This whole walk vs. run thing is really messing with me. I keep changing my mind about which to do. I know that C25K works. I've used it before. But quite frankly, as much as I LOVE the endorphin rush of a great workout, I strongly dislike running. HA! I didn't even like it during all those years in the Army. I used to think that I didn't like it because I wasn't good at it, but now I'm starting to think that I may not be good at it because I don't like it. I feel zero drive to be a good runner. I do, however, have an extremely strong drive to be an amazing walker. Sounds silly when I say it, but I like being able to walk for 90 minutes and put in 5 miles like I did on the treadmill today while watching Criminal Minds on my phone. I like that I can walk faster than I can run when it comes to completing a mile. I like pushing myself to walk 4mph...who knows, maybe I can walk even faster. I like that I can get the endorphin rush without jarring my body. The thing that turned me onto C25K this time around is the interval training itself, which I do with high intensity with the tabata rowing. So, good bye to consistently forcing myself to run. Maybe I'll run on occasion still. Maybe someday I'll decide to try C25K again. For now, give me Netflix and 90 minute walks. When the snow is gone and the sun is shining, I'll have Nordic Poles in hands speeding around town. When I released so much weight before, I was Nordic Walking 4 miles a day; usually 7 days a week. I'm ready for that again...with the strength training and tabata rowing in there too.

I was doing really well this week with food and the long walks. Then yesterday, I took my youngest daughter to an allergist and my abusive ex husband showed up without warning. The tension in that room was thick enough to cut, but I handled it with as much grace as I could muster...for my daughter's sake. Afterward, I bombed...horribly. Kids all wanted Taco John's. Usually, I'd either find the healthiest option on the menu or suggest a different place This time, I didn't have an ounce of will power. Hormonal food cravings combined with emotional binge eating is a recipe for disaster. Dang it. That was aweful. Scale is up 4 pounds overnight. Yes, high high high sodium and TTOM both lead to significant water weight, but even knowing that logically, an increase on the scale has psychological effects. Back on the treadmill today. Hoping for a fairly quick recovery.

The water did help. Most of those pounds were gone this morning; all but about .6. I'm actually kind of surprised though because of hormonal factors at play. I weighed in for my Biggest Loser Challenge and I gained since last Sunday. Not a big surprise there.

I'm feeling like I need to buckle down; for more than a few days only to bomb out with unhealthy food choices. In some ways, even though I've been doing fairly well with exercise, I've been losing steam with the food. It's not as easy to stay on track, and once I have a bad day, there becomes some sort of justification to have another even if it's in the same week. I've fallen short with food planning when my youngest kids are home. That makes a difference because we all end up eating less than healthy if I'm stumbling to figure out dinner at 4pm. I'm getting back to better planning already. We sat down yesterday and made a meal plan for the next few days. We(or I) will do that again by Tuesday, so I can grocery shop again.

Today is my 100th consecutive day logging in to MFP. In some ways, I was doing better at day 10. Full of energy and excitement. January showed a huge loss, now February is only 4 pounds. I know this is still decent weight loss, and yet I feel disappointed in my progress.

Mini goals
Be consistent with calorie intake by planning meals again
Continue doing long walks(60-90 minutes) at least 4x a week (daily would be ideal)
Continue with bodyweight training progressions 3x a week
Finally get under 220 instead of losing the same few pounds

I woke up a little sore today with achy thighs and low back. I figure it's probably from harvesting yesterday. Unfortunately, at lunch time I bent to get something out of the fridge and I ended up on my knees with the door open for a few minutes trying to find the right back position for standing up without hurting myself. At the time, it felt like I tweeked it, but now I think it was more of a muscle issue than a spine issue. It's still sore, but getting up and walking around really helps loosen it up.

After several 40 degree days over the last week and a half or so, we're back to winter. School was cancelled for the day due to the weather, so we had a day mostly just being home. I wanted to get to the gym for my walk, hoping that would help ease my back pain, but I wasn't able to make it there. I have managed a fairly decent calorie deficit though, considering this is one of the rare days where I have zero exercise.

The chicken cooperated, and we had what turned out more like chicken stew than soup. I added lentils, kale, and bok choy this time and make curried coconut milk on the side so we could add it if we wanted. Only half the family really likes curry. I think I'll continue to make it that way because I actually prefer the curry over the usual chicken soup.

Tomorrow will be a fairly busy day, but I'm planning to get up early again for strength training before I get the kids off to school. Then, I'll head to the gym before going to the support group I'm in. IF I have the time and energy, I may head out to harvest again for an hour or two before the kids get out of school. The friend who owns the farm asked me to help keep the harvesting going while he's in California for 2 weeks. I kind of feel like I got suckered into it because I'm his most experienced friend when it comes to taking care of the farm, but it will be nice to spend some solitary time out in the country. Plus, the work is fairly meditative, and I often see eagles and hawks circling overhead.

FINALLY, I'm back on track. 28 days from lowest weight of 221.2, and I'm back to that exact weight. What a rough month it's been with the wierd significant gain, and bit of yoyo, and a plateau inspite of working my *kitten* off and doing all the right things...ok, MOSTLY the right things. Getting under 220 is my first mini weight goal, so I'm quite excited to be so close and moving in the right direction!

My back is still bothering me, but it is healing. Figured out it's muscle related, which I'm thankful for. Pinched nerves and bulging discs are horrific to deal with. I also did some research about Achilles tendon injuries, symptoms, and treatment. Also thankfully, it's not my actual tendon that sustained injury but the paratenon that encases the tendon. Just some swelling which could have been caused by overuse, new shoes, the fact that I have almost no arches in my feet, or any combination of those factors. I've been icing it and doing static stretches for a couple days, and it's recovering quite nicely.

I'm hoping to be back to my walks (even if at a much slower pace) tomorrow or Saturday. I'm not sure about strength training yet. It feels early to be putting stress on my back, so I may just hold off until Monday. I'll just to do what feels best depending on how my back is doing.

Thanks, Lottie! Just 1 more pound to go! Although now, 0.1 pound would "technically" get me there.

And here are my images so far. I want to keep putting them all in a post together, so it's easier to see the month-to-month progress. There isn't much different from February to March because I am only down about 2 pounds from those pics. BUT, I've lost some inches....

Waist -0.5"
Hips -0.5"
L Bicep -0.5"
R Bicep -1"
L Thigh -0.25"
R Thigh -0.5