12 Oakdale

I have lost 20# since my peak, following our Christmas Markets cruise and then Costa Rican birding trip. I can fit into all of my slacks with room to spare, including the several pairs of khakis I bought who knows why, a gazillion years ago. They will be my winter wardrobe. We are on that eat less, exercise more regimen. More vegetarian meals, less animal protein. I’ve also quit drinking alcohol, except for a delicious charred pineapple Paloma on our anniversary. Seems to be working.  Grant has lost 15#, enough from his waist so that his shorts, being held up with suspenders, looked like the old clown in a barrel routine. I refused to be seen with him until he bought new clothes.  His first order was for 42” waist shorts, which looked like ruffle tops when he tried them on with a belt. Nope, back they went. Second try was 40” waist. Much better, even a little loose. I am hoping these will be too big in a few months. In addition to looking and feeling better, he is snoring at ...

 Yes, I’m in good shape, for my age, as the doctors always have to add. However, 10 pounds less makes my pants fit better. Back on the eat less, exercise more plan. January 6th: 170.0#  I’ve begun my arm exercises again and am trying a NYT’s stretching program for lower backs. Mine is fine, and I plan to keep it that way. January 13th: 172.0# Sigh, definitely not the right direction. At least I’ve started walking daily and added my shoulder exercises back to my routines. February 3rd: 172.5# Double sigh, but no surprise. I have reestablished my morning exercises, varying from shoulders to stretching to some more core. We moved the stationary bike to the lanai. I ride every few days. February 24th: 172# Up and down, wavering around 172. We have walked every day this past week, except Wednesday, when it rained all day. March 10th: 177# Ouch. I knew our low-impact birding trip definitely would impact my weight. Too much enjoying eating casado (beans, rice, protein, plantains, a...

October 28: 172.5#   For my birthday and Christmas, I’ve decided to lose 1 pound per week until December 31. There will be one week while we are on our river cruise that might set me back, but 9 pounds lost between now and 2025 should be easily doable. I’m planning the eat-less/exercise-more approach.  I will keep track with this page.  November 4: 168#  So far, so good. My mantra has been, “It’s okay to feel a little hungry.”  That’s all I’ve been: a little hungry. November 11: 169.5# Mantra this week is, “Concentrate on the big picture, not any one day. The trend is down.” But still… November 18: 171.5# Well, not surprisingly, since I over-indulged at Nehrling Garden’s Owl Prowl, with wine, Prosecco, turkey biscuits, and cookies from local bakeries. Back on track. This will happen. November 25: 168.5# Keeping on eating less. Still can’t quite add exercise more. We did walk over tomTown Hall for Light Up Windermere on Friday night, however the beer at the brewe...

I have reached my weight goal of 165# (down to, not up to). Now to try on the pants that were way too tight and see if they are worth hemming or should go to the thrift store. I used for Noom, a fairly pricey app that includes lots of reading about approaches to more than just food. Meals are recorded, encouragement given. Through the app’s social media platform, one could share thoughts with other Noomers if one were so inclined. I’m not. In a week, I have to decide where to pay for another two months. On the one hand, I got the results I wanted and think I’m good. On the other hand, perhaps I should continue recording what I eat and reading their helpful lessons, to be sure the philosophy has really taken hold. The renewal is automatic unless I cancel. Good planning on their part. Five weeks later, and I still haven’t recovered from wrestling that heavy kayak out of the car and carrying it to the porch, having to turn it sideways to get through the door. My upper back, between my sho...

On the one hand, I’m thrilled I’ve lost 10 pounds. On the other, I’m embarrassed I let the fat accumulate. It wasn’t a surprise when I stepped on my ancient digital scale and read the highest weight since being pregnant with my last child 25+ years ago. Once again, lying on the couch, eating potato chips, and having a nightly cocktail has not proven to be the best plan. I had to do something drastic: either lose weight, or buy new jeans through the internet. I chose the former as the lesser horrible option. Using a mobile app (Lose It!), I’ve faithfully, if not perfectly, recorded my breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks. I put in a goal of losing 1/2 pound per week and recorded my weight every morning, so I have a squiggly line, mostly going down. No more chips, booze only on the weekends, and eating smaller, certainly not tiny, meals is paying off. I can get into almost all of my pants. The skinniest may be donated to a good cause if I can’t wear them by the time we visit Mary in ...