Progress?

I don't know if I've lost any weight since the beginning of the month and won't be back to my scale for a morning weigh-in until October. Having said that, I feel pretty good.
The few days of walking every day and the little bit of stretching has helped me to sleep better at night and gives me a good energy feel throughout the day. It's something that I need to keep up with when I get back home. 
I haven't been wearing my watch to keep track of my steps and probably won't for the rest of the trip. Maybe I'll give up the watch all together. The light band on my arm has already tanned to the point of disappearing.

I am eating better--better and less. I have not been tracking calories or carb/protein/fat grams and I really don't want to. I am being more mindful of what I am consuming and am aware of the desserts and snacks and how they will affect my wellbeing. 

I will be interested in checking my blood pressure when I get back. I have a feeling it will be much closer to a normal range than it has been. If it's not, I guess I'll have to go on some bp meds. I am really hoping to avoid that. At 62+, the only meds I take are for seasonal allergies. All-in-all, I'm pretty healthy for a fat guy.

John

Practical Goals

Losing weight and being healthier are pretty general goals. Making short-term measurable goals helps to achieve the overall desire. A loss of just two pounds/week is pretty achievable, and easily measured...most of the time. I'll have to see how that goes while we're traveling.

Simple bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, planks, etc., and some yoga and Tai Chi can be done anywhere. It's just a matter of doing them.

I'm not planning on running a marathon or even a 5K. Actually I'm not planning on running at all. As a matter of fact, I think I'll make my first physical goal to be something as simple as being able to bend over to tie my shoes and breathe at the same time. 
Now that's a practical goal!

John

September 1

I haven't posted in a long time. 
And since I haven't posted in a long time, there's a good chance that it's because I haven't been watching my health and I've gotten fat and out of shape.
Yep.
A September 1st weigh-in puts me at an obese 258 pounds.
I need to lose 32 pounds to be at the high end of the overweight, but not obese BMI scale.
A steady (and relatively easy) rate of losing just 2 pounds per week will get me to that point by 2023.

Here we go!

John

January 10

I missed posting at the end of 2022, Week 1.
My weight was the same, so at least I stopped gaining weight again. Now to begin losing it again.
I did start exercising again. I'm surprised at how quickly I lose conditioning at age 61 compared to just a few years ago. Motivation is more of a problem than it used to be, as well. 

Diet hasn't been too bad. We are still consuming some of the holiday sweets that accumulated over the past few weeks. I need to get back to the more heavily plant based diet. 
Looking forward to a good day. Got to take it one day at a time--one good day followed by another good day. 

Here we go!
John

Jan 1: A new beginning

Isn't it great that we get a do-over every January 1st?
Okay, so it isn't really a do-over, but we can put the past behind us and begin again.
December was pretty much a bust for me. Too many sweets, too much food, and not enough discipline or exercise has me back at my Thanksgiving weight.
Sacrebleu!
Back to real life.

John 

December 19

It's not been a good week.
I'm not looking forward to tomorrow's weigh-in. It's like I took the week off -- after I had a successful vacation.
No worries. Better health is a journey.

John 

December 16

Well it seems that I have taken a few days off from paying close attention to diet and exercise. Not a big deal, but time to get back to the daily walk (so to speak). Diet hasn't been too bad, hut I have had quite a bit of sweet snacks and more than the usual amount of processed food. There is more than enough good, whole food in the house that I should be able to easily readjust to staying full on good for me foods.
I really want to end the year strong so that I am going into 2022 with some positive momentum. 

John

December 12

I doubt that I've ever gone on a vacation and lost weight -- until now!
I have to admit, I was a little hesitant about stepping on the scale this morning. Although I have been pretty good on the food part over the past two weeks, I have had quite a bit more liquid calories in the form of craft beer. I'm guessing that all of the walking and climbing hills and stairs helped to keep everything in balance.

This morning's unlikely weigh in was 234. That's -4 pounds from my pre-travel weight and -28 pounds from my August 1st high of 262. Yay, me!

I'm really liking the stuff I'm re-reading in The Abs Diet, and remembering why I was so successful the first time I read it. As in Eat to Live, calorie counting isn't a thing. Eating the right foods tends to limit your calorie consumption by itself. The Abs Diet does have an emphasis on exercise that isn't in many "diet" books, but I'm certain you would lose weight just following the recommended changes in eating habits.

Okay, back to real life.

John

December 10

Today is our last full day here in Puerto Vallarta. Although the diet part of my new normal will be easier to maintain, I will really need to work on keeping up the activity. All of the walking hills and climbing stairs has been really good for me. Although my legs and feet are tired and a little sore, I can tell they are also getting stronger. 
Walking is just the way to get around here. At home, there aren't really any restaurants or stores within easy walking distance. There is a pizza place and a little diner about 2 miles from the house and a Dollar General store a little bit closer. It's around 8 miles or so to the next nearest restaurant or grocery store. 
I like living where we live. I just don't do enough walking as a part of life and need to prioritize it as exercise. 

I'm a little afraid of getting on the scale when we get home. Getting back to the normal diet will be good.

John

December 8

Pretty lazy day yesterday.
I am finding the pool to be great for allowing me to stretch beyond what I can normally stretch my legs and open the hips. The buoyancy allows me to hold positions and transition to others more easily than without it. It was a nice way to end the day.
Granola and milk for breakfast, tuna salad and tortilla chips for lunch, sushi for dinner, and an evening snack of chicken tenders and a couple of beers made up the intake for the day.

It was a good day.

John