Healthy renewal - new fitness goal

Company came and had to put the weights away; I will need to set it all back up again. I will do weights tomorrow as it is supposed to rain tomorrow and is too nice not to be outside today.

The disheartening thing is that the younger dog's other knee is going. The vet and surgeon warned me about that as the angle of her knees are just bad. It looks like I will need to get it done as soon as the snow melts from the rest of the yard. It looks like the one ramp did not survive the heavy snow and will need to build a new one for the front of the house. Meanwhile, bless her. Hopefully it will hang together for a bit longer. The vet agreed the weather and ground is not conducive yet and he will help with meds to keep her comfortable in the meantime. I hate to put her through it again but she will be better off in the end. Happier life but oh no, my pocket book, crap.

Goal today: walk and bike.

I am only taking the one dog on the bike ride. The other one is not going to like not being able to go with us for the bike but I cannot risk her totally blowing her knee out. Oh, it breaks my heart.

Thought "Spring" and Spring is going to be here all week. Ha, if only I had that kind of power. Seriously though, to go outside, no coat, no gloves, not all bundled up, heavenly, and can do so much more outside for activities. I heard the trails have opened up down by the beach, so am taking the dogs hiking today. I still have not weighed in and am dreading it. I should see what's going on though. Perhaps today or keep it on Mondays; yeah, wait until Monday. Why ruin such a lovely day.

Goal today: trails

Have really enjoyed the trails the last couple of days. We saw (and some of us kept from trying to chase ) an eagle, a hawk, turkeys, fox, some rabbits, a chicadee, a dove, a grouse, and a lot of chipmunks. I don't think the other birds have come back from going south for the winter. However the flowers are starting to come up so hopefully they will be soon to follow. Unfortunately today will mostly be indoor things but will need to go for a walk despite the rain.

Goal today: yoga and a walk

So, the temps dipped this week, killing off the flowers that came up (my poor daffodils) and then to top it off, we actually got 3 inches of snow, IN APRIL!!!! . I've never seen that in all the years I've lived here; the news said this was a record besides the temps. I am so ready for the cold to leave. I even went to get out some of my sandals out the other day just to reminisce what spring and summer are like, and know they exist in hopes to spur things along; painted toes may see the light of day sometime.

I worked out mostly inside this week: yoga, weights, treadmill, and even went swimming two days on a pass a friend was so very kind to give me. I need to think about rejoining the gym to be able to swim regularly as I do miss it.

Weighed in on Monday: Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, DOWN, yes DOWN 11.5 lbs / 5.2 kg over the last 3 weeks, which is better than having gained given the slip ups in eating these last couple of weeks. Surprisingly, after the sense of relief, it gave me a sense of motivation to to do better, like I dodged a bullet, as if this is possible. .

Goal today: dance/aerobic video

Hope all is going well with your goals and that you are enjoying warmer weather. I promise not to send ours your way.

We've been having some wacky weather, too. Lucky for me, I missed our April snow showers while I was down in the Caribbean with my sister. Funny story, I did end up buying some swim suits right before I went, but didn't end up bringing any of them. I'm probably going to return them all, we'll see.

I signed up for a May race with my friend (a glow run! Running at night with glow sticks and dance parties!). And I'm still having trouble motivating myself. My husbands new work schedule means he'll be home more, so that might help. I'm sure we'll get a couple runs in this weekend. Might actually try to find a race for next weekend so I can still get an April race in...assuming it doesn't snow again!

Congrats on the weight loss! That's wonderful news! I can definitely see how it's motivating to see progress! I'm also very jealous, it sounds like you have beautiful trails and a beach (ocean? lake?) to walk along! Very jealous. Keep up the good work, though

I hope you had a lovely trip to the Carib. Perfect to stave off the winter chill. I have been to the glow runs as a supporter in the water brigade, really cool and lots of fun. Best wishes with your training and the upcoming runs!

I knew when I moved here, that it had the advantage of coastline and the mountains nearby, with four seasons, and was so thrilled about that as I came from a place in the south that was flat, had hot and hotter for its seasons, and no fall to speak of. I so wanted to see Fall again as I had only been able to visit places that had it. What I had not expected when I researched was that of the four season, winter is the longest and seeming like half the year these days. I am not a cold person, so some days I wonder whether this is the right place to be but the scenery and access to the rest overshadows it most of the time; trying to enjoy and make the most of each season while it lasts.

Now with the parental health situation, I don't know that I will be going anywhere for some time. That is ok, because in that regard there is nowhere else I would rather be than by his side as long as he needs me. My folks have always been supportive, even from a distance when lived in different states, that it is the least I can do to help.

Spring looks like it is actually here, dare I say that. Have been doing a lot of walking this last couple of days and taking Dad out too. The bike is in for tune up at the moment and cannot wait to get it back.

Goal today: walk and weights, with lots of homework and studying (finals in week and half) I am tempted some days to forego it to get more studying in, but know the stress relief is important right now.

Good luck with everyone's goals!

So I tripped on curb, call me grace, and my ankle is sprained, fortunately that is all. This puts some things on hold for a bit. At least I can still do some upper body stuff weights and yoga; I will miss the cardio stuff though. So I will give it some time and go from there, darn it.

Goal today: strictly rest

Forgot I'd added a workout this week, no wonder my lower abs are tender.

Goal:do another

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I hope the soreness has dissipated. You must have had a powerful workout. Hope the next one is a good one.

I can put a little more weight on my ankle; it is still really sore though so I am still going to take it easy on it for a bit longer.

Goal today: modified weights on the bench

Spring has sprung and so my ankle still is. Frustrating as all heck. Overdid it yesterday. Going to just try doing some stretches and sit-ups today. Not looking forward to the weigh-in on Monday; have not been able to cut back eating anymore despite the lack of activity. It is not going to be pretty.

Goal: yoga and sit-ups

So tired of being in the house and going to try to get out today, hope the ankle holds.

Goal: try walking

The walking did not go so well. Had to take it easy a few days afterward. Unfortunately the scales do not understand this and were not kind. Weigh-in, was up 6 lbs, which given have been down almost two weeks, I am not surprised but frustrating nonetheless. I found out that biking went better yesterday, not as much pressure than putting weight on it walking. It is really nice hang clear roads again. Swimming would probably be best but just not an option at the moment.

Goal today: weights

Fresia, you have done this thread for over six months. Kudos to you for sticking with it! I know it's hard, believe me, I struggle a lot with "the devil on my shoulder" who tells me I really WANT an extra serving of whatever, or worse yet, that I worked really hard, so it would be OK if I ate a Reese's PB Cup, just one ... that sort of thing. Most of the time, I have no problem getting motivated to get in my training workouts, but there are times I really would rather just turn off the alarm and go back to bed. But, we do it anyway.

Just wanted to let you know how great I think this is!!!

Thank you for the support. I know what you mean about some days are harder than others especially some moments. I know this weekend there are going to be celebrations and parties for graduation, and that there are going to lots of goodies... temptations abound. Should be an interesting test of will power.

Wishing you well in your goals and thank you again, means a lot, especially today. I thought I would take the day off but will get out there instead. Thanks.

Good luck all with y'alls goals!
Cheers.

I had to back off the cardio again this week, tweaked the ankle again. So with the sprained ankle and not being able to do any cardio has made for an interesting experiment. I have continued to do stretches and weights of upper and some lower body meanwhile but my weight has continued to increase during this time. I am up another 4 lbs. It probably would be worse if I had not being doing the others, but cardio seems to be the key to weight loss; have to keep moving. I will try to cut even more calories meanwhile to try to help balance it meanwhile. I cannot keep going up.

My pants are uncomfortably snug now and can feel it in my back and knees again. In total, just 13 lbs but it feels like a ton and makes such a difference. Definitely a setback. Frustrating to make such progress to only fall back.

Doc gave me better instructions this time as to what to look/feel for so as not to push it. I am not there yet so goals for a few more days will still be limited.

Goal today: weights and food management

This thread is great, will try to keep up with this kind of challenges

Fresia, when I got very serious about weight loss and my health, I signed up for a program that included about 6 hours of consultation time with a registered dietitian. She set me up on a very low complex carb diet, with a 40:30:30 ratio of protein:fat:carbs. All of the carbs need to be unrefined, and simple carbs are limited to natural sources in very small amounts, honey, agave syrup, and maple syrup are what I am supposed to use. Of course, no one is perfect, so yes, I have the random rare Coke or Mt. Dew once in a while, in all of its HFCS glory (the real-sugar-only kind doesn't taste any different to me at all). So, a lot of meats, fish, poultry, seafood, eggs, low fat dairy, a ton of fresh vegetables, limited fruit to 2-3 servings a day, and as far as carbs go, it's brown rice, quinoa, some other whole grains like oats, bulgur wheat, sweet potatoes, winter squash, dried beans, peas, and other legumes, not very many white potatoes at all, I sometimes use taro root as a really good substitute with fewer calories and a better glycemic index rating.

Just wanted to throw that out there - cutting out the carbs is NOT easy, I love pasta (I buy the Pasta Zero substitute stuff made from tofu, it's pretty good) and bread, but it does work.

Sofi26, Good luck with your goals!

Thank you for that MJ. So it is not just a matter of cutting calories but where the calories are coming from. This being relatively new to me it is interesting, helpful, and I appreciate that. Will look into this further as it sounds like it is what will make a real difference. Yes, carbs will be the death of me as well. Congrats on making the changes and on doing so well. Inspirational to keep motivated. Best wishes as you move forward with your goals.

I am going to try getting on the bike today for a brief spin and see how it goes with the ankle, enough with the rest already. Two bum legs in the house now. Good news is that mine is on the mend and the pup's unfortunately though her surgery went well and the incision looks great, she has a long road ahead being crate bound for two months. Bless her, she saw me get the bike helmet out and started carrying on. I'll have to hide it from her in the future to sneak out.

Goal today: biking

It is just astounding how much even small amounts of weight gain can impact the joints. I hate this feeling and cannot wait to get this back off.

I realized after the last messages that despite keeping to a specific calorie amount, that most of them have been coming from mostly carbs. So I have revamped this and will see how it goes.

Goal today: walking

Fresia, I'm finally back! I had graduation last weekend, so even though I'm going to be working two internships this summer, I at least won't have homework to worry about!

Puerto Rico was beautiful! So glad I got to go!

The glow run was fun except my friend wasn't in very good shape, so we maybe ran at mile... maybe. I told her I'm going to make her go running with me this summer. Personally, I'm excited to get back to running. With the semester ending, getting ready for graduation, my mom coming, and all sorts of other school/work stresses, I pretty much stopped running simply for lack of time. My goal? Run tonight! And boy, is it beautiful out

I'm sorry to hear about all your set backs and your ankle! You've been doing great, though, and you should be super proud of yourself! You've been working at this and you haven't given up. That's the important part. There will always be set backs and slip ups, but what counts is that you keep going forward. You'll be back on track in no time!

Glad you are back and CONGRATULATIONS! That is so awesome!

I don't know about you but since the ceremony as my classes went right up until then, it is strange not having anything to study or work to do for school or to even have to think about it since then; however, it is fantastic to have the time back to do other things. I am so very glad too to hear you had a great trip; I have heard it is lovely there. And thank you for the encouraging words. Good luck with your running! May the wind always be at your back.

Today's goal: walking

Thank you!!! It's funny, I'm not actually done with my classes I have one more class left and one more final paper, and THEN I'm actually done. But yeah, without having homework to do in the evenings, even working two internships will probably leave me more time for running! I'm getting right back into the routine of running every other day like I did last summer. This month actually marks one year of running for me, so that's kind of exciting too.

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my husband also got us a tandem bicycle, and omg, I love it! Seriously, I'd go anywhere on that thing. I'm in the back, so I can just enjoy the ride, and doing the work together makes it seem less terrible. I think we'll be riding that a lot this summer, even just to the grocery store.

How's your ankle feeling? How's the revamped diet going? I know that can be so hard. Have you looked up a list of healthy substitutes for various cravings?

Tandem bikes are so much fun. We have one that I take my niece out on to the trails by the beach; we always have a good time. I can understand why you like it so.

Good luck finishing the rest of your class and your paper. Almost done!!

The ankle is getting stronger but near back to a 100% yet; but it is getting there fortunately. I am having to go shorter distances than I used to, which I know the reduced activity os impacting my weight. Meanwhile, I have been trying out new substitutions for cravings including reaching for a lot more vegetables, which are very filling. I have changed to the 40-30-30 protein-carb-fat ratio, and will see how that goes overtime too to make a difference.

I just feel like a slug as of late; part of it is stress and not being able to get it all out. The stress of going back to work is eating me alive. I did get brave one day though and sent out a ton of resumes and filled out a bunch of applications online, a bell that cannot unrung now. There is part of me that hopes they will not respond and of course, the part that prays they will. There is one job in particular close by that I think would be a really good fit and interesting so I am really hoping that out of all of them I will hear back from them. Meanwhile I just wish I could exercise more. It is amazing how much stress relief there is from it.

Good luck everyone with all your goals! Keep movin' and shakin'!

I find roasted vegetables are a pretty good thing to snack on as well as to eat at meals. Of course, the starch, high calorie ones are out or ver limited -potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, Lima beans, etc. but low calorie ones work great. I love cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, onion, summer squash, carrots.

Thanks for that MJ. Yes, the starchy foods are out but oh, they are so good and hard to resist. I will have half a sweet pot in particular once in a while though because of the nutrients in them.

We have been bombarded with rain as of late, really chilly, damp weather. So much chill that we are still wearing fleece and jackets. Really strange for this time of year, usually it is beautiful and warmer. I think the gray days are starting to get to me and know that depression is an issue that have to work on and explains why I feel like a slug. No sign of a break though for a bit. Hoping y'all are having better weather.

Goals today: walking and weights