Not the equine variety, although we’ve got those here on the farm. I’m referring to the constant waxing and waning of my exercise and diet routine in recent years. Until my 50’s I didn’t really have to worry about my weight and I ate as much as I wanted. Oh, how I love food. I’ve always led an active life – but with my 50’s came fibromyalgia and hypertension and higher cholesterol and menopause and weight gain and a general feeling of -yuck- in my clothes, when I am active, in the mirror, you may know the struggle too.
The answer to these things that I have in my control is better food choices, better portion sizes and stepping up the workouts and walks. If you’re in the same boat, don’t ever quit rowing. We are worth the effort, don’t you think?
So, with 2020 comes a new wave of resolve for me – to not quit even though I haven’t succeeded in losing those 25 extra pounds. The scale annoys me to no end, so I’m not getting on it all the time – How I feel in my own skin and in my clothes will tell me how well I’m doing, or not. I’ve joined Noom, are you familiar with it? It’s similar to WW – calorie counting, some coaching on the phone app, and a great facebook page support group, which I am finding is very helpful. I’m not the “meetings” kind of girl nor will a very restrictive diet ever work for me, so this is something I think I can stick with, and so here we go. Again. and that’s OK
I’m also back in the gym – walking on the treadmill when the weather is not cooperative, and light weight training 3-4 times a week, besides the farm chores and dog walking that are part of my regular routine. Just a few hand held weights stored under your bed or in your closet and some tips online or from your Dr. are all you need to incorporate light weight training into your routine at any age.
In a friend’s Christmas card was an enlightening list I’ll share with you here – I used a photo from my backyard garden as a backdrop. Good advice for anyone.
Wishing us all a Happy, Healthy 2020, and World Peace… oh, if only there were that.
Karen
Hello,
I try to keep moving and I have been keeping my portion sizes down for awhile now. When I can not walk outside, I walk on my treadmill. Good luck with your program. Happy Monday, wishing you a great day and a happy new week!
That’s awesome, pretty much my routine too. Now if only to curb my appetite!
I am also trying to eat healthier and move more. Let’s make 2020 a year of taking care of ourselves!
Amen, sister!
You’ll do well, I know you will! I’ve about decided not to weigh either, and just go by the clothes; how they feel. Not good at the moment. 🙂
xoxo
Hey Sally – hope you’re feeling better! And..you always look great in the weight department, so I bet there’s not much work to be done for you. I think going by the clothes is a good measure of success, too.
Good luck to you! I know exactly what you mean about menopause changing things. It’s so much harder to stay in shape. I have a friend who’s about the same size and weight as me, but much younger. According to our FitBits (we both have them), she easily tops 2K calories a day even without getting 10K steps, but I sometimes pass 10K steps and don’t burn 2K calories. Of course, every body is different and the FitBit is based on averages, but it illustrates how much our metabolism changes with age, even if we manage to keep up the exercise.
Looking around at my relatively thin French friends of all ages, I see:
no snacking. The French are strict about meal times.
portion control. They don’t overdo it and seconds are out of the questions.
very little alcohol. A single glass of wine on a night out and none during the week.
sharing desserts when they go out. A bite or two and the rest goes to their husbands. They don’t go without, but they maintain that control to limit themselves.
activity. They all work out. Lots of walking. Zumba. Yoga.
I’d make a terrible french woman, LOL. I love to snack, I go for seconds often if it’s great food, and my husband and I both polish off our desserts. I do walk a lot and weight train, for me it’s all about what I’m putting in my mouth, and how to cut that way down. UUUUUUGH. The french women are doing it right.
Well done, you! Happy and healthy 2020! And I love the self-care list too. Really perfect!
I love that list… and Happy Healthy New Year to you as well!!
Good luck! I am the leader of TOPS support group, and we are pushing exercise. without it the pounds will not come on, the simple answer in is calories in and calories out by moving. at TOPS each person figures out what they need to do, and there are many ways to lose. the thing we say is do something you can do the rest of your life, the changes I mean. if we do something we hate or don’t care for we will not stick with it. slow loss is best, there are no magic pills. the more we move the better
That is the best advice ! you have to find what you can stick with for the rest of your life, so true!!
I’m so happy to be back on your blog and catching up on your news! I’ve missed you! Well, I understand completely and always tell everyone to concentrate on their health not their weight. But it’s hard to make the changes and always do what’s right for our bodies. I have done a exercise classes and our fitness center is within walking distance of my house so I’ve used that too in the past. But it never meant anything to me. Walking outside has made the difference for me. I know you walk your dogs and work with your animals so you get a lot of that kind of exercise too. Has your husband kept his weight off? I know he lost quite a bit. Here’s wishing you both a Happy New year! Hugs!
He gained it back, because… Nutrisystem is not something you stick with forever, it’s not even healthy food, truth be told. SO.. we are both trying to sort it out with healthier choices and more exercise for him. I’m already doing well in that department, but the portion control and snacking are still a problem for me. It’s so frustrating.
Welcome back!!
I get you on so many levels. I need to lose so much more than you and I have tried a lot of ‘diets”…I hate that word. None seem to work for me anymore. Atkins helped me lose a ton of weight years ago but I was much more active to burn off that fat. Portion control is very difficult…I feel if I’m not full after a meal, I’ll snack. It’s tough and mostly imagined. Night eating…very hard. It makes me feel full and satisfied when I have insomnia. Grrrrr…
Let’s all do this together. And get rid of those scales!!!
Jane😘
Jane, it frustrates the hell out of me, honestly. I love food, I love cooking food, and I use food as a stress reliever, that’s my bad habit. I cannot believe how hard it is proving to lose these miserable 25 lbs.