Beating the cold

For the past 19 days I have been walking every day. Twice (when my phone malfunctioned) I only tracked my walk at about two miles. On the other days, I managed at least three miles. I am a day or two ahead of the daily average needed to make my goal of 100 miles in the 33 days that began on Nov. 29th. I've also managed to get 10,000 steps in each of those days and have more than enough extra steps to make up for a missed day.

I say that because I may end up taking today off. It is cold out. It 's noon and the temp is all the way up to 8F (-13.3C). It  is sunny and the wind is light. There is a light dusting of snow on the road.

I have an indoor cycle and an old NordicTrack cross country ski machine that I can use in the warm comfort of the basement. Even though I will probably use them at some point, I have a feeling that I will end up dressing for the cold and taking a short walk today. There is a certain exhilaration from being outside, even in the cold. A part of me believes that we tend to spend too much time in controlled environments. I like being outside, even when it's hot or cold.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the comfort of heating and air conditioning in their season. But I also enjoy spending time outdoors. I'm not much of an outdoorsman. I don't hunt, fish or do much in the way of camping or other outdoor activities. I do like walking and riding my motorcycle or just sitting out on the deck and listening to the sounds of nature. When it turns cold, about the only thing I have in the way of outdoor activity is to walk. We don't have a lot of snow here and it isn't ski country. I don't mind riding on cold days, but that doesn't do much in the way of getting exercise.

I don't know if I'll walk my usual three miles or not, but I am pretty certain that I'll be out for at least a short walk.
Goals can be troublesome things.
Truthfully, the 100 mile goal by the end of the year is only a short term thing. The ultimate goal is better health.

Be well,
John <><

End of week 2

http://outofmyhat.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-struggle-continues-2.html

John

End of week 1

It has been a week since I wrote of my continuing healthy lifestyle struggles and recommitted to eating better and daily exercise. The good news is I have kept up with both. The bad news is it has only been a week.

But a good start is what is necessary to form the habits of healthy living and so I move on to week 2.

I've already managed to build a free day into my walking goal of 100 miles by the end of the year (a 33 day goal). I've also added a session on the indoor exercise cycle and a couple of light sessions with weights. I really wasn't feeling the walk yesterday and had to bribe myself with a nice Dominican toro gordo smoke that lasted for the one hour walk. Yeah, I know -- a little unhealthy habit to reinforce the healthy habit might not be the best way to go, but I did get the walk in.

I did decide to keep track of calories. It just helps me to make better decisions about eating -- or not eating, as the case may be.
With one week in the books, I'm minus 6 pounds (it's always easy in the beginning) and once again moving in the right direction to better health.

It's Week 2.
Here we go!

John <><

Ugh! The Struggle Continues...

In the year and a half prior to my retirement, I managed to lose 60 pounds.
I was eating well and getting daily exercise.
In the year and a half since my retirement, I've managed to put most of the 60 pounds back on!
Ugh!

Several times in the past year I've said that I'm getting back to healthy eating and exercise only to fail after a relatively short period of time. Then I see pictures or video and decide that this time I'm really going to stick to it -- only to fail after a relatively short time.

So today is the day.
I did weigh myself, but I'm not going to focus on weight.
My focus will be on good health.
I'm going to start walking again -- every day.
We have no plans for traveling during the holidays so that won't interfere with a goal of 100 miles by the end of the year. I get all 31 days of December plus 2 bonus days left in November -- 33 days of just over 3 miles/day. I realize that on some days I may have to find an alternative to walking due to weather, but will make daily exercise a priority.

I don't know that I want to go back to counting calories. I might, but really don't want to do that. I would rather just pay closer attention to everything that I am consuming. If I watch what I'm eating, cut out the crap, and keep portion sizes reasonable, I should be okay. Typically, December wouldn't be a great time to start on a diet, but we are not big into the holiday baking and I'm not at work where people are bringing that stuff in. I do plan on boosting my protein intake and keeping an eye on the grains. We're going to do more daily shopping for fresh produce and try to throw away less than we have been in the past.

There is plenty of activity for today -- laundry, getting Christmas stuff down from the attic, dinner prep, and that long walk.
Better get busy.

John &lt;&gt;&lt;

July 15, Daily diet and fitness diary

It has been a few days since posting on my daily habits.
I have managed to stay within my caloric allotment everyday at camp. It has been a challenge as some of the food is not exactly what I would eat for my current needs. I am glad that I brought apples and protein bars and will be happy to get back to some better vegetables and produce.

I only managed a walk on two of the three full days here and none on the two end days.
Tonight, I'm hoping for some indoor cycle time during the Cardinals' ball game.

Even though I have been pretty close to my calorie limit, I can't say that I'm looking forward to my Monday morning weigh-in. I think I'll be okay if I just haven't gained any weight this week.

Be well,
John

July 12, Daily diet and fitness diary

Yesterday ended up as a good diet day.
Dinner at camp was good and satisfying. I'm sure that I could have had seconds, but was satisfied with a single serving of roast beef, potatoes and gravy, green beans and a brownie. The evening snack was popcorn.

I didn't get  a walk in yesterday, but did have a little activity playing some games with the kids. I'll try for a walk later today.

John

July 11, Daily diet and fitness diary

So I kind of gave myself an off day yesterday.
Or at least it started off that way. I still tracked everything and was still within my daily allotment of calories, and I still managed a decent break down on protein, fats and carbs ... until the late night Reissen binge! No worries, though.
No real exercise, just 45 minutes of mowing the lawn.

I was at home this morning and stepped on the scale for my Monday weigh-in and it was the same as yesterday's 225.0.

Now it's camp week and we'll see how this goes. I have some protein bars and some apples and I brought my own coffee and single cup pour over brew set-up. I was offered a cup of coffee when I arrived this morning, but having already spotted the Folgers canister near the coffee maker, I simply said, "No, thank-you."

They were loading a couple of large briskets into the ovens when I arrived this morning and I saw them peeling potatoes at lunch time, so dinner tonight should be wonderful! I'll just need to watch the portion size.

Until tomorrow --
Be well.

John

July 10, Daily diet and fitness diary.

Yesterday was a good fitness day with another long walk. Diet wise was also okay.
Over the past two weeks, I have had no soda. I have had some junk food -- occasional potato chips and a few servings of homemade ice cream, but have generally managed to stick to more healthy choices.

As always, portion control seems to be the main thing for me. Eating too much of a healthy food choice is still overeating.

Monday morning is when I usually have my weekly weigh-in, but I will not be home tomorrow morning.
So -- I decided to have my weekly weigh-in a day early.
In thirteen days I have gone from 233.0 to 225.0 pounds.
I do realize that 8 pounds in two weeks is probably not a sustainable rate of weight loss for me, but it is a great start!

I'll be at a kids' camp next week, so diet may be a challenge. I'll probably bring a supply of protein bars and a bag of apples so that I'll have a supply of decent foods. I'll keep up with logging foods as best as I can, and will try to post daily on how it is going.

Be well,
John

July 8, Daily diet and fitness diary

No exercise yesterday.
Managed to stay within my calorie allotment.

John

July 7, Daily diet and fitness diary

Another good calorie day and another 6 mile walk day.
Protein intake has been good but I think I need to get a bit more fiber in my diet. I had some granola cereal and Greek yogurt for breakfast today and I see a salad later in the day. Apples are a good fiber source. I need to add an apple to my protein shakes.

In any case, I'm moving on.
Probably not going to walk 6 today, but will get some form of exercise in.

John

July 5, Daily diet and fitness diary

So yesterday was the first day in the eight days (since I've started logging diet again) that I've gone over on my daily calories. I was doing okay until we got to the homemade ice cream and some kind of apple crumble dessert.

Today I decided that I was going to get back in the walking mode and went for a long walk -- six miles. I need to get back to daily walking of some kind. I doubt that six miles will be the daily standard.

In any case, the quest for good health continues!

John

July 3, Daily diet and fitness diary

The closest I've been to my daily max on calories (still -100) but no exercise.
Tomorrow will be the tough day.

John

July 2, Daily diet and fitness diary

Just a quick update today.
Yesterday turned out to be better than I thought it would be. We went out to eat at Joe's Crab Shack and I was sure that the king crab bucket would put me way over the calorie limit for the day. I didn't use much of the drawn butter and was very pleased when I checked the calories for the meal via My Fitness Pal.
This morning shows me at -5 pounds for this week with the actual on week mark being on Monday morning.
The holiday weekend could be tough!

John

July 1, Daily diet and fitness diary

I did manage to get in some stationary cycle time yesterday -- only 20 minutes, but it's a start.
Diet wise, I added more protein and a little junk food/drink so I was closer to my caloric intake limit, but still below.

It's a new day and new month, so here we go!

John

June 30, Daily diet and fitness diary

Another good day of food management. Eating at home is a big help. I'll have to be careful tonight as I think we will be eating out. I know there are good choices to be made eating out, but the variety of tasty not-so-good-for-you foods can be an obstacle to making those good choices.
I did push my protein intake up a bit, but need to keep it a little higher.

Still nothing on the getting back to fitness road other than being more active by doing some yard work. I did a little work in our yard on Tuesday, mowed and trimmed at Hannah's yesterday and will be mowing and trimming ours today.

Scale is moving in the right direction and looks like I'll be at -5 for week one!

John

June 29, Daily diet and fitness diary

Another good food day. Probably need to up my protein intake, especially as I add in exercise.
It's right around 100g for the past two days. Yesterday's activity was nothing more than a little yard work. Today's will be more of the same.

Although early weight loss is not very indicative of how things are really going, it is nice to see some negative movement on the scale already. I'm going back to 3 consecutive days at or below a weight to claim it -- and I'm more concerned with how I look and feel than with what I weigh.

Looking forward to another good day.

John

June 28, Daily diet & fitness diary

Yesterday proved to be a good (re)start to the new healthy lifestyle.
Although I didn't get any exercise in, I managed a good (and pretty light) diet day. Up with early morning coffee and then a much later breakfast. It was really more lunch time and I had a grilled chicken Caeser salad and iced tea. Grilled chicken sandwich and potato chips was supper -- yeah, I know--I could have done without the chips. daytime snacks included a cup of strawberries with a little cream (2x), a serving of greek yogurt, and a protein bar.

I'm going to go back to really limiting soda (I don't drink that much to begin with) and drink more tea and water, maybe using some fruit infused water some of the time.

Today, I'm starting with a good protein and frozen fruit smoothie. I'll take in more calories today, but also plan on a little exercise. Shrimp and chicken fried rice is on the menu for tonight. Calories on that will be a guess at best, but I will still figure out an estimate and keep a log.

One day at a time.

Be well,
John

Monday morning reflections

It's the last Monday morning of June and I have to admit that I've had some pretty humbling revelations during the month of June.

A family wedding and several kids' camps have netted a few photographs of yours truly and they weren't pretty pictures!
While I have certainly been aware that I have put back about half of the weight I lost a couple of years ago, seeing it from the perspective of others -- wow! I probably need to print a couple of those pics and keep them posted where they will remind me of just how unhealthy I look.

And I definitely need to be more vigilant about my diet.

Even though I have not been too active (walking, yoga, etc.) lately, I still believe in eat for weight management and exercise for fitness as a way of taking care of one's self. I need to get back to doing both!

I find that logging foods during the day is the best way to keep track of the calories and types of foods I eat. I also find it to be a pain in the butt -- clearly a figurative lesson in "no pain, no gain."
I think that the inactivity of my retirement has also led to more enjoyment of food as a means of entertainment and a means of satisfying pleasure cravings and viewing food less as a means of fueling my body. The consequences of those perceptions are pretty evident in the pictures and on the scale.

So --
Not gonna wait until July or after the holiday weekend. I see no point in wasting the few remaining days of June and the beginning of July. Today I am back to faithfully logging food intake and eating for a healthy lifestyle. Like before, I'm just not going to go crazy with the fitness/exercise stuff. That's just not me and doesn't work well when I try to force it. Walking, cycling on the stationary bike, and a little yoga is about all I plan to engage in and probably not on an everyday basis.

I think that another thing that may help me in my weight management is to keep posting my progress. I know that not many people read this blog, but writing my progress (or lack of it) will keep me aware of it and hopefully, on track.

Here goes!

Be well,
John

Healthy Living ... or not!

It has been a little while since posting here at Healthy Living (by an unhealthy guy).
The primary reason is that I haven't really been living much of a healthy lifestyle.

In the year leading up to my 54th birthday, I set a goal to get healthy and lose 54 pounds in my 54th year. I actually lost 61 pounds. I was keeping track of what I ate and walking every day; usually 3-4 miles, sometimes 6 or more. I kept up with the walking for more than a year, but really slacked off on monitoring my food intake. I made too many exceptions, made too many poor food choices and didn't really keep track of portion sizes nor did I keep track of the amount of food I was consuming.

The end result is that I slowly managed to put on about half of the weight I had lost. Even when I went back to walking, the weight still managed to go up. I guess the saying that you can't out-exercise your fork is true (but I already knew that)!

So I am back to logging my caloric intake.
I will be back to less than 200 pounds in no time.
Okay, it will take a little time. I'm not going to go overboard in getting back there. I'm going to eat sensibly, monitor the what and how much like I did before and let nature do its thing.

This has been a good week.
Like before -- I'm not going to make any "can't have" food items. I am just going to make sure that I keep control of what, when and how much. I'll even give myself the occasional "free day" but that doesn't mean that I won't log foods or be mindful of what gains I am giving up that day. I still need to remember that I am in control. Although I love the many tastes and textures of foods, I need to manage to eat to live and not live to eat.

Even though the unhealthy guy is still here, he is going back to healthy living!

John <><

...Out like a lamb.

So March comes to an end and quietly fades into the history books.
And it is a good thing.

Fitness and diet wise, March has been a bust.
After walking a hundred miles in January and again in February, I took a break in March and didn't track any miles. My diet was also a little off as we managed to take advantage of a twofer sale at our local Braum's ice cream shop.

In a way it seems unfair that it only takes one month to undo the previous two months work, but that's the truth of it.

And so...

Back to it.
In spite of some dietary lapses, I have still been pretty aware of the transgressions as they happened. That makes recovery a little easier since it is just a matter of discipline. I'm a believer in the abs built in the kitchen philosophy, but also know the benefits of exercise.

Personally, I go with -- Diet for weight management. Exercise for good health.

April brings mild temperatures, strong winds, spring storms and plan to return to the lifestyle and diet that makes me feel good.
Here we go!

Nothing you do today can change the past. Everything you do today will affect the future.

John

Processed Food Fast

Just as an experiment, I think that I'll keep a log of the processed foods that I consume during the day.
For the most part, we have eliminated most processed foods and primarily shop the perimeter of the grocery store. If you use the perimeter method of shopping you'll find dairy, meats and produce and skip all of the canned, boxed and prepared foods.

About the only regular processed food item in my diet is whey isolate protein powder and I really need to increase my use of that and get a little more protein into my day.

I am a believer that abs are gained in the kitchen more than in the gym and need to get back to focusing on diet and preparing healthy meals. Our big meal of the day (usually late afternoon/early evening) isn't the problem. I think that lunch or midday eating is the biggest obstacle in my daily diet. Breakfast is not too bad, usually coffee and a smoothie or maybe some eggs.

The midday meal is a problem because it is usually unplanned and is whatever is available when I decide to eat. If I am out, that usually spells trouble on the healthy scale. I know that there are healthy options for eating out, but the truth is I tend to go for the fast option rather than the healthy one.

Late night snacking is also a problem. I need to make some more protein/fiber cookies or stick to a fruit smoothie and leave the nachos alone and the ice cream in the freezer! I know -- those things shouldn't be in the house if I'm sticking to the perimeter shopping method!

I know that my diet diary will show several processed items from time to time. I haven't eliminated them from my diet. I just want to see how I stand and how much of an adjustment is necessary to be comfortably healthy.

Comfortably healthy is my personal term for the compromise I'm willing to make between absolutely no junk food and satisfying my dietary cravings with an occasional indulgence or convenience.

So this isn't really a fast from processed foods as much as it is an awareness of processed foods. The awareness should create a marked decrease in consumption...
...at least that is the hope!

Eat well.
Be well.

John <><

Tough week in health news

Wow! It has been a tough week on the health news front!
In the past week (actually about 10 days) I have received news of three people I know that have received cancer diagnosis and one cancer patient that is not doing well at all.

While cancer is still a mystery and it seems that any one can get it in its many variations, I know that are are also things that we can do that will put ourselves on the less-likely-to-get-cancer list.
I am thankful that it is becoming easier to identify and obtain foods that are organically grown. I am also grateful that there is more information available to us to help us with living more healthful lifestyles and pointing out exposures to everyday carcinogens.

Even so, cancer seems to strike people from all walks of life.
Early detection is a big deal when it comes to treatment so it's probably time for me to take care of some past due screenings. Maybe the same is true for you.

Eat well.
Get some exercise.
Take care of your body.
It's the only one you get!

John <><

Sleep

It has been a while since I've had an exceptionally poor night's sleep ... until last night.

For the most part, I've been pretty mindful of my late day caffeine intake but I had a little more than my usual nothing yesterday and paid for it with a poor night of rest.

I thought about getting up several times during the night, but opted for just benefiting from resting even though I wasn't asleep. I have found that resting quietly often leads to a full sleep cycle before waking again and having to restart the sleep process. Now that it is early morning and too late to manage another complete cycle, I decided to get up and enjoy a cup of coffee and the quiet time.

Back in the day, afternoon caffeine never bothered me. I guess one benefit to sleep deprivation is that your body can shut off and sleep whenever you get the chance!

It's funny that it was just yesterday that I was posting on a thread about sleep. For the past year (since retiring) I have slept better than ever. My 4.5 hours per night (sometimes 3) has nearly doubled to 7.5 hours per night. I sleep until I'm finished sleeping and feel great. At 4.5 hours, I don't remember feeling tired and I usually woke up without an alarm. But a regular sleep schedule does wonders for an overall feeling of well being.

I'll do better about watching the caffeine consumption past noon, even on the unusual days like yesterday. I managed three full sleep cycles last night so I'll be good for today and will rest well tonight.

Live well.
Eat well.
Rest well.

John <><

Minor Setback

I'm experiencing a minor setback on the February goals.
I've noticed a little soreness and a little swelling in my right knee and I'm guessing the daily squats are the culprit. I've tried modifying my stance a bit and that seems to help with the discomfort while doing them, but the problem persists.
The goal oriented side of my says, "press on," but the more sensible side says that maybe it's time to back off a bit.
That's also the part of me that says, "Dang! I hate getting old!"

Although I've never had a doctor look at it, I'm thinking that a knee replacement may be in my future. There have been issues with this knee in the past.

I am going to keep up with the walking (that doesn't seem to bother it) and see if the slight swelling will go down just by eliminating the squats. I'll also look at doing something else as an additional exercise after taking a few days off.

Sacrebleu!

John

Bad Day...

So yesterday wasn't a great day.
It was windy and cold and I let the fact that I had built an extra day of walking miles into my first week keep me from walking in the single digit (F) wind chill temps. I did get my squats, push-ups and ab work in and my diet was okay, but I do feel like I should have used my Nordic Track or indoor cycle or something.

Oh well. That was yesterday and this is today.
The sun is shining and it is warming up nicely. Perhaps I will double up on mileage today and regain my one day cushion.

If you had a bad day, put it behind you and make today a good day. I really believe that you don't even need to pressure yourself into making up for the bad day. Just make today a good one.

Eat well.
Live well.
Be well.

John <><

February Goal Update

The first week of February is now in the past and it is time for a brief look at how I am progressing towards my goals.

I am on pace (actually a day ahead of schedule) to meet my goal of walking 100 miles with 25.3 miles for the week. I am also keeping up with my schedule on both the 30 day squat/push-up challenge and the 30 day ab challenge.
I haven't done any running, but am looking forward to adding some bicycling to my days when the weather is a little bit warmer.
I also haven't added any other exercise to my regular routine. I am beginning to to a little bit of yoga in the evenings, but nothing that can be counted as really serious.

I managed to shed the few pounds that I gained on vacation and am back on the decrease. I feel really good and am less likely to use weight as a measurement of good health than I once did, but I also know that I am still a little heavy. Though I no longer meet the obese criteria (BMI >30), I am still overweight. Working on it -- just not focused on weight as a measurement of health.

John <><

First day of February

I didn't get out for my walk as early as I would have liked this morning, but I did manage to finish my three miles by 10:40. I also took care of day 1 of the squat/push-up challenge. I did the ab challenge in the afternoon and doubled up on the few push-ups because of a last minute decision to attend a lunch meeting at our Baptist Association office.

I've decided to up the squat/push-up challenge to 5000/2000. I found this plan for 5000/1000 and will just double the push-ups every day (I decided this after the morning session).

When it comes right down to it, it really isn't all that much on a daily basis so I'm sure that I'll find other stuff to do. But it is more than I've been doing and so I'll consider this my daily minimum and anything else as extra.

Simple steps...

John <><

February Fitness Goals

In my last post I said that I was going to have to up my fitness game a bit. I have just passed my January goal of walking 100 miles.

For February I am going to keep walking and will use 100 miles again (even though there are two fewer days) and plan to incorporate some running into the 100 mile total. I am also going to do two 30 day challenges which will take me until March 1st to complete.
I have done each of these in different months in the past. I'll be doing them together next month.

The 30-day Ab Challenge and the 30-day 3000 Squat/1000 Push-up Challenge.
That will give me a little upper body, a little lower body and some good core work.
I think I'll leave the Twitter link (and also the Facebook link) turned off for my daily walking and will spare my friends the almost daily posts of the two challenges, as well. My RunKeeper friends will see my walks/runs and I will probably post some progress reports here.

Have a great February.
Be well!

John <><

Beach body -- NOT!

It's said that you diet to look good dressed in street clothes and exercise to look good at the beach.
Well, I guess I need to get to some serious exercise!

On the bright side of things there are plenty of fit bodies on the beach and although I am not one of them, I am at least to the point that I don't mind taking my shirt off at the beach anymore.
Having said that, seeing the many fit people -- men and women, young and old -- that are in pretty decent shape (and I mean that as in good condition as well as having a good form), I am thinking that I need to up my fitness game in the coming months.

I am just 4 days and less than 10 miles from hitting my 100 mile walking goal for January. I haven't decided on fitness goals for February just yet, but it will definitely be more than just walking! I'll get back to you on those next Monday (Feb 1).

Be well,
John <><

January goals update

With a week left to go in the month of January, I am at 81.6 miles towards my 100 mile goal of miles walked. I don't think that meeting this goal will be a problem.

Today I walked 2.5 miles early and by myself; then I walked another two miles with Chris. We'll probably get in some more walking before the day is over. To spare everybody the RunKeeper updates of multiple shorter walks, I have turned off the link to Twitter (which also links to Facebook). I may just keep that turned off since I really doubt that anyone really cares that John is out walking. Only those of you that are connected via RunKeeper will continue to get those updates.

I will say that walking barefoot on the beach works the calf muscles much more than walking the streets of Ozark. I'll probably be feeling it tomorrow!

Weight loss is still a struggle. I've managed to slowly drop a few pounds this month and don't expect to lose any this week on our trip. I'll be happy if I end the week without gaining any weight. I've been doing better at eating less and keeping to healthy foods since the end of the holidays. We have been dining at home more and trying to make better choices when choosing a place to eat out.
I would like to get below 200 lbs. (90.7 kg) and stay there.

I have done a little work towards some strength training, but haven't been too consistent.
I guess that'll be a February health goal.

Health wise -- I feel great!
And in the end, I suppose that is as important as anything.

How are your 2016 goals/resolutions coming along?

Be well,
John <><

Healthy eating: The traveling challenge

Tomorrow we begin a week long trip to the beach in Cancun Mexico.
As you know, eating a healthy diet on the road can be challenging -- especially at an all inclusive resort!

On the good side, there will be plenty of healthy choices -- fresh fruits and veggies, fresh seafood, not too sweet desserts.
On the bad side, there is just so much food!

If you just sample a little of half of what is available you'll have over eaten by plenty! It is so difficult not to try the many different dishes that are available. I love trying new foods and new ways of preparing food. It's a party for the eyes and for the taste buds!

So here is my strategy:
Make healthy choices often.
Use moderation always.
No guilt for the inevitable indulgences (it's only a week).
Enjoy!

I'll let you know how that works!

Bon appetit!

John <><

100 miles

I am glad that I have been banking some extra miles on the days that the weather has been nice. Yesterday and today have been chilly days in the Ozarks. Yesterday was the first day this month that I didn't get my 10,000 steps and the first time that I didn't go out for a walk.

It's cold out right now, 24 feels like 3 and getting colder.
Chris will be home soon and is making chicken noodles. Sounds like a good post walk meal. I'm going to bundle up and get in a quick few miles to stay ahead of the goal of walking 100 miles this month.

Brrrr...
Be well,

John <><

End of Week 1, 2016

The year is 1 week old.
How are those resolutions coming along?

For me --
I have managed to lose a few of pounds -- 3.2 pounds since 12/28; and have been tracking my food intake.
I've managed at least 10,000 steps every day (79K+ in 7 days) and walked 24.6 miles on my daily walks.

Still need to do --
We are still eating out too often. I think that I need to have dinner ready (or at least started) when Chris gets off work to keep us at home. That will help. At least I've been making good choices out -- veggie sandwich and Caesar salad, grilled salmon salad, chicken nachos  (okay, maybe not so much on the nachos).
Also, I need to find a routine for exercise other than walking -- body weight exercises, weight machine circuits, cardio, yoga.
I finally bought a new pair of shoes and may start a little running. Maybe not. Truthfully, I'm just not motivated to do much running.
I'm considering upgrading my RunKeeper app to get more information from my workouts.

All-in-all, I'm pretty happy with the first week start.
Maybe I'll try to keep up with the Friday status reports.

I hope that you are satisfied with your first week. If not, begin with the second week of the year.

Be well,
John <><

A Fresh Start

My first post of 2016 should be about new beginnings, goal setting and motivation.
Sure. Okay. Whatever. It is the trend of the industry. Losing weight and getting exercise are the top resolutions and so the industries that exploit them hit it hard for the first few weeks of the year.

I have no financial stake in anybody else's health and don't stand to make any money off of anyone, so I'll stick with telling you what works for me and where I am heading in health and fitness for 2016.

A few years ago (when I turned 53), I set a goal to lose 54 pounds by my 54th birthday. I was as heavy as I had ever been and felt that slow and steady (the way I put the weight on) was the best way to lose it. A little over a pound per week seemed like a very doable goal. I achieved that goal (exceeded it, actually), maintained the weight loss for a short time but have slowly (again) started to put the weight back on (about a third of what I originally lost).

I'm going back to what I did to lose the weight in the first place.

Back then I managed to drop the weight by living the philosophy that you eat for weight management and exercise for good health. I was so badly out of shape that the only exercise I could do was to walk, so I started walking.

I cut out most processed foods and kept track of my intake. I started drinking more water and paying attention to carbs, fats and proteins -- what I was eating as well as when I was eating.

For January, I am going to continue to walk. I generally walk about 3 miles (about 5K for my non-US friends) per day. My brother set a January goal of running 100 miles. Since a little simple math says that 3 mi/day = 93 mi for the month, I figured I can manage the extra miles to make my walking goal 100 miles for January. I'm also doing some weight lifting (dumbbells and machine) and bodyweight exercises but need to work out a better routine.

I only managed to drop a couple of pounds in December but I am okay with that given the high volume of holiday treats (egg nog is a weakness, for sure!). I expect the weight loss to increase in the coming weeks.

We (Chris and I) have decided to try to eat at home more often. We will see how that goes. I'm going to use some leftover ham, add some cheese, potatoes, broccoli and eggs to make a quiche for tonight's meal. I'll let you know if it turns out okay.

We've been eating our evening meal earlier on most nights. Sometimes Chris is forced to work late and we don't eat until around 7:30 or so.

I'm going to go back to using more protein smoothies in my daily diet. These allow me the protein and nutrients that I am looking for in a more concentrated form and I can better judge my calorie intake. Fortunately, produce is readily available in the winter throughout the US. It can be a little higher cost, but it is still available.

An interesting thing that often I see as a marketing push to get a diet started is some type of detoxifying cleanse. Personally, I think that drinking plenty of water and clean eating is really the only thing your body needs to cleanse itself -- so, here we go!

Bring on January.
Bring on 2016 ...

One day
One week
One month at a time!

Be well!
John <><