Down 1.4 (25.4 lbs total)
This was a short week as I went to a Thursday night meeting instead of my usual Saturday morning one. I got my fifth gold star and my 25lb. washer (yay) and then I went away for the weekend and ate! Oh, and drank! I had a lot of great food and wine and rapidly consumed more than twice my weekly points allowance; I'm at -42 points as of this morning. I obviously have issues around control when I'm on vacation and all of the food is delicious and abundant, plus there is also the "alcohol effect" where my normal WW food inhibitions get dropped. (I remember when I was young and it was a different form of inhibition that weakened, sigh!)
I also went to a Yoga class with my friends while I was away but any of the virtue I accumulated was spent when my back went out again. I now have pain down the inside of my left thigh, the disc is tender and my left hip joint is in spasm. I can't even walk very well this morning. I'm not sure what to do about this because I need to exercise to continue losing weight and I really thought Yoga was the answer because I love it, unlike most other forms of exercise. I guess I'll have to lose more weight before I resume the practice. Walking slowly will have to be the only exercise I do until I am thinner and able to work my core muscles enough to support my back.
Walking is strange. I often imagine myself striding strongly along the seawall at the end of my street (a block away) or through the beautiful park across from my front door. And I know I feel better when my heart is pumping and the wind has pinked my cheeks. And I know it is the easiest, cheapest, and healthiest form of exercise I could do. But I never go. I walk out of necessity because I don't drive, but that's it. I'm not sure why.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Week 11
Down 1 (24 lbs total)
I'm so busy I'm eating whatever, whenever - I'm still tracking it but it isn't a pretty sight. Lots of Sandwiches, Subway 6" Ham on Wheat, Cereal, carbs, carbs, carbs. I've been getting in late, leaving early, working weekends and not shopping.
Hopefully I will get to re-stock the fridge soon and start eating my fruit and veggies again.
Oh, and I had a lot of Champagne on Saturday night :)
I'm so busy I'm eating whatever, whenever - I'm still tracking it but it isn't a pretty sight. Lots of Sandwiches, Subway 6" Ham on Wheat, Cereal, carbs, carbs, carbs. I've been getting in late, leaving early, working weekends and not shopping.
Hopefully I will get to re-stock the fridge soon and start eating my fruit and veggies again.
Oh, and I had a lot of Champagne on Saturday night :)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Week 10
Down 1.6 (23lbs total)
Two more pounds and I get the coveted WW 25 lb. washer!
I purchased one of my favourite linen shirts today, made by FLAX. Size L; not 1X or 2X, but regular size L. Granted it is a baggy cut, but that doesn't diminish my happiness because FLAX and I have been parted for too long. In an ideal world I would live in linen, denim, cotton and silk - banish the synthetics completely (except for technical fabric yoga pants which are too comfortable to banish).
I also picked up my new carved jade and red opal bracelet today and got two more pair of amber earrings ordered. It's spring (I know, but I don't care), and retail therapy has been prescribed.
Two more pounds and I get the coveted WW 25 lb. washer!
I purchased one of my favourite linen shirts today, made by FLAX. Size L; not 1X or 2X, but regular size L. Granted it is a baggy cut, but that doesn't diminish my happiness because FLAX and I have been parted for too long. In an ideal world I would live in linen, denim, cotton and silk - banish the synthetics completely (except for technical fabric yoga pants which are too comfortable to banish).
I also picked up my new carved jade and red opal bracelet today and got two more pair of amber earrings ordered. It's spring (I know, but I don't care), and retail therapy has been prescribed.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Week 9
Down 1.8 (21.4 lbs total)
I had a satisfying food week. I got to drink champagne (quite a lot of it) and eat yummy snacks at book club, I got to cook some great Cuban stew and drink Martinis one evening, then I got to bring the stew to our monthly pot-luck at work and sample all of the Caribbean and Mexican inspired goodies. I used all but 10 of my weekly slush points.
However, I was not able to exercise this week, my hip joints hurt and my back twinges every now and then just to remind me that I'm decrepit. I had planned on going to Restorative Yoga tonight but my body isn't ready yet - I'll aim for the Tuesday lunch-time practice and let the teacher know that I need to protect my lower back much better than I have been doing.
I miss yoga for more than just the exercise, I really love the meditative quality, the looking-inward that takes place as soon as you begin. I've never been a very spiritual person but I feel spiritual when the journey inward goes hand-in-hand with a connection to a deep pool of calm and kindness. I love the sensation of the other beings in the room, all breathing deeply and reflectively - all of them, for that brief hour, unselfconscious, non-judgmental.
I had a satisfying food week. I got to drink champagne (quite a lot of it) and eat yummy snacks at book club, I got to cook some great Cuban stew and drink Martinis one evening, then I got to bring the stew to our monthly pot-luck at work and sample all of the Caribbean and Mexican inspired goodies. I used all but 10 of my weekly slush points.
However, I was not able to exercise this week, my hip joints hurt and my back twinges every now and then just to remind me that I'm decrepit. I had planned on going to Restorative Yoga tonight but my body isn't ready yet - I'll aim for the Tuesday lunch-time practice and let the teacher know that I need to protect my lower back much better than I have been doing.
I miss yoga for more than just the exercise, I really love the meditative quality, the looking-inward that takes place as soon as you begin. I've never been a very spiritual person but I feel spiritual when the journey inward goes hand-in-hand with a connection to a deep pool of calm and kindness. I love the sensation of the other beings in the room, all breathing deeply and reflectively - all of them, for that brief hour, unselfconscious, non-judgmental.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Week 8
Down 3 (19.6 lbs total)
I had a hard time this week. My back has started to protest at the yoga practice, twinging whenever I bend from the hip and producing that elastic-band-snapping feeling if I twist. A herniated disc, damaged in my teens, has often surfaced whenever I try to begin an exercise program. I had thought that yoga with its controlled movement and implicit stretching, would prevent this from happening but some severe spasms while walking yesterday have proved me wrong. I need to exercise to keep the weight loss going and to get to a healthy level of fitness for a 50 year old woman but I have consistently had back pain and have even landed in hospital when I try to pursue working with weights, fitness walking, a sport I like. I need to strengthen my stomach muscles to support my back but I need my back to work my stomach. I am well-versed in all of the prevention techniques, I know what needs to happen to control the herniation, but all exercise involves hip movement of some kind - even swimming. I also know that the weight puts a huge strain on the lower back and that it needs to come off to ensure a pain-free future. I will take the week off of yoga and walking to let the disc subside but I have to find a way forward - I can't let this be the excuse that stops me from succeeding.
I had a hard time this week. My back has started to protest at the yoga practice, twinging whenever I bend from the hip and producing that elastic-band-snapping feeling if I twist. A herniated disc, damaged in my teens, has often surfaced whenever I try to begin an exercise program. I had thought that yoga with its controlled movement and implicit stretching, would prevent this from happening but some severe spasms while walking yesterday have proved me wrong. I need to exercise to keep the weight loss going and to get to a healthy level of fitness for a 50 year old woman but I have consistently had back pain and have even landed in hospital when I try to pursue working with weights, fitness walking, a sport I like. I need to strengthen my stomach muscles to support my back but I need my back to work my stomach. I am well-versed in all of the prevention techniques, I know what needs to happen to control the herniation, but all exercise involves hip movement of some kind - even swimming. I also know that the weight puts a huge strain on the lower back and that it needs to come off to ensure a pain-free future. I will take the week off of yoga and walking to let the disc subside but I have to find a way forward - I can't let this be the excuse that stops me from succeeding.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
