So here's an idea

Why don't I start writing again?

Okay, I will.

No minimum number of words (although that would be good discipline). Only one rule:

Write something every day.

So what I just wrote could be it. But it's January 1, and I'll add my intentions, just to keep myself accountable. (If you follow me on FB you already know most of these.)

Mileage goal for the year (walking): 1500. That'll be hard to accomplish unless I use the treadmill. Note to self: USE THE TREADMILL.

Strength training 3x/week, beginning with light weights. Something is better than nothing.

Food: Will start a Whole 30 later this week, after a couple of events that would totally derail the plan. Why start on 1/1 just because it's 1/1 when I know I will have to begin anew on 1/5? Once the Whole 30 is over, continue a paleo template and shoot for 80 percent compliance.

Actually READ at least some of the e-books I've acquired over the years.

Write. (I'm killing this one already!)

Take an online class. Here's the one I'm taking. Already registered.

My surgically replaced hip doesn't bother me at all any more, but I'm still less flexible than I'd like to be. (I have trouble putting on socks and tying my shoes, for example.) At some point I'm going to add some gentle yoga to my routine, but right now I'm just too fat to be comfortable doing yoga.

So far it's good to be back blogging. I guess when it's not good any more, I'll disappear again. In the meantime:

Be kind.

It's been fun, Cane

Not really.

It's been slow. And awkward. And, for the last several days, probably unnecessary, but I've been really good about following doctors' orders since my hip surgery January 18.

So today is the last day to use it.

I've been thinking that the last day to use the cane marks the first day I can use the treadmill, but I looked over my notes and I have to wait until my next appointment, which isn't until March 8. According to Dr. Google, I can use the treadmill after six weeks, which would be February 29. But Dr. Google didn't do my surgery, so I'll wait for an official release.

I have a lot of trouble being patient about this, especially when I feel as good as I do. But there are real hazards in doing too much too soon, the worst of which would be popping the ball out of the socket. I imagine that would be pretty painful.

Not using the cane has one, and only one, down side. I do get a lot of respect and consideration when I'm out in public. Think about how you are when you see someone walking with an assistive device – you open doors, reach for things on high shelves, clear a path to make their walk a little safer.

But the up side – more mobility and being able to get things done more efficiently – outweigh the sympathy factor.

The weather has been pretty horrible here in southern West Virginia. Very cold and we have a wintry mix/snow storm coming in over the next couple of days. I haven't been out of the house for any reason since last Monday. Looks like it will be a few more days being housebound. Thankfully, Facebook and Twitter are very entertaining.

I think, over the next three weeks, I'm going to ease back in to a mostly paleo eating template. I've been taking a blood thinner, and one of the cautions was to not try to lose weight on purpose. I took that to heart – heh – but it's time. We booked a beach house for a week in August. I intend to be back to my goal weight and walking four or five miles a day by then.

Don't be surprised if you hear a little more from me in the near future. Having a goal seems to motivate me to write.

Imagine that.

The end …

of 2015.

I've contemplated ending the blog. I've been writing (less frequently, lately, but still writing) here or on Shrinking Knitter since January 10, 2006. TEN YEARS OF DRIVEL!

And if you click through to that very first blog post, I don't look a whole lot different now then I did then. So I guess it didn't help much at all over the long run.

During the last 10 years, though, I did manage to

• lose a bunch of weight (and gain it back, as we serial dieters are wont to do), 
• run three half-marathons, 
• get married, 
• bury my father,
• more than triple the number of grandchildren I had when I started blogging, and 
• celebrate my 25th year of sobriety.

Among other things.

My focus today, and for the coming year, will be on regaining my mobility and improving my health. My top post from this year was January 25, in which I was recovering from some kind of stomach bug. I mentioned that I hoped taking a rest day might mean no more right-hip pain.

I think that's called foreshadowing. Although it never occurred to me that the pain would land me in a surgical unit almost a year later.

I see the surgeon for the final pre-op appointment a week from today. Soon, it will be the end of pain and not walking and feeling more than a little bit sorry for myself. I really can't wait.

Apropos of nothing at all, other than
my friend Lynne surprised me with
an Eiffel Tower ornament yesterday,
and I want to show it off!
Thoughtful, meaningful, lovely.

One of the 2015 goals was to log, partnering with one other person, 2015 miles. We were able to exceed that number, but only because I was allowed to count every step recorded by the FitBit, and not just the intentional walking miles. My goal at the beginning of the year was to do 100 miles/month. I came up a wee bit short. If I get another mile today, I'll have averaged 99 miles/month.

I'd like to set that goal again for 2016, knowing that January and at least part of February will be busts. Since my surgeon assured me I'd be able to walk 100 miles a DAY if I wanted to, following the hip replacement, I think I can at least set the goal, knowing it will take a lot of work later in the year to make up for missed miles the first two months.

I've missed taking daily photographs, something I did when I walked, and so my friend Vickie and I started the Leap Year Photo Challenge. Jump in if you like! We have a blog and a Facebook page and the only real "rule" is to use the hashtag #leapyearphotochallenge when you post your photos.

The other goal – perpetual, never-ending, omnipresent – is to get to a healthy weight and STAY there. Regaining the ability to exercise without pain will certainly help.

Gingerzingi likes to say we're all our own science experiments. I've proven to myself that I need to move that body in order to maintain and lose weight. I have spent an awful lot of time the second half of this year resting, since lying down is really the only way I can be pain-free.

Soon enough, I'll be moving this body and logging miles and taking pictures. In the meantime … happy new year! What are your goals/intentions/resolutions for 2016? Other than to remember to write a 6 instead of a 5?

Whole 30 DONE!

Aren't you glad? Heh.

I'm not sure why this one went so well. The previous two I've tried were abandoned mid-stream, and the only successful Whole 30 under my belt was the first, in April 2013.

I was so desperate when I started that one. I'd been doing the move-more/eat-less/low-fat plan since Christmas 2012, and by early April had lost seven pounds. To me, that was little reward for great effort. Paleo was my last resort. If that didn't work, I planned to be fat and unhappy the rest of my life.

But it did work, and I kept at it and ended up getting to within 12 pounds of a normal BMI. Oh, that elusive number.

What I need to do is go back and figure out why I quit. What made me think I could maintain a significant weight loss by changing what was working? I blame my slide on the election – too many meals out of my control, too busy to walk, too often choosing food for stress relief.

But there's probably a deeper truth I'm not willing to explore.

At any rate … this month worked, emotionally and physically. I've felt clear-headed, energetic (most of the time), and on task. I still have some right hip pain, occasionally, but it's not debilitating and certainly not as bad as it was last month, when I would have to lie down for an hour after walking a couple miles.

I hit my mileage goal for the year, and have a couple extra miles in the bank. Which is good, since I'm traveling today and Sunday, and I have another short trip planned later this month. I was dedicated to getting my 400th mile in April. I ended up with 124 for the month and I'm at 402 for the year.

YAY, ME!

I'm not planning to stray too far from a Whole 30 plan going forward. I'll add nut flour and honey or maple syrup for an occasional mug muffin. (That one doesn't even use nut flour.) A scoop of banana "ice cream" once in a while. (That one certainly qualifies as Whole 30 as far as ingredients go, except it's served in a dessert bowl, instead of eaten out of hand.) I'll not feel as though my hands are tied when I eat out, or in someone's home.

In other words: 80/20 prevails. Which means four meals per week can be off-template.

Wow, that sounds like a lot. Maybe I'll go with the 90/10 plan. Heh.

Perhaps the best part of a Whole 30 is you only weigh yourself twice – once at the start and once at the finish. If you've been following along, you know I cheated and weighed myself once in the middle, when my enthusiasm began to lag.

But today's weigh-in was the official second one, and produced a grand total of 10 pounds lost.

• That's one pound every three days. 
• That's 2.5 pounds per week. 
• THAT'S 10 POUNDS IN A MONTH!

Day 30 – and Whole 30 – DONE!

But not really. I just won't be yammering about it every day for the rest of my life. Thanks for sticking with me this month, through thick and thinner. I'm off for a little weekend getaway, and not sure if I'll be updating or not. But I'll be back Monday, and I hope you will, as well. Have a GREAT weekend!

3 + 3 = DONE

Three more miles will get me to 122, which is what I need to reach 400, or 100/month for the year.

Three more Whole 30-compliant meals will get me to the end of the 30th day of this Whole 30.

Do you get the idea that I'll be excited to complete this Whole 30? WELL, YOU'RE RIGHT! Not that anything on my plate is going to change all that much, but it does feel restrictive. I am, however, happy I did it. A Whole 30 really is like pushing the reset button in my brain. I was getting very sloppy with my food, thinking I was "cured," that the weight I'd gained back would go away by itself.

Not. Gonna. Happen.

If I've learned anything in my six-plus decades on the planet, it's that maintaining a weight loss is much, much more difficult than losing it in the first place.

I'm just gonna treat myself as though I have a food allergy. Or something. I'm going to turn into one of those dreaded picky eaters. But I'll try not to make a big deal out of it.

In other news … I can still climb.

What does one do when faced with a locked
gate, and one has forgotten the key?
One climbs over it.

That's your standard cattle gate there, leading down a three-quarter-mile lane to our water pump.

We've been having issues with the amount of electricity it takes to get water up a very steep hill to our house. (The whole well location is complicated and was chosen long before I got here. Let's just say it's inconvenient.)

For the previous three years, we've had two months of very high electric bills for the water pump (it has a separate meter). During January and February, the usage quadrupled. Then when spring hit, it would go back down. We were kind of resigned to it this year, except … it didn't go back down. After four months of increased kilowattage, we called in the big guns.

Which means the man who put the pump in came to take a look at the situation. Again. He's been here every year, and is as puzzled as we are.

The past two days I've climbed that gate, walked down that lane, climbed down (and back up) a hill and read the meter.

The pump installer has done nothing but dig holes in my yard, looking for a water leak. And the electric usage has gone from 50 kWh per day to – are you ready? – 3. THREE!

He's coming today to (hopefully) find and repair the leak and fill in the holes. There's a lot of water in those holes. There's a leak somewhere. But for some reason we're not using as much electricity now as we were before he started digging.

The joys of country living know no bounds. It's non-stop FUN, I tell ya!

Time for the first of three meals (strangely, I've not been snacking between meals, perhaps because I'm, um, not hungry) today. Looking forward to tomorrow's weigh-in. I'll report results before I head south. Thanks for reading and have a GREAT last day of April.

Day 29 DONE!

Almost there

Three more days, counting today, and I will have – I hope – accomplished two goals:

• Logged 122 miles for April, bringing my yearly total to 400, and 
• Made it to the end of another Whole 30

What's next?

Hmmm. Let's see. Maybe I'll lie around watching television and eating bonbons the rest of my life.

YA THINK?

Yeah, me, neither. It only makes sense, given the fact that I'm wearing jeans instead of yoga pants, that something I've been doing is working, and if I want to keep getting results, I should probably keep doing what I've been doing.

I'll definitely be walking as often as I possibly can, and I'll be going at least four miles a day. Now that February is over, that distance will always get me over the 100 mile-per-month goal. I'll miss some days, for travel or weather, and therefore will have to log a few five-milers during each month.

Not a problem.

(Lucky's son reports he hiked 25 miles each day during a recent five-day stretch.)

As for food, I'm sticking with this paleo/primal plan. I have a challenge coming up – I'll be traveling this coming weekend and I already know it's pizza for dinner on Saturday. Since I consider myself gluten-sensitive, I may eschew the crust, or I may just stick to salad and top it with some grilled chicken strips (which I can easily take with me).

Day 27 DONE!

Just a walking' in the rain

I've gotten my shoes wet the last two days, for sure. But I've also logged eight more miles. As long as there's no lightning, I'm good with walking in the rain.

There was a time, not that long ago, when I would have used steady rainfall as an excuse to play Dots. Not now. The last time I felt this committed to reaching a mileage goal was two years ago, and the last time I remember not even considering the weather a factor in my outdoor activity plans was when I was training for my first half-marathon. Way back in 2007.

And if I didn't walk in the rain,
I would miss raindrops on dogwoods!

I can't explain this mind-shift. To tell you the truth, I haven't tried too hard to figure it out. I'm going with the flow, and right now the flow is April showers. If I'm going to walk this month, I'm going to get wet. My April mileage goal is 122, and I need 52 to get there.

We had dinner with friends last night, at their home. I didn't know what would be served. And I had to give myself a pass for one night of this Whole 30, in order to be polite. The meal turned out to be mostly on plan, except the main dish was paella, which is rice-based.

Salad, sides, even dessert – fresh strawberries – were great. I passed up the bread, but I did eat a little rice. No ill effects, and it's not like an alcoholic slip where I have to start over. (Is it? Heh. Oh, and THANKYOUGOD I've never had to do that!) I'm just back on the horse today.

The reasoning behind the strict Whole 30 rules is to do a reset – body and mind. And I'm pretty sure 15 days was enough to accomplish that for me, although I intend to stay on plan for the remainder of the month. I'm feeling so much more energetic. I still have a little hip pain occasionally, but not every day and not nearly as bad as it was over the winter. Could be food, could be weather, could be that more activity – and more regular activity – is just what I needed. Who knows?

All I really know is that when something needs to be done – taking something upstairs, pulling weeds, painting, moving furniture, whatever – I do it, right then and there, no dilly-dallying, no excuses.

It's a great feeling.

Days 14 and 15 DONE!

Week One DONE

On the whole, this Whole 30 is going really well this time. So far. You're supposed to eat enough at each meal so that between-meal snacks aren't necessary, and for the most part that's what I've done. However … when I'm too busy for lunch (my protein-packed breakfasts keep me satiated well past a normal lunch hour), I'm ravenous for dinner and I find myself picking at things after dinner, as well.

Fortunately there's nothing off-plan in my refrigerator or pantry at which to pick.

Miles per day, April.

I managed a four-mile walk yesterday during a lull in the rain. It sprinkled a couple times, but I don't melt in the rain. I'm already up to 36 miles for April, which is fairly unbelievable, but I double-checked and it's true! And 313 for the year so far, which is just the teensiest bit over the 100-mile-per-month goal.

Awesomesauce.

Our door order is complete and they will be delivered Saturday. Installation begins Monday, and we're also replacing the carpet in our tiny den with laminate flooring. I bought paint while I was arranging for the door delivery and soon – well, maybe not soon, but eventually – all our rooms will be builder beige (or a variation thereof) with white woodwork. And six-panel doors. And a front door that works.

All at the same time.

More awesomesauce.

The garden is, necessarily, being terribly neglected this spring. One can only do so much with the time one has available. Once this house project is finished, I can get to work outdoors. The weeds in the perennial beds are massive, and it's been too wet to even begin to think of working in the vegetable garden.

I'm doing tomatoes and peppers in tubs on the back porch and the garden plot is going to be cucumbers, onions, and squash, which the deer don't eat. I plan to visit the farmer's market a lot this summer, as well. It's just too heartbreaking to put all the work into a vegetable garden only to have it ravaged in one night by critters. I've gone as far with fencing as I'm willing to go. At some point, the cost-per-vegetable goes beyond reasonable when you keep buying preventive materials and products.

Okay, so we've covered running walking, eating, and reaping. I'm knitting a Wonderful Wallaby, sans pouch and hood, for myself, and have been for a couple months. I'm using a textured grey-and-white blended yarn that I've had in stock for decades. Time to use this stuff up, I'm not going to live forever! The sleeves (which I like to call swatches) were done first. I've been knitting round and round and round on the body since the Super Bowl. I might finish during the MLB playoffs.

And that, my friends, covers all the blog bases (ahem).

So I was busy

And now I'm not quite so busy.

I'll probably get busy again, but I missed writing and I missed connecting and I missed having a place to record both the mundane and the important things going on here in the Middle of Nowhere. So I'm going to do my best to stick with ye olde blogger again. Maybe not every single damned day, but most days.

Many bad things have happened since I've been gone. Democrat asses got kicked in the election; the Republican-controlled West Virginia legislative agenda was quite business-friendly, after they campaigned on jobs, jobs, jobs; winter sucked – I mean sucked!, and my Buddha belly is back.

So sad.

But. Good things await.

A Whole30 a couple years ago kicked my weight loss efforts into high gear, and I'm doing it again. (I started that one April 6, 2013, stuck with it for several months, and have been on-again/off-again ever since.)

Not only do I look better when I ditch grains/legumes/dairy/sugar, I feel better, and the older I get the more important it is that I feel good. Not just okay. Not just not in pain. I want and need to feel GOOD.

I set a goal at the end of last year to walk 100 miles/month, and while I'm a little bit behind that pace, better weather will equal increased mileage and I'm confident I can make it. January and March were fine – right on target, so direct (bonus points if you can name that tune) – but February? Not so much.

The Whole30 rules have changed a little bit. You can eat all kinds of potatoes now; you're not limited to sweet potatoes only. That'll be nice when I make beef stew, but I really like sweet potatoes and I do think they're more nutritious and have less impact on blood sugar. But I'm not a doctor/scientist/nutritionist … just an informed, lifelong dieter who reads a lot.

At any rate … the first day is going great! Scrambled eggs with salsa and a cinnamon-sprinkled chopped apple, "baked" in the microwave. Grok never had it so good.

I need to get to work on a freelance project that's been keeping me busy. This is the last day for putting it together; it goes to the printer tomorrow. I will then feel well and truly out from under the stress of too-many-projects, not-enough-time.

It's good to be back. Thanks for reading.

Nailed it!

Somewhere along the line last month I agreed to be part of a two-woman effort to log 2015 miles in 2015. And, of course, I'd previously set a 1200-mile personal goal to get my three-year Daily Mile total to 3500.

Busting 100 miles per month would easily accomplish both goals, but hey. It's WINTER.

HOWEVER: The combination of milder-than-normal temperatures (for the most part), the FitBit and a change in my attitude paid off nicely.

I'm .0875 percent of the way toward completing both annual goals.

And we're more than a third of the way through winter. I've no idea what the long-term forecast for the month is, but the next few days look manageable, with maybe one day being a little too cold to walk outdoors.

I gotta tell you though – the FitBit makes a huge difference in whether my get up and go gets up and goes. I'm connected to a few friends who also have the devices and it's fun and a wee bit competitive to make sure I'm at or near the top of the weekly leaderboard. The only way to get and stay there is to keep moving.

I moved very little Thursday (for medical reasons) and Friday (for too-freaking-cold reasons), so I've dropped back to second. But today looks good – 40s and overcast – and I might log more than the customary four miles. February is a short month, and I'll have to miss at least one day due to an out-of-town meeting. (Which means drive-drive-drive-meeting-drive-drive-drive.) Padding the mileage while I can wouldn't hurt.

Time to look for a new knitting project. I'm on the last little bit of finishing work on the felted clogs (other than felting them), and the neck wrap is ready to deliver. And since the Super Bowl is tonight, I'm going to need something to work on. I think I want a new sweater. FOR ME. Which means, since I'm a knitter, I get to go shopping in the yarn closet, rather than the department store.

I used to have a great tunic-length, funnel-neck sweater that I literally wore out. It got so fuzzy and tattered looking I just couldn't bear to be seen in it. But I miss it. And it was all stockinette, top-down, and knitted in the round, so easy to manage while watching the Seahawks beat the Patriots. Heh.

Oh, how I wish it were the Broncos, though. SOB!

Here we go

Both of you know how much I love, love, love gadgets. While my husband some may see the FitBit as a very expensive pedometer, I see it as a great motivator. I had originally planned to wait until yesterday to create my account and begin tracking, but I actually set it up the day after I bought it. So I've been a FitBitter since December 27.

Will it help? Who knows? I'm still learning how to use it, but I'm already talking myself into doing things NOW, rather than later, to get a little more activity in.

For instance, we have a bench inside our front door where we deposit things – boxes, reusable shopping bags, tools – that need to be returned to the garage. Instead of waiting until there's an armload, I don't even put things on the bench. The more trips to the garage I make, the more steps I take. And yes, that's been true all along, but now I'm counting them. And not just counting the steps, but adding up miles and making this little flower grow.

Yesterday marked the end of my vacation from paleo. This holiday season I've eaten all the things you're not supposed to eat on a paleo plan – sugar, grains, dairy, legumes – and I'm paying for it with increased weight, aches and pains, and much lower energy levels.

If I want to feel well – not just good, but WELL – I need to feed myself well. Simple as that. And paleo works FOR ME. The refrigerator and pantry are stocked with plenty of vegetables and protein and I am ready to rock it. I hope to reach my weight goal by my birthday. In order to get there I need to lose slightly less than two pounds per week. Which seems like a lot, and might not happen, but I did it in 2013.

I want to clean my clothes closet today. I've been pretty good the past year about giving things away that I haven't worn or that don't fit, but I haven't taken everything out of the closet and really assessed what works and what doesn't.

One thing I'm NOT getting rid of, no matter how big and sloppy it looks when I wear it, is my Ohio State University sweatshirt. I was only able to stay awake for the first quarter, which was fairly disappointing. To wake up and learn that the Buckeyes won was quite the happy surprise! I think my old sweatshirt will be a major part of my wardrobe between now and game day (Jan. 12).

Thanks for reading. Thanks for being supportive and thanks for sticking with this narcissistic collection of words, sentences and paragraphs. Both of you know I'm more than how I look or feel. But right now I'm seizing the moment and taking advantage of that whole fresh-start thing.

How about you?

My mid-year mileage

I really like the MapMyRun app, and appreciate not having to figure out mileage and time and splits and pace using my questionable mathy skills, which have atrophied over time and which were never my strong suit anyway. I was probably in the art room when I should have been learning long division.

A couple days ago I got a MapMyRun mid-year total.

And when I used my remaining mathy skills, I determined that I've averaged 4.4 miles per workout this year. With 181 days and 829 miles to go in 2014, it's not likely I'll make the 1500-mile goal I recently abandoned. But I could probably do better than last year's 1300.

Heh.

See how crazy I am? That I would even do the math and try to figure it out and what was I thinking?!?!?

Well, who knew we'd have such a brutal winter and I'd lose a month of walking days because of snow and ice and cold, oh my?

Those numbers make me feel good, but they really don't matter. What matters is I'm still committed to walking as frequently as I can, for as long as I'm able. 

Time to get real

I've maintained my current weight for six months. My current weight is still 20 pounds more than I'd LOVE to weight, and 10 pounds more than I'd be happy with, and eight pounds more than my lowest weight last year. Give or take a pound or two.

Today is the 181st day of the year. After today's five-miler, I will have walked 657 miles since January. If I were to continue walking five miles daily for the remainder of the year, I could still reach my 1500-mile goal.

You know what, though? I'm declaring, TODAY, the pressure's off.

Which doesn't mean I'm giving up the effort, but does mean I feel pretty good about where I am and I'm done working so damned hard at it.

I've registered for a 5K the end of next month. I did it last year and it was fun and I surprised myself and that's the feeling I want to have – being satisfied with an accomplishment, rather than every damned day thinking I've come up short.

I've spot-checked my weight a couple times this week and it's either holding steady or going down. If I don't obsess about it, I do better. Relieving myself of the obsession to step on the scale daily has been hard, but my head is in a much better place when I don't start the day looking at THAT number.

So. Will 1500 miles happen? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't matter. If I don't walk another mile for the year, I've still averaged more than most sedentary people do. Even the New York Times found that most Americans log about 5000 steps per day – just slightly more than my current average if I sit the rest of 2014 out.

The pressure's off. Really. I need to be okay with who I am now. I need to keep walking because it's good for my heart and my head, more than for my weight. I need to run because I love running, not because it's a way to get skinny fast.

And I need to cut myself some slack. As Robert Browning said,

"Better have failed in the high aim, as I,

Than vulgarly in the low aim succeed …"

Grateful for YOU

Thank you for your kind words the past few days. It's been a rough, rough week.

With a couple more in store. Not, thankfully, because of funerals but because of a family reunion and a little weekend getaway. No matter how much fun such events and excursions can be, there's still a lot of planning and preparation to make them happen.

Fortunately the reunion isn't at my house, but at a state park nearby. No one has to make mountains of food and the park offers plenty of recreational activities for those who want it – hiking, golf, horseback riding, an indoor pool, etc. We should have rented a cabin for the weekend, but honestly didn't even consider it. Now we're looking at three days of 70-mile round trips to get there.

Throw my birthday in there, too. The fun never stops.

The trip will be the annual one to the Nash, to watch my older two grandchildren perform in their spring recital. Can't wait for that!

And then it's full-on summer … I hope to do a little garden work every day, instead of a lot once or twice a day. Except on mowing days, of course. Since mowing takes a good three hours, I consider that ENOUGH yard work for any day.

Skipping last Thursday's walk didn't hurt too much, but this week's miles were down quite a bit from the past month. Still … I'm not changing the mileage goal just yet. Two hundred twenty-seven days left this year. If I can average five per day I'll not only make it to 1500, I'll smash it! But being nearly a third of the way there and way more than a third of the way into the year doesn't exactly bode well.

As the young folk say … it is what it is.

Thank you again for your kind comments and warm thoughts. I do appreciate it.

Preparations

I walked yesterday, a nice loooong walk in which I was not at all in a hurry to be done. I wasn't in a hurry while I was actually walking, either, as my pace ended up being just slightly faster than 3 mph. But the distance was seven miles. I would have been awfully tired on the way back had I been going much faster.

Or so I like to tell myself. Justification and rationalization can be very good buddies.

It was a perfect day for walking – upper 60s, breezy, sunny. Spring is here, finally.

It occurred to me as I was ambling along that the by-the-book Whole 30 I'm doing with Gingerzingi will begin a year and a day after the first one I did last spring. I might have to do a Whole 31, and begin anew on the same day as last year.

This week has been pretty good. It's easy to get off track, but knowing I've made this commitment makes me want to stay ON track. A few days of clean eating and several decent walks have made a weight-loss difference in the amount of two pounds this week. It's so very nice to see the number go back down again, and it reinforces for me the idea that this thing really works.

For me.

I'm going to make some pumpkin muffins (using almond meal and coconut flour), because I've been wanting "bready" things but haven't taken the time to make them using paleo/primal ingredients. Much easier to eat a saltine or 10.

And I always pay for it – with achy joints and interrupted sleep – when I eat a saltine or 10.

Mostly, though, I'm ready.

And I'm especially ready for more long walks. I'd hoped to make it to 100 miles in March, but that didn't happen. In fact, I fell well short. But each month's mileage grows and I'm still going to work hard to hit the 1500-mile goal by New Year's Eve.

A week ago I had to lose 19.5 pounds to reach a normal BMI. Today it's down to 17.5. That's 5.5 more than my lowest weight last year. Winter was brutal, outdoors and in!

This week's progress makes me feel so, so hopeful.

At the prison last night I happened to run into a woman who used to come to the AA meeting. I recognized her, and wished her well, and she shared with me that she'd be leaving soon, going back home to St. Louis.

She asked me what my volunteer service was. I told her, and she said she used to go to that meeting and had, in fact, been the group leader for a month. She absolutely didn't recognize me as the same person.

A little thing, perhaps, to not be recognized by someone who you didn't know very well anyway.

But a big thing, too.

Last gasp blast of winter

I am so completely and utterly sick of winter. I guess I've complained about it too much, because Mother Nature is playing one last (I hope!) cruel trick on us here in southern WV. March may still go out like a lamb, since temperatures are supposed to be much more moderate tomorrow, but on the penultimate day? Not so much:

I'm leaving in a couple of hours, heading north for a most-of-the-day meeting. North is the best place to head to get out of potential snow. It doesn't usually work that way, but today … And my biggest dilemma, of course, is what to wear. I'm thinking black jeans, boots, long-sleeved t-shirt, jean jacket and scarf. You know … something springy! That should cover all the weather bases.

I really wanted to wear a skirt today, though. Grrr.

April 7. That's Day One of the next strict Whole 30, although I'm following the plan pretty well right now. Gingerzingi completed one a couple weeks ago and is finding it difficult to get back on it without a little slip-up here and there. I feel the same way. It's time to buckle down, so we're doing it together. Anyone else want to jump in? No rules, we're not doing anything formal or reporting to each other. Just the idea that someone else is out there, though, being virtually supportive, is very motivating.

At least for me.

Gotta get going … a three-hour drive, four- to five-hour meeting and three-hour return trip awaits. Now that I think about it, it's a great day to be sitting on my ass all day. If I were home I'd just be bitching about the weather preventing me from walking. Instead I'm watching the snow and listening to the wind and feeling more than a little grateful that I have plans for the day.

And I hope you do, as well.

Friday Quote Day

You are never too old to set another goal 

or to dream a new dream.

~ C.S. Lewis

Well, C.S., that's good to know. Since I'm perpetually setting (or re-setting) goals and dreaming new dreams.

My dreams kept me up last night. Or this night, I guess. When I first woke up the first digit on the clock was a "1." When I finally gave up and got up, it was a "3." I don't often suffer with insomnia, but when I do … it's pretty brutal. I think I got about four hours of sleep.

I'm going to have a very wonky, weird day, I just know it.

I think part of the reason I didn't sleep well is because I spent a lot of yesterday on the phone, talking with a variety of people about many things. I don't usually have so much verbal stimulation, and all the ideas and projects and enthusiasm spilled over, I guess.

I'm working on an annual report for a local foundation, assisting a friend with some website issues, helping plan a couple meetings, trying to decide what to wear to two events next week (my late-winter/early-spring wardrobe is pretty much non-existent), and still urging the Governor to veto that bill, along with the usual meal-planning/preparing, homekeeping, laundry, and, of course, the daily walk.

Yesterday's walk was cut WAY short. So cold, so windy. Had to turn around after only a quarter mile. But today will be lovely, and tomorrow, too. My husband and I will be at a little ceremony this morning dedicating a business to a community leader, but will be coming straight home and, hopefully, getting a long walk in this afternoon.

I mentioned to him yesterday that I was going to have to average 4.5 miles/day, every day, for the rest of the year to hit 1500 miles. He didn't suggest I lower my goal, bless his heart (and I don't mean that in the Southern belle way, but in an honest-to-goodness wow! he gets it! bless his heart! way), but said I'd probably have to throw a few more five- and six-milers in there than I'd originally planned.

He's right. And I will. Those walks have become more than just exercise.

They're bordering on therapy. Heh.

If it's Wednesday ...

So both of you know how difficult it's been for me to continue the losing trend I was on last year. I stayed the same weight from early November through the first of the year (I think that's called a plateau, duh) and then started gaining. Not much. But after seven extra pounds showed up I buckled down, got back on the horse, and it seems to be working.

I'm down 3.5 pounds this week, which seems impossible, but whoop! There it is!

I've reset my goals and will do everything I can to make it to the magic BMI of NORMAL by my birthday, which is May 25.

I have 15.5 pounds to go, and 94 days to get there. That would mean losing slightly more than one pound per week. With improving weather conditions (although the next day or two looks a little iffy) to make those outdoor walks possible and pleasant, and with continued vigilance as to what I put on my plate and in my mouth, I think I can get this job done.

We who have watched our weights go up and down and up again for most of our lives know the really hard job is maintaining a perfect number. Doesn't have to be the one on the insurance chart, or even the perfect BMI. Picking a number that works for YOU, getting there and staying there is a real challenge.

Or, maybe, a real opportunity to test your mettle.

Although for the past few years I'd have to say the getting there has been the really hard job. I'm just glad I've found a way to eat that is satisfying and works for me. The results – especially considering my weight-loss history – are hard to argue with.

I'm a strong woman, most of the time. I've attempted many challenges, succeeding at some and failing at others. (Skydiving comes to mind, although I suppose failing at skydiving would mean smashing into the earth. I never made it INTO the plane, let alone out of it!)

I've already made significant progress – losing 50 pounds in a year seems reasonable and safe and worth an attagirl. I don't have to WANT making it to goal more important.

I just have to do it.

A walk! A walk! My kingdom for a walk!

Snow-covered Indian Creek
Monroe Co. WV

So yes, it was only 21° at noon-ish, but I was on a tight schedule yesterday. If I was going to sing in the sunshine, 21° was as good as it was going to get.

And it was okay. Actually, I got kind of warm toward the end of the fourth mile. Ended up doing five and loved almost every minute of it. It was very cold starting out, and it was a bit icy in one spot. But SO worth that bit of discomfort to get back outside and MOVE!

My husband came along. We blinked like moles in the bright sun after being cooped up for days on end. And we're planning to do it again today, but wearing fewer layers since the temperature is forecast to rocket into the 40s!

Certainly the most amazing sight we saw yesterday: frozen water
stream coming from the mouth of an under-the-road drainpipe.

I feel as though January has been an almost total bust as far as mileage goes. Fifty-nine so far, and with an additional five today that's far below my goal of 127 (4.1x31 – I need to average 4.1/day this year to hit 1500 by 12/31/14).

So I need to step it up! Which is just what I'm planning to do.

I'm tempted …

to say I'm done trying to lose any more weight.

I lost a pound this week, meaning I again have 12 to go to reach my goal. I've been at my current weight (or just slightly below) since early November. I've traveled a lot in the past couple months, which has affected my exercise routine more than my meal plan.

Maybe as the weather improves – spring is on the way, right? – and I get out more, and especially maybe when I begin running again these last few pounds will slip away.

In the meantime, I'm happy-happy-happy to have clothes (and shoes) that fit and look good. Oh, my, I'm having fun wearing cool footwear. I've also started wearing jewelry and using make-up. I guess I'm not hiding any more.

I know what to eat when I'm hungry and I don't miss what I've chosen not to have.

To be brutally honest, I miss cheese sometimes. But I've been able to add a little feta or parmesan or goat cheese to a salad once in a while with no ill effects. And even though cavewomen didn't have dark chocolate, modern followers of a paleo plan have deemed it acceptable, and I do indulge occasionally. It's better for me to not keep it in stock, however.

My original, last-Christmas goal was three pounds more than my current weight. I'm carrying the extra 12 pounds (from my revised goal) around the middle. I'm not comfortable tucking a shirt into a pair of jeans. Maybe instead of a weight goal, I should aspire to wearing a belt.

Or maybe I should quit analyzing and continue to feel good about how far I've come.

Satisfaction: What a concept.