May Ends; June Begins

Because it's the end of the month and because I had a good midweek weight check, I stepped on the scale again this morning. If I hold weight with a good day today, I'll hit my Monday morning weigh in at my first interim goal two weeks early! I'm a little bit stoked!

Yesterday I got some work done around the house, but no walk. 7,361 on the step count. I really need to work on that for June.

Today I'll reroute the cables on the weight machine so they are correct and I'll be ready to start using it tomorrow. There is still plenty of yard work, gardening, and other active work to do, so I'm going to have to figure out activity priorities for days when doing it all seems too much.

It's going to be a beautiful day in the Ozarks.

Be well!

John 

It's Getting Easier

It was another day when I worked in the yard and flower beds without a lot of steps. Only 6,171 for the day, but I got some sun and spent the afternoon relaxing.

Diet wise it seems to be getting easier to stay within my daily calorie goals. Lately I've been checking to see how many cookies I can have for a late night snack! I suppose I could skip the cookies and lose weight more quickly, but I do love cookies and milk!

Grilled Italian sausages are on the menu for today. That's some high fat, high calorie stuff so I'll have to be careful with the snacking. Yesterday's baked salmon and fresh green beans was a much healthier dinner. I try to keep a balance -- not too much of the unhealthy choices, but still not depriving myself of some of the foods I like. So far it seems to be working.

John

Just Another Day

Nothing real notable about yesterday. I had a short walk that was cut even shorter as I stopped to safely chat with a couple of our new neighbors. I ended the day with 8,928 steps.
I did spend time doing work around the house and was active enough for a retired guy.

I did mix my own muesli type breakfast cereal yesterday morning -- oats, dried berries, nuts, and chia seeds. I mixed enough for a week or so, depending on how often I eat it.
I also had my highest calorie meal midday instead of evening. I think I like that better, but it isn't always best for our schedule.
I ended the day well on the calorie count and a midweek scale check looked good this morning. I just need to hold it through the weekend.

Be well,
John

Late Report

It's already Wednesday evening and it is about to start raining. I've only logged 4100 steps so far and I'm sure not to make 10K today. Doing okay diet wise and with chef's salad on the menu for dinner, I should end well.

Yesterday's step count showed over 10,000 steps, but I knew that wasn't right. I need to remember to suspend my step counter when I'm on the riding lawnmower. Diet was a good day. I needed that to counter Monday's indulgences.

Be well,

John

I Took a Pass

Passing on yesterday.
I had just over 5000 steps and ate way too much.
I'm not sure how many calories way too much is.
I decided not to count.

John

Monday Morning

I did take yesterday off and did very little in the way of activity -- 5,309 steps and no work of any kind.

Logging foods has become a bit of a habit, so that continued. Yesterday was the first day in five weeks that I missed my daily calorie target -- I was half a cookie over!

My Monday morning weigh-in was good at 244 pounds. That's minus 14 pounds in five weeks. It's a good start. I'm still firmly in the obese range by weight or BMI (33.1) and need to reach 220 pounds to fall below a BMI of 30 which is still considered overweight but not obese. To reach a "normal" weight (BMI of 18 - 24.9) I'd have to reach 180 pounds.

Sacrebleu!

Personally, I don't think that's a realistic goal for me and believe that I will feel happy and healthy at anything < 200 pounds. Figuring that the rate of weight loss will slow as I lose more weight, my initial intermediate goals were 240 by my birthday (2 1/2 more weeks), 220 by September 5, and 200 by 2021.

If I get there more quickly, that's cool, but I'm more interested in a sustainable lifestyle than in a quick weight loss.

Day by day.

Be well,

John

Holiday Weekend

It is a holiday weekend here in the USA. That really doesn't mean anything since I'm a retired, anti-social curmudgeon anyway. But it does feel like I should be able to use it as an excuse to forgo diet and exercise for a few days.

I did a small amount of work around the house yesterday and managed a mere 5,767 steps.

I decided that I wasn't going to log my food, but added it all up in the evening to see if I could justify a small bowl of ice cream. With the ice cream I came in just under my daily target.

Today and tomorrow will probably be more of the same -- no real exercise, casually watch the diet.

John

A Different Kind of Workout

Moving has been a slow steady process. Yesterday we rearranged furniture -- several times. Fortunately, we only moved the piano once! The sofa, love seat, oak end tables, coffee table and area rug -- well, we moved those several times trying to figure out the best place for them.
It wasn't a lot of steps (3,003), but it was plenty of work.

I need to watch my calorie consumption by time of day a bit. Yesterday was heavily weighted towards late in the day. I really didn't need so many calories late. I ended up with over half of my daily intake after 7pm. I was still well below my target, but need to spread them out to earlier in the day.

May is almost over and I don't feel like I've accomplished much on the health front. I've lost a few pounds, but still need to figure out an exercise or activity routine. I have a week to be thinking about June goals.
Hmmm...

Be well,
John

Step Count Blunder

Unrelated to health and fitness -- my new lawn tractor arrived yesterday and I spent some time playing on it. I only mention it here because I know my step counter added around 4000 steps for the time I was on the mower. I'll have to remember to suspend my step count on mowing days.

Light activity working around the house yesterday. If I subtract 4000 steps from my total I'm at just over 8000 for the day. It looks like a rainy day today, so maybe I'll spend some time on the exercise cycle. It's actually supposed rain for the next several days.

I've been keeping on track in the diet department, but need to add more vegetables to the mix. I'm getting better at the whole moderation thing by keeping portions smaller, no seconds, just a couple of cookies vs. eating a whole sleeve, etc. This current method won't win any contests when it comes to dropping weight quickly, but I'm much more interested in finding a healthy and sustainable diet.

Be well,
John

And ... Not so active fit

Yesterday wasn't a bad activity day, just not enough stepping. I only managed 8,159 steps, but I did get the flower bed ready for Chris. She planted about half of the flowers and will finish today. I'll spread the mulch and that'll be one outdoor project finished.
I will say that I'm feeling the effects of the past couple of days.

Another good day on the food intake prompted me to a midweek scale check and the needle appears to be moving again after an idle week.

Now for Thursday
Be well,

John

Active fit

Several years ago I asked a coworker if her husband worked out with her and if was in good shape, as well. She said he didn't exercise but was what she called active fit. Typically I am not active enough to stay any kind of fit without purposefully adding a walk or some other activity.
Not so yesterday.

We finished collecting the last of our stored goods for the move. That put me at 13,543 steps for the day! I also managed a little work in the flower bed before we got our stuff.

The day was too busy to be snacking so I ended the day with quite a few calories left in my daily allotment. I allowed myself a treat of pecan shortbread cookies and a glass of milk as a late night snack and was still well under for the day.

But that was yesterday and this is today. Living in the present doesn't allow much for yesterdays. Thinking about good food and good health for today.

Be well,
John

Monday

Monday turned out to be a good day for getting back on track. I started the day with a good breakfast and a two mile walk with Chris, then spent several hours digging up an area for a flower bed. I also spent some time rearranging storage stuff in the basement.

All in all I totaled 12,983 steps. That does put me over 20,000 for Sunday/Monday so I guess I'm on track for a 70,000 step week.
Ha! It's still early.

I also came in under my target calories for the day, but an unnecessary binge at the end of the day put me pretty close. I'm still calling it a good diet day.

John

Not surprised

After a couple of low activity days and a few days right at the target calorie count, it came as no real surprise that the scale needle didn't move from last week. I'm still at -10 lbs for the time since we moved (just under 4 weeks) so I'm still happy.

Friday night was a pretty high calorie dinner -- homemade nachos, complete with guacamole, sour cream, and plenty of cheese. Saturday I didn't even bother to log, and Sunday was just okay. I did manage 7000+ steps yesterday, but that was just from working around the house, no real exercise.

New week.
Back at it.

John

Hmmm..

I've been pretty close on the calorie count for the past couple of days and a little higher than I'd like to be on the fat calories. I don't step on the scale everyday between my Monday morning checks but did today.

No change.

Meh. Not going to make a big deal of it, just a mental note.

I walked about 3 miles last night and made my step goal, but not much else. 

10,467

Looks like another rainy day in the Ozarks.

John

Daily diary

It's been about three weeks since I began logging food again. I've been pretty good about keeping up with scanning, weighing, or trying to make a fair estimate for the log. I think I'd feel better about adding more protein to my diet, but I am generally well pleased by the effect of logging.
In spite of a high fat day yesterday, I had enough remaining calories to allow myself a treat of pecan shortbread cookies and a glass of milk last night.

Yesterday was a fairly active day as I did a little work towards getting a flower bed ready. I did need to add a late evening mile to make the 10,000 step goal, and ended the day with 10,530. It's raining this morning and forecast to be raining throughout the day. I might have to hit the cycle again.

Be well,
John

Oops! Missed a day.

I meant to blog later in the day yesterday -- but didn't. It's okay. Tuesday kind of sucked on the fitness front anyway. 4,100 steps, no cycling and just a lazy day. I did meet my food targets.

Yesterday was much better. I used the indoor cycle again (30 min) and took a short walk with Chris. 

10,479 steps plus time on the cycle felt good. And I had another good food day.

We'll see how today goes. My left foot is bothering me this morning. I have a pain along the outer edge that bothers me just standing. I'm not certain of the cause, but have learned that the older John can no longer power through minor pains and injuries as a once much younger John did.

Be well,

John

Something Different

Yesterday was a cold, dreary, and sometimes rainy day. There were certainly times when I  could have gotten out for a walk, but I really wasn't feeling it -- so I didn't. But I did manage to put the exercise cycle to good use by putting in an easy 30 minutes.
It wasn't much and I wasn't very fast (11-12 mph), but it was different and felt good. I could tell that I'm in need of something that's more of a cardio workout than just walking. I feel the 30 minutes on the cycle is well worth missing out on the 10,000 steps. My step count was only 4,153 but I may do more cardio exchanges for steps in the future. I'll need to build a little strength and endurance on the exercise bike before actually riding my bicycle. Even the long gradual slopes of the roads around here would be a challenge right now; the hills might kill me.

Diet came in under target again. I even managed a pretty high calorie, high fat, delicious BBQ pork rib dinner. Logging foods helps me be mindful of portion size. I'm sure I could have (and probably would have) finished off the slab if I wasn't paying attention to what and how much I'm eating.

Looks like another cold, rainy day. Maybe I'll be back on the exercise bike.

Be well,
John

On Track

I did manage to begin the week with a 10,000 step day. I took a short two mile walk early, but still found myself pacing in the basement at 10pm to add a thousand steps.
10,626 for the day.
I'm still hoping to add some variety to my activity. I just haven't got around to it yet.

It's a good thing I was careful with diet early in the day, because dessert indulgence added a ton of calories later. I still managed to come in under my daily target. My Monday morning weigh-in of 248 showed another 2 pound loss, which is my weekly target.

Be well,
John

Time Off

I took the day off yesterday, only just over 4,000 steps.
Who am I kidding?
I pretty much took the whole week off!

In spite of only making 10,000 steps three days last week, I did manage to watch my food intake and ate well every day. I expect to be down a pound or two for tomorrow's weekly weigh-in.
It's a new week.

Here we go!
Be well,
John

Steps

I did take a walk yesterday - two actually. One was about two miles and a later one about a mile.
Plus I added 1000 steps around 9:30 just to hit 10K and I need some added calorie burn to meet my daily goal.

It was a double win!
10,338 steps and under my caloric intake target.

John.

Scheduling

Scheduling has always been a problem for me, at least when it comes to exercise.
Yesterday it was running errands, getting things for the house, hanging window shades and drapes. I'll be finishing up with a couple of drapes today. I know -- first world problems, right?
By the time I was ready to walk, it was raining ... so I didn't.

Just over 4,000 steps yesterday.
Ugh.

I will console myself by knowing that I came in under my daily calorie number, as I have done every day since I started logging foods again.

That was yesterday. This is today.

Be well,
John

More Work with no Walk

Another day without a walk. But it was a day that included a lot of walking -- 11,022 steps.
And it was another good food day, I even included a late evening protein smoothie to up my protein intake for the day.

Today's a new day.
Let's see what it has in store for us!

Be well,
John

Another Working Without Walking Day

Ugh!
I don't really mind a good working without walking day, but this was more of a busy kind of thing than actually working. And I'm sure that I could have added a mile walk to reach the 10K threshold, but didn't.
7,828 for the day. I've got some steps to make up to reach that 10,000 step average for the month.

I noticed something didn't feel quite right on the weight machine. Sure enough, a little internet research showed I threaded one of the cables incorrectly. I'll need to rework that to be able to use it correctly.

Another good day on the healthy eating side of the coin. Some days (like yesterday) I push the first meal of the day to around noon. That puts me at more of a two meals and a snack schedule and works well for me. I need to watch my protein intake. I'd like for it to be higher than it's been. I might have make protein smoothies a regular part of my day.

Be well,
John

Work is Exercise, right?

There have been many times in my life that I have been grateful for a career that did not involve manual labor. Yesterday was another one of those days. Long before the day ended, my back and arms were tired. I took a short break from working to check the mail -- a quarter mile (400 m) walk or so, but ended the day with only 6072 steps.
Sacrebleu!

So let's talk about weight loss
...and weight gain!

I was feeling pretty good about losing a few pounds and as I went to log the weight into the My Fitness Pal app I found this chart.

It goes back to when I first started using the app to log foods and track my weight loss -- June of 2013. I had just turned 53 and was 258 pounds, the heaviest I had ever been. I set the simple goal of losing 54 pounds before my 54th birthday. I actually lost 60 pounds and dipped below the 200 pound line.
But you can see that the five years that followed have been a steady upward climb (with several short lived attempts to regain control) to a point that surpassed my previous high.
Ugh!

So the goal is to get beyond a short term failed attempt of weight-loss and adopt a new healthier lifestyle and habits that will insure a long term healthy body and spirit. I'd like to be at 240 by my 60th birthday in June. That will be my lowest in over two years and a good start towards a healthier me.

John

Progress

It's been a little over a week (11 days) since I started using the My Fitness Pal app to start tracking my caloric intake again. Just by paying close attention to what I consume, I've lost 6 pounds (2.7 kg) in that time, 4 lbs (1.8 kg) since last Monday's weigh-in.
I don't expect that rate of weight loss to continue. I'd be pretty happy with a steady 1-2 pounds per week. The caloric count on the app is for losing 2 pound/week, the maximum you can set it for.
Today's number was 250.

On the daily step count, yesterday was 11,152.
Still no variety in the exercise. It might be a bit before I can get settled into an exercise routine. We're still trying to get settled into the new home and daily routine for everything else, too.

Be well,
John

Stepping again

I ended the < 10K step streak at 3 days and am back on the plus 10K side. I didn't really go for a walk, but managed enough activity and some short walks up and down our street between moving the lawn sprinklers last evening.
11,757 for the day.
I have some projects to take care of in the coming week. Getting my daily steps may take some more effort than usual.

In spite of the frozen pizza we baked for lunch, I had a decent food day and came in well below my calorie target. I'm pretty sure that tomorrow morning's weigh-in will show I'm back in the losing column.

It's definitely a journey. I'm learning to be more mindful about what I'm eating (and drinking, too) and how that affects my diet, my calorie count (to a lesser degree), and my overall health and well-being.

Be well,
John

A Slow Start

My steps yesterday were only 6,640. That makes three consecutive days of fewer than 10,000 steps.
sigh

I did get somethings accomplished that will help me in future health and exercise related activities and there is more to do. The weight machine is assembled and ready for use. I'll go easy at first as I re-acclimate myself to the machine and find out if my muscle memory is any better than my brain memory. I also think I'll use the stationary cycle to condition the legs before killing myself on a bicycle.

Diet is good. I'm staying below my daily allowance of calories for steady weight loss and eating mostly healthy foods. The social distancing has actually been good for me. I'm the guy that always buys the candy bar or snack that's at the register in the convenience store or grocery store. Fewer trips out = fewer sugary snacks.

The main thing is -- I feel good.
Today I'm a little stiff in the back and butt from bending and lifting yesterday, but overall I feel like I'm moving in the right direction. I hope to keep it that way.

Be well,
John

It's May!

So I ended April with 314,895 steps. There were 5 days that I fell short of 10,000 (including yesterday). All in all, not bad for a fat guy.

I know that I should have some May fitness goals already set by this time, but I don't.
I do plan on keeping active, but haven't set that up in my mind just yet. I started putting the weight machine together yesterday and plan on completing that task today. I really need to build back some upper body strength and endurance.

Diet wise -- I've been keeping track of my intake. Logging foods really keeps me mindful of what I'm consuming. Between paying attention to what I'm eating and staying physically active, I feel pretty good even though it's only been a week.
I've also been doing a modified intermittent fasting kind of thing. I generally don't eat anything before 10 or 11 in the morning and try to be finished eating by around 7pm. I haven't been really strict about it, but just the general idea keeps me aware of the clock and what I need (or don't need) at the time.

So ...
For now I'll keep up with the daily step goal of 10,000 per day and look to 325,000 for the month.
I'll get the weight machine together and figure out some sort of plan for that.
And I'll keep a watch on the diet.
That's the May plan.

How about you?
Any goals or simple steps towards better health?

Be well,
John