Wednesday, October 20, 2021

I weighed this morning. It was only 1/2 pound less than when I was weighed by my doctor on 9/10. I figured it would be a few pounds less. Obviously not tracking doesn't work for me, I had gained more in between, or this BP medication is going to really make it difficult to lose (it is a known side effect). Very discouraging.

Not much going on during the day today other than a walk and errands. Mike is playing golf in a league starting today which he has never done before. I think that is good for him. This evening we are going to an Oktoberfest here. My weight makes me not want to go.

Have a safe and healthy Wednesday!

Weight 184.6, 0.4 from a normal BMI, which always makes me happy, but I look pretty good at this weight so it's more mental than anything.

I had a protein shake yesterday and boy did it disagree with my stomach. I find with certain foods if I rarely eat them they violently attack me, but if I eat them all the time I handle them fine. Eggs and protein shakes are the biggest culprits.

Anyway, it's gorgeous again today, but rain and cold is coming so I better go walk.

Liz, go enjoy Oktoberfest! A half a pound down is a half a pound down and no one on their death bed is going to say they are happy they missed out on a fun time because it meant they didn't gain weight!

DD, have a bite of a beignet for me please!

Peps, "I'm okay as I am" is one of the hardest lessons to internalize. I'm still not there, but I try every day.

Good job on normal BMI! I am above mine now. I do think part of it is the meds as my legs swell daily and I have to take a diuretic. I did pee a lot after I weighed this morning so maybe I am down a bit more than I thought... nice to think that anyway.

Liz, I would disagree with you about not tracking not working. You are a small person (5'2" or 3", right?). Weren't you were simply trying get back on a non-gaining healthy eating track, with an idea of starting to lose weight again? Seems to me you did that in a very painless way. It is a slower process than "dieting" and calorie restriction, but I bet you learned a lot about your eating.

Ceci, your BMI comment triggered my own thinking. I am wrapping my head around the "I am okay as I am", which means I won't ever be at a weight within the so-called normal BMI because for me a weight within that range is NOT healthy. That said, I noted that a part of me was resentful (jealous?) that you were so close to a normal BMI range. It's not a personal thing. It's a disordered thinking issue on my part. Must be some type of protective mechanism. I have found myself "disliking" attractive men simply for being what I perceive I am not. Fascinating how the brain works.

Carbs have such a strong allure. I am becoming aware that one of the things I like about carbs is that I can eat them in volume, especially if they are highly processed. Eating a larger volume satisfies an emotional hunger, which I don't think I had not fully acknowledged. Soft, easy to eat, non filling slider foods have been used for years to soothe feelings, but do so little to quell the physical hunger. Odd what we learn about ourselves as we go along.

2700-3000 calories per day seems to be my maintenance range. Who knew???? Working out I think has reset my metabolism quite nicely. I'm thinking that I can lower my calorie range to 2000-2300 and lose at a nice easy rate. We'll see how that goes when I'm ready.

As always you help me get perspective. I am doing exactly what you said. And btw, I think you are very attractive. Normal BMI does not equate to attractiveness. I don't think Mike is normal BMI, but I think he is pretty great. To maintain at my lower weight I have to eat around 1350 calories. Really difficult... But with my reawakened hypertension I keep thinking that getting lower again might help that.

1350 is a low calorie level! I ran a TDEE on you to the best of my ability. (Guessed at age and weight.) Putting in your height as 5'3", age as 67, weight as 135 (I seem to remember you saying you were about 20 over your lowest weight) gives you a BMR of 1116 calories per day. That's what you need to wake up, sit in a chair and breathe for the entire day. With the amount of walking you do, you should be able to eat 1500-1600 calories per day. This leads me to my next point....

Weight bearing exercise! Strength training is a great way to boost the metabolism, allowing you to eat more calories and not having to keep your calories so terribly low. I believe with my whole being my weight training is why I am able to eat as many calories as I do in a day and not gain weight. Last spring I topped out at 274 and now weigh 261. Granted 13 pounds over the span of many, many months isn't huge, but take into account I didn't diet (which is what you are also doing) and one has to wonder how the weight loss happened. It happened because I reduced my calories insignificantly - not even enough for me to notice - kept up the strength training and boom.

things like strength training with combination moves (e.g. bicep dumb bell curls paired with squats - squat, curl, squat, curl....) or yoga that activate more than one muscle group per exercise are fantastic for muscle building and metabolism boosts!!!!!!

It can be hard to start up, but once you get used to the groove, it's pretty awesome! You may find you really, really like it. It's been a game changer for me, as you know.

I maintained at 1350 when I weighed 118 - I was doing yoga at that point (and will be again beginning next week). I would guess I would maintain now at 1500-1600, but since I am not tracking I don't know, LOL.

It's interesting to think about. Reading your comment made me jump to thinking, "this range incorporates both women and men and as a woman I should be nearer the bottom of the normal range not the top, so this is not an accomplishment." So I may be normal or close to, but normal for a man? Ugh. Don't get me started on not feeling feminine because of my size (which just makes me think about all the times I've been called "sir" in my life. Humiliating).

Comparison brings up all sorts of BS thinking, doesn't it? We should just look at ourselves and go by how we feel physically, what our bodies look like, what we can do with our bodies etc. not how we fit in broad statistical models or how we look next to someone we wisheD we looked like. We are our own worst enemies...

BINGO!

Absolutely agree!