New Me Challenge

retirehappy

retirehappy wrote: »

I want to exercise more, strength training and some more low intensity cardio is what I want to focus on this new year. I also want to reach my goal weight and be maintaining it during the feasting season at the end of the year.

Here is my plan for 2017:

I will do 3x a week strength training. This will be body weight and dumb bells training.

My daily walking aim for 28 day average of 10k daily.

2x a week I will do additional cardio, this might be a more strenuous hike, Zumba, or some other cardio dvd workout that gets my heart rate into the fat burning zone and keeps it there for an extended time.

Keep up the lower carb lifestyle I have started since Aug. Slowly adding carbs back in using the Atkins ladder method so I have a smooth transition into maintenance.

Keep up my logging streak on MFP.

Continue to support others in this group and the LCHF groups I have joined as well.

Ok, I am doing the 3x a week strength training sessions. I go to Body Flex and use my gear at home now.

Not quite up to the 28day average, but it is just mid month of the first month, so will just keep plugging along on this one. It will come

Using Jessicasmithtv hiit sessions to get these in. The snow and cold helped me do those.

Still low carbing, since I haven't been losing lately, I am not adding any further carb families in, I am pretty happy with the cheeses, nuts, etc. that I am allowed already, so will stay on this 5th rung area for a while more.

Still logging daily.

The groups here are very important to me, reading and commenting is the easiest part of this Journey. There are some wonderful MFPers!

Hope everyone else is making progress.

mxchana

You're doing great, Joell - and you know, I was just thinking of you this morning as I was shoveling snow. First I thought of how many minutes I was going to get to enter on my exercise diary. Then I thought of the MFP group and how grateful I am it is STILL HERE even though *some* people (like me) fade out and then come back and expect to find it still here. So I was thinking of *you* with gratitude for your faithful leadership of our group. Thank you!!

retirehappy

Thanks Kathy, this group has been here for me for a long time. I was so grateful to Californiagirl, and when she left it. I was afraid it would go away. Since I spend so much time on my computer now that I am retired, I enjoy "giving" back to community by making sure this groups and some others I am involved in stay active. The general boards can get so nasty, it is nice to have the groups for refuge from the storms. It also some place to keep references that we might need over and over again. I do love MFP and am so thankful even the free version is worth my time and efforts.

Rocel135

Yeah, retirehappy, you have a great plan! Inspires me to up my plans!

Rocel135

Oh my goodness tonight I tried a "PyYo" class. Down on the floor ... get back up...., down on the floor ... get back up ...repeat. When the next thing was burpees, I left.

retirehappy

Rocel135, I would have too. Those classes are for the 20somethings. Next time try a beginners yoga or thi chi type class. Doing too much at first is a great way to hurt yourself or end up totally discouraged. Hate burpees and there is no real reason to ever do those, you can get same results from other exercises. If you enjoy dancing, Zumba Gold classes are terrific to start for cardio. Try to make it fun. The best exercise is the one you will want to do.

mxchana

I agree with that move, for sure Rocel - getting injured would mean a tremendous setback in your exercise routine. I have had such a busy day today - I don't know if I can face getting on my ski machine quite yet but, maybe I can just put on some music and dance around a little.

Rocel135

Yeah, I have liked some Zumba classes (teachers I guess) better than others. There's another class I go to that uses weights and bands. But that getting up and down thing ... By the time I get down, they're getting up and by the time I get up, they're getting back down again!

retirehappy

Got my 28 day average back up to slightly over 9K. With all the cold weather that has not been easy. Thank goodness for the jessicasmithtv youtube channel!!!!

retirehappy

It is going to be over 60F here today, can't wait to get outside and take a LONG walk.

I hope everyone else is moving forward on your challenges.

mxchana

So far I have exercised some almost every day so, not perfect but I have succeeded more days than not. Now I really have to push myself to get the TIME up from a measly 10 minutes to something at least respectable - say, 30 minutes a day. My ultimate goal is minimum 45 minutes a day (which is what I did for a long time) - but, baby steps here, yeah.

Ming1951

OK just join this group, I covered what I'm doing in my intro. So onto the Feb. challenge!

CrisEBTrue

Hi... Remember me? It's been awhile.... LOL

I'm still struggling like some of you... and I understand TOTALLY understand that frustration, that feeling of "why am I doing this?"

(That is, in brief, the Story of My Life..struggling with weight)

Winter is always hard on me. I turn into a slug. I don't want to move,certainly don't want to walk outside... don't even want to get in the car and drive to the gym. Throw in a couple of weeks with an achy knee, some sinusitis, some flu-like symptoms, and any other feeble excuse I can dredge up to not move...

And I did go very low carb for awhile. Not only did I not lose weight, but after a couple of weeks I was cranky, felt deprived and tired all the time. Also bored to death with thinking about what food I could not have at any given time.

I've been on Lantus ( a form of insulin) for awhile, for my type2 diabetes. Oh guess what, it causes weight gain. Online advice is: "eat less." ( Ok, well, thanks for THAT!)

O M G Now I know why people do those liquid weight loss things..

We're going on another river cruise in April.. I wanted to lose some lbs before then and I still could maybe possibly lose like...6 lbs before then. Anything is better than nothing, right?

It's WARM here, for February, and yesterday it happened. I have this moment every year when my brain *pops* and wakes from its torpor, from that lazy, hibernating snuggle in a fetal position state of mind that I fall into every winter... I got energized, did some cleaning (oh bless you, sunlight). Also I saw a current photo of myself and realized that I am a lump.

So, I'm back. I'm going to start tracking all my foods again. It seems pointless because I pretty much eat the same things every day, but maybe it will help. (How many calories does that burn? I stopped because it takes time away from Things I'd Rather Be Doing..
And I'm off to the gym in a few minutes...

I have an appt with my doc on Wednesday; she is going to kill me.
At least my blood sugar numbers are good.

To summarize, I am going to try to get back into eating like a thin person I already am inside, rather than struggle against the Fat Person I have become. Years of fighting cravings, emotional eating, feelings of deprivation.. hard habits to break. I don't know if I will actually lose weight ever again, but... I'm going to Persist.

Thanks, again, for being here. And for positive supporting each other.

mxchana

Welcome back, Cris! You've done the hardest thing, which is to RE-start and RE-energize... Not easy, how well I know!! But yes, Mother Nature is on our side now. Thanks for the beautiful photographic reminder!

And where are you cruising? I love cruises but life has been so busy the past few years, we have not been able to get away...

Get thee behind me, Ground Hog! Spring is ON THE WAY!!! ~ Kathy

retirehappy

Cris always nice to see your photos here.

Glad the sunshine has recharged you. It sure helps me when I just want to curl up with a good book and forget everything else.

As for the low carb, sounds like you got keto flu, google it, there are ways to combat it. At least the med you are on sounds like it got your numbers in the right range, better than what was happening this time last year.

Keep on, keeping on. And remember, cruise ships are not just about the buffets

CrisEBTrue

Thanks for the lovely re-welcome and encouragement... every day is another start over day at this point, isn't it?

We're doing a Viking River cruise...Paris and etc.... for our 13th anniversary.
That's one week, and we are staying on in Paris for another week to "do" things on our own.

I actually lose weight when we're cruising; there's always so much walking and sightseeing.
And meals on cruises these days are geared so you CAN make good choices. (or not)
It seems that it's a lot easier to make Good Choices when I'm not the one who has to think about it, buy it, and fix it myself. ha.

I did a good 45 minutes at the gym today.
That's really my limit. My blood sugar drops pretty rapidly. I hit the grocery store afterward to get more veggies ( ! ) and by the time I got home I had the shakes. My BG was 79, which is low for me. It's always something, y'know? ha.

retirehappy

Paris is always worth a few extra days, springtime it is so lovely there, and the cruise sounds super fun. Congrats on the anniversary coming up.

Glad to hear your numbers can even get under 100, I remember when you couldn't get them down for anything. Hopefully you are on the right track for controlling your T2D. Sounds like a productive day exercise and shopping, yea, YOU.

CrisEBTrue

Diabetes is SO weird.
I thought I was doing ok back last fall, but my A1C was still at 7.25 or so
So my doctor wanted me to start tracking my numbers 3 times a day.
That's normal for a type1 but kind of extreme for type2. Also annoying as heck.
What happened was, my numbers were AWFUL. They seemed to be going UP.
I was SO frustrated.

So I stopped doing it 3x a day and started just doing it first thing in the am every other day, and randomly whenever.
Then I didn't even bother (shh, don't tell) for about a month.

Guess what. My numbers came back down.

So today, for example, I did my finger stick at 7:15am and after I got back from the gym.
When I got up, it was 89 and after the gym it was 79.

I think I had just stressed myself into high blood sugar.

Sometimes I think I just don't understand any of this. geez. LOL

Ming1951

Cruise sounds like a lot of fun, haven't been on one since I was like 19 or 20. LOL Probably would enjoy it. Paris sounds great. My neighbor spent two weeks there last summer for her daughters 16th birthday. Some birthday gift! My mom had type 2 diabetes. Yes its a struggle everything you do and or eat affects your numbers. Even when your not feeling well..that affects it too.

CrisEBTrue

YESSSSSSSS PEOPLE!!!!

I just got back from my doc appt and..

My A1C is DOWN, my weight is DOWN, my BP is NORMAL...

My doctor was practically giddy ... I'm rather happy myself!!

WooHOOOOO!!