Mark and I both got up really early today. I guess that's to compensate for sleeping in last Saturday. We will definitely make it to shul today. It's also going to be in the mid-80s and partly sunny, so that's definitely a pool afternoon. Tomorrow is going to be the same, so we will probably spend the day at the pool tomorrow as well.
I have had a good start to the New Year and my "stay healthy" resolution. I have dropped three pounds in two days, although that's not unusual. When you eat right and drink a lot of fluid, water weight comes off quickly. When it gets to the actual fat later on, it will be much harder to lose even two pounds in an entire week.
I have done exactly what I know I should do to stay healthy:
1. Log the food into the Lose It! app on the phone.
2. Eat slowly. Try to consciously put the fork down between bites.
3. Drink lots of no calorie fluids.
4. Exercise.
My calories were 1191 for Thursday and 1337 for Friday. On Thursday, Mark and I walked 40 minutes. Boy, did my back hurt! It started to hurt after only 10 minutes of walking, but I kept going. We walked up past the first two ponds behind The Palms and were rewarded with FOUR alligators. Two were floating in the water and two were sunning on the banks. One was HUGE! That was great. Yesterday, we walked only 15 minutes, but we also did about 15 minutes of weight lifting.
I have fallen out of the habit of doing weights. First, we were gone for two months, June 12 to August 12. I might have gone once or twice, but then that cyst on my back festered up and got infected. It took three months to resolve that issue, and during that time, I didn't go to the gym because the location of the cyst between my shoulder blades made leaning against the chair backs and moving my arms forward and back difficult. It also meant I did not go to the pool at all during that time. I did a lot of walking, especially around the parks, but I also did a lot of EATING at the same time. When we went yesterday, I set all the weights kind of low and did only two sets of 10 or 20, depending on the machine.
Today we will do about 20 minutes of the water aerobics routine in the pool in the afternoon. That should be fun.
I watched a show on TV about a newscaster on ABC who dropped 90 pounds and wrote a book about it. She took three years to do that. I took one year to drop 117 pounds. Maybe I should have written a book. On the other hand, she hasn't gained more than half of hers back, and I have.
She did say one thing that worked for her, and I know that I have done the same before, too. She cut out entire types of foods that were her triggers. For her it was dairy foods and sodas. I drink very little soda and always drink sugar-free, so that isn't important to me. I love dairy foods, but I don't eat meat every day, so I could not cut out dairy entirely. Anyway, that's not my trigger. I know that chips and ice creams are trigger foods for me. I have cut them out in the past. Even small amounts of those will set me off into a binge. Since I discovered Arctic Zero, the 150 calories per pint ice cream treat, I have put that back into my nightly routine for the last few years. I don't eat it every night, but at least four times a week. It's great. I hope they never stop selling it at Publix!
There are two foods that have recently been part of my problem with putting a lot of weight back on. Those foods are nuts and alcohol. Nuts are always in the house because they are a mainstay of Mark's breakfast and lunch, so I cannot keep them out of the house. Alcohol is something I used to consume on a very rare basis. I would have a little wine on Friday night for Shabbat and drink virtually nothing the rest of the week. Now that we are retired and Mark has found whiskey lowers his blood sugar at dinner, I have started to drink more. I have learned to enjoy his homemade margaritas, lots of different kinds of wine, and many types of whiskey, as well as mixed drinks with rum or vodka. All of these types of alcohol are in the house right now. I enjoy it, but I do believe that I can cut that out. It's not like I am craving it. I just started drinking it when Mark did, a cocktail or whiskey at Happy Hour and wine with dinner. Still, drinking two drinks a day, five or six days a week, adds hundred of calories to the daily allotment. I'm pretty sure most of my weight gain could be attributed to three things: increased alcohol, lots of nuts to snack on, and eating in restaurants far too often.
I'm still not good at controlling restaurants or dinners at other people's houses. I will have the restaurant to deal with this week. We are staying Tuesday night at Saratoga Springs at WDW to use up a few DVC points. We booked dinner at their fancy sit-down restaurant. There are a few things I can do in any restaurant that will help. They are say no to the bread basket, say no to dessert, and keep alcohol to a minimum or skip it entirely. If I do have a drink, I should make it straight whiskey (110 calories) or a glass of wine, which is about the same number of calories. I should NOT have both! I should not have an appetizer, a bread basket, AND dessert. Since last spring, I have been doing all of those things. It's no wonder I've gained so much weight.
Having written all this, I hope I don't jinx myself. I want to do another good day today. I will eat all my meals at home, and I will exercise in the pool. It should be another great day.
That's one other important thing the newscaster wrote in her book. Set small goals. She always set a three pound goal for herself. I am setting the goal of one day at a time. I just want to make today a good day.
PS. I booked my week at Aulani in Oahu for the summer. More on that another time!
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