It is what it is

I'm not making huge strides but I am holding my own at the slightly lower weight.   So that's a victory!    

I need to lose though!  My breakfast is light (ok ignore the pop tart that I had this morning..that's not normal) and t lunches are really healthy.   It really is my dinners that are sinking me.   And maybe not even my dinners so much.  It's the desserts that I have each night.   (Most nights!!!). If I can clean that up I could probably see results!!   

 I also know that my current 13 plus hour day is hindering me in eating healthy...in exercise...in everything.    There are some changes coming, but until then I just need to hold on!!!  

Surprisingly, I find myself driving through the neighborhoods where I have run for the last few years and I find myself super nalstalgic!   I actually really miss running! I know...shocks me too!!!!   Hopefully someday soon I can get back to that!!!

My work weeks are simply that...work eat and sleep...with a quick kiss and a hug from Jason each evening. (Like we see each other for 15 minutes or so.....and I wouldn't give up those 15 minutes for anything!!).   The weekends we spend together...and they are going well.  We have been riding a lot lately!

But with the projected cooler weather for this weekend (high of 70) we are talking about going hiking instead!!!!!   So I am somewhat active on the weekends at least!

Well then

My weight.....holding relatively steady.    It's not the lowest I saw from last week.  But it's not up where I have been stuck at for months!   So that's good!    

I've had three people tell me that it looks like I'm losing weight.   Desiree my coworker (and walking buddy), Jason who says he sees it in my face and my mom (mom's don't count though!!).   I don't see that the few pounds make that much difference but we shall go with it 

I'm enjoying the tracking free existence.  But I honestly do remain somewhat cognizant about what I'm eating.   And I try to eat mostly fruits and veggies at work!  I'm enjoying it so much that I signed up for some program (Rally) that helps with attaining health goals. And when one of the challenges was to track...I couldn't even bring myself to do it for the four weeks!!!     The Rally thing...it's through work and earns health care spending money that's out on a Visa card for me to use....very much like a healthcare spending account.  So heck yeah I'll do it!!!   But from what I see you also earn coins for your good healthy habits....and with those coins you can buy things  in an auction style format or you can use them to enter sweepstakes.   So rewards available in two formats for me.

So a simple picture from where we rode last weekend!

And RIP to my cat Ethel she was 17.5 years old.

150 calorie meal!!!

I have found a 150 calorie meal!!!   

Yeah I cracked up when I saw that on tv!!!

My weight is still dropping...slowly and steadily.  I'm not sure how or why but I'm rolling with it!

Why am I not sure????   My eating?   For breakfast I have been doing two slices of toast....or a breakfast belvita bar (or the Aldi brand version which are just as good and a fraction of the price!).   For lunch it's been 1-2 pieces of fruit while walking, and usually some pretzels or a granola bar (granola bars from Aldi's are good too!).  Dinner....had been whatever I want, and not at all caloric minded.  Seriously...a half of pizza and a half the next night.   One night I followed the pizza with some hostess mini donuts....  last night I had a half cold cut sub a bag (serving size three...oops) of cheese puffs, and some dessert (small piece of cake and this peanut butter crunch fluff stuff).  Oh and I had about 10-20 Reece's pieces at work!!  So no thought at all to eating healthy at night!!!

When I started seeing the weight come off I had this urge to attack my food.  Hello...it's been ingrained in me for so many years!   And honestly...I tracked for a day and a half! (Maybe just a day).   But I stopped again.  Tracking filled me with a sense of oppression!  I really debated long and hard about what I was doing.    And for now I'm going to ignore tracking.  The weight of doing it is bad for me right now....and something is obviously working without tracking!!!  Let's just  hope and pray it stays that way!!!!

The other change in my routine (other than work...) is that I caved and have begun to drink matcha tea in the morning.   Now let me backtrack and put it out there that I hate the taste of tea.   So I drink this stuff mixed with flavoring packs.....and I still cringe when I drink it.  But I promised to give it the hung ho go....and well...my weight is dropping.   There are reports that matcha helps boost metabolism and helps lose weight.  Hmmmmmmm. Maybe that's been the key!!!!!    I guess I will continue drinking this stuff for a while!!!!

Exercise....mainly weekend activities still.   But I have been walking on my two 15 minute breaks and my lunch break.  I've talked my coworker into adding steps to our walking routine, so we slip into the movie theater and walk up the double flight of stairs in the lobby on every break that we walk  (she complains...so I sometimes let her off the hook on the last break!).  I have also talked her into an activity for the next rainy day.   Ride the elevator to the lobby and climb up the steps to our floor!   Weee fun!   I'm not sure how long it will take us to climb up to our floor...so we will try it on our 30 minute lunch.....and if we lose steam on the way up?  The only floors we can exit onto are the floors where our badges give us entrance...the floors we work on.. or the lobby level..so if we make it half way and peter out, the only option is to keep going up or go back to the lobby.   My co-worker is desperately praying for sun!!!

 

Headway

I think I may be making headway!    Of late I have been dropping weight during the week...and then popping right back up there on the weekdays!    I figured this weekend would be no different....maybe even worse because after all it was a three day weekend!!!

Last Wednesday I was 236.4.   I was very happy with that because for months I've been stuck at 238.??  (It fluctuates but is always 238.somwthing).    I was determined to knock the weekend out of the water and maintain my 236 number and maybe even increase my weight loss. 

And then Friday happened....my co-worker and I walked on our lunch break...but instead of walking around the lake, we strolled through the shopping areas.  And we walked into the candy store.    Something called my name.

No, I didn't buy a Reece's cup pillow....but I bought some mini Reece's cups and some Reece's pieces.   I did share the cups with my coworkers and I only ate a few of the pieces (the rest are in my desk drawer!).  

It didn't get better from there.  I tried a chick-fil-a cookie,  I had Ben and Jerry's ice cream (hey we did at least split a pint), I had chips, I had mozzarella sticks, I had a subway cookie, I had more ice cream....and last night I had two Reece's cups!  It wasn't a stellar food weekend!

And I was HUNGRY all weekend...like headache level hungry!!!!

However, I guess I negated my eating with high level activity!

We went to Davis, West Virginia....

We rode bikes...

Most of the trails were a bit more technical than I was comfortable with at first.   (Obviously not the grassy area I took this picture on.).  I persevered though and I actually started to feel a bit more confident.  

And then......

Notice the tracks going off the boardwalk that went over a marshy area.   Yeah that's not a good sign.   Luckily I'm just a wee bit bruised and my wrist only hurts a wee bit (he wrist hurt worse but it's eased up!)

We saw some deer...

We went to Blackwater Falls and hiked a bit.

Saw lots of overlooks...

Gorgeous scenery....

History.....

And had lots and lots of fun together....

And on Tuesday morning my weight was still down at the lower weight of 236.0.    Oh my!!!!!!!

Dare I hope??????