But I would walk 100 miles. And I would walk 100 more.

 Last month, I set a goal of 100 miles for the month of October and I hit it today a few days early. I have been enjoying them more. I borrowed an Apple watch to track my heart rate while walking and it really makes it interesting aiming to get and keep my heart rate in the moderate and hard zones. Weight is continuing to come off. Down 7.5 pounds this month. My size 20 jeans are now too big, I was wearing 22’s before I started. Getting ready to do a clothes donation soon. 

Here we go yet again!

 So, the 2022 project got me into regular sized clothes for our Europe Summer Cruise, but unfortunately ended in yet another failure and the clothes ended up getting donated or packed away and the plus sizes and all of the pounds returned. 

We went on another Europe cruise this summer where we walked so much that I ended up losing a few pounds over the three weeks. When we returned home, my metabolism must have still been in higher gear because more pounds just disappeared. As I returned to my sedentary ways, the weight plateaued. 

So, September 1st, I decided I was going to walk 5k per day, every day. The month has now ended and I made it 24 out of 30 days. The missed days were either rainy or I had another commitment. I walked 87 miles, and dropped 6.4 pounds. 

And here, in the spirit of accountability, is the really embarrassing state of things. My goal once again is to get out of the obese bmi range once and for all. 

10 Years!

 Ok, so it's been ten years since I've updated this blog. Of course, I continued losing weight until I hit my goal and have maintained it ever since, right? Yeah, right! Then why would I be back here? I did hit my goal to get out of the obese bmi. That was awesomely fantastic. But you know what happens next, right?

Sadly, I put it all back on. Yep, even a few pounds more than I started at originally. So disappointing.

But, here I am yet again, determined to do it again. No Weight Watchers this time. I went back once or twice, but never had the success with the program that I had doing it on my own.

So, back in February, I made the commitment. I started logging and doing a little exercise and ten weeks in, I've lost 15 pounds. I set an initial goal of 1.5 pounds per week, so I am right on it and feeling pretty successful. If I stick to it, I'll hit my goal by the end of this year.

I never even got to try them outside!

Earlier this month, I purchased a set of Bluetooth headphones from Amazon.  I always use my Discover card when I make purchases because of their Extended Product Warranty and Purchase Protection benefits, even though I’ve never used them.  I received my headphones promptly and started using them.  They were great!

Friday night, when I got home from the Y, I tossed my clothes into the washer.  Yes, unfortunately, my three week old headphones were tangled in my shirt and they went in too.   And of course, I didn’t realize this until after I pulled their mangled remains out after the cycle completed.  After I got finished cursing myself for being an idiot, I remembered the Discover Card benefits.  They would save me from my stupidity!

The Purchase Protection ‘automatically protect[s] your purchases against damage or theft for 90 days when you use your Discover Card.’  I went online and read all the exclusions and none of them applied. 

I called Discover and talked to a very nice customer service person.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t help me.  It turned out that I could not submit the claim because I used Amazon’s new pay with your cashback bonus option instead of my actual Discover Card.  The rep could see the transaction, but because it was not on the card itself, I was out of luck. 

So, lesson learned.  Don’t use the pay with cash back option if you want your card benefits to apply!  

Anyone have any recommendations for Bluetooth headphones?

Before and during photos

I've been meaning to post these awful photos. They're from June/July 2010.

Here is the one I made when I hit 50 pounds lost in May.

Here is my most current from August 2011.  This was about 60 pounds lost.

Y Fitness Challenge Week 5

I knew I shouldn't have complained about the Y Fitness class last week.  I think they tried to kill us last night. I am seriously sore this morning.  We did an 'easy 30 minute routine' that took at least 45 minutes.  It was cardio intervals (jumping jacks and jump rope) interspersed with strength (sit-ups, push-ups, lunges and all sorts of ab work).  Whew!  I feel it in my abs every time I move and just lifting my coffee cup this morning is an effort.  I love it!

There was a photographer there from Carroll Magazine. There is going to be an article about the challenge soon.  Class attendance was definitely down last night.  I'm not sure if people are dropping out or if it was because everyone knew the photographer would be there.  Guess we'll see if folks return next week.  Our team is still going strong.  There was one person that was added to our team in week 2 that hasn't shown up since, but the other 7 of us are committed.

On another note, I had a very, very good run on Monday.  50 minutes of running with 0 walking.  Yeah me!  I think my success is weather related.  It's getting much cooler and the temp Monday evening was about 65.  There was also a beautiful sunset to watch.  I felt like I could have gone on even longer except I was losing the light.  I'm so sad that it's getting dark earlier.  I'm not ready to go inside for the next few months.  When daylight savings time ends in a few weeks, it'll be dark by the time I leave work.

Progress!

So, it's now week four of the Y Fitness Challenge and it's doing just what I had hoped -- motivating me. I've been in the gym or out on the trail four or five days a week and pretty much staying in my calorie range (give or take a little). So weight loss has returned! Yay!!

I'm now comfortably in the 180's and that magic number 185 will happen soon. What's magic about 185? Well, at 5'6", that is a BMI of under 30, which is the line between overweight and obese. I know BMI is not really so important, but no longer being obese has been my next goal for a long, long time. My first goal was losing 10%. Then it was no more plus size clothing. Then it was getting under 200 pounds. Now it's under 30 BMI. I haven't decided what my next goal will be. I guess I'll have to start thinking about it.

The Y Fitness Challenge is interesting. I'm on a team of seven and everyone is very nice. We've had one member not show up for two weeks now, so we may actually be just a team of six. The workouts are a bit disorganized and might even be a little too easy for me. On Tuesday, we warmed up on the bikes for about 10 minutes, then we ran laps around the gym for five minutes, then we did six stations of circuits for two minutes each. Yes, I still hate sit-ups and push-ups and they continue to be very challenging for me.

Maybe I should focus on those push-ups and sit-ups instead of the running for a while, but it's so hard to put aside what's working or to find even more time to exercise. I'm feeling stretched enough for time as it is. Every few months, I get an email from a Y trainer congratulating me on all my cardio work, but encouraging me to do more (well, actually, any!) weights. I still haven't taken the training for the new machines.

Each week of class, we have a 'challenge'. So far, they've been simple -- eat a fruit and vegetable every day, exercise some more type of stuff. This week is to complete sets of sit-ups and push-ups, 2 sets of 20 each on 3 separate occasions. Ugh.