Single Digits!!!

So we know that 40 inches is 40 inches.  It doesn’t matter if you squish it into a size 2 (now THAT is SOME ELASTIC, I’m telling you!) or swath it into a 4X…it is STILL 40 inches.

So, why am I practically ecstatic that I can fit into a size single-digit pair of pants????

I’m not taking ‘em off!

All of the charts say that in reality I am a couple of sizes away from this size range…and in my closet are a series of sizes which all “fit” my body, none of which are as small as these pants declare.  So, I know it is an anomaly.  I know it is a “false size”.  I know that. 

Still…<wicked grin> I am in ‘em!!!!  And I’m not taking them off!!!

Never mind that I haven’t worn “this size” since Jr. High and likely will never actually wear this size. (Remember, I have big bones! Even SKINNY, I just don’t wear the small sizes!)

They don’t bind.  They are not too short.  (A common problem for me) There is not any extra room, but I don’t have to lie on the bed and suck in my breath to button them and zip up!  All of these things are added benefits. But this is not why I love to wear these pants.

      size 16                             size 12

(If they were the same in all other respects, I'm picking the 12!)

Whatever my left-brain tells me, there is still this illogical thrill…yes, I tell you, a heart fluttering THRILL (!) that they are a single digit size!!!

Can you remember what size you wore at specific points in your life?  I sure can.  Strange.  At any given moment, I can’t remember my own phone number.  The zip code!  The ages of my kids.  The birthdays of my grandchildren.  But I CAN tell you the size of the dress I am wearing in any photo.  Easy.  And how much I weighed.

Strange.  Very strange indeed.

Running…Who’dathunkit?

So, yup.  I’m a runner.  Hahaha. 

Well, actually I’m a jogger. 

Well, in reality I’m training to become a jogger. 

Still, it has been strangely fun!  I’m only a few “runs” into it, but I’m DOING IT! And it is WORKING!!! I haven’t broken the plateau yet, but I have re-lost the pounds that I gained when I added the calories because 500 calories a day is NOT ENOUGH!  

Wait…did you hear that?  I RE-LOST the pounds that I had GAINED!!!  I haven’t CELEBRATED this fact YET!!!! I need to celebrate that I HAVE LOST THE GAINED POUNDS!!!!! **happy dance** 

I guess that since I feel ashamed to have gained those pounds! (and it is SO unfair because I wasn’t cheating!) that my head doesn’t count this as a victory.  But, the reality is that it is a HUGE victory because I didn’t get discouraged after ELEVEN WEEKS of no weight loss but instead, 4 pounds OF GAIN!!!!  
Since I have already been walking every day (mostly) since January (or doing some kind of alternate during the bad weather days), I started out jogging 2 full minutes and then walking one minute. It’s about half way down on the Couch Potato running schedule. (The Couch-to-5K ® Running Plan) Well, first there is a warm up, and then you repeat this run-walk cycle several times – 5 to be exact. 
Then, for week 2, I revved it up to THREE minutes jogging followed by one minute of walking for four cycles.  An-n-n-n-n-n-n-nd... 

that’s all there is. I’m in week TWO.  

Not very far down the path, so to speak.  However, it IS a step in the right direction. <rolls eyes> I am so full of puns! 
And I have seen a difference!  I leaned over balance myself to push one shoe off with the other, and I SAW MUSCLE TONE IN MY TUMMY! There are muscle lines in my arms.  
Now, in case you are envisioning her (My skinny, 125 pound, 19-year-old self): 

                           No.  Just no.  
I am STILL a VERY rounded, even pudgy individual.  But compared to 30 squishy, cottage cheesy pounds ago, there is a BIG CHANGE!  
Are you getting off of the couch more?  What are YOU doing to amp your calorie burning?  Here’s a Pinterest quote for you: No matter how slow you are go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch. 
Here’s another that I say to myself regularly: If you had gone running when you first thought about it, you’d be done by now.

 

 

What the Doctor Said (two surprises)

So, today I went to the doctor! It was SUCH A JOY to step on the scale! Even though I know that I’ve gained about 4 pounds since I changed my diet from 800 calories a day to 1000-1100 calories a day, it still reflects quite a weight loss since December! (Remember: I wasn’t counting calories, just noting what I ate, and when I went back to count how many, I had averaged 800!!! This is not good. It has slowed my metabolism WAY down – the “famine effect”.)

Doc said to up the calories to 1200.  I am afraid to do that!  Then, she said that I should also increase my activity even more (as if I have time).  It appears that my “diet” (1 c. or less every hr. or more) is something like “The 17 Day Diet” and suggested that I get the book!  She does think that if I will continue to closely monitor all of this, that I will again begin to lose weight.  I sure do hope so!!!

One addition to my arsenal of diet changes is this: drink at least one cup of green tea with each meal.

So, I looked up the benefits of green tea – great stuff! Supposed to be good for your heart, to fight against cancer and… tada! …great for weight loss!  Most of you probably already knew that.

Oh! And another surprise!  Do NOT eat ANY carbs! No long-grain rice, no barley, none of it! Not for the 17 days, and then add them in small amounts.  So, I’ll do that too.

So, even though I want the next 20 pounds to fall off as easy as the first 20 did, it isn’t going to happen.  However, I AM going to put some more changes into play.  Eat more broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and other veggies.  Add more olive oil. And also, drink more green tea!  I am going to start the one minute jog-3 minutes walk training until I get up to straight jogging.  (This is NOT good news for me, however, I will need the increased stamina when I am on my mission trips…so it IS a good idea even if I do not like it.)

sorry it is blurry - park where I will do my jogging (I already walk 1 - 1 1/2 hours per day here)

No magic formula.  No pills.  No surgery.  Just hard work and planning.  <sigh> Here we go!!!!!

News Flash to Me: there is no “easy” weight loss

We saw a buffalo on the wildlife refuge Sunday!

               

 So, first of all, to report NO changes! Well, truthfully, 2-3 pounds have crept BACK ON!!!  I realized that I was not consuming enough calories per day (400-900 is too few!!) so, I have tried to keep it to 1000-1100...and what do you know? I’ve GAINED weight!

                On the other hand, I have remained steadfast to “The Mandates”.  I have not “slipped”.  I have been FAITHFUL.  So, that is one good thing.  I did not take measurements (that WOULD have been a good idea) but my “new” (smaller) pants are slipping off of me.  This should make me happy – right? Wrong!  I didn’t go through all of this to stay the same!  I mean, I’ve been the same since February 11 and here it is April 10!!!  I SHOULD be losing more!

                I go to the doctor next week – we’ll see what she says.

                So today, I will sing the praises of a little grain called barley.  It is a GREAT grain.  Especially for people who need to lose weight.  Barley is also really good for diabetics.  Also it is beneficial for anyone who is concerned about keeping their blood glucose levels low.  It does NOT turn to sugar as quickly as wheat or rice.  It’s is much lower in carbohydrates than they are and the type of carb is different.

                If you haven’t tried barley, you can buy it at Wal-Mart (or your local health food store).  You can add a little to soups or stews.  You can just cook it like rice (3 c water, boiling, add 1 c barley and simmer for 1 hr 15 min tightly covered).  Serve it with a little salt maybe a dash of olive oil or a TEENY-TINY bit of butter.  Mix it into a casserole instead of rice.   I like a half cup for breakfast.

              

  Also, another new food for me is bok choy.  It is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium, but it is low in calories.  Plus, it tastes DELICIOUS in a vegetable soup! I have been making soups – and they are so good! Broth, veggies and some little tiny meat chunks and viola! Soup! Cut your bok choy into bite sized pieces and add it to the boiling soup – FABULOUS! Or you can steam it, use it in stir fry or in salads!!! It is listed in the cabbage family - but it is NOT like cabbage! Enjoy!!!