shot up!  Best of all, a couple of the men stayed back, and they did the net for us!

Note to self: all this walking was a good start. Keep it up.  

Did I mention that I hurt everywhere and my feet were swollen up Friday night and Saturday?  I went to bed every night of camp with incredible pain in my legs, and two nights I gave up and took a muscle relaxant and ibuprofen.  I had to sleep somehow.

Anyway, I wish I knew how far I had walked. 

With all that, I did lose weight. 0.4 lbs.  Maybe it'll be a little better tomorrow. I think I still have a tiny bit of swelling in my feet, and who knows where else. I did not log my food but I should have because I know I ate too much. However I think I also used up all that energy and then some.  I was so tired by the time we went home on Friday that I ran a red light, took a wrong turn, missed a mailbox by inches, and started crying (fortunately after I dropped off all the girls.)

Yoga, anyone?  Right after another nap.

Daily Health Challenge

I signed up for a Daily Health Challenge at meyouhealth.com

It's an awesome way to become aware of little things we can do to promote our healthy lifestyle.  The challenges are easy and fun!  You earn different pictures as you go through the levels. I'm going to show you just a couple for a hint.

If you sign up, or if you already are signed up, please find me and connect with me!  (Lynn F)

YoYo

Um, yeah,  I regained it all, and then some. In one week! 

I've let down with trying to get some other things done but this week should be a turning point. I'm going to camp with teenage girls for 5 days. That's a lot of walking! 

My biggest mistake this week was eating a couple of times when I wasn't really hungry. But food was there and I forced it down.  ugh! 

Onward!

Dental Chair Workout

Unconsciously tense your whole body. Become aware of it. Consciously relax and breathe deeply. Repeat endlessly.

The dentist told me to eat soft foods after getting prepped for two crowns.  What a challenge that can be!  Baby carrots, out. Nuts, out.  Frozen chocolate chips, out.  Bubble gum, out.  Well, that gets rid of two vices.  Salad, croutons, seeds, etc.  All gone.

I can chew but it is tiring to chew all on one side.  Too many soft foods are sweets, like yogurt, pudding, jello, applesauce, canned fruits, etc.  I am thinking of steamed carrots, potato soup, chili, and lots of pureed fruit or smoothies.

Any other helpful ideas?

Raspberry Lemonade

A tasty, nutritious summer drink:

In a 16-18 oz. glass:

3/4 cup frozen raspberries
splash of lemon juice or lime juice
several drops of Stevia extract
Fill with plain water or seltzer water. Stir and enjoy!

Help! Cheeeesy Potatoes!

Saturday I had a party at my house, so we decided to go out to dinner so we wouldn't mess up the kitchen.  We picked Ruby Tuesday, a midwest chain, because we had a coupon there.

I decided on a small steak, but the side choices were cheesy potatoes and broccoli. All I could see was fat fat fat, and I eat broccoli at home all the time. Then the waitress said we could choose any sides we wanted.

I ordered Grilled Zucchini and Tomato with Vinaigrette. Then I traded a couple of slices of tomato for a few of my husband's sugar snap peas. It was beautiful on the plate and tasted pretty good too. I wasn't very hungry, so I saved about half the steak and zucchini.  My husband didn't finish off his rice pilaf so we stuck it in a box with the rest of my food.

This made the perfect balanced lunch for Sunday.

Unfortunately, I think I drank 500 calories of sparkling apple juice at the party!

Here's the recipe for inexpensive sparkling apple juice:
1 can frozen apple juice (12 oz.)
3 cans seltzer water
Makes about 48 oz. sparkling juice.

I guess the other ladies liked it too, because I had three bottles of flavored soda, and they drank about a third of the bottle of strawberry soda, and about 3 quarts of the sparkling juice.

The sparkling juice can be done with club soda, but I cut out extra salt wherever I can and I like the purer flavor of the seltzer water. It's good with cranberry and other juice flavors too.

I only had one small plate of snacks at the party, plus a little extra fruit, not filling up and practically making a second dinner out of it as I have been prone to do.  Yay for me!

Slimmer This Summer: Week 1 in Review

Well, I food-logged, most of the time. Some people call it flogging, but that sounds like punishment. I decided to call it my Fairy Log.  Food + Diary.  That way I am continuing to employ fitness fairies in my behalf!

I lost 0.8 lb. It's a little bit.  The biggest change I made is that I am consciously trying to eat more vegetables.  Last night instead of natural sugar cake (the only sweets I can eat really) I went for a handful of baby carrots with low fat sour cream. 

I am also examining my vitamin routines and trying to make sure I don't miss any doses, after a really tough week. So that may be my main focus next week, besides vegetables.  I need some energy!

Wrong Blog Title

Have you ever met someone sick who is also overweight, and thought, "If they'd lose weight I bet they'd feel better?"

I have to admit, I have been guilty of that, back in my slim days. I have a chronic illness that started about 20 years ago. I've had it when I was slim, and I have had it through the onset of middle age spread.

Yes, I would probably feel better if I lost weight. I wish it was that easy.  It's so hard to stick to goals when I am so exhausted I can barely get out of bed. It's hard to eat right when cooking takes more effort than I can consider.

I stocked up the fridge with salad stuff, vegetables, and fruits yesterday, when I somehow found the energy to go to the grocery store.  Hopefully that will help. I can microwave a bowl of broccoli in five minutes, a piece of salmon in 3 minutes, and peel a cucumber or a banana with little effort. It's still easier to just grab chips, salsa, and sour cream.  But I am trying!

I know people say exercise helps with depression and creating energy, but with chronic fatigue, or fibromyalgia, whichever this is, (and no one really knows) it is sometimes more than I can do in a day.

I did not set out to whine, really.  I think maybe this blog title should be different, because I'm not sure fitness is really a possibility for me any more.  I have never been a quitter, but I have sure become a "slow-downer."  If I pace myself I get very little done. If I feel good and don't pace myself I get a lot done, for a day, and then nothing for several days.

So maybe I should call it "Surviving at 50."  Or Fifty and Fibro.  I just don't want to give up altogether.  Something is broken in me and I don't know how to fix it.  All the vitamins, the sleep apnea treatment, the anti-depressant, the prayer, they help but they don't fix it.

I'm not looking for help or suggestions, I just want to whine.  I am going to talk to my doctor in July about whether there are tests for other glands besides thyroid, like the adrenals etc. and see what we can learn.  Like I said, I'm not a quitter. I'm just discouraged right now. Bear with me. When I come out of this blue funk I'll go for a walk. Or, more likely, even before that.

Day 3

I was determined to get in a workout but running out of time. Anthony and I had agreed to clean the living room and he came in ready to do it just when I was ready to put on the dvd.  What to do?

I worked with him on it until he left for work, then quit and put the dvd on. I thought I would have time for my mile with Leslie and then a quick shower before going to an activity with the girls.

It was later than I thought, and...I forgot that the easier dvd's are longer, and the doorbell rang just as I started to stretch.  Good thing this wasn't a dressy party! 

 And by the way, that's a sugar-free Dilly Bar from Dairy Queen. It tasted a lot like an Eskimo Pie. Remember those?

Photo by my friend Kaydi.

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.