Dog FOOD and Exercise

How would you feel if you carried around four 20-pound bags of dog food all day? DOG TIRED! 2 years ago, I used to weigh 80 pounds more and that’s how I felt. Run down. Exhausted.

Now I feel marvelous. Did I take a quick-fix pill or follow a fad diet? No, I just ate less and exercised more. That’s the only thing that really works.

Now that Beth is off to England, I’m getting back to business. I have 30 more pounds to go. It’s time to get busy.

I’m tweaking my exercise routine.

-- Monday and Wednesday, I’m on the treadmill.
-- Tuesday and Thursday, I take Pilate’s. It’s not as tough as last fall. I’m improving … slowly. When we’re on the mats, I can even touch my feet to the floor above my head. Not bad for 55.
-- Then (weather permitting), I’m walking 4 miles a day on Saturday and Sunday.
-- I get Fridays off. (I LOVE FRIDAYS!)

I want to push myself further on the treadmill.
First 5 minutes … 15% incline … 3.7 mph
Second 5 minutes … 15% incline … 3.8 mph
Third 5 minutes … 14% incline … 3.9 mph
Fourth 5 minutes … 14% incline … 4 mph
Fifth minutes … 13% incline … 4.1 mph
Last 5 minutes … 13% incline … 4.2 mph

Not bad for someone who used to be ready to die at 3 mph on the flat.


Tuesday, August 18, 2009

FAT Perceptions: The size of my thighs


Body image. You have a mental picture of how you look, but how often is it accurate? Before I lost weight, I knew I was heavy. Mirrors are everywhere. I knew I’d look better minus the fat. I knew … or thought I did. But the first time I actually stepped on the scales and saw how bad it was … yeah, that I didn’t know.

Now I am 72 pound lighter. Compared to January of 2008, I look A LOT better, but I’m still 53 pound over the very highest healthy weigh for my height. In other words, pretty damn chubby.

Daylight hasn’t seen this much of my skin in decades. That’s not an exaggeration. The last time I was a size 14, was before my daughter was born. She’s 20.

I used to wear skirts down to my mid to lower calf. I ALWAYS hid my upper arms. I wore loose clothes, because I didn’t want to show my rolls. (Icky, right?)

Now I’m coming out, but is it too much? I have no idea. I sit at my desk and look down at my thighs. Again, pretty damn chubby. Knee length skirts don’t stay knee length when you sit. The whole thing is a work in progress.

This is not the Biggest Loser. I am not trying to diet fast. I am trying to change … to not just loose the fat, but to get in habits that will keep it off. The best-case scenario is I have another year to goal. I have time to figure it all out.

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